Manufacturers are slowly shunning away from the good ol’ stick shifters, pouring their resources into more marketable slushboxes and DCTs (dual-clutch transmission). Manual transmissions then are a rare commodity, but Toyota however, still believes that a good portion of its customers still prefer to row through the gears on their own.
This has led the Japanese carmaker to develop a new six-speed manual transmission for its latest line up of cars that sit on the highly acclaimed Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform – a development framework to make more engaging and efficient cars.
The result is a new transmission that is lighter, more efficient and more liveable than ever before. Compared to the existing version, the new six-speeder is now lighter by seven kilograms and engineers have shaved 24 mm in total length. The lighter and more compact transmission contributes to fuel efficiency and helps in the overall packaging of the car. It is also one of the world’s smallest transmissions and boasts world-leading transmission efficiency.
Tipping the scale at 40 kg, the new manual transmission is able to accommodate up to 280 Nm of torque hence the new gearbox will find its way to more civilian vehicles and potentially the low- and mid-range sportscars like the Yaris GRMN and GT 86.
The new six-speed manual also makes use of the iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) controls, an electronic control unit which automatically adjusts engine’s rpm when changing gears (both upshifts and downshifts) to ensure smooth and recoil-free gear shifts – think of it as a form rev-matching if you will.
It’s a shame however that this new six-speed manual transmission was developed to cater to European markets where the appetite for stick shifters makes a strong business case for manufacturers. Us on the other hand, are getting more and more CVTs (Continuously Variable Transmission) by the day…
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