rpm's-manual vs auto

[wileewashere]

i put a deposit down on an incoming yaris hatch auto. ive always been a stick driver, but this car was slow with stick or auto anyway. however, the auto seemed to be revving a lot lower at 70 mph than the manual, and therefore seemed somewhat quieter. since there are no tachs here, can anyone confirm the rpms at 70 mph (113 kph?) in the auto vs hatch. my searches have found alot of inconsistencies, but alot of info indicated at 70 mph, the auto is revving about 3000 rpms, while the 5 speed is at over 3500 rpms. is this right? if so, it would tell my why the automatic felt less busy on the highway.

thanks

[Pars]

Originally Posted by wileewashere

i put a deposit down on an incoming yaris hatch auto. ive always been a stick driver, but this car was slow with stick or auto anyway. however, the auto seemed to be revving a lot lower at 70 mph than the manual, and therefore seemed somewhat quieter. since there are no tachs here, can anyone confirm the rpms at 70 mph (113 kph?) in the auto vs hatch. my searches have found alot of inconsistencies, but alot of info indicated at 70 mph, the auto is revving about 3000 rpms, while the 5 speed is at over 3500 rpms. is this right? if so, it would tell my why the automatic felt less busy on the highway.

thanks

Doing 70mpg at only 3000rpm is an achievement for a tiny 1.5L Automatic transmission. At that RPM, it makes for good cruising on the flats, but in a heavy load situation the downsift from 4th to 3rd is going to be bothersome.

Based on the gearing and engine size, if you're cruising around in a light load situation, there shouldn't be much differance between the Automantic and Manual Yaris. So, if you're not going to be a terror on the roads and you live in a relatively flat area (like Toronto), the Automatic transmission in the Yaris seems approperatley geared.

I think, at around 70mpg, my 5spd manual transmission in the 07 Yaris is revving at around 3200rpm (about the same as the automatic transmission). In terms of driving response/useable power, the manual should feel significantly better/robust, since it's not loaded down with an Automatic and it has an extra gear to make better use of the available power (two factors that are very important in a small displacement/low torque engine).