A few questions before pulling the trigger...

I'm new here...coming from a mazda 3 and im thinking of pulling the trigger on a 2010 TRD sport but i have two hesitations...

1. I'm short (5'5") and I'm not totally sold on the visibility, is there a way to raise the seat?

2. I commute...a lot, I live in southern MA and normally commute to RI or NH, my office on the other hand is smack in the center of Boston, and if for some reason i cant take the train I'm not sure on how driving (parking in a garage) a Tacoma in the city would be

really i cant take driving the mazda in the winter anymore and if anyone could shed some light for me I'd appreciate it!

thanks in advance!

Brad

 

No way of raising the seat unless you were to say pull them out and put some blocks under. I'm 5'11" and I feel cramped compared to my last truck.

I have to admit I came from an F150 supercrew and it definitely had better visibility. The Tacoma has very large posts so blind spots are an issue in the front while in the back the rear window is somewhat small so this can be an issue. I also have a canopy on the back which don't help either. That said, the rear view camera combined with the side mirrors works awesome. The camera is in the tailgate so you can back up within an inch or two with very good visibility.
I have learned though that whenever possible always back in. It's much easier than trying to back out later with cars parked directly behind, or in the dark.

Down side of your making a switch is you are definitely gonna lose some gas mileage. Most drivers seem to be seeing high 16's to 17's in town and up to about 19 mpg highway. Keeping it under 70 and rpm's under 2000 seems to be the key.
Good luck with your choices. Ken

 

My wife is 5'2" and she can drive mine with no problems. As far as a parking garage goes, mine has 3" of lift on it and I can get into any of them I want, no problem. PULL THE TRIGGER! You won't regret it.

 

get a booster seat! haha j/k! seriously my truck is lifted 3 inches also and ive not had any problems with parking garages. now i do barely fit under my car port though, my antenna hits the ceiling every time but it's no biggy. coming from a car to a truck is gonna take some getting used too but it's definately worth it imo. you might be able to put some spacers under the seat to lift it a little(not really sure) but not much cause it'll throw off the seat belts and such.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Not to make the decision harder but the sport's hood will limit your visibility more than the ones without the scoop.

 

Nah, you'll be fine, the seat doesn't need to be raised to see well, i am close to your height and i have had a tacoma for the past 13 years with no problems...

Now, before you go driving it in the city or in parking garages, get used to driving it because the height of the truck and the turning radius will affect your perspective of what you can see and will be different than you are used to.

 

hey same here im 5'6" and driving the truck is no problem for me, i have seen short women driving lifted trucks and seem to manage ok. Parking in stalls is way better and easier to back in using the camera. I recomend test driving one and see how u will fall for it We went to the Los Angeles auto show and really got our hands on the truck inside and out. Good luck!!

 

I'm 5'5" as well and it's a perfect fit for me. I came from a Mazda MX5 so I was used to a TINY car. But I'm SO glad I've got the Tacoma now. You will not regret it.

 

I had a Mazda 3 too (loved it) but needed a truck. If there was thing I would suggest. Get an automatic. Mines a 5 spd. and it can be a pain in heavy traffic crawls.

Oh yea another thought. One thing that I did not like bout the M3 was how low it sits. I could not see around all those Tacoma's!!
So with the truck, your visibility is greatly improved.

 

my wife is one inch taller, and she loves driving my truck. I ALSO CAME FROM A MAZDA(SPEED)3. do it! i did, and loved it.

 

for the record, a mazdaspeed3 is a fantastic car. i wish i could have kept it, but owning too many cars, makes my wife unbearable. heheh.