To Jeep, or not to Jeep.... that is the question.

I am new to 4WD with my Tacoma access Cab SR5, but have been around 4x4's for along time. Great to hear that My (our) taco is very capable off-road. I needed a pickup bed for hauling stuff now and then, so a Jeep was out of the question for me. Thanks for sharing the great story of the Taco.

 

Here we go again....

Yup, I would buy another Wrangler for an offroad vehicle - in a heartbeat!!!

Don't make me break out photos....

 

Bought my Taco about 3 weeks ago, after having a '00 Cherokee for about 3 years. I loved the Jeep to death and the 4.0 i6 in it is basically indestructible. But once i drove the Tacoma it felt like i was driving a Camry down the highway and i was sold. My Cherokee felt like it was struggling to maintain 65mph and felt like a 1/2 ton over the bumps despite new Bilstien HD's. Plus i always watched the temp gauge like a hawk on that thing, totally new cooling system (pump, rad, thermostat, HD fan clutch..etc) and i was still paranoid with how high the temp would creep up in traffic. Paired with the terrible gas mileage (14-15mpg mixed) and its pretty poor towing capacity i decided it was time for something new.

Taco has done 19mpg mixed, can safely tow alot more and the interior is way nicer. Dosent feel like its going to explode going over bumps, actually stops when you hit the brakes. And its nice that the temp stays steady around 190 degrees even in traffic with the a/c blasting .

 

They are a little different from ours, but they definitely DO have control arms

 

Awww...can you feel the love??

 

thats really cool you hung with the jeep.
Toyota fan all day, but there's only so much a mildly modded IFS taco can do against a dual locked Long arm Jeep.
You guys will argue forever. Toyota's reliability and comfort.. Jeeps ruggedness and SFA.
both cool trucks, I mean truck and jeep nonetheless

 

For the practicality, Tacoma wins...every time, hands down. I work 50 hours a week, and go to school full time in weather that can reach 100*F some days in the summer, and in the 30's in the dead of winter. I have family, elders, grandparents, little siblings, dogs, camping equipment, motorcycles, bicycles, and kayaks and surfboards...

But I like to go off-roading with an empty truck at least once a week. This is why the Tacoma wins. It combines the best of both worlds...comfort and reliability of a Toyota daily driver, and the time-tested trail happy 4x4 we all know and love. Plus it has a bed.

 

I think he meant the sway bars...not sure how that will help offroad though. They definitely have control arms

 

http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merc...=IROR&Product_Code=IR-SHDCA&Category_Code=PFT

Control arm for SFA

 

I think there is some confusion here...

Control arms = A-arms (IFS)

On Jeep SFA with coil springs - they have Control arms which is not the same as A-arms.

Here is a jeep control arm

 

A control arm is a control arm, regardless of shape

 

Anyways...

 

Yes, thank you. haha

 

You're gonna have an awesome time at Hidden Falls! Some of the guys from Louisiana Land Krewesers just got back from there last week.

 

He had a whole list of crap they did, so dont hold me to the details. All I know is that it looks really nice and seriously capable.... and cost $4K.

 

Nooooo... here we dont go again. Wasnt putting down Jeep, not in the least little bit. Was just complimenting our Tacomas and telling the story of a fun little outing with a Jeep owner.

 

Yes, I asked and it definately has Control Arms, and TRACK bar. I asked him to send me a full list of what he did since we want to spend time picking apart my feeble memory. Jackasses.

 

Well hell, I could do that with my Tacoma if I wanted a vehicle that was utterly usless other than rock crawling. Thats like calling a Nascar rig a Chevy Impala.

 

Ok, here are the details of his upgrades for those interested.


Teraflex springs (3")

Teraflex upper and lower control arms (Front and rear)

JKS adjustable front track bar

Rubicon express Adjustable rear track bar

Fox Racing Shox 2.0 remote reservoir

Poly Performance Synergy 911 high strength bolt kit

Mopar/Teraflex Speed bump System

Teraflex Sway bar links

Mopar Limiting straps

Teraflex Rear track bar Adjustment tower