2017 Tacoma and Consumer Reports

People need to realize these trucks are no longer made in Japan by high paid ,well trained , experienced unionized Japanese auto workers using premium materials.Those days are long gone.

Most of these trucks are now made by low paid , low skilled $16 a day auto workers in Mexico using lower quality materials sourced from who knows where.Large manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to cut cost and exploit cheap labor and cheap materials anywhere they can get it.

NAFTA and other bad trade deals with China have not benefited consumers.The cost of a new vehicle is historically high compared to median wages even though manufacturing cost have gone down benefiting from ultra cheap labor.

 

And with Smitty logic it won’t pull much of a trailer compared to an 18 wheeler. The top won’t drop like a convertible. It won’t suck the chrome off a trailer hitch like a pornstar. It won’t push dirt like a bulldozer. It won’t keep my lunch cold like a refrigerator.

If I still needed a 3/4t pickup I would have bought another just like everyone else here. So to compare apples to watermelon you are right the payload isn’t much.

 

And that's partly why we've seen a drop in quality and reliability as Consumer Reports has called out

 

lol find me a Japanese made Tacoma it'll be worth millions. One of a kind right there

 

Unfortunately if you read the CR report or watch the YouTube on it they praise Toyota and Lexus and say that every single model finished above average in reliability, the new Tacoma was the only single model that did not.

 

Good thing the ridgeline is using downhill momentum to get through that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFVxvRxpyjw

5:33

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcqATDtSRi0

4:30

They both make it but ridgeline struggles mightily on a simple hill..

 

I'm not really interested in getting into the debate, but I am new so I'd love some clarification. What is "handling" and what components of it determine how a particular vehicle "handles"? I'm not really sure the terminology and I don't know by what measure it's judged. I love the feel and drive of my truck, but I've never driven previous Tacomas, so I'm interested a bit in what aspects of previous ones handled well and why it feels different now. Thanks!

 

Completely personal preference.. Unless people are rocketing around a racetrack or running cone courses...People may just not like the feel of the wheel when it turns for whatever reasons.

It probably just comes down to the power steering pump settings. lol

 

I think I understand... My only way I think I relate to that is whenever I have driven a Ford or Chevy or American cars in the past I haven't been very happy with the feel of it. Haven't really had a term for how to describe it. I haven't driven those brands in a long time because of that.

 

The only noticeable steering/handling difference I have experienced is with exotic cars. Suspension, tires and everything also play a roll in handling. A solid front axle will handle differently than an IFS, and some trucks have a hybrid front axle.

 

1. Believe more what you see/feel.
2. Don't believe what someone else says.

I guess I wasn't invested when I drove my truck..... I was having a harder time spending the money.

 

Bearded Tacos FTW!

 

The real problem with the Honda is it's so freaking ugly. I would have gladly considered it when I was shopping for a truck if it didn't burn my eyeballs. There are a few driving around where I live and I vomit a little each time I see one. Every honda has the same ugly front end with a different butt hanging off the back.

 

The Tacoma was never made in Japan... And Toyota sources most all of the parts from the same places the first gen received them. You have no proof the material quality has been reduced. Most proof points to higher quality materials however the systemic complexity of the new Tacoma is exponential compared to its vehicular ancestors.

 

Now the Hilux, theres a different story! Invincible, and now has a DIESEL!

 

Tacomas are sold as an utility truck for the weekend warrior. Most off road vehicles have poor handling and steering. Can't have your cake and be skinny. Lets at least compare apples to apples oh wait... nothing else compares lol.The tranny/engine I find acceptable for my needs... but I believe they are actually hurting mpg's on relaxed throttle response bogging the engine down on low rpm instead of just getting to speed. I get 2 mpg better around town using the S mode and about 1 mpg better using the ECT button.

 

My 2005 Tacoma was made in Fremont, CA. Its still on the road, going on 321k miles this weekend. Still averages 25mpg highway. Everybody romanticizes about the past. 22RE and its counterparts are obsolete.

 

I can't complain about any of this...Mine rides ok, handles well and is quite.

Could be the Michelins.