The 2016 Tacoma IS the Gen 3 Tacoma

Most of the people complaining wanted a 25% smaller Tacoma like the 2004 version, a 10% larger version like the Colorado, or a Diesel. When they didn't get any of those options they wanted Toyota to go clean sheet. WAH lol.

 

I'm pretty sure there will be all sorts of parts from the 2nd gen that will fit the 3rd gen. A major chunk of the truck is the same, so a lot will still fit. I would expect lift kits will likely be mostly (if not completely) interchangeable, along with things like roof racks, side window visors, side step bars, things of that nature.

Jeff

 

Mike Sweers is head of engineering and calls the 2016 Tacoma the next generation. And beleive me all departments are on the same page with such a big project as the new Tacoma. You need to get your facts straight. Right now all you seem to have is a few parts codes to debunk Toyota considering the 2016 their next generation Tacoma. We just saw this movie with the next gen Tundra in 2014. Just ask your star witness.Lol!

 

No it doesn't matter because it's the base engine and it'll be hooked up to two totally new to the Tacoma transmissions .

 

The suspension will likely need to be re valved considering the Tacoma probably lost at least 200 lbs from the engine and frame changes.

 

Right. My point was that Toyota (and others) change engine and transmissions within the same generation all the time, just because it's getting a new engine and transmission doesn't have much to do with the generation change.

The 3rd generation Lexus GS came out with the 4.3L V8 used in the 2nd generation GS, then updated it to a new 4.6L V8 shortly thereafter. Transmission was updated accordingly as well. Same goes for the 4.7L to 4.6L change in the Tundra, etc.

They changed one of the two engines available in the Tacoma. Hardly earth shattering.

Jeff

 

Using that logic you could say no one has released a new generation of truck for 50 years.

Ford likes a tick-tock generational upgrade, new engines and transmissions come about every 2 years after a new body/frame design for them. GM hasn't changed most of the mechanical underpinnings of the new truck. Dodge has had the Hemi 5.7 L for a dogs age. Nissan might have a totally new Titan but I'm betting they reuse a few underpinnings and there V8 as well. So... You haven't seen a new generation in your life time, at least according to your logic.

 

Jeff why would Toyota completely 100% change a truck as great as the 2nd gen. Does that make sense to you. So if you come up with a great design that works does that mean you can never have a next Gen? Smart companies take some of the best things about the previous gen and then build on it for their next gen vehicle. Change the look a bit and that's how most next gen vehicles are created in today's world. Look at other companies trucks and how they changed through the different generations. Pretty close to how Toyota came up with this next gen Tacoma. Actually smart good buisness if you ask me. So because some are basing the change between the first gen Tacoma(compact) to the 2nd gen Tacoma(mid size) does that mean the only legit 3rd gen Tacoma has to go to full size? Then what do we do with the Tundra.

 

Not at all, in fact I think Toyota is very smart to update the Tacoma the way they have. It's a good platform, so why ditch it, it wouldn't make any sense. It makes a lot more sense to just upgrade what you've got to bring it up to date with the times, it's a very evolutionary approach and I think Toyota was smart to do it for sure.

Still, it's still very much an upgraded 2nd generation truck. Toyota has come out with new generations (new chassis codes) while carrying over a significant portion of the platform before as well (ZRE142 to ZRE172 for example), but it's always been very clear as to when it was a new generation or not. They're really blurring those lines with major updates like the 2014 Tundra and now the 2016 Tacoma.

What is a new generation? I don't even know anymore.

Jeff

 

Not at all. My point was only that the generation of the actual truck is independent of what engine is in it.

Jeff

 

Wanna bet? I guarantee you can, especially since the bones are the same. I bet you could swap the grille, etc onto a 16 from a 15 as well as the body panels, the suspension especially, it would be alot of new parts and brackets but I bet they swap. Just look at all the undercarriage, suspension pics and the open hood pics for the new truck. Not hard to understand as you put it.

 

Jeff you have the new chassis code? Thought you didn,t have that yet. What is a new generation? It,s what the company says is the new generation. Pretty simple. And more than what you think is a rogue sales nut saying it. By the way love your Sienna example. Must have missed that huge roll out,reveal and designation of the next gen Sienna.Lol!

 

The idea of keeping the same four is a marketing decision. The 2.7 four in both the Venza and the older two wheel drive highlander have dual vvt giving the same torque and 180 hp. This variant could easily be p,urged into the four Taco. But no, that would mean too many older four owners looking for just slightly more power might buy the lower end models with this motor. Yes the six transmission will wring a little more out of it.....but that mich more is not good for marketing.

 

The bones are not the same...they are different. There is little you could change from one to the other they will be as different as gen two was from gen one."I bet"
I will take that bet....you try to swap out the grills......

 

He's clearly not a rogue sales nut, the entire Toyota USA sales department is in on it. My Sienna example was purely relating to the fact that an engine change doesn't necessitate a generational change. It was not a generation change, obviously.

I don't have the new chassis code, which will definitely be different than the 1GR-equipped vehicles (different engine families mean different chassis codes, even within the same vehicle), but I suspect the 2TR-equipped trucks will still be the same chassis codes.

What I'm going on is that Toyota's launch schedule calls it a mid-model upgrade and not a full-model upgrade and the fact that it's plain to see that many of the structural parts of the truck are unchanged.

At some point in the next few months, the NCF book will be released, getting into details on what exactly changed between the 2015 and 2016 models, at that point we will have a lot of the information, including the exact frame and body opening dimensions and things of that nature. It will be interesting to see.

Something along these lines:



Jeff

 

If you swap the other parts that the grille attaches to I'm sure it could be done. The number of things you can swap between a 2015 and 2016 is going to be massive compared to the 2004 and 2005.

Jeff

 

Since you've seen the new truck up close and all. The bones are the same dude, I've seen it at the autoshow, you could swap body panels, suspension and likely the grill if you wanted to, just like some guys in the forum did for their pre 2012. Here's some pics that show how similar the mounting points/design is and how easily this could be accomplished. Not a totally new truck, but it appears toyota has fooled you.

 

It's a good picture showing how far out from the rad support they had to make the headlights to fit with how far out the new front bumper/grille is. The plastic supports for the grille are also massive on the 2016 due to the older rad support.

Jeff

 

See how the grille mounts here, you can see the much smaller fender aprons/radiator support and what they had to do to get the much larger body panels to mount onto the older structure, including the large plastic covers between the much shorter fender aprons and the much taller fenders.

 

Would one would say the bones are the same essentially?