2017 Toyota Tacoma SR review, it's normal.

About me- I've never purchased/owned a new vehicle. I am mechanically inclined, and spend a majority of my time and $$$$ on motorcycles, mountain bikes and adventures. Because of this I end up driving beaters, repairing them as needed. My vehicles are not status symbols, but more of a tool. For reference- various Subaru Loyale wagons, 1987 4 Runner, 1995 Nissan D21 hardbody pickup, all manual transmissions.

On to the Tacoma- My reasons for buying this truck were mainly a bump in income, with a longer commute, and the idea that a vehicle with ABS and airbags could be a good idea if the time came. This is my daily driver and will see a decent amount of "off" pavement driving on the weekends.

I went with the 2017 SR access cab 4X4 with the 2.7 I4 and 5 spd manual. I've got just over 2K miles on it now.

I'll keep this simple and carry on with bullet points.

-Happy with the looks, sharp looking tuck. Sometimes I think there might be an excessive amount of plastic, more reason to upgrade to welded bumpers at some point.

-Interior fits me well, comfortable.

-Steering wheel material hard/rigid, couldn't it have been the same material as the shift knob?

-Drive line gear lash is overly excessive, sounds like this is "normal". You've got to drive the truck like your towing a trailer with a short section of rope and not a solid hitch. Keep the rope taught, or you get clunk slammed!

-Gearing is akward, large gap between 1st and 2nd. The ratios of 2-5 could stand to be lowered significantly. This gap exacerbates the driveline gear lash issues, shift points have to be dialed to keep it smooth.

-Intermittent dash rattle, seems to be temp dependent.

-Passenger side door/access cab door creaks when turning into parking lots as you go over the curb cut out and the truck flexes.

-Drivers side access door window sill rattles, can silence it by reaching back and putting hand on front edge of the sill and pulling forward.

-About 10-15% of the time the engine backfires with a muffled "pop" on startup, its done it on shutdown too but not frequently.

-Truck is quiet and smooth on the freeway, stock tires and airdam still installed.

-The sliding tie down cleats in bed are not at all confidence inspiring, I would not use them to secure a motorcycle. Footman cleats at bottom front corners of the bed are more secure, but too low for tieing down two motorcycles. I am in the process of welding a rack to hold both motos and mountain bikes.

-The damped tailgate hinge is nice.

-Intermittent "tink" noise in steering wheel when turning. Sounds like a thin sheet metal tab, maybe the horn button contacts?

-Performance wise, it is adequate. I do not need 350lb/ft of torque to commute to work, or run errands with my dog. I've not owned a rig with "throttle by wire", it does have a bit of a disconnected, or nuetered feel to it.

I plan on keeping the truck, and will attempt to have the dealer review these issues at my 5k service. Looking forward to seeing what they claim is truly normal.

Overall, I am a tad dissappointed in the trucks quality, I was expecting a bit more for $30K. I do realize I bought a base model SR, and was totally willing to accept "less" features. I didn't expect less quality however. I am willing and capable to accept a few quirks (see past vehicles), but this seems too early in the game for a new vehicle...

 

Excellent write up. I have the same truck, and I will say the drivetrain breaks in after a while and gets more forgiving and less clunky.
- My dash rattles too when it’s cold, there is a write up here on how to fix it I just haven’t gotten around to it.
-My drivers door also rattles slightly
-I don’t have the tink in the wheel or the creak, search rad mounts I think some people have had bad ones that caused a creak
-I get the “pop” on start up too sometimes, I think it is actually the A/C because it only happens when the defrost is on
- I took my air dam off and put on A/T tires, still quiet and smooth
Truck does have some quirks, sounds like yours is noisier than mine but it is a really capable rig, and I love mine. Hopefully the dealer can sort your issues out, this forum is really a great resource.

 

Oh and if you live anywhere other than the desert, look up and do the intermittent wiper “mod”. Well worth the ~$100 and 10 minutes.

And welcome to TW

 

Good call! I should have mentioned this, living in the Pacific North Wet, I did this mod in the first 100 miles

 

well said sir

 

I am a new SR owner, but in 2wd/auto guise. I too have spent my life driving older cars (Outbacks, Celicas, e28 bimmers, Troopers), and wrenching on them. I bought my SR because I needed a more dependable car that I could take around the country for various reasons (traveling wife, aging parents, etc.). I like the truck ok, but my inner cheapskate wants me to sell it, buy another beater and put $15k to $18k back in the bank (loss on resale + beater purchase), due to some shortcomings. Then I stop and look at what all of my buddies have (Fords/Chevys/Jeeps), and think of what they paid ($47k seems to be the average for something that does not even fit in a garage.). After that, I am happy as can be with my imperfect $25k truck with a face absent of makeup and an awkward gate (automatic). It's misunderstood, and I think that's why I like it. Kind of like people thinking all pit bulls are going to kill them.

 

OP, you really paid $30k for your SR?

Besides all the quirky things, your truck will run forever.

 

Well put for both these points.

Imperfect and truck are not mutually exclusive terms. Awkward gate - I want my truck to get me where I need to go, and get me home when I am done, after that, anything else is "gravy".

Having driven "purchased new" trucks for most of my adult life, I expect my vehicle to be truck like. Not a quiet touring sedan or performance car. This new Tacoma SR5 is hands down the nicest truck for me, and I guess I have escaped the problems others are reporting, a good thing.

The comment about pit bulls also hit home in a way. My son works at an animal hospital, and has occasion to work with pit bulls. He always maintains that they are a really good breed, and naturally not threatening, unless they are trained to be that way. We actually had this conversation last night over dinner.

Both 3rd gen's and pit bulls are decent breeds unless trained to be bad by their owners, and both misunderstood by people who only read about them on the internet, lol.

Fwiw, if you decide to keep the truck, you will probably be happy you made this choice in about 25 years.

 

$26,700 with a hitch and trailer wiring thrown in. PLUS all the dealer BS, WA sales tax, registration, etc.. OTD at about $30K.

 

Oh, ok. Yeah. That's not too bad. I thought you started at $30k and then added tax/license and BS.