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What are your thoughts on the Tacoma

PJ211X

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Test drove a Tacoma TRD back in February. Nice truck overall but I couldn't get used to the seat position. Sitting essentially on the floor for any length of time wasn't all that comfortable. I'm 6'4" and finding a workable seat position with only fore and aft seat adjustment was impossible, not to mention the ridiculous lack of tilt angle and telescope range of the steering wheel.

I'm also not a fan of the seating position to windshield distance. Both the JL and TRD have small total windshield area compared to other vehicles in their class, but in the Tacoma I felt I had to lean forward more often to see traffic lights.

I didn't find the navigation and phone parring as objectionable as others have on this site and I do like the vertical center stack positioning of the interior controls (like the JT). But I do agree with others, rear drum brakes that are grabby in 2019 makes no sense and are far more prone to overheating while towing than disc brakes are. Also, the plastic bed sucks to stand on in wet conditions. I need a truck to haul dirt bikes and the Tacoma offers no traction at all.

The JT is one of a few I'm considering and appears to offer the most useable features I need of all that I'm considering. The only concern I have is what those wants will cost. I was a Chrysler engine/trans tech for over 20 years before earning a mechanical engineering degree this past year so I'm well familiar with the Jeep powertrain and consider it one of the better out there.

Toyota would do themselves a favor by doing a better job of benchmarking in the future. Now that the field of mid-sized trucks has grown by two and expect stiffer competition by redesigns of both the Frontier and Colorado's in the next couple of years they will have to. We as consumers will all benefit by this and expect better products in the future.
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Trickster

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To the OP, in brief, excellent vehicle, but dated.
 

hoch

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Currently have a 17 Tacoma TRD OR manual. It’s been a great truck. Very capable even in stock form. It’s taken me all over the west. Zero issues and I think it drives great. All the nit picks from others—I don’t see any problems with. Plastic bed carries mulch and dirt just fine. Engine pulls trailers just fine. IFS handles all the trails I go on just fine. Reliability is second to none.

Having said that, I’m ordering the JT. For two reasons.
1- Rear seat room. My kids are cramped in the back. Three kids back there going in a camp trip, it gets cramped fast. When I originally bought the truck, I said I’d have been fine if the truck were 6” longer if it gave more room to the rear seat. And what do you know, the JT has just that.
2- Top off. Too cool. Kids love riding in a RZR. This would be just as cool. Id have gone with a JK/JL, but cargo room was always a concern. Not a problem with a truck bed.

I will order the JT as soon as it goes live. Tacoma will be traded in.
 

chr15m

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I too currently have a MT TRD OR. Basically agree on all points you've made. I'm only considering the JT because I previously had a FJ that I bought after seriously looking at a JK. The FJ and the Wranglers all have this retro feel to them that I love. That and the top down. I rode in a Wrangler once almost 20yrs ago now and it left an impression I cant shake.

I'm still waiting to test a Gladiator before I decide. This Tacoma has been great to me, no issues. Prior to it though I had a lemon believe it or not. A complete POS Toyota. So after living through that I haven't got the fears that often get associated with owning a Jeep. I have noticed at least that Jeep seems to be better about warranty work. Toyota dragged their heels for me, but eventually got me covered.
 

WildJD

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Until the Gladiator was 100% official, was considering a Tacoma for a work truck and toy, but now it doesn't really look like that's the case

Curious what you guys think of them, mostly the 3rd gen but also in general
Tacomas (and toyota mini-trucks before them) were originally designed to be (and look like) a car with a bed on back. They still do.
Gladiators are Jeeps, originally designed “to go where there are no roads”... they, too, still do!
Tacomas, through the decades, saw a market in off-roading, and have been adapting, and evolving, their little truck in that direction ever since.
But Tacomas were originally, essentially, a street car, with a bed, (used primarily for urban delivery/small cargo, street/highway, runs). They’ve added off-road parts, and capabilities, but still, they BEGAN, with a car.
Gladiators, (Jeeps), have always been, from inception, true, off-road vehicles! They’ve added a bed, yes, but that just makes them an even more capable, version of what THEY, BEGAN with...
an off-road vehicle! ;{
 
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LidLess07X

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i had a first gen and it was great for it's time
The current model gives you a seating positions that is basically on the floor. The brakes are inferior by today's standards. No back seat leg room, etc It's a vehicle that was already outdated when the latest generation was released

The number one reason why I would never buy one is frame rot. Look in the rear of any Toyota service department and you will see a stack of frames ready to replace the rotted frames of so many of them on the road. My neighbor is a Toyota certified tech and said he has done so many, that he can complete the job in two days when they are paying five days to do it. You have to have done a lot of those frames to get that efficient at swapping everything over. I do love they way they look on 33's though.
 

rvillano8188

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after long looking at only a JT, I went and looked at a TRD pro today, and well, it was beautiful on the outside in my opinion, but the dash is dated, the roof is lower than I expected (Im 5’9 for reference). Honestly, what really caught me was the color. Almost pressured myself into it as blue is going away and unable to be ordered anymore after this year. I know army green is coming out but I’m gonna stick with the JT for all the reasons mentioned before, plus I’ve always wanted a Jeep, and a pickup, and it might not be the best off-road vehicle, or the best pickup, but it’s pretty damn good at both.

