Update: 2016 Toyota Tacoma 4-cylinder manual confirmed

Tacoma fans had panicked over reports that the car won’t come with a manual and 4-cylinder engine. We clarify the issue.

Fans of the base Tacoma pickup and manual transmission were in a premature panic this week that their favorite combination will be going away. Torque News reached out to Toyota for clarification on the issue. Toyota's product communications manager Craig Taguchi told us “The 2016 Tacoma 4-cylinder will be available with a 5-speed manual transmission, along with the new 6-speed automatic transmission.”

This confusion began this week at the Detroit Auto Show when Toyota announced the new 2016 Tacoma. The presentation and associated press release both highlighted changes to the upcoming new generation. One area of focus was the new 6-speed automatic transmission that Toyota is introducing on both the 2.7-liter, 4-cylinder engine and the all-new 3.5–liter V6. In both the press notes and also the presentation, a 6-speed manual was mentioned for the new V6. However, the manual for the 2.7 four-cylinder was not mentioned. What did this mean?

Looking for an answer we contacted our go-to truck expert, Tom Esterdahl. Tim was present at the reveal, and he spoke directly to high-level Toyota engineers. He specifically asked Toyota employees if a manual would be offered across the line and the reply was an emphatic "yes." We wanted a statement from Toyota to put the issue to rest, so we asked Toyota's public relations team the question. Our PR rep contacted Toyota and Mr. Taguchi was quick to respond.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Rall