I wonder how an automatic can be better? When a gear is locked to a shaft in a manual we have no loss in the power delivery other than a very small amount of friction at the the gear tooth contact point and a bit of moving gear oil.
An automatic is a substantially larger system and much heavier. It can almost never operate at the efficiency of a main shaft locked to an output shaft. It is true that the modern automatic does have a locking torque converter which locks out the fluid heat loss when it is engaged but, step on the gas and for a moment our speed does not change yet the RPM immediately goes up due to the unlocking of the torque converter. So, it is not possible for any automatic transmission system to equal a locked manual system due to heat generation in the torque converter when it is unlocked. I wonder what percentage of the time the lock up is in place?
A friend once told me an automatic was better for towing and that you couldn't even get the optional towing package with a manual. I didn't have the heart to tell him only an automatic needed such a thing. Going up a 10 percent grade with an automatic and an unlocked converter is generating a lot of wasted heat, power not getting to the wheels.
I will agree that the new automatics are much better but, they also cost more and now the big one, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Give us better engines and rust protections and keep what already works.
Not sure why the pickup builders continue to build newer, bigger and higher output engines, new monster expensive automatics which can handle all that power and yet they do no work on lighter efficient trucks. Take a look at the GM/Isuzzu diesel delivery trucks. They have gross loaded weight of 10,000 pounds and they do it with 3.0L diesel engines which are good for 300,000 miles. Why is this motor not available in a pickup. This is what I am after, light, simple and long lasting. The last thing I need in the new Ford 7.0L Diesel with 800 foot/lb of torque. I can say the same for the new Tundra and it's huge gas motor and 6 speed automatic. The T100 was a great truck for many of us. Light and a 4X8 bed for work.
Looks like I might just need to hang on to my 1994 T100 for another 17 years. I was going to give it to a friend and I was going to get something new but it seems what is new is not better, it's just heavier and more expensive.
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