Tacoma for long distance commutes

This is the turn off for me for German vehicles. They are refined and comfortable but when something goes wrong, boy does your wallet know it.

I have also read that about the fuel pump and have tracked it. TDI club has been aggregating the location of the failures.

If I got a German car I would haggle in an extended power train warranty. That is the only way I would buy one. I believe VW has one of the worst warranties out there. Now that the Cruze Diesel is released I have more bargaining power. I love competition.

I'm not worried about snow. Good snow tires and a few bags of sand are all you need. Source: went to school in a city that got ~175" of snow yearly. When I left on May 11 I drove through a small blizzard.

 

I keep my highway speeds around 70mph. Fastest I cruise is 75 and the drop in gas mileage is noticeable.

Issues? Yes, here are a few:

- would like a bed light like the frontier
- 1st gear too short and 2nd gear too long
- engine oil dipstick is hard to read
- tailgate does not come with a standard lock
- it would be nice if the bench seat came with a fold down armrest
- bench seat could use more settings for reclining

Other than these issues, I am very happy with the truck. Btw, one thing that I really like about the tacoma is that, of all the vehciles that I have owned, it is the most comfortable to cruise around in while resting the elbow on the window sill.

 

Just out of college with a 45m commute: Get a fun 4cyl car (Mazdaspeed 3, Ford Focus ST ???).

 

My daily commute round trip to work is .88 miles, i dont even see 8 mpg avg in this amount of time

 

Get an electric man! Or bike it. Or walk it...

 

Arizona, too hot to walk, i rode my scooter once when my truck was on jack stands and i couldnt get a ride

 

Before I lifted and put bigger tires on my V6 Tacoma, I would see 21 mpg around town (Houston) if I drove very conservatively. It's all about how you drive. On the highway big difference between driving 70 and 75 mph in gas mileage. Set 70 on cruise, get in the right lane and watch the world go by...

 

Just a thought here... The difference between regular cab and access (extended) is HUGE. Putting a back back/duffel behind the seat is simply a huge difference for commuting. My last truck was an extended cab and I moved up to a double cab because it is THAT awesome having the option to keep stuff inside. I drove about a half hour in the morning and an hour on the way back. Also, being able to recline the seat was huge for me.

Also, get a tonneau. Maybe 1 mpg difference. Adds up.

 

I would go the regular cab/tonneau route.

 

2013 double cab TRD sport 4x4. I have an 85 mile round trip commute and just have over 5000 miles on my truck. I'm seeing over 21 mpg right now. Most of my driving is freeway. I just set the cruise on 70 and don't stomp it to get there. I'm pleased considering I drive a 4x4 truck.

 

I'd say that's pretty good. Do you have a cover?

 

I have a leer camper, but I'm not sure that helped any. It started out getting 19 on my commute and has worked up to 21+. I saw an improvement about 2k -3k and another after my first oil change.

 

I bought a Scion xD in 2011 for my 60+ mile commute. While I do get 36+, a couple of 1000 mile road trips were tough for passengers. Not so with the Taco. The comfort difference between the standard cab and access/double cab is HUGE. Reclining seats, secure storage, resale, etc. I get about 22 commuting interstate @ 75-80mph ('09 2.7 Access Cab).

Now if you want to really reduce your fossil fuel consumption, pick up a small motorcycle/scooter for those "perfect" days and get 75-90 mpg.

 

Tonneau contributing to lower mpg is a myth.

 

If you want an economical commuter, get a Hyundai Sonata. Great gas mileage and really comfortable.

 

I actually drove a Civic Sedan and Nissan Sentra today. The Civic was really nice and was getting over 40mpg at 55mph. Same with the Sentra but it felt less refined. The Toyota dealer was lacking in regular cab Tacos so I didn't get to drive one.

 

I have a 2013 civic sedan (paid $17K+ tax, license) for commuting. Great little car with excellent gas mileage but can't compare it to a tacoma. I just put 285's on and I'm glad I have the civic as a dd.

 

Yeah the fully loaded Civic was like $22k. So cheap. I'm not really in the market for two vehicles so it would be one or the other :/

 

Can't go wrong with either the civic or tacoma though I love my truck much more, just not the gas mileage. go to truecar.com for pricing, $22K is steep as you can get an SI for $20.5K.

 

True Value price is about $21k. I'm hoping to pay about $12k after trade in, I can knock that out in 2 years easy!