Ford F-150 to Tacoma

I switched from supercrew f150 fx4 lifted on 35s to a double cab Tacoma 4x4. I am very happy with Toyota. Not sure how much space you need but I find the Tacoma is plenty for me. If I had kids and stilled hauled around construction tools I would have gotten a tundra. But I'm all a out offroading and the Tacoma can do way more than a tundra there.

 

Ah I gotcha. Never owned a tacoma but saw you mentioned premium and was just wondering. Not only do I try to use top tier gas, but always going to a busy gas station helps. Atleast I know I am always getting fresh gas.

 

Hi, I had a 2012 F150 supercrew before buying my current 15 Tacoma DC.... I do miss the space and the ride comfort/lack of road noise on long trips with the Ford. The gas milage for me was almost a wash, they were both close to each other. I find the Tacoma much better driving in the city and trying to find parking without having to worry if the idiot beside me will hit my doors.. having said that though I do find myself missing the Ford from time to time....

 

Didn't want to start a new thread about it since this one is here, but I'm kind of in the same boat as the OP.

I have a 2013 F-150 FX4 Supercrew Ecoboost right now and, although it's a good truck, I've got the itch for something new. I was actually looking at the Tacoma back when I bought my new 2009 DC Tundra, but I always kind of regret not going with the Tacoma. If I switch back to a Tacoma now, I know I'll probably miss the room, power, interior amenities, HID headlights, etc. of the F-150. That being said, the Tacoma has always appealed to me in that it's a nice, high quality, capable, no frills truck. The F-150 is a PITA when it comes to city driving and space in the garage, so I'm sure the Tacoma might be a bit more fun to drive from a maneuverability standpoint and also offer slightly better fuel economy. Probably not the best financial decision (the F-150 is paid for, but I'd probably have to stack about $4-5k on the trade in) but it wouldn't be the end of the world either.

I guess my biggest concern with the change would be space. We've got a 16 month old now, and plan on having another one within the next year. Do any of you have issues with child seats in the back of your DC Tacomas, or do they fit just fine? It seems to work alright in the wife's 2012 4Runner and from what I can tell the Tacoma DC has about the same space back there.

 

Lady and I have looked at this as well because looking at starting a family soon. It is tight but one baby should not be an issue. If I had two or more kids I'd want a full sized. BUT also consider we have a 2016 4runner as well which is better suited to hauling kids/people in general. It would be a very tight fit with two car seats in the back of a tacoma and probably not a choice road trip vehicle for older bigger kids

 

Spot on.

Its far easier to take an existing design that's "sorta kinda" similar to the existing 2nd Tacoma engine, plop it into a 3rd gen tacoma and program it to achieve better MPGs than the previous 4.0L. Saves money on R&D, Engineering, Manufacturing, Tooling, etc. Probably even used existing EPA test data to some extent.

Toyota just got lazy on this engine. They needed to rush something out quick to market so they didn't appear stale with GM twins appearing into in every magazine and online review in the country. So we have this 3.5L engine.

The best thing I can say about the 3.5L is "its OK", it doesn't really inspire and its not as fun to drive as the big V8's in the Tundra. But it works and I'm sure its super reliable. But its not my first choice or cup of tea.

 

Yep less risk and more efficiency (not talking fuel economy) in their design is a winning recipe as far as toyota is concerned

 

So I posted a few days ago about going from an F150 supercrew to Tacoma.... well the interior size or lack there of and the road noise was enough to make me go back.... I pick up the F150 this week

 

Wow, can I ask how much you lost going from F150 to Tacoma back to F150?

I'm always curious how much it costs to switch vehicles like that. I'm borderline trading my 2016 if I get the runaround from Toyota for a couple issues (mainly just the differential howling) I have, but I'm not too keen on losing 6 grand. I already got "your truck isnt broken in yet" the first time i brought it up.

I'm still hoping Ford puts a manual transmission in the Ranger, chances are that would make me jump ship after the Ranger had been out a couple years.

 

???? My 2 kids rode in the back of my access cab into their teens. My friend carries 3 kids in the back of his Ranger. I think that kids in the back of a double cab would be fine unless you have some unusually large or spoiled kids. That being said, I don't think any pickup truck is optimal for road trips for large families unless you have a camper shell. Not enough luggage space.

 

When I traded in for the Tacoma I didn't lose anything... I was able to get the employee pricing (as I work for them). And when I did this trade back to the Ford they have me enough to cover what was owed on it and that covered the full cost of the one I bought... it was a 2014 supercrew with low miles

 

I currently own both, 2013 F150 Ext Cab 4x4 5.0 V8 and a 2016 DCSB TRD OR, I drive the Ford and the Taco barely moves. The Ford has what feels like unlimited power compared to the Taco but thats comparing apples to oranges. For me, the Ford is better suited. I haul or tow often, im 6'2" with broad shoulders and just cant see to get comfortable in the Taco. The seats in the Ford are more comfortable and it just seems more ergonomically correct for me. But, the Taco will run circles around the Ford offroad. Snow and sand are the same, mud and rocks and in the Ford I might as well park and walk. Ive taken both wheeling, both stock and the Taco is utterly incredible.

Thats pretty much my opinion on both.

 

Id agree. The tacoma is not a very comfortable vehicle to sit in for long periods of time. It isn't a complaint for me, I had a 2002 ford truck before with a basic interior and I'd say the 2002 was similar in comfort. The seat was more broken in for me after that many years so it was more comfortable actually, but the initial seat quality is comparable. To put it in perspective, I've sat in some coworkers' sub $20k vehicles and had it feel like I'm sitting down into a cloud compared to the tacoma. Two people I've taken on longer trips in the 2016 taco actually had to have me stop after maybe 1-1.5 hours because they were starting to get sore.

So I'd recommend finding a dealer that will let you do an extended test drive, either on a new or used 2016. Spend a lot of time in it, make sure you take it through all speed ranges and just sit in the seat for a while, even if the truck is off. It may bother you it may not.

 

I drove the Taco to Rausch Creek Offroad Park just a couple weeks ago, 4 hour drive and half way through I just wanted to get out of it. Took my F150 to Greenridge which is a similar distance, wheeled all day then drove back same day and couldnt have been more comfortable.

 

Depends on your height. I cant put my sons carseat behind me or ill be against the steering wheel and knees in the dash. But it is the same issue in my F150, but the F150 is an ext cab, not a double cab like the Taco.

 

Yeah, my Supercrew has almost a foot more leg room in the backseat than the Tacoma DC... it can fit any child seat with room to spare.

Given everything that's been said, I suppose I'm going to stick with my F-150. The new Tacoma is definitely a nice truck, but I think getting one will pose more disadvantages than advantages. I'll probably reevaluate my decision to change to a smaller truck when Ford rolls out the new Ranger.

 

I drive an F250 as a company vehicle but I prefer my Tacoma double cab.