Prior Tacoma owners

Wanted to get opinions from Tundra owners that have previously owned Tacomas what their preference between the two is. What do you like about each and if you had to do it over again, would you choose Tundra or Tacoma

Thanks

 

Well, having owned two Tacomas and having just bought a Tundra I think I can provide some decent opinions

Tacoma:
Pros:
-Better resell--maybe the best re-sell of any vehicle. Essentially no real competition in the small truck market.
-Better off-road
-better gas mileage (slightly)
-easier to park, etc.
Cons:
Tiny back seat (even double cab had problems fitting a car seat)
Lack of Power-Needs at least the updated V6 from the 4runner. Power is ok, but underwhelming
Rough ride-tundra is a lot smoother
Composite bed--Some see as a pro, but I thought it was flimsy.
-seat position is low, even compared to my 4runner.
Tundra:
Pros:
-Nicer Ride
-Very Roomy. My 6'8" friend fits in my back seat comfortably
-Lots of Power
-Full back window rolls down--awesome!
ample storage
-sit very high
Cons:
-Huge
-Gas Mileage+small gas tank (26 gal). Average about 2mpg less than tacoma so not too bad...
-Resell--Tundra's have decent resell, but nothing like a Tacoma
-Won't fit in many garages (fits in mine )

Overall I just needed more seating room. Loved my Tacoma and almost got a DCLB, but the seats were still a bit small for my needs. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. With the new Tundra coming out the 13's are going cheap if you shop around. With a new Tacoma rumored, I'm sure they'll start having better sales soon too.

I don't regret selling my Tacoma (although I do miss it) because my Tundra is a sweet ride. Also if you do any off-roading the Tacoma will obviously be the better choice.

 

That's what I was looking for. I was trying to make a last minute decision. I could get a Tundra at almost the same price as the Tacoma (although, not as equipped).

The Tundra was also at the dealer, but not my first choice of color. The Tacoma was exactly what I wanted, but hasn't even made it to the boat, yet.

I ended up putting a deposit down on the Tacoma, which will be here the first of April. For my needs, I'm confident I made the right decision.

 

The pros & cons listed by Bamma are spot on. Here is my experience.

I owned
2004 Tundra Crew Cab 4.7 TRD 4x4 then a
2006 Tacoma DC V6 SB 4x4 traded for a
2011 Tundra DC 4.6 4x4 traded for a
2013 Tacoma DC V6 SB 4x4 Off Road.

Drove the 1GEN 2004 Tundra Crew Cab for a couple of years.
It was a great truck, smooth trans & good mpg.
The rear power sliding window was a nice feature.
Pretty dated interior though.

My 2006 Tacoma DC gave me no issues other than a couple of TSBs & regular maintenance.
My only complaint was the lack of factory heated mirrors lol.
For some reason, I got it in my head I wanted a V8.
The leftover Tundras had killer rebates & were heavily discounted.
I thought what the heck it would be easier towing, have a little more power so I bought the 2011....

It was a nice truck & liked the cold weather package w/ heated mirrors,
a locking glove box & tailgate, adjustable headlights, tailgate assist.
It was quiet, had lots of storage, a huge bed.

1. I was dissappointed with the Tundra 4.6L & its shift points so if you are going to go Tundra go with the 5.7 imo.
The mpg is insignificant.

2. I did not like the huge blind spot in the A pillar on the windshield sides.
You really have to watch the sides of truck, pedestrians, bicycles, small cars even.

3. It does have a little bit of a bed bounce. It rode much smoother with weight in the bed.

The reason I went back to the tacoma was...

1. Parking - I hike a lot & go on a lot of fire roads.
Getting into tight trail head parking lots or single track dirt trails was not happening.

2. 4.6 engine & mpg.

3. My dog - Believe it or not, my dog had huge anxieties in the Tundra.
There had to be a sound that I couldn't hear that he could.
He rode everywhere with me in the tacoma w/o a problem.
I travel with him a lot so that pretty much sealed the deal.

