what's the 3rd gen like to drive on LONG trips?

every couple years I drive from the Upper Midwest to either the Sierra Nevada or Canadian Rockies, where the roundtrip could easily be 4,000 miles. Most of that is at speed on the interstate. Hours and hours of it. My trip to Yosemite National Park, for instance, takes about three straight days of driving 9-10 hours per day.

Kind of curious as to how "enjoyable" this would be in a new-gen Tacoma. Anyone take such trips? would like to hear about comfort, road noise, wind noise, stereo sound, A/C, performance up hills, etc.

 

I've done about 12 10+hour days in my tacoma. Before the transmission update it was pretty frustrating with poor shifting behavior when using cruise. Other than that I am quite comfortable for long periods in the truck. I drove for about an hour last weekend on the highway after getting the TSB done earlier in the week and I can tell my frustrations with the transmission and cruise control are gone. Looking forward to my next trip.

Oh, the stereo in my non-JBL access cab is good except when using XM.

AC performance, even seeing 118F on the ambient temp sensor I was only using the lowest or 2nd lowest fan setting.

 

Damnit I wish I could talk my dealer into doing the update. I keep hearing how it solves everything. Im averaging 14mpg everywhere and cruise revs up like 5th and 6th gear dont exist.

 

Driveline vibes make my hands and feet a bit numb. Seat puts my legs to sleep, lower back a bit uncomfortable. It's no BMW 335D, that's for sure. I suppose it isn't bad for a truck although for 40k I'd expect a little more comfort and adjustment from the seats. It is a common gripe on these trucks I'd say.

 

You're just soft. Jk

 

Its ok if your not on roads like I10,40,35 where speed limits are 75 and 80. I felt like i could use a little more low end as i was driving across the continental divide. The ac is good and the seat works well for me. I would give it an 7 out of 10 for long trips. I just drove from seattle to San Diego to Austin to Memphis in the last month so i put down some miles.

 

I drove from Northwest Washington to Phoenix and back, in that there were both some long highway driving days and some long of pavement days. I found it quite comfortable the whole time. Not as good as my old '93 for all day sitting, but better than anything I've had since.

 

I swear you are the next JB700. Have your nuts dropped yet, because I have never seen a grown ass man bitch so much about 1 thing over and over so much in my life.

 

Hahahahah.. sigh. You will find like 1,000 threads with this topic with 1,000 different opinions. It comes down to driver preference.

You'll get people saying it's the worst in the world and this sucks and that sucks

I, personally, can sit in my truck all day and drive all road and weather conditions without a single complaint. The shifting is weird, sure, but my back doesn't ache and I don't feel like I need my butt cheeks massaged for 12 hours after I road trip. It's quiet and they really did an upgrade on the sound system so it's actually enjoyable (also have a 2015 Tacoma, so.. speaking from the experience switch of Gen's).

The best way to tell is to go and drive one. If you're in Oregon (or close) you can road trip mine and see how you actually like it.

 

It was great for my family of 4 on a 3500 mile tour of the Eastern half of the country. Very comfortable. If it weren't for the transmission sticking in hear after a few hours on the road and the constant soundtrack of differential noises it would have been perfect.

 

Furthest I've gone in my truck so far was a 600 mile trip, truck was great. The sport handles pretty well on the highway, for a truck, and I averaged around 23 mpg. The gen 3's are pretty quiet in the cab as well, which is nice. Seats were comfortable the whole way, but any time you're in one position for that long you'll get sore to some degree. I was alone in the truck other than 2 medium sized dogs.

 

Says the guy that doesn't even own a 3rd gen...

 

just because my truck profile says 2015, doesnt mean I dont own a 3rd gen.....

 

I think the seats are somewhat uncomfortable on long trips....mainly because there is no place to rest your elbows on the upper part of the door without being awkward and the steering wheel is further away then what I'd like.

Other than that it's quite nice.

 

Pretty comfortable, but I'm used to driving mud trucks and jeeps as daily drivers in the past. This thing is more than comfy for me. The seats could be better as far as adjustment goes.

 

It’s quiet, comfortable, great gas mileage (for a truck) stock stereo is adequate, it’s unstoppable, goes anywhere you care to go.
What’s not to love?
The rear full size passengers may not be so comfy in a Taco, but they’ll love you in a Tundra

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

First weekend I had mine, I took it on a road trip. 11+ hours. Only got out for gas and lunch. Very comfortable.

 

I do anywhere between 2 and 6 hours each way on the weekends, and i have had no issues with it, drives great at highway speeds, drives great on gravel and mountain roads. However, the tranny will piss you off a bit..

 

In comparison, my car is only good for 3 hours TOPS. And I'm dead at the end of that 3 hours