Test drive a 2016

Hey guys,

I just test drive a 2016 DC SR5 the other day. I just wanted to share my thoughts on some of the things I noticed:

1. Interior noise- it is MUCH quieter than my 08 DC. There's very little wind noise which creeps into the cabin.

2. Interior quality- Way nicer than my 08. Much less of a cheap plasticky feel and, in my opinion, it just looks nicer. The gauge cluster is very pleasing to the eye, and the entire interior layout just looks and feels like it's much better quality.

3. Acceleration/braking- it was a bit disappointing on the low end, but once the RPMs were higher it seemed to pick up nicely. That being said, my 08 seems faster. In terms of braking, it seems to stop on a dime

4. Suspension/handling- it felt like it took corners with ease. I didn't take any fast turns with it, but it did seem tighter. In terms of suspension, it felt soft like a car. Almost too soft. I'm hoping the TRD OR is a bit stiffer.

5. Looks- although I love the way my 08 looks, this one looks much nicer. It has more edges as opposed to curves, and the grille isn't as big in person. Also, it looked to have better ground clearance than the previous generation.

Overall, I think the 2016 Tacoma is leaps and bounds better than the second gen. Besides a couple of minor complaints, I was very impressed with the 2016 Tacoma.

 

I love my 2016, I trade in my 2009 TRD sport for 18000, and buy the 16. It is a very nice truck, a lot of eye candy, only thing I complain is have to carry extra key for the bed door. The rest I love it.

 

i also had a 2008 totally agree with you........

 

Why not leave the bed key in one of the cup holders?

 

I test drove one too and more or less agree with OP except I did not notice "very little wind noise". I thought it was very similar to my 2010. Local dealership offers up to a 24 hour test drive - I got to drive it through various speeds and as the wind picked up during the day. Gave me a very good idea on how the truck performed.

Also, if you knock around enough with your knuckles, you'll notice that the new Tacoma is just as cheap and plasticky as the old one. Updated look yes, didn't notice too much of an upgrade in the hard and sometimes hollow sounding plastics.

A half an hour test drive is just not enough to evaluate a vehicle and get over the "newness & coolness" factor that might creep in and subvert driving impressions.

 

I test drove both a TRD OR and a LTD, ended up buying the LTD because I preferred the extras, mainly the leather. I had a '13 LTD before and I have to agree, the interior is much nicer in the Gen3. Picked it up from the dealer last night, only drove a short distance, but it had plenty of power for me, couldn't really tell a difference from my 4.0, but the ride is much better.

 

In the centre--that's how we spell it in Canada, centre... anyway, in the centre console there's some kind of clip meant for a pen. Someone posted a picture the other day showing how the tailgate key clipped into it quite nicely!

 

Cool!

 

Yep, I should have mentioned, the clip is in the lid itself. Will keep it from rattling around in the truck.

 

Johnnycate500 posted it here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ma-today-3rd-gen.399305/page-40#post-11235734

 

knock around on the chevy..... taco leaps and bounds better.

 

I'm not interested in the Chevy. I wanted improvement in the 3rd Gen and at least in this example, did not find it.