I looked at a new tacoma yesterday, I was really impressed for the money... anyone have a newer one with opinions?

Is the 6 a marked improvement? Likes/dislikes?

Honestly the truck is about the same size as what we called "full sized" back in the 90s, so check mark there.

I know the 6 is rated at 6500# on the bumper( according to sales dude).... I don't need that much. I really just want to be able to haul my junk around, and pull a lowboy with my 4 wheeler on it. MAYBE a 14-16ft boat in a few years.

It's fairly comfy for me. It's not as ...spacious as the big trucks, but it also doesn't have enough steel to build a Sherman tank!

I will not buy Chrysler or GM, its a moral thing.... when they pay their secured debt holders back after the "bailout" bull****, we might talk. Ford has lost their collective minds with their "cheap" trucks starting well north of 35k.... nope.

Willing to listen to input, currently driving a car, really needing to go back to a truck

I had a 06 tundra and went to look at a taco to replace it. Thought the back seats were super small and ended up with a 4Runner. Tacos look sweet though

It's a Tacoma. It's bulletproof There is a reason SOCOM uses them down range. It will outlast and have greater resale value then any of the domestics.

I keep hoping they announce a new Land Cruiser soon. If not, I'll get a Tacoma.

Taco is not always the top choice, but is never a bad choice. Its a toyota, so it will feel a touch underpowered and have less gizmos when compared to the competition. But it will need less upkeep than they do, and be worth more in the 7 years if you want to upgrade. It will last 20+ years if you prefer to hang on to it.

I bought a '19 TRD offroad 4dr short bed last year, have a little over 18k on it. It's a great vehicle for me, I live in Denver and am on some rough FS roads pretty frequently for hunting, camping, and hauling my dirtbike places.

It is quite capable offroad and in snow, and I enjoy it in city driving too. The biggest issues for me stem from the transmission programming. It likes to upshift early, and the V6 sourced from a Camry needs revs to get moving. Not a great pairing, but mitigated by putting it in tow mode. I've heard the '20s and up have different programming. The radar cruise is a great feature unless you live in a place with hills, then it will drop 2 gears all the time and leave the truck running at 3.5k for the whole uphill, followed by holding the lower gear for way too long when it levels off. This results is crap mileage with cruise.

I just don't use cruise in the mountains, and am willing to floor it to get it to downshift when I need the truck to move. I don't really mind these thing anymore.

Other than that, what DOES constantly piss me off is the radio controls on the steering wheel. What COMPLETE EFFING MORAN thought volume, which you RAISE and LOWER, should be the left and right toggles? Skipping tracks, you know, forward and back? Those toggles are up and down.

All in all I'm very satisfied with the truck, and will probably get a shift module once my warranty is up. I fully plan to drive this until it dies, so I should have it a looooooong time.

I would seriously consider the Tundra as well. The Tacoma is great but the price is similar and you would be shocked at how cramped bed space is in a modern full sized crew cab short bed truck.

In late May I traded off my 23 year old F150 Lariat 4x4 I bought new back in '97. That was a good truck. I bought a 2020 4x4 Tacoma TRD Off Road.

In driving that Ford for that many years, as good as it was, I did not need a truck that big. I can tell you, the Tacoma is not as big, but plenty big for me. One factor for me, was that the truck would have to fit in the garage. The extended cab Ford did, but the trucks are bigger now for sure and none would fit, that fit my needs. The Tacoma did that.

Knowing I was going to be looking for a "smaller" truck than the Ford F150, I researched the following:

Ford Ranger
Chevy/GMC Colorado/Canyon
Nissan Frontier (not much)
Toyota Tacoma

This was not a glance at the online brochure either.

I looked forward to the Ranger debut, being a Ford driver for so long. The only choice of an engine being a 4 banger turbo killed it for me. I know they are peppier and have some good torque, etc, but I want proven longevity that has yet to be proven. Plus, ford missed some design in looks. This may be corrected with a Raptor version, but time will tell.

