2016 Training Event

Toyota held a training event for the sales reps in Charlotte the last couple days. It was out at the Charlotte motor speedway. It had some off road-ish obstacles and more importantly... the twins were there. They had an emphasis on the comparisons between the Tacoma and the GM twins. The latter really struggled with the obstacles. Right before taking the twins through the course they told us that they have the same front end clearance of the camry... then we proceeded to listen to the dragging and scraping as are drove over stuff.

The new tacoma is awesome. I have never owned one previously, but will most likely be trading in my Wrangler for one once the initial rush is over with. The ride is quiet, it is fully capable for all my needs, and I can get all the freshly grated Parmesan from my front grill when needed (j/k, I actually like the new grill)

Sorry no pictures, they weren't allowed. Just picture the washington event, but less scenic. Just figured I would let you guys know, since a lot of you have said that your sales reps don't know anything about the truck.

 

I have an email with a sales rep stating there will be no TRDOR DCLB. I corrected him, and he continued to ask me for sources stating nothing has been confirmed yet. smh....

 

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

 

Thanks for sharing. Two questions....

Did you get to drive the manual (and what did you think)?

What is the party line regarding power delivery and mpg ratings (is the 3.5 strong in the low/mid range, and is there hope the EPA ratings don't tell the whole story about the Atkinson switch)?

 

tell you rep im in Austin and have one being built for delivery in mid October.

 

I did not get to drive a manual. They had a bunch of different options to drive, including one with a heavy load in the bed, but they were all auto.

The company line on horsepower. It is a more efficient engine offering power when needed, but fuel conservation on the highway. When asked about the colorado having more horsepower, they got a little defensive. Said HP only matters in a drag race, not in a work/outdoor rec truck. Then started talking about the value of torque.

I am not out in the field, but I wouldn't go that route if asked about the HP difference.

 

Thanks for the reply. I am really interested in the torque curve. I don't care about a HP war, I just want usable, satisfying power For marketing though, they should have a more solid gameplan to answer the HP question. I am hoping the 2GR has more torque per lb in the mid/low range than the GM LFX...but that's just a wish.

 

Maybe not the answer some would want to hear but, exactly what I am looking for.

 

Yeah, I like that too. I still hope that real world MPG will show more highway benefit than what we see via the EPA results. I am still surprised the VVT-iW etc didn't test out better on the EPA cycles.