A Guy at Work purchased a Brand New F150 4WD

While I can see there are probably practical advantages to a taller bed for some uses I have to agree the F-150s I see look to have essentially inaccessible beds. It seems like it would be a very impractical design for how a lot of people use a truck bed to hold and access tools and materials.

I'm a function over form kind of person, but even so I really don't like the aesthetics of the tall bed either. Looks like the truck has a wedgie. Did the Pontiac Aztek design team get hired by Ford or something?

Back on topic, I really can't tell whether the Ford price is "good" or not as the options and trim packages aren't specified and there is a huge MSRP price range for F-150s.

And the F-150 is a full size while the Tacoma is a mid-size. Apples, oranges, etc...

Looks like we have a good dose of statistically insignificant anecdotes about short and long lived Tacomas and F-150s. And the thread seems to have the requisite amount of butt hurt for a TW post about another manufacturer's product.

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Ford discussions belong on Ford forums. Toyota discussions belong here. That being said, I don't think it's in question that Toyota has better reliability and resale. There will always be exceptions.

 

Yes but its a Toyota truck forum what did you expect, the majority of folks here have had Fords and Chevys(me) and have had it with their unreliability and excessive gas sucking,then you get a Toyota and a whole new world opens up its called>Reliability&Economy.

 

yes but Toyotas truck lines have a track record of bullet proof reliability and resale year after year as opposed to Domestics

 

hope you got the extended warranty

 

I absolutely love my 2015 F150. That being said, the Tacoma was an awesome truck and I wish I had the ability to keep them both.

There are plenty of pro-Tacoma/Toyota reasons why they are a great truck, but to say an F150 sucks because it's bigger or the bedsides are higher is, well, stupid. It's a whole different class of truck, made for a different purpose. For instance, I actually prefer the taller bedsides in the F150 because I can actually fit a cooler in my bed now and be able to close my bed cover. Couldn't do that with the Tacoma's "awesome" shorter bedsides. I can fit way more cargo in my bed (w/ only a 6" longer bed), and my payload went from 900 lbs with the Tacoma to 1700 lbs with the F150. And I get better mileage.

They're both great trucks, but serve entirely different purposes. Would I take an F150 on a trail before a Tacoma? No way. But if I were picking a truck to tow a 5,000-6,000 boat, gear, and 4 people or go on a road trip, I'd choose an F150 over a Tacoma all the time. And every one of my family's Fords have gone 200k+ with only routine maintenance.

 

Keep drinking the Kool-aid... The Tacoma is a decent truck but it certainly has it's weaknesses.

I wouldn't buy ANY vehicle nowadays without the extended warranty. Including the Tacoma.

 

Cargo volume and aerodynamics. All the full size pickups are going this route.
Its partly why Ford developed their tailgate step (which is damn cool IMO) and Chevy now has steps built-in to the bumper.

 

can you specify what weaknesses?the Toyota has one great thing going for it its called>RELIABILITY which no Domestic truck can even come close to. Only truck I would buy WITHOUT a warranty is a Toyota, and I have had 3 so far without.

 

Step tailgates aren't going to help you when the truck wont start.

 

I was replying to a post about bedside dimensions, not drivetrain reliability.

But I will indulge you. I've been driving Ford-Chevy-GMC-Dodge-Toyota trucks, cars, SUV's, sports cars...since 1975. I have NEVER had one not start. I did however, have a Mercury outboard on the transom of a little Mako skiff not start...but that was user error. I failed to insert the kill switch key.

 

Even though I feel like I'm wasting my breathe posting it on a Tacoma forum, I'll say what I saw as weaknesses or shortcomings of the Tacoma. Just to be clear, I'm not knocking the Tacoma, I really liked my Tacoma I just felt that it wasn't the best option for me when the time came for a new vehicle. As far as the Tacoma, first and foremost was the suspension was an absolute joke. No way a truck can be rated to tow and haul what Toyota claims it can with that kind of suspension. The front end is a terrible setup and not very well thought out. I had my whole front end rust together to the point I couldn't get an alignment twice. The unservicable sleeved bolt system used all rusted together. The driveline is incredibly tough to make/keep vibration free. The fuel economy is not great by any means, I'm actually getting the same with my F150 as I was with the Tacoma.