Being a Ford person, I did look hard at the Canyon/Colorado, online and in person when sales people were not around, and inside from some people I knew that had one. The naturally aspirated motor was comparable to the Tacoma. So that was not an issue with either. The interior, which appeared might have slightly more rear leg room in the GM trucks in the rear seat, had seemingly a cheaper feel to it. Better nav system than the Tacoma (which is greatly improved over previous years though), but on board nav systems, unless they interface with phones, are probably going the way of the dinosaur in the next few years anyway.

Nissan Frontier: If I was going to buy some inexpensive trucks for fleet use, maybe. But no. Maybe their future redesign will help this aging truck.

Tacoma: This truck seems to be a great fit for sure, but being 6 foot plus a little required a little modification. The underestimated change to a power driver's seat made a HUGE difference for 2020. I had sat in a previous year model and said "cant do". The power seat was a game changer, but with large heel work boots on lacked in leg support. A 20 minute mod from Desert Does It with seat jackers changed the game entirely. It is now the most comfortable seating position of any truck I have driven, not including my own. Period. The 3.6L motor, which some call "lacking" is just misunderstood. The torque curve is a little high in RPM, but is a grabber. It actually has higher HP than my 5.4 from '97, but a little less torque, in a much lighter carriage. I tow reasonably sized bay/flats boats with it (read not 24 ft boats with 350 hp motors here), and a fully loaded utility trailer with deer lease equipment with it, and it does very well. The fit and finish of the body and interior is better, in my opinion only, than the Ford or GM products in comparable models. I was a leather seat fan from my F150 and my wife's late model 4runner, but opted for the cloth in the Tacoma and glad I did. The interior is quieter and lends to a firmer seating position. There have been some complaints that the Tacoma has a quirky ******. At first, it seemed a little off, but I am not a cruise control guy and with a couple weeks driving have found it does what it should, when it should, and is quite responsive. Nothing wrong with the cruise control, as all features of the system are good, but I like to feel what I am driving. However note this: The advertised MPG of the Tacoma is not what the average driver is to expect. I do know someone that gets the advertised MPG out of theirs, however I would give up on life and a schedule trying to achieve that. I do not know if you want 4wd, however the Tacoma, at least in the TRD Off Road, is probably the most equipped to handle any situation you may find yourself in with a true truck other than a Ford Raptor, and that may be up for debate depending on what you are doing.

One thing is for sure, if you have ANY questions about modifications, or capabilities, the Tacoma has probably the biggest following of any truck I have seen on the internet. Tacomaworld.com. If you are considering the Tacoma in earnest, you NEED to go there and look at the "3rd Gen" forums. It is all there. The great, the good, and the bad, when it comes to Tacoma. I have added the 4runner Sema wheels, with BFG KO2s (another conversation here), Lomax bed cover and more to mine.

I know, this board is a HUGE fan of full size trucks, but I have been really impressed with my Tacoma TRD Off Road. Do your own research, examine your own needs, and buy the truck that fits your needs. Not others, YOUR needs.

PS: If you think you might be changing trucks in a few years, the Tacoma beats all others in resale.

Edit, if i knew how to post pics I would, but am not a subscriber anymore and that "easy" feature is not available to me anymore.

I've had Taco and a Frontier and I like the Frontier much better. Taco broke down on me twice. Frontier is also $10k cheaper.

TheCougarHunter said:

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I've had Taco and a Frontier and I like the Frontier much better. Taco broke down on me twice. Frontier is also $10k cheaper.

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I am not saying your Frontier was not a great truck, however the username does not correlate with a Nissan Frontier. Or with any mid size truck, actually. Tacoma, or the future Ranger Raptor included. Have you considered a Corvette, or a Maserati?