I traded it after 1 1/2 yrs.
Believe it or not I'm happy to be back in a tacoma.
I use it for a truck, towing, in the woods, the SB has carried
plenty of camping gear, skiing, kayaking, mtn biking, DIY projects.
I love the way the truck rides & all its little quirks.
Love the stylin & the nimbleness.
Simon my dog is happy.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the tundras
but the Tacoma fits me so much better.
Really it comes down to what fits your lifestyle & family needs.

 

Congrats! Enjoy your new ride.

I went through exactly the situation you did except I leaned towards the Tundra.

I had my heart set on a new Tacoma, but after testing our car seat and seeing the amazing deal they were offering on the Tundra, I ended up checking them out and fell in love, especially for road trips.

I'm going to put a shell on with a boot so I can roll down the window with easy access to the back of the truck. Should be perfect for the dog.

 

Love my Tundra! Just hard to get use to the huge size of it. But I love the extra room. The greatly improved ride. (Smooth like a car) mpg isn't all that bad my Tacoma was getting 12-13 mpg my new Tundra is getting 16.5 mpg. But I did have 35" tires on my Taco.

Sort of miss my Taco. Invested a lot of time and money into making it perfect. The sales manager when he test drove it for the trade in said it drove much better then the stock Taco's on the lot.

Hate the Tundra when it comes to finding parking! This thing is huge! Did I mention that it's huge? LOL!!

But I agree about the resale value of the Tacoma. I had my Taco for 7 yrs. and I only loss $7k on the trade in from what I paid for the truck. (That is impressive!)

 

Great post. I agree with the power on the current V6...needs more guts...

I am waiting for the diesel version on the Tundra. Then I will compare...

Great feedback and right on the spot.

 

Great post. I agree with the power on the current V6...needs more guts...

I am waiting for the diesel version on the Tundra. Then I will compare...

Great feedback and right on the spot.

 

Just traded my 2012 Tacoma Sport TRD with Entune and Chrome clad rims. It was a very nice truck but i have to admit i was very disapointed in the lack of options. Yeah, the Entune was pretty cool but it never worked flawlessly. I could deal with the power of the V6 but the confined feeling was always there and my kids were getting bigger so they were not liking the small back seat. The size of the bed was a joke as well.

I picked up my new, to me, truck yesterday. It's a 2005 Tundra TRD Off Road Limited. Now this truck has some OPTIONS. Leather power heated seats, DVD, NAV(kinda outdated but whatever), heated mirrors, a back window that is heated and rolls down, sunroof and an amazing amount of room. I drove it for a few hours today and although its not quite the sports car the Tacoma feels like it still drives amazing.

 

Interesting timing. About 3 hours ago worked out a deal to trade my 2012 Tacoma CC V6 4x4 which was loaded for a 2013 Tundra Crewmax with the 5.7
I only owned the Tacoma for just over a year but never really liked how it rode. It seemed sort of mushy and loose at highway speeds of 60-70 mph. Power was ok but mileage on a trip was so so. As much as I tried to baby it could rarely break 18 mpg and that was 80/20 highway/town and never driving over 60. Always coasted to a stop as well.
My one test ride in the Tundra was impressive. Ride was firm but not harsh and it handled the curves with little lean. I'll gladly give up 2 mpg or so for the better ride and power advantage.

 

Thundjet,
I couldn't agree more in regards to the disappointing fuel eco. I was able to, once, get 19.8 but it went downhill from there. Personally, I thought mine was pretty tight and miss downshifting into turns but the roominess and power of the Tundra, even an 05, takes the cake. Glad you found something you like. After driving this Tundra I am now realizing how unhappy I was in the Taco. I do miss the rugged front end look and am looking for an attractive hood scoop. Let me know if you find a forum like this one. Tacomaworld is the best I've seen yet for vehicles.

