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

ECT mode solved all my issues with the tranny shifts. Still need to get my TSB done

 

I'm more comfy in my truck than in our 4R LTD with leather seating on long trips to be honest. I do prefer the 4R maneuverability, but its not a L/B truck.
Someday not today, I'm gonna have it all
Cheers!

 

I drove up to Virginia and back, longest stretches were 13 and 11 hours with only stopping for gas and it was great.

 

I've driven multiple time for 9 hour stretches from North Carolina to Florida and had no problems whatsoever. On September 1st ill be driving from North Carolina up to Yellowstone, down through Bryce Canyon and ultimately end up in Camp Pendleton CA. Ill let y'all know how that goes... pretty sure that qualifies as extended driving haha.

 

My wife drives a 13' Lexus RX350. I think driving it and riding in it SUCKS compared to my 16' SR5 V6 DCSB Tacoma....but then again she says riding in my Tacoma sucks as well. At times we then we .

 

Lots of negatives on here. In my experience, coming from a FJ cruiser, the tacoma is great. Shifting has been good in mine since day one, but I do use the ECT in traffic. I've had a handful of 4+ hour drives now and see between 20 and 24 mpg on the highway. Longer wheelbase is much easier to keep control over. Biggest thing I've noticed is it's much quieter than the FJ and earlier tacomas, which is nice on long trips. I have no complaints and prefer it over all my other vehicles past and current for highway use.

 

Mines good. No complaints after a 300mile jaunt with one bladder break.

 

Amen, no problem here!!!

 

Drove mine from Tampa Florida to Homer Alaska. roughly 7k miles. Went through the Yukon, plenty of Off-Road in between. I liked my truck a lot. Yeah the Cruise control was a biotch in the hilly areas but on flat ground it worked fine. I think the feel and the ride was comfortable too.

 

I agree with you 100 Percent. It has become pathetic. If you enjoy your truck he calls you a fanboy. He never fails to show up in a complaint thread to tell you about how he has the same problem but only worse.

 

Right after I got mine, my wife and I made a trip to South Padre Island. Was a 900+ miles round trip. Was comfortable the whole way. Truck ran great at 70-80 mph. I was very happy. Course we had been used to driving in a 2003 Tacoma so we now feel like we have all the room in the world.

 

It's interesting how some people like the ride on long trips, and others don't. Seems like the difference isn't the truck and more likely the person. Having recently driven a 2500 mile trip in my 2nd gen, I would expect the 3rd gen to be better. Most of the comments here seem to confirm that.

 

It is decent. My other vehicle is a 2015 Tahoe. Compared to the Tahoe the Tacoma is much less comfortable. The Tahoe on the other hand was twice as expensive! I have only done 3 hours at a time in the Tacoma and it is okay for what it is. Wind noise is moderate. I get some vibration through the steering wheel. I don't have any problems with seat position at 6 foot 200 lbs.

I have drove the Tahoe for 19 hours straight through with kids and only felt tired for the last 3 hours. I don't think I could do that in the Tacoma, but I haven't tried. Taking a 10 hour trip to glacier national park in September. I will get a chance to see how she does on a longer trip.

 

Routinely drive 1000 miles pilling a 3000# camper about 10 hours one way no complaints yes I know is 2011 but I have driven a 2016 quite a bit and I'll be damned if I see any difference. By the way my cruse works fine trans never kicks down unless I want it too.

 

I just did over 1500 miles driving from Utah to SoCal and back 10 hours one way and 12 coming back. Super comfortable compared to my 2015 4door Wrangler. I would have been hating life in the Jeep. The lumbar support made driving way better.

 

I have a SR5 4X4 also, but it's missing all the characteristics of your truck, non stock tires.

Wind and road noise- Ask you dealer to check the door molding and replaced them.
Erratic shifting- See about getting the TSB for you truck
Breaks are weak- That’s a characteristic to your vehicle.
You can however lower your tire pressure as recommended on driver’s door pillar.
Alternatively, you can put on a good set of tires and it will also help with your “steering wander” issue.

Steering wonder- You are entitled to 2 wheel alignments for the first two years. Ask you service advisor to increase the positive caster to the max allowed by the specs.

Alternatively, you can install a set of 17” tires and rims like I have


Enjoy a long comfortable trouble free ride after.

Hope that helps!
Cheers!

 

Multiple trips from San Antonio to OKC and back, and recently from San Antonio to North Little Rock. I've got a bad back and the window sill is a bit too high for comfort but I solved both those problems with a seat cushion (the kind made for long haul truckers) and its wonderful. Even when pulling a POS Dodge Avenger for a bit on a uhaul dolly, no problems and comfy!

 

I like to sit a little more upright than most, so I had to flip around my headrest. Other than that, it's very comfortable.

The seats are very 1980's merc, fairly firm, but surprisingly comfy. The high gearing with the manual 5-spd is awesome for highway speeds, really keeps the revs down.

If it had 1990 Chrysler pilow-top seats and an actual telescopic wheel (as opposed to the "far away" extending to " not quite so far away" range), it would be great for long distances.

 

I live in Vegas. I flew to Kansas to buy mine. Hopped in and drove it home. 2 10 hour days. So I was really worried about the ride. Truck is super comfortable and the many new creature comforts are nice. I have all the options so climate control and other little things are nice. The transmission drove me insane the whole way and ever since. Just got the tsb yesterday and all my problems are solved. I wish I could drive cross country with THIS transmission.