General Discussion and BS thread -Safe Haven

Like I said, everyone buys by the pound and spec sheet. Ford and GM get to spread their cost over 600k trucks a year each. Midsize trucks can't compete with that financially. Compact trucks never had a chance.

 

I don't know about that. Toyota has the majority of the mid-sized market and the Tundras are cheaper than Fords or GMs with a good full-sized capability.

Tacomas aren't expensive because they have to be.

 

That Lariat will cost you near 50K.

You can not buy a full size truck...super crew (double cab)...4x4...with towing and a handful of creature comforts (XLT-SR5)...for 30 grand out the door.

Apples to apples...the Tacoma is less expensive to buy. Less expensive to own. And dollar for dollar, has better resale value.

I've owned 3 Tacoma's and 2 F150's since 2010. I believe I have 1st hand experience here.

 

The plus now-a-days with electric seats is the memory. Test drove an F150 and jumped in. As soon as I put the key in the ignition, the seat automatically moved to the driving position. It was a tad off, for me personally, so I corrected it. When I shut the truck off, the seat moved completely back and the steering wheel moved up and out of the way. This was a nice feature. I am 6'3", 230lbs...

 

You can't buy a 4x4 Tacoma with the comforts of an XLT for 30K anymore either. The 2016 blasts that price right out of the water at about 35K.

I know in Canada you can buy an XLT package 301A for the same price as most people are paying for a TRD Sport here. I expect with the 2016 price jump a TRD Sport will touch an XLT package 302A, which is just silly considering how nice that package is. Bottom line is that the midsized trucks have less discounting and you can walk away with a full sized for nearly the same price. Not to mention the full sized trucks seem to get better technology, which means they often beat the mid sized trucks for mileage.

In short, other than in tight spots, it's really hard to logically justify a smaller Tacoma or Colorado over a full sized truck now. I love mine offroad and will always own a truck this size for that, but I can't help but feel a bit jelly when I see my wifes truck put out 100 more HP to the wheels and get 20% better fuel economy.

Tacoma is more expensive to own (mine got 16 mpg before supercharging, wifes V8 F150 gets 20 mpg) and the same cost to buy. The two trucks will be within a few K of each other in resale.

It's not buying by the pound. It's buying whatever you feel comfortable driving. For most tasks, I don't mind the F150 on the road. I only find it big in the mountains.

 

Sucks for the person sitting behind you

 

Ever been in an F150 since 2009? Trust me, you can have the seat all the way back and not touch a 6 foot persons legs. That SuperCrew is epic inside.

 

I have to respectfully disagree on the bolded parts.

 

Picture of mileage a few weekends ago while cruising with the wife.

I'm fine with disagreeing, but how are you coming up with a 2016 Tacoma for 30K American? Or a 35K Tacoma with the same options as the XLT 302A? That package comes with the full sized dash displays, full power seats, heated seats, auto dimming mirrors on all sides, etc etc....

Tacoma is missing to many of those options IMHO. Lots of markup for the nice stylized T on the front and less HP, Towing, etc etc

It's not hard to see why the midsized class isn't attracting a ton of full sized buyers. If only someone would take the class seriously and either make a real budget truck or a truely unique design maybe then I could see the midsized class growing again. Lots of rumors out of Ford that not only is the Ranger coming back, but that it will be a true compact class with at least a 5K price difference after discounts from it's larger cousins.

 

I'm going to wait for the new ridgeline. I'm interested.

 

Get more bang for the buck.

I have been waiting a long time for the 2016 Tacoma...quite disappointed. Can get a whole lot more truck for damn near the same price...and I don't need much, I am looking at the F150 XL's, amazing how much you get in the "base" model.

 

Gotta love the full instrumentation including transmission temperature.

 

Do you get bored easily? 5 vehicles in a 5 years! Damn!

