Anyone wish for a Manual Transmission for the LC300?

[h777]

Just curious how many of you are out there that would purchase a LC300 if it were offered in a manual transmission? Seeing that serious off roaders like Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco are offered with manual transmissions, why not the LC300? There appears to still be a market for off road vehicles with manual transmission still. I know the new LC300 may not be direct competitor to Bronco or Wrangler, but they are off road vehicles in the end. Also, I keep hearing about the possibility of a stripped down LC300 on this forum that might be more geared towards offroading.

All I am saying is that there might be some people that are die hard fans of manuals that have Wranglers or looking at Ford Bronco for that reason. I am not sure how many of them are out are out there, but seems to be enough for Ford to offer it on the Bronco. You could open up that market for more sales for LC300 by offering a manual.

Finally, if the LC300 is sold with a manual in other parts of the world, how much extra Research and Development would that be for Toyota to just sell it in the US?

I only bring these questions up because I have not seen this discussed before. Really not sure what reaction to expect here.

 

[vcheng]

Just curious how many of you are out there that would purchase a LC300 if it were offered in a manual transmission? Seeing that serious off roaders like Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco are offered with manual transmissions, why not the LC300? There appears to still be a market for off road vehicles with manual transmission still. I know the new LC300 may not be direct competitor to Bronco or Wrangler, but they are off road vehicles in the end. Also, I keep hearing about the possibility of a stripped down LC300 on this forum that might be more geared towards offroading.

All I am saying is that there might be some people that are die hard fans of manuals that have Wranglers or looking at Ford Bronco for that reason. I am not sure how many of them are out are out there, but seems to be enough for Ford to offer it on the Bronco. You could open up that market for more sales for LC300 by offering a manual.

Finally, if the LC300 is sold with a manual in other parts of the world, how much extra Research and Development would that be for Toyota to just sell it in the US?

I only bring these questions up because I have not seen this discussed before. Really not sure what reaction to expect here.

I would. In a heartbeat. I need a replacement for my manual transmission FJ Cruiser at some point.

 

[bloc]

The bronco only gets the manual with the small engine, though I think the wrangler can be had with either. And I think this underlines one of the problems.. emissions. Manufacturers often need to use a modern auto to hit their emissions and mileage targets when coupled to the higher output options. I seem to remember reading this was part of why Porsche pushed the PDK so aggressively, though ultimately it is faster too.. many people say the manual is just more fun.
So yeah, look at which engines are offered with the manual in a 200 around the world, and especially at the trim levels too. Then imagine trying to get out of people’s way on an American highway in a 6500lb truck with the 4.0v6. You won’t find a 5.7 or 4.5TD with a manual, and you definitely won’t find a manual in something that has leather, power everything, nav, etc.. because virtually no one would buy it.
Also IMO a well-setup auto is WAY better off road than a stick, but this is a preference thing for sure.
Edit: I forgot one point.. the modern move to make bigger power without a mileage penalty is to build engines to be high strung lower displacement vs high torque larger displacement.. the Tacoma 3.5 vs the old 4.0 is a case study in this. That further makes the case for an auto off-road due to the torque converter’s ability to multiply torque off idle.

 

[afgman786]

The sales numbers for Heeps with a manual is so low... that if they offered it on a 300 with similar sales numbers to a 200, you're talking maybe a couple hundred in the US sold with manuals..
But with that I would love a manual in my cruiser especially for wheeling

 

[jamgolf]

I really enjoy driving manual transmission cars and driving my Morgan 3Wheeler is the highlight of my day. I don't think the feeling of engagement that a manual transmission car gives can be replicated with even the best dual-clutch or automatic transmission. I have even imagined driving the new Bronco with a manual. But quite honestly I would not buy a Land Cruiser with a manual transmission. In my personal opinion, it's just not that type of vehicle. What I want from a Land Cruiser is reliability, on-road comfort, off-road capability and I feel automatic transmission with the ability to override manually is the right combination (paddle shifters would be nice).

 

[bloc]

I really enjoy driving manual transmission cars and driving my Morgan 3Wheeler is the highlight of my day. I don't think the feeling of engagement that a manual transmission car gives can be replicated with even the best dual-clutch or automatic transmission. I have even imagined driving the new Bronco with a manual. But quite honestly I would not buy a Land Cruiser with a manual transmission. In my personal opinion, it's just not that type of vehicle. What I want from a Land Cruiser is reliability, on-road comfort, off-road capability and I feel automatic transmission with the ability to override manually is the right combination (paddle shifters would be nice).

Paddles would be nice and the ability to actually select a gear for hold (within reason), vs just selecting the highest gear it can use..

 

[rlynch356]

IMHO... they would sell 10's of them in the US unfortunately... now a 70 series LC, probably would sell in the 1000's as a manual. and the 10's of 1000's as an automatic priced in the $40's

 

[tbisaacs]

It would be a niche of a niche vehicle whose US-market future is already in question. Most of the manuals I've seen offroad have been old 22re Toyotas and 2-door Jeeps — these trucks are super lightweight so slipping the clutch and bouncing off the rev-limiter isn't a big deal. I couldn't imagine doing that with my 7K+ pound beast.

