Took my first test drive in a 2017 TRD 4X4 today.

Took my first test drive in a 2017 TRD 4X4 today. I was impressed with somethings and not so sure about others.

The first thing that impressed me was the acceleration. After reading here for so long about the slow acceleration, I was pleasantly surprised getting on the highway. I went from 40 to 70 quickly enough, going up a ramp with the AC on. (Yes it was 75 here today.) It was not a strong as my Tundra but it was ample. Acceleration off the line was Ok too.

I am used to the iForce V8. The Tacoma motor required much more of a press on the accelerator pedal and the motor did wind up a lot. It also make much more noise and was certainly not as smooth. But overall it was sufficient.

What troubled me was the tendency of the body to roll under acceleration. I am accustom to some front end lift under acceleration but the sideways roll was an unusual feeling. The salesman told me that didn't occur on the sport model and I still need to drive one. The only 4X4 on the lot was the off road.

Cornering was OK. Lots of expected body roll. The salesman warned me not to turn so hard and fast again. I'd found out what I wanted to know, so I promised to be a good boy and anyway there is no more need to. I also cut a corner short to hit the curb and get a feel of the bump absorption. It was OK too.

The problem I had with the particular model was the damn sun roof. It drops the ceiling down a few inches so my head bumps the top if I sit up straight. On normal driving I could still feel contact with my windblown mussy hair. I hate it that manufacturers put sunroofs on high end models and force tall but not too tall guys away. I am only 6'2".

Coming from a Tundra, the whole cab felt cramped. It was hard to find a comfortable driving position that didn't have one leg too close the the steering wheel. With the driver's seat set for me, the back seat was very cramped. I don't often have four in my truck but I do have a family and drive on road trips with with friends sometimes. So I'll still need to think about this before I buy.

Thankfully I am in no hurry as my Tundra has 140K miles. With a few thousand dollars of new motor stuff hanging on the engine and a brand new set of tire. But it's day is coming and I don't want to be uneducated when retirement time comes.

My comparison for the day was to look at a Ridgeline. We looked at its features and comforts for a few minutes. The back seat was even more cramped and the seat back was too upright. Then I sat in and adjusted the driver's seat and moved into driving position. Where upon my left shin hit the foot emergency brake pedal. I've run into this before and just walk away from cars like this. The Chevy Colorado has the same problem. Again they are not meant for tall guys. Thankfully the Tacoma still has a hand brake.

 

I hope you go with the 2017. I've owned a 2006 and now a 2017, the 2017 is a a huge upgrade. Best truck I've owned!

Don't let these people who complain about their trucks bring you down. If they really hated their truck, they would have traded it in then be on ridgeline forums or some crap.

Welcome to TW

 

Nice review!

 

Thanks.

I hope to go with a '18 or '19. I've been reading about all the complaints and realize the all forums by their nature over represent the problems. But that is OK as it's easy as a consumer to see what you like on the floor and in test drives, and miss the problems.

 

That sunroof made me feel almost claustrophobic, and I'm only 5'9". Made it way more cramped than my 2nd gen. The only reason I was in one is TRD with mandatory upgrade package is the cheapest way to get 6MT in 2017, but that is a compliant for another thread...

 

How long have you been working for Toyota?

 

Yeah a lot of people who complain on here are joining TW just to complain.
The truth is, there are more Tacoma owners riding the road in a 3rd Gen who are loving their trucks than there are TW members with 3rd Gens.

I opted out of the 16 and got a 17, fully loaded. I've never had a single problem!

 

I've been driving them for a long time. My first new car was an '85 MR2. Which I sold years later only because my wife was pregnant. (My father did the same thing with his MG.)

The Ridgeline seems to be a good truck for what it is. It's just not good for my left shin. It's all about what fits.

 

LMFAO!

Do you work with the OP?

I don't have anything against 3rd Gens, as I have never sat behind the wheel of one, and I'm happy with what I have.

 

I went early on a Wednesday morning, so I just looked at it as doing him a favor by relieving his boredom.

He was a decent sales guy and kept up a good patter about the general joys of Toyota ownership. There was only one minor factual misstatement about the Tacoma that I caught. Not to bad IME.

 

The salesman is actually correct. The TRD Off-Road models have a smaller swaybar than all of the other models. 28mm on the Off-Road vs. 30mm on the other models.

For what it's worth, you could always swap the larger swaybar in to the TRDOR if you wanted to. All of the Tacoma models will probably roll more than your Tundra thought, due to the fact that they're slightly narrower than the Tundra and the suspension is designed to articulate freely.

 

Thanks, Construct.

 

If my Taco ever gets totaled... I think I'll get a 4 Runner. Seriously. There are some bad...ass... T4R here in town.

 

The complaint is not power when you stomp on it to get going on the freeway. The complaint is lack of low end power. So exactly what you described you have to pretty much floor it to get her going. It gives the feel of a dead pedal. City driving gets the Lions share of complaints..highway driving not so much. Sounds like you'll miss the full size

 

I never found any of my Tacoma's to be lacking in the handling department, they are not Corvettes but they do fine for a Truck.

 

Fuck that. Off-Road vehicles need to articulate. Buddy has a 16 Tundra TRD Off road with that TRD sway bar in the back. He can't keep both rear tires planted on uneven environment.. On the road is where a sway bar belongs..

 

Agree the TRD OR handles great for what it is

 

I'm considering taking my sway bar off. My truck won't lean to save it's life. Curves at speed... no lean. Truck always feels really well planted too. My ST Maxx never gripe when cornering.

But my truck is far from stock.

 

Drive it on the interstate against a bit of wind before you buy one.

 

Thanks, I'll try more stop and go driving my next time out. Maybe at 5PM instead of the morning.
There are plenty of Toyota salesman in town to terrorize. Slimming down will be hard in some ways but certainly easier at the pump. I am working on getting a feel for the trade offs.