 

If I get a solid 15 mpg in the Tundra driving 80/20 highway/town I'll be happy. Seemed like a good time to buy the Tundra as Toyota was offering a $2,750 rebate on the Crewmax and dealer kicked in another $1,565 off the sticker. I used to be a Ford guy and every full size truck I've ever owned was a Ford up to this point. But a comparable Ford was $6-8K more expensive.

Funny, I went to the dealership thinking I only wanted a double cab but after test driving both decided the crewmax was a nicer choice as the bigger back seat area could hold more stuff that we could lock up. Visibility driving was better as well.

 

I did it over again a couple times Initially I bought a new 2007 tacoma TRD then when to a new 2009 Tundra rock warrior. Then went back to a new 2011 Tacoma Sport then back to a new 2012 Tundra Rock warrior crewmax Now I just traded in my tundra for my used Xrunner mainly due to gas and price.

The Tundra is a awesome truck I never had any issues. Very large and a lot of power. The interior needs a facelift like they did in 2014, The stereo is horrid unless you buy the JBL. Most crewmax tundra's come with sunroofs also. Tundra's also have massive rebates which makes it easy for anyone to get into one. They need to put the Tundra motor in the tacoma. The Tundra 5.7 gets about the same gas mileage with x2 the power! Comparing to a 4x4 v6 Tacoma. I will miss my Tundra but not the payment and the fill-ups!

 

First I want to say, being an owner of both, that the Tacoma SBDC 4x4 is a great vehicle that I enjoyed for almost 3 years.

Growing older, I finally said to myself that I want something larger and more luxurious than the Tacoma and the only other option for me was the Tundra. Happened to be going by a dealer in Manassas, VA and they had a 2013 Tundra Crewmax Limited 4x4 on sale for $40,500 that was originially stickered at just under $50,000. Took it out on a test drive and two hours later drove home with it.

I averaged 16.3 MPG with my Tacoma but with my Tundra I am only averaging 13.2 MPG so far which is not going to set me back but getting leather seats, a larger rear seating area and a real bed got me excited about the Tundra. I really do miss my 6 speed manual that I had in the Tacoma.

Defintely go out and drive both of them but I do think that the Tundra is the better choice...

 

Love both my old tacoma and my current Tundra.

After sorting through everything and having owned both I'd say the main advantages to the Tundra are its towing capabilities and extra room and the main advantage of the Tacoma is its lower price, better mileage, and it is more nimble to drive/easier to park--in other words its just more economical.

Overall I see myself getting another Tacoma some day if I have the option to have both!

 

I agree 100%

I have a 2005 Tundra 2wd with King Coil Overs and 33's. I also have a 2000 Taco 4x4 reg cab and my wife drives a 2004 Taco prerunner.

Tundra is great for the extra room, towing the boat and smoother ride. Gets about 16 mpg on average. But the Taco is better for fuel consumption (20-22mpg) and probably resale value.

 

I owned a 05 Tacoma double cab for 5 years and put 220,000 km on it my 3 biggest complaints were no heated mirrors rear suspension capacity had to add a leaf to tow my 2 place open snowmobile trailer and power when towing. With that said I didn't realize until I purchased my 2013 5.7 tundra dbl cab how bad my taco was on fuel it cost me $7.00 more a week on fuel to operate my Tundra with a 140 more horse power to boot I do miss the ease of mall parking with the taco

 

Owned my 2011 taco 4cylinder 4x2 access cab for a little over to years and just moved up to a 5.7 4x4 2012 double cab! There were many things I liked about the Taco, including the manual transmission, cornering and parking... but this Tundra rides so smooth and is very comfortable.

 

arrrrg

you guys keep posting how good that Tundra is and I might go get one. Crap! How do I unsubscribe from this thread.... lol

 

I'm just waiting for the day that I can go get my crew max. I love my taco but I would like to be able to actually have room in the back for my kids (both are in car seats). Get both kids, the wife and the dog and the truck is full to the max, and that's with the dog on the floor.