 

[Sandroad]

I really like rowing through the gears myself and lament the end of manual transmissions. BUT, not in a heavy Land Cruiser. Sell me a slick-shifting manual in a light, responsive vehicle (please) that's reasonably priced and I'll be super happy. The LC is not the place for a manual for any of my uses (mostly towing), IMHO.

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm a connoisseur of manuals too, but IMO, the LC is the wrong vehicle to enjoy it in. Jeeps and Broncos are a smaller class of off-roaders that manual may be more fun in.

Paddles would be nice and the ability to actually select a gear for hold (within reason), vs just selecting the highest gear it can use..

While I appreciate direct control, I actually like the highest gear logic that is implemented. It's far more useful than direct selection in my use. Effectively auto, up to the gear I select, which for technical driving, is not a bad thing. Towing, it's full auto up to the gear I limit the selection to. Off-road low range, same deal, I find it more useful as a limiter.

There's a case for direct selection, but I've never missed it on the cruiser. I wouldn't want it over the limit function.

 

[dnh1]

I drove a manual 1st gen 4Runner for about 5 years as my daily driver. I got it for $7k in high school and drove it all through college. I loved that damn thing. It was a 4 cylinder so it was about the slowest vehicle on the road, but it was so fun. I still miss it. Of course, if I wanted to buy one now, it would be $25k.

I would love a manual LC 200, 300, whatever. A few people on mud have manual 200s that are in other parts of the world. We will never get one here. They haven't offered one here since 1986, I believe.

 

[rscoleman]

I would like to see the 70 sold in US with its diesel and manual. As to 200+ not so much unless they are going to sell a stripped down cloth seat, etc... version which I find unlikely.

 

[bloc]

Why do these always turn into “70-series-please?!?!” threads?

There's a case for direct selection, but I've never missed it on the cruiser. I wouldn't want it over the limit function.

I wasn’t clear. I’d like to have both.

 

[40Man]

I love the manual in my 84 pickup and FJ40, wouldn't change them for anything. I'd love to have a 5 spd manual in my 88 FJ62, as the a440f is a dog. The auto in my 11 and now my 16 Land Cruiser operate so well, I don't see the need for a manual. I even liked the 5 speed auto in my 07 Tacoma much better than the 6 speed manual option. I really wanted the manual, but it shifted so weird, and kept revs up with the clutch in (for emissions) that I hated it (the 3rd gen tacoma auto is not paired well with the 3.5, so the manual is preferred by many).

If the 300 series auto is as good as the 200 series, I'd likely stick with auto, even if the option for manual is available.

 

[xtremeVA]

Everyone of my vehicles is a manual transmission, but I have to face the fact that manual trans offerings are dying a slow death. I agree with many of the comments above on why a manual trans option doesn't make good business sense for Toyota.

Heck, we may be having this discussion about "auto" driving vs. "manual" driving cars in the not too distant future. I laughed in the face of my neighbor when he was explaining how his new Tesla's auto-drive (aka lane departure) feature made him a better driver.

 

[LN106]

I don't think the manual transmissions can handle the torque of the new turbo engines. The overseas diesel Hilux's are turned for less torque than the automatic counterpart. Would be cool if they could do something like the RAV4 prime except using a twin-turbo V6 as the base engine.

 

[linuxgod]

Paddles would be nice and the ability to actually select a gear for hold (within reason), vs just selecting the highest gear it can use..

Sport mode in my 2008 Acura MDX held gears like that. It would downshift if you got too slow, but it tried to hold the gear as you'd decelerate. Much more enjoyable than the fake "S" mode the LC comes with. I think Acura added flappy paddles in 2012 or so... I really don't care for them though.

Then again even with a true "sport" mode, I personally have trouble keeping track of what gear I'm in unless I look down. sequential shift up and down is not the same as your body pushing the shifter into a specific location.

 

[Moby]

I bought a Golf R over an RS3 for the manual (and other things, all I really liked about the RS3 was the wonderful 5 cylinder engine). But having swapped an H55F into my FJ-62 I just don't see it. The A440 necessitated the swap (even with a full rebuild, custom stalled converter and 3 different valve bodies it was still a dog). Yes, the H55F took advantage of the built 2FE but it also had a lot of impact on comfort in such a large vehicle. Granted, a more modern manual would likely be better, but I'll save my manuals for light, toss-able cars.

Side note the stock manual in the R is a huge step back from the 5 speeds in my A4s. Got a bunch of minor mods on the shelf to fix the sloppiness of the rubber bushings and long, vague throws.

 

[stonepa]

No. I strongly dislike manuals for anything offroad. The Toyota autos are bulletproof with no clutch replacement. And, yes, i have been driving manuals for almost 40 years. Just don’t like them for my uses. Modern auto boxes are just too good.

 

[texas]

Nope.