Test drove another manual to dispell or confirm claims

[grampi]

I test drove yet another manual LB today to find out if I could substantiate or dispell the claims of some in this forum saying the manual is clumsy, difficult to use, or otherwise not smooth in operation. The only thing I was paying attention to was the the action and feel of the clutch and shifter. Not only was it NOT clumsy feeling or difficult to manipulate in any way, shape, or form, I'm not so sure it wasn't the smoothest manual I've ever driven, and I've driven a lot of different cars with manual trannies. The clutch pedal was very smooth and engagement was very predictable, while the shifter's movement was so smooth it felt like it was mounted in warm butter.

I must say, I'm not sure where the complaints about this car's manual tranny are coming from. I certainly couldn't find any problems.

[Thotprawsis]

grampi, I had some diffculty at first. When ever I would take off from a stop it would lurch...this was obviously do to improper gas to clutch ratio "operator error". I have since over come this and have to agree with you. It is an overall very nice system.

[fnkngrv]

I love the clutch and tranny in the stick....others that have driven my car (yes all 2 of them) didn't care for it, but they are used to Ford and chevy clutches

[thatboyjer]

i'd have to agree with ya on this, it took me awhile to get used to but the drive is smooth, i love it.

[Vanderkitten]

...and it will detonate an auto in hard driving... I am ready for all takers...

[YarisGuy]

Who says it isn't smooth? I haven't had any problems with mine.

[Motorhead6T5]

Originally Posted by grampi

I test drove yet another manual LB today to find out if I could substantiate or dispell the claims of some in this forum saying the manual is clumsy, difficult to use, or otherwise not smooth in operation. The only thing I was paying attention to was the the action and feel of the clutch and shifter. Not only was it NOT clumsy feeling or difficult to manipulate in any way, shape, or form, I'm not so sure it wasn't the smoothest manual I've ever driven, and I've driven a lot of different cars with manual trannies. The clutch pedal was very smooth and engagement was very predictable, while the shifter's movement was so smooth it felt like it was mounted in warm butter.

I must say, I'm not sure where the complaints about this car's manual tranny are coming from. I certainly couldn't find any problems.

The clutch is kinda all or nothing when you first drive em but you learn to be smooth,the throttle by wire delay doesn't help either. The shifter itself is very nice.

[grampi]

The only thing I really noticed was that the clutch started to engage sooner in the travel (it starts to engage approx. 1/3 of the pedal travel off the floor, whereas my Corolla doesn't start to engage until about 1/2 or 1/3 from the top). After my initial start, I was used to it.

[driver centric]

Every manual tranny is different, no complaints with mine.

[joe keeney]

Automatic the only way to go.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

i still stall first gear sometimes especially when im high but other than that its good....

[woof]

I just came back from the dealer (Saturday) intending to give them the riot act over my clutch and throttle response. (We don't do warranty work on Saturday. )

I drove my 5-speed xB for 50K miles before getting my LB and never, ever had a problem with stalling or shifting smoothly! I can't figure this out. The Yaris shift linkage is much smoother and more refined than the xB but the execution is totally different.

After putting 16K miles in my LB I'm starting to think I'm not going to get the hang of it. My idea is this: The LB is geared for total economy, including how the throttle and clutch works together to get the highest mpg. The xB clutch pretty much engaged at a defined point whereas my LB clutch seems to have a "floating" engagement point.

One thing for sure, the LB shifts smoother and is punchier off the line--to a point. The xB was geared lower to move a heavier, blunted vehicle through the air that let it feel stronger at highway speeds--mpg and noise notwithstanding. I have noticed on both cars that shifting at the factory recommended shift points makes the drive train work like butter. Once you start hurrying the pace you start losing drive train grace. (Poet!)

If anybody has a definitive answer on why two cars sharing the same drive train would work so differently let me know.

My dealer just got their first xD today so I'm going to have to check out a 5-speed (if they ever order one). BTW, I drove the new xB and it is really nice if you like riding in a Camry--which I don't.

[Yaris Revenge]

What I noticed about the clutch when I test drove it wasn't a problem with smoothness or clumsiness, but simply an inability to tell when the friction zone began. If anything, I believe you could complain that the clutch is too smooth. And the engine is so quiet it's hard to tell what your rpms are doing (thanks to the utter lack of tach). Pair that together, and you've got a tricky tranny.

~YR

[Imagine]

I agree, I thought it was very smooth. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of Tach and the fact that the engine was so quiet I kept forgetting to shift. Other then that I thought it was great.

[REM]

Originally Posted by joe keeney

Automatic the only way to go.

if you cannot drive stick! I had never driven stick until I drove my Yaris off the lot to take it home. I didn't have any trouble at first getting started, but as time went on I started to stall out trying to hurry up my time on the clutch. I have since improved and no longer have any troubles stalling. I do think that this car takes some time to get used to because I recently test drove a Mini Cooper S and thought that it was much easier. However, the Mini was much more rigid in its shifts, and I bet it is harder to stall because it has a lot more power. It's funny, I accidentally started up in 6th gear on flat ground thinking I was putting it in reverse (woops, different shift patterns!) and it didn't stall the car!

[whoguy]

Hi all,

There is a definite difference when driving a manual Yaris and other older style cars (Particularly throttle cabled cars)........

The Yaris has a much much shorter clutch travel than comparable small cars. It also has that slight throttle delay so common in throttle by wire cars.

The gear box is not the fastest nor the most precise.... pretty much on par or better than other small car trannies.

Every one must have to have gotten used to the setup for smooth and efficient take offs.

Even after 20K kms, I still stall it every now and then, particularly when doing fine forward and backward movements in car parks.

Taking off at intersections is not a problem.

Everyone will have different skill levels and driving styles, so each to their own..... if you don't like manual.... get an auto.... it's almost as efficient.

[Vanderkitten]

My clutch is not super-grippy like a Mini most likely has, and I have also never stalled it, but I have had to ride the clutch a bit on hills (NOW I USE E-BRAKE STARTS ON ALL HILLS!).

I agree that there are a lot of possible reasons that there is a difference between your old XB and the Yaris (maybe they have different clutches, or the Yaris has a differnt flywheel, etc), but the drive-by-wire is a lot different and there are some intersting computer programming issues!

[Pars]

[QUOTE=Vanderkitten;121324]My clutch is not super-grippy like a Mini most likely has, and I have also never stalled it, but I have had to ride the clutch a bit on hills (NOW I USE E-BRAKE STARTS ON ALL HILLS!).
QUOTE]

True. In my old Civic Hatch (basically same weight and power rating as the Yaris), I never used the E-Brake for the hills. But in the Yaris, I find myself using E-Brake's all the time. I don't blame the the electronic pedal, the old car had longer strokes on a sodc engine and excellent initial take-off power (at sub 1000rpm).