Wrangler or Tacoma?

Old post but Ill chime in.

I assume if your still "eyeing" the 3rd Gen Taco you're eyeing a new vehicle? And since your already familiar with Jeep, I'd take a serious look at the all new wrangler.

I cant list em all but-Compared to last generation they added a ton of really great design upgrades, everything from axles, steering components, frame strengthening, stretched wheelbase.

 

I'm old, man. Anything north of 50 decibels, is too loud for me. Ha ha. And road trips? I wouldn't ever want to do any trip over 3 hrs in one. Noise, rattles, squeaks---too much for me. I do understand some of you young bucks, it doesn't bother. I drove a lowered S2000 back in my "younger" days without any complaints.

Tacoma isn't that comfortable, either. Seats are horrible. I had to get a memory foam pad to sit on. Although after a few months, it seems to have gotten better.

 

Haha, you can't be much older than me; that was one of the standard college rides back then for me.

 

Yeah, I was a "few years" out of HS when they first came out in 2000(1999). That's when dealers were marking them up something stupid ($10k over MSRP)

 

It is an incredible car, if I wasn't wider than the entire interior I'd have bought one. They've held their value great as well, I see salvaged cars setting for 9-10k still in CA.

 

I've had 2 JK's, an '09 Rubicon and a '12 Sahara, both 2 door. I loved 'em both, tons of fun but traded each one in within a year because I needed more versatility. The 4 door is more practical but just doesn't have the look or feel or toss around drivability as the 2 door Wrangler. And that was the essence of the problem for me. The fun, iconic Wrangler was a PITA for anything requiring passengers, cargo, or anything other than solo commuting/solo trail riding. Even the dual tops, freedom panels, removable doors, while giving great open air fun, were a hassle to store or deal with on a daily basis when the weather would change (often!). Build quality and cheap plastics also gave it a less than premium feel.
Now I'm in a different stage of my life and, while recently considering a new JLUR, went with my 4th Toyota, my 1st Tacoma and I have no regrets. Solid, reliable, better quality, much more versatile, enjoying the feel and the drive and the piece of mind behind the wheel of a Toyota as opposed to an FCA product. While they share a rugged off-road capability and reputation, they are very different vehicles that just happen to appeal to the same cross section of shoppers. For me, the Taco is a far better vehicle of much higher quality, and that's coming from a guy who really does love Wranglers.

 

I owned a 2012 Wrangler Sport 2dr hard top for 4 years, it was my baby. Loved it, lifted it, drove the crap out of it. It was fun to buzz around in, but loud as hell with the roof racks and couldn't fit squat in it. I'm a pilot and homeowner so I needed to be able to transport my glider, commute the 300 miles on the weekends to fly, and bring construction crap home to play 'this old house'. The Jeep did not deliver.
Needed a pickup and racks. Always loved Tacos so I bought a 2015 TRD crew cab, long bed. Best vehicle I have ever had. Between the two, it depends on your uses. If you don't need to haul anything, wanna play all the time, and don't need to go over 50mph- get a Jeep. If you want a vehicle that can do that, and literally anything else, get a Taco.

 

You're not sure of a diesel date, or any other powerplant date because they do not exist in the US Market yet. Being that they do not exist, you cannot include them as a selling point. Same with your comments about the Jeep pick-up. It is still a test vehicle. Any "spy" shots you've seen, are just testbeds; the most recent have showcased Dodge Ram rear suspension rather than JL rear suspension.

 

No. It’s confirmed and will be selling sometime late this year or early next year. How can you say you can’t include them as a selling point when it’s coming out and confirmed?

 

The fact you have to spend almost 30g to get AC kills me about the Jeep. I like a lot of what they have done with the new model, but feel they are over priced for what you get.

 

My Jeep actually gets about the same mpg as my Tacoma.