 

Yup. Make sure you talk to the fleet sales guy as well. Other than leather and navigation, I can order just about every other option on the F150 XL through fleet ordering. Like I said once, that includes our common configuration of 3.5 L Ecoboost, vinyl floor, rear park sensors, and the FX4 package. Ford has gone to pick and choose packaging, which is great for the consumer.

 

Yeah, and you can pull actual temperatures from the information panel as well if the generic gauge temperature bugs you. My wife is getting obsessed with getting better than 10.8 L/100 km (her best tank ever) so she leaves it on trip mode. That's another feature I'm hoping the 2016 will have. She just resets the trip 1 every tank and trip 2 every month. Then she can see her monthly and tank fuel economy. We double check it every 4-5 tanks and so far the computer is dead accurate, well as accurate as the empty and fill method of calculation anyways lol.

 

I dunno, the Tacoma doesn't make any sense anymore (poor payload, mediocre mpg's, price is similar to a fullsize) ..the only thing it has going for it that is a little smaller...which in all reality...I am maybe on real tight trails perhaps 1% of the time I am in it.

What is in the FX4 package? Does this truck appear to have it? It looks like it has a small lift on it...but it looked factory to me. Plenty of
ground clearance for what I am going to use it for.



Found this too, no idea if it is stock...or has a leveling kit or a set of coilovers. I gotta say the new F150's are damn good looking.

 

No, the FX4 package would have a fancy sticker on it. Basically the FX4 addon to the XL gives you the 3.73 rear end and the selectable locker IIRC, but I'm not on the VPN right now so I can't double check. I think you also get a few skid plates but I'm not sure. I'd have to look again. It's a little under 1K CAD to add it on so it's very much worth it.

Ford has the highest stock ground clearance of the big three. Take off the air dam, which is stupid simple because the screws are literally right on the front of the plastic (smartest move ever ), and you'll have more than enough clearance for the average logging trail. Just don't forget to run some good skid plates if you add more weight since the stock ones get bent up easily. They do the job of protecting the engine and transmission well, but they aren't there for serious impacts you might have.

 

Okay @SwollenGoat, just for you I opened my VPN . The FX4 package is only worth $700. Quite a deal for what you get! Right now Ford isn't letting me build a Supercrew XL in a 2016. I think they may have dropped the package. It's okay anyways because it didn't seem to effect the price much TBH.

Here's what the FX4 gets you. Notice how you'll want to select max payload package to get the 3.73 rear end. My wifes truck has the 3.55 because we wanted the fuel economy and she didn't need a locker:

For the off-road enthusiast, there’s the FX4 Off-Road Package that includes:
• 3.31 electronic-locking rear differential when equipped with 5.0L V8 or 3.5L V6 EcoBoost® engine*
• 3.55 electronic-locking rear differential when equipped with 2.7L V6 EcoBoost®*
• Hill Descent Control™ – when activated, the system applies brake pressure as needed to descend grades at a controlled speed
• Off-road tuned shock absorbers
• Skid plates to protect fuel tank, transfer case and front differential
• 4x4 “FX4 Off-Road” decal**

* Replaced with 3.73 electronic-locking rear differential when ordered with the Heavy-Duty Payload Package or 2.7L V6 EcoBoost® Payload Package.

** XTR decal takes the place of FX4 decal for XLTs ordered with the XTR package.

BTW just for fun I built an XLT with the 301A options package (I recommend this for someone looking for a few spartan options like heated mirrors, rear window, and power seat), the max towing/payload package, 6 1/2 foot box (you can go down to the smaller box for the same cost), FX4 package, SuperCrew, 3.5 L Ecoboost. Oh, and that truck is kicking back that it should have 2700 lbs payload rating, but I'd double check that.

For me it's a 40 K truck in Canadian dollars. So I expect you should get one in the USA for under 35K. Maybe even less, since that's a quick internet price and usually I get it for cheaper when I send the request to fleet.

 

Awesome, thanks!

Do you know if you can get the payload package with the 5.0? I am looking at the Super Cab with the 6.5' bed. (though 2230 lbs according to the payload selector, is enough for me)