E076A884-BB26-4AF5-9896-41CB4A159DCC.jpeg
 

bgenlvtex

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Under powered, poor fuel mileage, dated interior design, and most importantly for me not built for White Anglo Saxon Protestants. I'm 6'6 220, it's impossible to find anything resembling a comfortable driving position.

Toyota builds (some) very durable and reliable vehicles, I have owned 3 Rav4 for my children, they are fantastic, but Toyota trucks need a complete remake. New power, complete interior and exterior redesign and their frames need to quit rotting in two before I even shop them again.
 

HorneyBadger

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I have a Gen 3 16 TRD Sport I will be trading for a JT Overland on Friday. Love the truck but..... the new auto trans sucks in the Taco. After the factory addressed a couple of issues, they still need to address the searching. A hard acceleration to pass will make the trans go into neutal until the RPM comes down to less than 2000. Otherwise the Taco was a good vehicle.
 

Slapping_Rabbits

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So I thought a taco would be great bc you can get it in a manual and the 2020 will have all sorts of tech and safety upgrades (allegedly), but i sat in one and its just too small. The salesman sat behind me and his legs were pressed up against the back of the drivers seat. I tried to put my car seat in behind the passenger and the passenger would have to move their seat all the way up to the front. This was with the crew cab! at 5'11" my head was almost touching the top and my hair definitely was pressed against the top. No I don't have a top knot although now that I think about it, that would piss my mother in law off so maybe I'll do it just for that. Anyways, I walked over to the jeep dealer across the street and sat and drove a gladiator and it was plenty spacious and the car seat fits in the back just fine. Plus, it was way cooler. It just felt like I was going on an adventure vs just driving around like everyone else. This just reminds me how looking at spec sheets and pics doesn't compare to actually testing something out.
 

G8R

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In 2013 and beyond I worked every other week in Salt Lake City and Golden CO. I had my 09 Power Wagon in SLC. I purchased a new Taco TRD for use in Colorado. I had the taco for 2 years. The Taco was a good truck for several reasons but not up to the tasks I needed.

#1) I could not put mud chains on the front due to interference with the front suspension. This was by far the biggest issue for me.
#2) In 4 high and traveling on snow packed highway it was very squirrly. I found it to be one of the worst handling vehicles I have ever had in this specific scenario. My Power Wagon is not great in this regard but certainly better. By far the best handling vehicles I have ever owned for this specific scenario is a 2012 Subaru Forester and 85 Subaru Hatchback. No vehicle has ever come close to those two in the snow on pavement.
#3) No where near as heavy duty and capable as a solid axle Power Wagon or Jeep in my opinion. I broke the front axle on the Taco in the first 3 months with light duty off road (well maybe not light duty as I had tires off the ground). I really believe it was defective though and it was covered under warranty. But it is just no where near as capable of handling the abuse you can subject a Power Wagon or jeep. Now, if I had modified the Tacama it may have been different but #1 was still a problem.
#4) I really do not like the seating position in any Toyota vehicle. I have never found any of them to be comfortable for me. I prefer the more upright position.
5) My kids complained a lot more about the back seat (nor really a fair comparison to a Power Wagon in this regard though).
6) I hate the Toyota electronics and nav system. I also felt the safety "features" were way over the top and placed too many constraints on my driving style. I have to say that I really like all the electronic/safety features on the JTR but I HATE Park Sense (that feature is a pain in the ass).
7) No where near as much clearance and the cost to modify to attain that clearance is much higher compared to the PW or Jeep. I purchased my taco with a 3 inch lift and no way I could run 35's.
8) It could not tow my 25 foot travel trailer.
9) No Front Locker.

What was good about the Taco?
1) Way way better MPG compared to my guzzler PW.
2) I bought it new for about $35k. I sold it back to another dealership (no purchase) 2 years later for $28,500. That blew me away. Resale is top notch. Although this is not really a valid point as my company paid me a vehicle stipend so it did not cost me anything in the end.
3) It was a good off road truck and it did 90% of what I needed it too. The 10% it did not was frustrating though.
4) It towed my utility trailer fine.
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