I own a 2019 TRD 4dr 4wd, I did quite a bit of research on the truck and decided to go with it. It's a little over a year old and have 36k miles on it. My bud has the 4dr Tundra and sitting side by side the Tacoma sits 1.5 inches lower than the Tundra but the cab is set on the exact drive train and chassis as the Tundra.
Driveability it's awesome the steering and feel is the same as the full size Tundra. Although the 6 doesn't have the power of the 8 but it is quite adequate.
I got a chance to pull a loaded 16 ft lowboy trailer with 3 tons of dirt on it and the ride was smooth, again the pull started slow but was quite adequate with the 3 ton load. I thought the load would push the truck around on unlevel roads but it didn't. I've added a camper top which I really like and I plan on adding a winch on the front before I head up to Upstate NY this coming spring. In March we took a trip to Oregon to visit relatives and view a 55' Chevy truck, seats are comfortable. MPG's range from 15-19 depending on speed on the highway. All in all I enjoy this truck and plan on it to be my last vehicle purchase.

Old Sarge said:

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TheCougarHunter said:

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I've had Taco and a Frontier and I like the Frontier much better. Taco broke down on me twice. Frontier is also $10k cheaper.

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I am not saying your Frontier was not a great truck, however the username does not correlate with a Nissan Frontier. Or with any mid size truck, actually. Tacoma, or the future Ranger Raptor included. Have you considered a Corvette, or a Maserati?

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Beat me to it.

I have a Tacoma at my home in Colorado as my fly fishing vehicle. I love that little 4 wd truck.

Howdy! I use a '14 Tacoma pre runner as my ranch truck, managing operations on multiple divisions in the coastal bend and Mew Mexico. Of course, I am limited to utility trailers and my bed and back seat are chock full of my tools and range science paraphernalia, but it's a perfect vehicle for me. I am often alone in relatively remote areas, but I don't worry about not getting back. I have to get wheels realigned yearly or so, but others with heavier trucks get whole front ends rebuilt.

Had a '19 Taco for a rental earlier in the year.

It is one of the few small trucks I would enjoy (daily driver is an '18F150)... biggest issue was me being 6'5" and they just aren't really made for that.

Felt a lot bigger than I thought it would, looks pretty nice. Tech features are lacking as mentioned, but not really a huge deal to me.

I felt it was bit underpowered on the 4 banger, but I think it would have been pretty good on a 6.

Quote:

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Its a toyota, so it will feel a touch underpowered and have less gizmos when compared to the competition

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I had a 4x4 TRD as a rental while my Z71 Colorado was being repaired after I was broadsided at a stop sign. The above is the first thing I noticed when driving. I'm sure it will last forever but the inside felt cheap to me, certainly when compared to my Colorado.

Please buy a new Taco. I will probably pick one up used from some suburbanite who needed a truck for his ego more than his lifestyle in a couple years, and the more flooded the market is the less I will have to pay.

That's all I have to contribute.

texAZtea said:

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Please buy a new Taco. I will probably pick one up used from some suburbanite who needed a truck for his ego more than his lifestyle in a couple years, and the more flooded the market is the less I will have to pay.

That's all I have to contribute.

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The suburbanite will have the last laugh if you have been paying attention to used Toyota truck prices.

I've owned three. All excellent. Agree with the slightly under powered comments, but they were all very capable off-road. No reason I wouldn't make it 4 in the future.

My issue with the Tacoma is that they cost near enough the same as a domestic half-ton (at least before 'Rona) yet they have near universally lower performance across the board than a half ton.

Their one advantage is their size. The rental I had last year had decent power.

I have owned two Tacomas and we currently own a Lexus GX. These three vehicles were in the shop for more ticky-tack warranty work than any of the previous Fords we have owned. Not sure why we got the short end of the straw so many times given their well-earned reputation.

texAZtea said:

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Please buy a new Taco. I will probably pick one up used from some suburbanite who needed a truck for his ego more than his lifestyle in a couple years, and the more flooded the market is the less I will have to pay.

That's all I have to contribute.

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Enjoy saving $2-4k if it has 60k or less.

I have a '13 PreRunner as my daily driver. You'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Pushing 115k miles and nothing but oil/filter changes, a serpentine belt, and TPMS sensors. Runs and drives great. All the times I have towed or hauled (mostly stuff for landscaping like soil, gravel, block, etc) it has been just fine. Maintenance has been very simple, and procedures were obviously thought through during design. Probably going to take it to 220k-250k before I even think about replacing it. Only knock is that I don't have quite 4' between the wheel wells for plywood and there's no always hot accessory outlet.

