Help Me Choose A New Tacoma!

Hello, newbie here with a few questions for you Tacomaholics. I am moving from a 2002 Toyota Tundra to a new (2014 or 2015) Tacoma and need to make a decision on how the Tacoma is to be quipped in the next week or so. It boils down to this; I want to get the cheapest options (in the short and long run so mileage and repairs are a concern) I can for the needs I have. The needs are as follows:

-I live 3 miles up (and I do mean UP) a bad dirt road in northern New England. I go up and down that road 5 days a week, year round.

-In the summer and fall I haul ~5-10 cords of wood with my pickup. The trips are into and out of my fields where I split the wood, to where I stack it at the house. The fields are decently flat, but can get a little muddy. With the Tundra (V6) I could stack the bed full to the windows and sides of the bed, and higher in the middle and I want to be able to do the same in the Tacoma.

-Other than that I do not tow and will not tow anything heavier than a small splitter, my John Deer does all the heavy stuff.


So here's the questions you knew were coming. 4I or V6? If I go V6, is ATRACK worth the extra 2.5Gs? Is ATRACK worth it (for my needs over just plain 4x4) to go from the 4I to the V6? Will I need to get aftermarket suspension to handle the weight of the wood?


I did search and I still couldn't decide, so all opinions are welcome. Thanks!

 

DCLB V6 4x4 FTMFW.

Also welcome to TW.

 

First of all I would say V6 either way. Next, if the option you are on the fence about is ATRAC, that is only available in the DCSB TRD Offroad. While the ATRAC is nice, I have never used it however the rear locker you get is nice to have. As far as loading up the bed, I think these truck are rated around 600lbs or so payload. You may consider an add-a-leaf option or airbags to help support the weight. Realistically, any 4wd Tacoma will do what you need it to do as described.

 

Definitely. Toyota suspension is junk, especially the rear.

 

This.

Defintely a 4x4 V6 with a long bed since you're going to be putting it to work.

 

wait to see if the 2016 is the real deal or not

 

You'll need a long bed if you plan on hauling with it. If you want a double cab and a long bed you won't be able to get ATRAC or 4 cylinder so that's out of the question

Rear leaf springs from Toyota are garbage... Old Man Emu Dakar leaf springs are great for carrying weight but you will gain 2.5" of lift... Do you want to lift the front?

 

Thanks for the welcome and the responses! If I could wait till 2016 I would, but I cannot.


Long bed is definitely going to be a must, probably going crew cab / access cab as I don't haul more than 1 other person enough to justify it, but might need to squeeze a few extra people in on rare occasions.

I do NOT want to lift it if its possible not too, but I wouldn't rule it out if it cannot carry what I need it to carry without a little lift. Also since it seems that at least the rear suspension regardless of model is going to go, feel free to recommend some alternatives that fit the bill (dont give me a big one).

Everyone seems to be saying V6, is that because I cannot get away with the 4I for the wood? From an outsiders perspective it seems that since the rest of the year is spent just driving, the 4I's better mileage would pay off. Is that not the case? Or is it just too under-powered for what I want to do?

 

And the Access Cab TRD Offroad.

 

Sounds like for your needs you need something with a long bed, coming from a guy that had an access cab for 3 years, get a double cab long bed, if it was optional on my first gen I would have gotten one too.

Definitely upgrade the rear leafs though, you wont be able to safely haul more than 300# of wood in the back if you don't.

 

TRD Off Road access cabs aren't equipped with ATRAC?

I haul close to 1000 lbs in the bed of my truck on a fairly regular basis. It's definitely a workout for the stock suspension. I plan on adding firestone air bags to help with the squat, but other than that the truck handles the weight nicely.

 

I had a 4 cyl Ranger and it was horrible. Add the extra weight of a double cab and extra passengers... I wouldn't advise 4 cyl on ANY truck for any purpose.

Also note that 6 spd manual 4X4 is not available with double cab long bed, only short bed. Atrac is nice as is the locker, but I only use those for off road. I doubt you'd need either for your purposes. You could always add a rear locker later if you want.

 

I have a DCSB Prerunner I4/auto. It's fine for my use, which isn't close to your use. If I was in your shoes, I'd get the bigger engine.

I did get good mileage, but if you're towing/hauling a lot you'd better be a patient man. Also, the DCLB doesn't come with the I4 engine in any configuration but ACLB. So.. DCLB V6 4x4 FTMFW.

I got great MPG with my truck (21-23 average, 26-29 HWY) with the I4/auto/245/75/16s. Now with 265/75/16s I'm dropped to 19 MPG average, sometimes high 18s.

 

Airbags would be a decent compromise. Would not give you lift and would allow you to load up your bed with wood without sacking out the rear suspension.

 

I totaled my 2003 Tundra and thought I would try a Tacoma, the Tundra's IMHO have become oversized. I have a 2014 TRD Sport short bed. I have hauled rock firewood....; in my Tacoma and I can tell you the Tundra is significantly better equipped for hauling anything over 700lbs. I miss my 2003 Tundra and preferred it over the Tacoma.

 

Make sure the dealer installs that "supercharger" thingy on it before you drive off the lot.

 

You cannot get a double cab long bed with a 4 cylinder, only access cab as of 2015 because the regular cab is no longer offered. Definitely go V6 for hauling wood, the mileage difference is marginal.

 

This, 4 cylinders in these big Tacomas suck, I had one for 3 years and it is a great engine but forget about having power when you need it. 4 cylinder trucks were great back when compact trucks were just that, compacts, but anything bigger is sluggish. If I held onto my 2011 I was going to supercharge it, but I sold it and got a V6 double cab.

 

Ok so based on the (great) responses, it looks like its the V6 for me then! I've been looking and I think it will be a Access cab w/ the largest offered bed. So then the question becomes...to TRD or not to TRD. If I am going to replace the rear suspension anyway it seems like a waste to TRD (off road). Seems like I can also aftermarket the locking dif for less than the package. Anyone not go TRD and regret it, or vise versa?


SUPERCHARGER!? Can they do that by itself? Like the exhaust package for example (speaking of which is that "performance" exhaust worth it, or after market)? Also what does the supercharger do in terms of mileage?

 

^^ Now you're getting the idea.