The Toyota GR HV concept vehicle, which is really a Frankenstein version of a few really popular Toyota vehicles, is showing off a very cool transmission setup that you probably haven’t seen before in the past. It’s essentially an automatic transmission that behaves like it is a manual transmission. No, I’m not talking about a basic paddle shifter that comes on so many vehicles today. This is something more. It behaves much like a manual and will give you that exciting manual feel as well.
Digging into this Transmission
The transmission has the standard automatic that you would expect on a modern Toyota vehicle, but it also has an H-gate manual shift stick. You shift through the gears with the stick much like you would a traditional manual and the vehicle responds accordingly. The only real difference between the vehicle and an actual manual transmission car is that it doesn’t have a clutch. You shift gears and the car responds, but you don’t have to operate a clutch pedal. Shifting is intuitive to anyone familiar with a manual transmission and frankly it’s a lot of fun.
The GR HV sports concept car looks a lot like the GT 86. But it borrows from other vehicles and has wider dimensions and a different back end. The vehicle is pretty cool looking, but it’s the transmission that’s most interesting. If you’re interested in having a manual feel in your next vehicle, you’ll have to hope that Toyota brings this transmission to more of its offerings. It’s an exciting idea and certainly something to look out for.
With how natural the shifting action is in the vehicle it’s something that would sell to many drivers around the world. The vehicle keeps the benefits of an automatic transmission but takes on the exciting feel of a manual so drivers can get the best of both worlds. It’s similar to a paddle shifter, but definitely a step up according to us.
Toyota buyers interested in a better shifting experience will have to keep their eyes on the GR HV sports concept and what becomes of the shifting tech. We bet that it’s going to find its way onto additional vehicles in the future like all good ideas demonstrated on concept cars.
