Why I love my 3rd Gen Tacoma more than any other car/truck

Right there with ya, overall very happy with mine. Yours is the first one in that color that I have seen. Looks great!

 

I wish they offered that blue in 2013

 

I like the wheel upgrade...Its nice to see the Limited wheels on a Sport

 

OP: I couldn't agree more with your description of the capabilities and utility features of this vehicle. I love MTs but for day to day practical reasons (A lot of traffic here where I live) I opted for the AT. I drove before a lot of different cars/SUVs (as my previous job allowed me to be assigned a lot of different rentals), but for the last 12 years I owned/leased:
-Nissan Murano 2006
-VW Jetta 2006
-Nissan Titan LE 2006
- Mercedes 250C 2013
-BMW 328i Sport (8AT) 2013
I just passed the 1K mark with this truck, and so far it has been enjoyable, and the ride is -surprisingly- very comfy for a truck (specially a 4WD one). Of course this Taco doesn't have the responsiveness and sharp drive of my previous BMW (didn't expect that anyway), neither the finishes or amenities (HUD, etc) as Toyota isn't known for these attributes as it is well known -and deserved- for high reliability, trusted products and resale value of the almost "indestructible" Tacoma.
In my case I ordered mine without any special package, just the TRD Off Road 4x4 with all the standard features that comes with it (plus the new V6) and added only the Tonneau Cover and Sidesteps Rails for convenience. So far I'm very happy, the truck drives very well, feels solid, and even my wife likes to drive it (I don't know if this is good or not ;-). I'm still adjusting my way to the driving mode of this truck; as sometimes it feels a little "lethargic", so I need to kick it a bit in order to get the responsiveness that I was looking for. I read somewhere here in TW that the 6AT tranny can "learn" my habits and adapt so maybe after awhile and together with the break in of the engine the truck will be a little bit eager.
Until now, the average fuel consumption is well below what the sticker says for the V6. I barely get 14.5 city and 17ish highway, so is a little bit disappointing as was expected higher numbers (perhaps 17 & 20 mpg) even for a new engine. Maybe I need to wait more for the properly break in of engine/transmission to obtain better mpg as indicated per the official data.
So far, I have a very good feeling with this Tacoma. I will keep posted my impressions.

 

Glad you're enjoying your Tacoma. I'm loving mine! Mine's a TRDOR AC 6MT (which you can only get in Canada!). I came from a similar car to your GTI, a '13 Focus ST. I just got the 6MT because I've always driven stick, it wasn't till I started looking into it that I actually found out the 6MT is geared more to my liking. Definitely made me glad of my choice!

Getting about 12.0L/100km (or 19.6mpg) with a good mix of city and highway.

 

I have the DCSB TRD OffRoad and just drove 350 mile round trip on the high at 70 - 75 and got 23.9 MPG for the trip.

However, I've been driving trucks for over 10 years and I typically have a light foot. The truck can do much better then you're getting, but after a mercedes and a BMW you're not likely driving like me

 

Mine was the same way. now with 15k it is much better than before (though I am about to do the trans update which will reset it again) mpg was low like yours and is now sitting in the 17-21 range now (when not stuck in ridiculous traffic) It will definitely get better with time. Enjoy!

 

Thanks! My mileage hasn't been as impressive but I've noticed it started to improve recently. I don't know if it's with overall break-in period or what considering it's a manual and there shouldn't be any software trickery. Getting in lower 20s now compared to 18s when I first got it. As mbarbay mentioned I upgraded the wheels to Limited. I personally didn't like the look of Sport 17'' and almost ordered an OR because of it. Decided that switching to Limited wheels might do the trick since limited suspension is the same as Sport and will provide overall stock feel (until I get the itch to change it

I'm glad a lot of you guys are also enjoying your rides. I've been seeing lots of negative posts and I can't tell if 3rd gen owners are all perfectionists or just extremely picky but I get it you are spending a lot of money on a piece of equipment that better be perfect. Time will tell but no issues so far for me (knocking on wood) and I hope all the folks with transmission, diff, squeak problems get the help they deserve from Toyota.

 

Haha! That's correct, fajitas! As I said, maybe I need a little more time to get used to the Tacoma "mode" and to forget the BMW Sport mode!. Furthermore, we'll know that this new taco's 2GR-FKSV6 engine comes alive at high revs (above 4K rpm) so perhaps I should try work her in that range more frequently. I noticed that if I let it to coast very slightly (on an almost flat highway as the I-10) I can get better mileage even if it is momentary, however for sure my taco won't get carbon accumulated in the engine or spark plugs. I suspect that -as Volatov indicates- maybe the taco's OR stock tires could hurt the mileage expected (as I think that those standard numbers indicated for Toyota were obtained maybe with a finer/lower friction tires as those included in the Limited level).
But again I look a the big picture of all the things you can do with this vehicle, and it is very useful, so any "limitation" (compared with other high end focused product) is negligible and easy to forget.