And with that :flameon:

 

Seriously? Let's start with the frame issue on Tacomas. I'd say that qualifies as a weakness. Then there's wheel bearings, 6 speed issues, weak springs, and (at least I know in my year) lots of radio issues. I was on my 3rd radio in my 2009 by the time I traded it in.

None of that is to say that the Tacoma is not a worthy vehicle, or even a great one (I think it is - in its market). But to act like you've never heard of a weakness or issue in the Tacoma...lol.

 

Hmm not one ever failed to start since 1975,hell even my Toyota failed to start a couple times with a bad battery and a dirty bat. terminal.

 

Thanks for the info! The cargo volume one was obvious, but I figured there must be some other common factor. I had noticed it seemed all the full size pickups were going this route as you mention. Sometimes everyone runs in the same direction because of some aesthetic fad but sometimes it is becuase there is a common technical reason they are all trying to address.

Aero makes perfect sense, the mad dash to meet CAFE is driving all sorts of body design decisions. It has clearly affected the front ends, but I had overlooked the bed design. For the curious here is a link to a paper with scale windtunnel tests evaluating bed geometry and drag coefficient:

http://www.wseas.us/e-library/conferences/2009/moscow/FMA/FMA17.pdf

Indeed increased bed height reduces drag though the degree of the effect also depends on bed length. Now I know why all the trucks look like that now.

TL;DR - Truck wedgies increase gas mileage

 

So far I'm at 24 MPG overall, with only 30 miles on it.
That's pretty good MPGs for a 5.0 V8 Full size 4x4 we are talking Eco car numbers maybe your right Ford is better

 

I believe Toyota's stellar reliability went out the window once the first letter of the VIN changed from J to 4.
My most favorite, reliable Toyota trucks were produced in Japan.
I owned a 1987 4x4 Xcab 2.4L 22RTE, a 4 cyl Turbo my 1st Toyota truck. How I wished I had it today.
That did have issues with body rust.
The seams on those beds rusted so bad, it provided lots of opportunity for wooden beds.
That is all you saw in the Northeast, older Toyotas with wooden beds.
I also had 90 & 95 pre tacomas 4x4 Trucks.
Those two trucks provided many, many miles (close to 400k) of worry free driving.
Nothing but normal maintenance. The clutch did squeak though just like they do today.
Now my 2006 DC 4x4 had lots of TSBs.
The saggy rear end, the front brake squeal, the intake rattle, THE RUST.
Terrible, horrible rust. And that was with religious washing & undercoating.
My 2013 has the driveline vibration that is deemed "normal" by the Toyota Gods along with the "tick"
Overall I have been happy with the Toyota products but if there was a better mid size truck...
I would be all over it. I think Toyota rests on its laurels.
Granted they do hold their value via KBB, thankfully.
That is the only thing that keeps me going back to one.

 

I've had many Fords roll over 200K. I've never got this argument on here. If you want a commuter vehicle or an off road toy then the Tacoma is great. If you like to move more than 2 people comfortably, have children, or have a travel trailer you are much better off with an F150. It's like comparing a Honda Civic to the Ford Taurus. There's just so much more that the larger car offers.

I can barely fit our babyseat (Click Connect 30) in the back of my Tacoma with the front seats in a comfortable position. In the F150 the baby seat fits with tons of room. When I flip up half the rear seat of the Ford I have more space than in a car truck. In the Tacoma I can barely fit anything.

The OTD price on my Tacoma TRD Sport was 37K (Canadian $) two years ago. My wifes 2015 F150 XLT XTR 4x4 with the Coyote V8 pushing nearly 400 HP and Torque, which actually gets better mileage than my Tacoma , was 41K (Canadian $) OTD. $4K, less than that with inflation bought us a lot more truck with a lot more power.

The Tacoma has its place and I love mine, but it's bordering on retarded to try and compare an F150 to a Tacoma in every way except size. The F150 is much nicer to drive, sit in, and tow with and will hold up value just as well as a 4Runner which is good enough for me:

http://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/best-resale-top-10-cars/

 

Your choice to believe me or not. I did run out of gas once about 30+ years ago. But again, that was my error. Young, broke, stupid.

 

Just under 30K miles when I traded in my 2014 F150. crew cab 5.0 4x4. Lifetime average MPG = 11.4