3.5 Hit or miss?

Hey people, drove the new Tacoma again last week and................ not much has changed. I then tested the GMC canyon and it felt good, motor was obviously stronger but that's it. I really don't want to go back to full size but I tested the new f150 3.5 eco, performance was great but what about longevity? so if I were to go back it would be with the trusted old V8. I really like everything about the new Tacoma except you guessed it the motor. In LIMBO

 

Drove a 2015 F150 5.0 today, loved it. Was hard though to swallow the 41k price but hell the new tacos are 38k.

 

You can talk that ford down 8k though on the MSRP. Back in the day I could've rolled with a new F-150 5.0 v8 with a couple options for 29.3k or a similar Ram for 29.4k. I got my 2014 Taco for 29.5k. MSRP on the Ford and Ram were both around 36-37k.

 

That was 8k off, it has a lift, tires and wheels and options, sticker is $46k, it was $41k OTD, just hard to swallow payment wise and hesitant what mpg's were going to be. Insurance was the same.

 

This close to the end of the year you should be able to get at least 10k off sticker price of the Ford.

 

That 5.0 has one of the sweetest exhaust notes in the biz. And plenty of giddy up.

Folks love to talk crap about resale of the domestics. The key is to buy right on the front end.
I paid 45k OTD for a 53k msrp King ranch.
The toyota dealer have me 40 for it in trade.

 

I bought something I'll keep for 10+ years. That's how I shop for vehicles anyway.

 

I love the 3.5, its smooth, and when you put your foot down it has the power. Has anybody thrown their 3rd gen in S mode and accelerated in first? It's exhilarating. Such a good engine. If your light on the pedal you get good gas mileage, I was averaging around 24 yesterday. Anybody else going to put an aftermarket exhaust and a supercharger in?

 

I still can't figure out why all these second gen owners say the 3rd Gen is 40k.

Im yet to see a single person who paid 40k on a taco.

I have a TRDOR DCLB, and was closer to 30k than 40k....

 

Of course these trucks don't cost $40K. Not all of them at least. However, the price is closer to $40K than the previous gen. This is what everyone is referring to.

 

Dont think people who paid 40k for gen 3 is going to brag about it. But someones gotta be a sucka

 

I find the engine quite okay when combined with the manual.

 

Based on this logic, second gens were 40k. Lol people paid 40k for a 10yr old truck with 230hp engine. No wonder they are so angry all the time.

 

People don't like change.

 

There are plenty who paid $40k OTD for their 3rd gens, not hard to do if you purchase a tech package TRD or limited that is $36-39k plus TTL, etc. The price is a big hike from gen 2 on the TRDs, loaded TRDs for gen 2 were 32-34k. Dealers are asking MSRP around here for the 16s and getting it. $38k sport sold in 24 hours at my local dealer. So yes there are plenty with loaded ones paying close to $40k.

 

Surely no one paid 40K for a Taco, I can't believe anyone would admit that. The truck doesn't even have seat height adjustment.

 

Huh? There is indeed a price hike between gens and initial demand on gen 3 is keeping prices at MSRP, no one paid close to $40k on a 2nd gen unless it was a Pro or Baja, 3rd gen guys are paying 40k for a refreshed 10 year old 2nd gen sorry to say.

 

I drove a 2016 yesterday that was near identical to my truck minus the exhaust on mine. Clearly, my truck was louder due to this. Both had the same BFG All Terrains, both were DCLB, both TRD Sport and even the same color.

The 16 probably has near the same power...at the high end. When it comes to low end...it was gutless. I told my dealer that this was my concern and the thing that would prevent me from purchasing prior to getting there. I can sit in my truck and from a stand still spin the tires. This can not be done in the 16. Pulling into traffic the truck has enough power to get out of its own way, but the difference was huge, not minor like everyone keeps adding. I'd love to see the two generations line up on a track.

Why is spinning the tires from a stop not just the "Kid in me" test? Torque wins races, but it also pulls things. Sure most of us aren't breaking the limits of what the Tacoma can pull, but for those that use this as a work truck, or pull a camper on the weekends, this will be a problem. All the ECT does is make the transmission hold a gear longer. Something the 2nd gen won't have to do because of the low end torque difference.

I personally walked away disappointed. I like almost everything about the 3rd gen better after driving and seeing it in person. It has potential to be a rockstar, but with that engine I can't see it stealing back market share from other midsize trucks. We asked for a V8...a small turbo diesel...clearly we wanted somethings get that had more torque low end...and they give us this - crapass of an engine. I think if it averaged 25-30MPG we would have understood...but this is just sad...

Please don't think I'm bashing the 16's. If I had to get a new truck, it is still what I would buy. It's just not enough to make me want to upgrade or get overly excited about.

 

Y'all can thank the .gov for the apparently anemic engine.

Actually, if ToMoCo didn't waste their efforts on the Tundra, they probably could build one hellova Tacoma and stay within CAFE regulations. Maybe even offer a small V8.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Tundra. I think it's a nice rig. But it trails greatly behing the big 3 and always will.
I personally think ToMoCo would have been better to pour all that R&D and marketing millions into the Tacoma.
They could have taken the already iconic Tacoma to unreal heights.

 

I dont think Its CAFE standards, clearly GM managed to get more power out of their engine and still be able to produce MPG.
Its a car engine in the truck. thats the problem.
Look at 0-60 times. According to that 2016 is not only slower than 2015 but also slower than 1998 which explains why you feel like your old truck feels faster.