 

Hey mbarbay, it is good to know that the expected mpg will improve over time. Maybe this is not only that the OR tires have something to do with it, also I think that the the front air dam, present on all Tacomas except the TRD Off-Road, is there precisely to bolster the Tacoma's official EPA fuel economy rating. The OR model doesn't have because it will hurt the approaching angle; so conclusion? I'm happy if even can only get a slightly increase in my actual mpg. Hey, we can't get the best of all worlds, and this is the price to pay for the convenience of a full OR package.

 

I can certainly relate. My dad had a SL320 I think it was (Hardtop convertible with 3.2 v6). That thing didn't weigh much. It was fun. However, my uncle had the SL 550 (same thing but with the v8) and OH MY, that was real fun. He also had some variant (uncle) of the Mercedes V12 and complained that the soft compound tires wore out in 20k miles and cost like $500 each. I don't know what to say, it was a pretty expensive car, in proportion those tires were nothing.

I miss that SL320, he sold it a few years back. It was a freaking blast because it wasn't super fast, but nimble, and not super expensive so I wasn't panicked driving it. It was a 2002 model we bought in 2010 with 22,000 miles on it We sold it in 2015 with 31,000 miles.

My truck has the Wrangler Adventure A/T w/ Kevlar, aired @ 30psi (around 33psi heated), and that netted me 23.9 on a 95% highway trip. I'd imagine the sport or limited All Season tires might do better. Also, I don't have the front air dam, which is probably good for another .5 - 1.0 mpg. I have about 900 miles on the truck. Seriously impressed. Love this thing.

 

Yep, I really understand what you're saying, the SL is very fun car to drive. I still have the 2013 MB C250 (wife's mobil) and certainly it is fun, however the Bimmer with the 8AT ZF tranny was very engaging and fun to drive specially in Sport and Sport+ modes (it was like Dr Jerkill and Mr Hyde) it transformed in completely different "creatures" with just the push of one button. MB and BMW are different and each one has its onw "personalities" and special attributes.
However as I said before, I'm enjoying my new Taco and all its capabilities and the utility and amenities that comes with it. In any case any future sport car in my garage must share space with the Taco... That's for sure!

I imagine, same here!

 

Powerful. Quiet, smooth, best tow vehicle I've ever owned.

 

For a 6cyl I have to agree. It tows better than the 2nd gen I had, but it can't do what an 8 cyl does but that should be understood.
I have 0 issues with my truck. Only thing I hate about it is reading all of these posts of problems people have, which I believe is a very small percentage.
A person with a problem is going to bitch all day every day, someone who is satisfied not so. This site is proof of that.
How many freakin times do I have to hear about holes up front making a whistling sound being the end of the world !!! Or a radio rebooting. Or a cps. Or a squeaky spring. Geeesh. I can get a radio out of a Taco in less than 30 seconds and plug holes up front less than that.
When this sucker hits upper rpms it moves out and fast. Its quite fun.

 

Fuel efficient. Can't forget that one. Exemplifies Toyota quality.

 

Yea 2016Tacoman you're right about the v6. My v8 didn't even notice I was pulling that little 2000 lbs trailer around. This thing does a great job, but if I'm merging into interstate traffic I do have to poke the hampsters a little It does, however, wail like a banshee and gets after it, so I really can't complain. I had a Silverado to tow big stuff when I had big stuff. I downsized all my trailers, all my needs, and this is now the perfect size. My brother in law bought a full size, so let him haul my parent's crap around for a while, it's his turn !

 

I pull a 5000 horse trailer around with this on flat terrain with no issues. I have a brake controller added. No sway. Handles much better than the 2014 2nd gen I had. I have a Tundra Pro also for the 5K and more, and it doesn't even know its back there, but as mentioned before that's expected.

 

Just wired up my Tekonsha Prodigy P3 the other night. Excellent controller. I'm willing to bet that's what you have, or at least something similar.

 

Good guess. Exactly. Same thing I had on my 2nd gen also. Great controller !
Tundra Pros come with the controller wired in. Actually I like the Prodigy better.
Did you put it under the spot next to the TPMS switch ? Too fat for the cubby.

 

Yup. Apparently great minds think alike. Not that there's a ton of room to work with anyways, seeing as I didn't want it ejected into my shin if the airbag deployed.