ABATTBQ11 said:

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I have a '13 PreRunner as my daily driver. You'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Pushing 115k miles and nothing but oil/filter changes, a serpentine belt, and TPMS sensors. Runs and drives great. All the times I have towed or hauled (m.

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I've got an '09 Taco and TPMS sensor came on recently.

What cost am I looking at to get it fixed?

I'm thinking about going DT for the work.

Thanks.

Had a Tacoma previously. I liked it but did not love it. It was tough and did all I asked it to but was not comfortable and did not have the bells and whistles I wanted. Kind of how I feel about all of Toyota's line-up. Seems the options are limited and they don't fit me well. YMMV

Following. May be in the market soon.

I know they're high.

I said what I said.

I have a 2016 TRD Offroad 4x4 Double Cab Long bed and I love it. Anybody who says it is underpowered hasn't driven it enough to get used to it. The stock throttle mapping means you have to put your foot in it a little more than I was used to, and the engine being designed to run a higher RPM range makes it feel different than a typical low rpm torque truck engine, but it will for sure get up and go if you ask it to. As was said above, the 2020s got an upgrade to the programming and supposedly are much better than the 2016-2019s. I am running a tune from Orange Virus tuning that eliminated a lot of the issues with the throttle mapping and shift hunting that were early complaints on the 2016s.

I have about 73k on the truck and plan to go 200+ like I did on my previous one (a 1999). As was said above, anything you want to know or upgrade on the truck, you can find somebody who has already done it on Tacomaworld, and probably 3 small business vendors selling everything you need. I am about to buy a winch bumper for the front of mine from a firm in Louisiana and might give it a lift down the road, but it is by far the most capable off-road truck of any of the mid-size trucks on the market.

ItsA&InotA&M said:

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ABATTBQ11 said:

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I have a '13 PreRunner as my daily driver. You'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Pushing 115k miles and nothing but oil/filter changes, a serpentine belt, and TPMS sensors. Runs and drives great. All the times I have towed or hauled (m.

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I've got an '09 Taco and TPMS sensor came on recently.

What cost am I looking at to get it fixed?

I'm thinking about going DT for the work.

Thanks.

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My wife's 2008 4runner was just at the dealership for some other work, and they wanted $210 or something like that to replace the TPMS sensor in the spare. I think the part is under $100, and it might be cheaper to replace if it is one of the 4 wheels instead of the spare. DT will probably be cheaper than the dealership, but we already had it in for a fuel tank sender unit replacement, so it was just easier to let the dealership do it.

Do it! Those slimline bumpers are slick, especially with the "wings".

I believe a TSB was released for third gens to get programmed for that issue, but I'm not sure of all the details.

OP: I have a '14 that I love. I've done a little work to it, and take it to BBNP/BBRSP/CO/NM/anywhere. It's perfect for adventuring and carrying toys. Gas mileage isn't great, but that's not why I bought it.

Naveronski said:

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I believe a TSB was released for third gens to get programmed for that issue, but I'm not sure of all the details.

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There is a TSB to change the ECM programming, and it did fix most of the gear hunting issues and improved the throttle response some. But the OV Tune really made a big difference for me just in the feel of the pedal, and the gear lock function is great.

I am currently on my third Tacoma. 2019 TRD Off Road 4x4 with the extended bed. I got the longer bed, just because I wanted the extra room. I also installed a BAK Flip bed cover.

I have pulled a '16 trailer with a small tractor on it, and felt as though that was the limit of the trucks capability towing wise. I have no problem pulling my boat ('17) or my '14 trailer with the Mule on it.

My only beef with all of my Tacomas is the turning radius! It's terrible, and I wish Toyota would address it.

I would highly recommend buying one. My two previous ones had over 225K on them, and I know one of them is still on the road ('05)

While we're here, if anyone of y'all have an 80's 4Runner sitting at the farm or whatever, let me know.

Thank all of you for the very detailed responses. One reason I will usually ask the OB on these kind of topics, i get lots of varying responses.

Now to do the responsible thing and clear some outstanding debt up, get a down payment, and test drive some trucks.