Third gen manual is great in the mountains so far!

Hello, Tacoma World!

I just bought my '16 TRD Sport ACLB 6MT with a little over 8k on it. I wanted to post here because I've had no issues with it so far and hope to keep it that way for a long time! The service records on this truck are clean except for an interior door upholstery issue which was covered under warranty. I have noticed at about 55-65mph you can hear a very slight whine from the rear end but I can only really hear it if the radio is off and I'm paying attention. I did not notice on a cruise down the highway to the next big city. I usually have the sound system on a low to moderate volume. No weird vibrations and definitely no problems shifting the 6 speed manual! I am hoping that Toyota will eventually take care of everyone who has had issues with theirs. It seems like usually it's just a matter of waiting enough time for the corporate machine to move enough.

I live in the mountains and so I stay at lower than 50mph mostly and the taller gears with the stick are perfect for me. It took me a couple of days to get used to driving a manual again but it's so easy that all of the muscle memory stuff came back right away. This thing reminds me a lot of my 80's CJ-7 that I owned and rock-crawled with many years ago; this truck is a lot more refined though! I am planning on swapping for some better tires and maybe 16" wheels soon. I was comparing this thing side-by-side to an older 90's model Suburban that is being replaced with this one and they are remarkably similar in eyeball dimension, at least in wheelbase. The Tacoma is a whole lot easier to drive and a lot more fun than the old Chevy though! I have no problem climbing 1500+ft elevation changes within 10 miles of twisty canyon using just 5th gear and not lugging the motor. It does the higher speed highway canyon climbs with no effort as compared to the truck which always struggled. I have not ever noticed a problem with it needing to rev to high which was what always pushed me away from Toyotas over the years.

I'm really hoping for the best with this one. I think I got a great deal on it because the previous owner may have become nervous over things like Consumer Reports reviews and also his own coincidentally unrelated bad luck with other autos. This truck seems to have no problems at all and still has plenty of warranty for me to try and shake anything out. It came with a matching optioned Leer top and the previous owner swapped the sport hood for offroad (fine by me!), and then dipped and swapped the grill exactly the way I wanted (still have original grill too). So far I have bought better radio knobs and a screen protector.

I drove a rented 2015 Tacoma 4-door automatic up higher into the mountains a few years ago and I really liked that truck but this one just seems to be a lot more refined in exactly the ways I need it to be. The cupholders and interior is excellent in the 3rd gen and I am happier with the electronics and controls too. I had been looking for an off-road model but I really wanted the longer bed and didn't need the 4 doors so much. I had just about given up trying to find a 2014-2015 in any configuration with the right options, that would still leave me room to put a shell on the back. This one just happened to pop up for sale in town and it turns out I sorta knew the guy anyway as it's a small town. I think it was meant to be!

I also like that this one does NOT have A-Trac and some of the advanced computer controlled stuff like crawl control. I feel like maybe that will help with the reliability in the long term, even if I can't put a second battery under the hood because of it. I also really wanted a locker in the rear but the brake simulated stuff will have to work for now.

Long term I would like to put an ARB or two in it and have on-board air again, like I had with the old Jeep. I would like to lift it too when it's out of warranty. I don't really do much four wheeling anymore but I live in the desert/mountains/forest and self sufficiency is always on my mind! There are no cellphone signals where I live and so sometimes I can't just call someone. The snow can drift to 4-5 feet here and I like the peace of mind.

 

Nice truck and welcome to the TW

 

Nice truck,Welcome to the TW

 

Congrats on your Tacoma and welcome!

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome OP!! We, also, are mountain folks and love driving the MT!! Only really one, very minor complaint. Pedal size and placement are not conducive for heel toe downshifting.

 

I agree, I don't think I could cram my heel in there properly either. The good news is that I've never found myself needing to do that with this truck (yet). Yay!

Thanks, everyone!

 

Welcome!

 

Only way to go! MT foe da win.

 

Wow, so I went by my credit union today to inquire about another matter and they forgot to tell me they were giving me a $1000 discount on this truck, just for buying another vehicle.

That brings my cost on this thing to $30,000 even + TTL, at ultra-low credit union rate.

Feeling stoked, blessed, and very thankful!

Now I'm really thinking about those heated Clazzio's... !

 

Oh, and taxes are only 3% in my state!

 

Great review! Never got to test drive a manual but ordered one anyways. Can't wait till the end of the month!

 

Welcome to TW!