1000+ Miles? Post Your Thoughts So Far

First off, I'd like to thank the active and helpful members of this forum. You comforted me during the trying days of waiting. And given me a thorough education of why pre-2016 Tacos are superior. But since I've only owned this Tacoma, I'll just take your word for it. The opinions presented are often at extreme odds of each other. And as often the case when this occurs, the truth falls somewhere in the middle. So for posterity and those who are genuinely curious about whether to plunk down your hard-earned cash, here are my 1000+ miles real-world pros & cons (DCSB TRD OR):

Pros

• Smooth ride - I thought the OR suspension meant a hard ride - not one bit! Eats up speed bumps too!
• Quiet cabin, meaning 3 adults held a conversation at 85mph w/o issue
• Loving the JBL sound system. Bass response powerful, as demoed with Sir Mix-A-Lot: Posse on Broadway (what? I'm an unashamed 45yo 80's fanatic)
• I'm enjoying the Entune system integrated with my iPhone 6 plus. Reading my texts and Eyes Free Siri are great features
• Ride height - coming from an '07 Camry, I love being able to see past other cars
• Crawl Control - not asking for further debate (please no!) but I love it! Call it gimmicky or best-used-by-newbs, to me it feels like the future
• Multi-terrain-Select - it feels like it's doing grippy stuff when I'm driving though the rocky & sandy terrain of off-road Las Vegas
• Blind-spot-monitor - very cool! And very useful on the congested roadways of Vegas
• Park-Assist - while the video camera alone takes care of things, the sonar feature is incredibly useful.
• Design & aesthetics - while some have said they don't like the color (quicksand), everyone loves the design. It's bold and strong and "bad ass". Thanks Sweers. BTW, most LOVE the color.
• Last but most important - FUN TO DRIVE! I can't stress this enough. I've owned many cars and trucks in my 45 years. But this one is hands down my favorite so far. I've never been off road and maybe that's why I'm having such a blast. But for me, it's even fun to drive to work. Takes some of the stress out. Some.

Cons

• Mileage - maybe it's the high altitude of 2,461 ft. But so far the average is average is 17.8 mpg. I'm not really complaining. But I've not seen 23 mpg. I don't use ECT but I am fairly heavy footed. Only list it as a 'con' because I was hoping to see 20mpg average.
• Huge hood - still feels a little on the big side when sitting behind the wheel. So when climbing up an off-road hill, all you see is hood. I'm positive I'll grow accustomed to it.

And that's it. I hope this helps. So far I've equipped my Taco with: 6" oval nerf bars, LED replacements for interior, bed cargo net, all-weather mats, gerber folding shovel, Adventure Medical kit, mini propane stove, and hot cocoa packets (dark & milk chocolate). Oh and mini marshmallows.

 

As far as the hood, as long as you can see where it ends real good, you should be fine. I hate vehicles with hoods that you can't see the end

 

Trucks are kind of like school, the older kids always hate the younger kids... it's just a natural hatred towards the kids who are younger and dumber. Same goes for the trucks, when 4th gen comes out (gen 2.97?) the 3rd gen crowd will join in with the cool kid 1st and 2nd gens and we'll all flame the 4th gen bitchez. Circle of tacoma life.

 

FWIW, higher altitudes improve MPG.

 

I cant agree more with the pros and cons of the OP. Had mine 2 weeks now and 1200 miles already... LOVE IT!!!!!! the entune is pretty complicated, but I just got the training book so will spend the weekend figuring it out.

 

I have almost 2500 miles on mine, and have many agreements with you. Mine is the TRD Sport 2WD V6, so doesn't have some of your features.

I don't know if yours has the dual zone climate control, but my wife LOVES this feature

Mileage did perk up after 1200 to 1500 miles of travel - I've been getting ~24.

As for the previous gen hating on this gen, I'm not entirely sure what the deal is. Most of us do not remember well enough to compare the first few weeks of our previous vehicle, so really need to stop basing the entire vehicle on the 5 mile test drive. In the '16, my first few hundred miles were different driving than the most recent few hundred.

I do have some relevant comparison - drove 90,000 miles on a 2011 TRD Sport 2WD V6.
The '11 had more taper to the hood, but didn't seem as long (all around things seem closer in the '16 than the '11).
The '11 did have more snap off the line, which is not always a good thing; the '16 is easier to drive in slow traffic, but the ECT PWR function does indeed bring back the throttle sensitivity.
The JBL system in the '16 seems more solid and full than the JBL system in the '11.
Driving the same route and style in the '11 was giving me about 21 MPG.

So to those of us enjoying life in the 2016 Tacoma!

 

FYI Sir Mix A Lot was in the 90's lol

 

Currently about to hit 1,500 miles in my TRD OR 4 x 4. I noticed after I hit the 900 mile mark my Taco's MPG'S jumped up from 14ish to 18ish. I've also noticed this week that the acceleration from a dead stop has improved I don't know if it's due to the "breaking in period" or if I simply have gotten use to the way the Tacoma accelerates.

Only con I have as of now is the paint. This is my first Toyota but compared to the Chevy ' s and Fords I have owned the paint is thin and softer than Chevy and Ford.

 

Toyota engines come from the factory "broken in" So unless something has changed this year, its probably just you getting accustomed to the vehicle

 

Learning as I go. Appreciate the info. TY

 

Why do they require a breal in period then? And just how do you think they break them in? I was told no towing within the first 1000 miles.

 

I'm not sure who told you that. When I took a tour of the Kentucky Toyota plant, they told me all Toyota engines are broken at the factory. Not sure how, maybe I was deceived. Just telling you what I was told and where

 

Yeah I have read several posts of people saying that the manual gives states a break in period.not supposed to Rev too high and all that jazz. I can't confirm because I'm in sit and wait mode for mine.

 

I'm in sit and wait mode too. So whoever gets their Taco first, inform the other on what the manual says

 

You are not to brake hard either and drive at the same speed for extended periods.

 

I just bought a 2015 sport and in manual on page 122.

Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of your vehicle, the following precautions are recommended to observe:

For the first 200 miles
avoid sudden stops

For the first 500 miles
do not tow a trailer

For the first 1000 miles
Do not drive at extremely high speeds
avoid sudden acceleration
etc...

Don't know if this applys to 2016 ?

 

I knew brakes had a break in period, along with clutches. are you saying you ARE or ARE NOT supposed to drive at the same speed for extended period?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/attachments/tacoma-manual-pdf.768056/

Pg 156 of the 2016 manual:

■ Breaking in your new Toyota

To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recommended:

●For the first 200 miles (300 km): Avoid sudden stops.

●For the first 500 miles (800 km): Do not tow a trailer.

●For the first 1000 miles (1600 km):

• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.

 

Lol on the milk chocolate, just about everything you said is how I feel..... looking into the 6" oval nerf bars, you like them?