 

If you’re going to spend $30-$50 on a new vehicle you’d probably want the latest information as far as choices especially on an engine so how could that not be a selling point ??
To be a bit more specific the 2.0 I4 will be available i believe in March, the 3.0 diesel they say will be available for the 2019 MY and only on the 4 doors which btw they already released HP/Torque specs on all three engines choices, also theres talk about a hybrid in the near future

As for the truck which will be the "Jeep Scrambler" only info I've seen is a 2019 release date, yeah its all speculative and it’s still a test vehicle so you’ve only seen spy shots of it, however if it were a mere concept vehicle best believe FCA wouldn't dumping huge amounts of money in R&D, road tests, etc.. there are also some FCA insiders talking about the future release truck........Just Saying

 

My original comment regarding powertrains was regarding @Dee1seven post mentioning the JL having decent new powertrain options. Until you're able to order a JL in the system with a 2.0 or Diesel, it's not an option.
If you guys want to argue about stuff being R&D'd and coming down the pipeline, have at it. My comment was about available options.

 

My lifted 4 door jeep on 35” tires did better on the highway MPG wise than my Tacoma on 32’s and only other “mod” being a softtopper. Over 1400 miles to Colorado and back this month Taco averaged 15.4. Jeep did the exact same drive in 17.9.

 

As far as reliability goes, I have '92 Jeep YJ and have never had a problem. Only had to do minimal things (i.e. replace spark plugs, new battery, etc.) Also, I love it off-road. It's bone stock and handles everything like a champ; the short wheel base helps.

That being said, this is my first Tacoma. I love my long bed, and I love being able to haul more stuff.

My Jeep and Tacoma get the same MPG. The Tacoma is a much smoother ride and has more power; it also has a lot more creature comforts compared to the Jeep as well.

 

what to buy, that is the question, Jeep or Tacoma? I would buy the Jeep if I was going jeeping all the time, however, if I wanted the versatility 5 passengers and a bed I would buy the Tacoma. I would look at and test drive that Chevy Colorado also just for grins and giggles.

 

I checked out a new JL and it was really nice. A lot more refined than the JKU.

I'm really tempted to put a down payment on a new JKU Rubicon but I'm waiting to hear the short term reviews before I visit my dealer. Which works out for me since I'm interested in a Mojito colored one, which isn't available for order yet.

Looking forward to the new announcement on Feb.8. If Toyota announces an attractive new off road package, an FJ cruiser replacement or 6th gen 4Runner sometime this spring, I can see myself putting off the JL purchase for a Toyota offering.

 

I know this isn't happening but if they did a removable top FJ, I would pay basically all of the money for that without blinking. Hell, I'd preorder and starting paying for it with just an announcement.

 

Had a 08' JKU that I put a lot of money into, but sold it prior to the deployment I'm on to set myself up to buy a 3rd Gen Taco when I get home. I love my Jeep, but as I told everyone that was surprised I was selling it, I don't use it enough for what it is meant for. So like most of the people on this post that have had Jeeps, I just need more versatility. Outside of off-roading there isn't much a Jeep can do. However in a perfect world I would have a 3G Taco as my daily driver and a cheap older Jeep to beat up offroading the very few times I'm actually able to go.

 

I have owned 8 Wranglers since 2000. Total Wranglers for the immediate family: 11. All 2 doors. My last Jeep was a 2016 Rubicon Hardrock. The leather seats in that Jeep were much more comfortable than the new Tacoma.

While returning from the 30th Annual Ouray Jeep Jamboree in September, I decided I was ready for something different. My first grandchild was coming in December. I wasn’t about to wrestle with a child seat in that two door. Tacomas came to mind and I passed a used 2013 Tacoma the next day. Went back and bought it. Then my son told me I made a mistake so I bought a new 2017 TRD 4x4 to replace the Jeep and Tacoma. He likes Tacomas but he was right in that four wheel drive would better suit my needs.

Jeeps are Jeeps. You can read the forums and learn about all kinds of issues. But mine with 4.10 gears beat the mpg of this new Taco. The Taco has its quirks and I despise the constant gear searching by the transmission. That is one of the few but HUGE issues I read about in the Tacoma forums. I believe the truck will last a long time. I don’t regret the switch.

Last, I have found the overall tone of members of the Tacoma forums to be more supportive and positive. I got tired of reading about mine is better than yours, mine is the right/only way and eventual name calling to the point threads were closed. Thanks members for using the forum for what it is intended.