Cars you can buy new with a 4 speed auto

"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish) 01/16/2018 at 12:04 • Filed to: if it ain't broke don't hurr durr

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I thought I’d check up on the Yaris, and see if Toyota had given it a less awful powertrain by now. Surprise surprise, they haven’t. Still the same old 1.5 I4, and 4 speed auto, the finest technology that 1999 has to offer.

Any others that still have a 4 speed? I can’t think of any off the top of my head, unless the 4L60E is still getting used in something.

Nerd-Vol > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:16

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Toyota is one of the worst in terms of mailing it in.

The Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and 4 runner bring very little modernity to the table.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:17

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This one does only because even FCA forgot about it. Every year, a couple thousand leave the assembly plants and all the higher ups are confused and frightened at what crawls out onto dealer lots.

gmctavish needs more space > Nerd-Vol 01/16/2018 at 12:18

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True, but those at least have basically been the same for the last 10 years or so, the Yaris has basically been the same for almost 20.

gmctavish needs more space > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/16/2018 at 12:19

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Oh god, I forgot about those again. They need to let the Sebring die already.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:22

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Isn’t there a Lexus hybrid that uses a 4-speed auto along with its hybrid electric system?

https://jalopnik.com/the-new-lexus-500h-is-a-car-from-the-future-with-a-tran-1759874210

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:29

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Probably uses the same transmission as my old 2006 Corolla. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out if it was a 4 speed or a 3 speed with an overdrive. If you put it in D and turned off overdrive it would only upshift twice but if you left the overdrive on it felt like it had way more than 4 gears.

bhtooefr > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/16/2018 at 12:32

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Although the hybrid system acts as a CVT, so it’s really just widening the CVT’s range a lot...

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:33

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It’s made in France. It’s basically a Twingo.

Merci Yaris.

bhtooefr > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:34

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Note that in Europe, it gets a much newer engine (the 2NR-FKE - similar power to the 1NZ-FE, but much more efficient) and a CVT. But, given that this car’s sole goal in life is to be as cheap as possible...

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Nerd-Vol 01/16/2018 at 12:37

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Speaking of Toyota forgoing modernity, ABS was an option on the Corolla at least through 2006. My 06 LE had no ABS, no stability control, and no traction control. I was quite surprised to discover the lack of ABS when I autocrossed it.

bhtooefr > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:37

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The EPA datafile lists three cars with transmission type Auto(A4).

The absolute base Versa still has a 4-speed auto (even rental car companies don’t buy that, and the very next trim up gets a CVT), the Yaris as mentioned, and the Journey as mentioned.

The LC 500h is counted as Auto(AV-S10), because it has CVT-like behavior, and has a simulated 10-speed mode.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 12:38

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Drove a rental Yaris for four days last week, I’ll take that 4 speed auto over a CVT anyday.

Michael > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 01/16/2018 at 12:40

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Lots of 4 speeds feel like this, due to the torque converter lockup dropping revs and putting you back in your seat. Feels like another shift.

So

1 (TC open), 2 (TC Open), 3 (TC Open), 4 (TC Open), 4 (TC Lockup)

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Michael 01/16/2018 at 12:48

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My Outback felt that way but the Corolla really felt like there were more gears. There were 2 distinct kinds of shifts where you got some that would drop 1-2k rpm but then you would also get shifts that only dropped 500 rpm or so (I.E you could be accelerating at 3k or so and it might shift and drop to 1500 or it might shift and drop to 2250-2500). It really felt like each gear had 2 ranges it could use.

Michael > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 01/16/2018 at 12:53

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That... is weird.

Chariotoflove > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 13:00

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Not new, but the 2004 RX-8 came with a 4 speed auto.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Nerd-Vol 01/16/2018 at 13:32

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Depends on where you look. Crawl control is just now be adopted by other brands.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 13:35

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Better than a CVT! Although the CVT will be faster AND more efficient, id still rather have the slushbox than the lawn mower.

gmctavish needs more space > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/16/2018 at 13:40

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Normally I’d agree, but the 1NZ-FE is so gutless, it needs all the help it can get. Having to downshift to 2nd and nearly redlining it to pass on the highway gets really old, really fast.

gmctavish needs more space > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 01/16/2018 at 13:45

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Really? I drove a 2015 Yaris for almost 2 years, and I grew to hate that engine and trans combo with a passion. Too little power, always having to downshift, not enough ratios to make use of what little power it had. The only CVT I’ve driven was in a Crosstrek, and while I didn’t love it, it made the most of the few horsepowers that the Crosstrek had.

gmctavish needs more space > Chariotoflove 01/16/2018 at 13:46

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That sounds like it would be...interesting to drive

BahamaTodd > Nerd-Vol 01/16/2018 at 13:47

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That’s how Toyota operates. They are so reliable because they use tried-and-true (although a bit outdated) technology.

BahamaTodd > Michael 01/16/2018 at 13:53

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I am constantly shifting between 3rd and 4th in my 4 speed Canyon because of this. The TC doesn’t lock in OD until 55 mph. So at about 45-54 mph (where a lot of city driving occurs), it will actually turn a higher rpm in OD with the TC open vs 3rd with the TC locked.

Its got over 180k miles now and still shifts like new. I give partial credit to my driving style, avoiding an unlocked TC and the extra heat produced.

LongbowMkII > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 14:03

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the 1NZ is a good little motor with the stick, more midrange torque than a 1.5 deserves

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 14:04

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Yeah but redlining every time you step on the gas no matter what gets even older with a CVT.

gmctavish needs more space > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/16/2018 at 14:15

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I guess I’d have to drive a CVT Yaris and see if it actually is better suited. I feel like it would be, but I still don’t want either.

gmctavish needs more space > LongbowMkII 01/16/2018 at 14:17

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I even had fun with it in an older, lighter Yaris. Half the problem is how much heavier the new one is, with the exact same drivetrain.

Chariotoflove > gmctavish needs more space 01/16/2018 at 15:40

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Well, it was with an engine that likes to rev, so it wasn’t as bad as you might think.

Amoore100 > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo 01/16/2018 at 16:41

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That’s the Aygo, not the Yaris.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Amoore100 01/16/2018 at 17:06

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They’ve been made in France since 2015.

Kanaric > Nerd-Vol 01/16/2018 at 18:16

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The japanese companies for a while have been in like a malaise mode. Every once and a while they will wake up and make a FRS or a new Supra or advance engine technology by introducing direct injection on the WRX (late) or something. Then for some reason the STI will still have the old engine and for some reason they will stil lbe using 4 speed transmissions and slushboxes when the germans mostly all moved to DCTs, etc. IDK what’s going on over there but it isn’t good lmao. No new Fairlady Z or GTR yet from Nissan. Mitsubishi is just making appliances. Mazda made the new miata, that is quite good, but yet abandoned mazdaspeed in an era of hot hatch renaissance. It’s weird.

Nerd-Vol > Kanaric 01/17/2018 at 00:01

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Great points! It feels like japan can be really innovative when they want and then be stagnant as well.

I think for Mazda it’s a money issue. No excuse for Nissan though.