Thinking of selling 3rd Gen for 2nd Gen???

Hey OP, I hear you! Im new to the Tacoma and its been disappointing. I also feel the 2nd gen is superior, drive wise (minus the frame thing). I've recently driven both a 2nd & a 3rd gen 6sp mt OR and man what a difference. No drivetrain slop, power, just overall better feel. So I also considered getting out of my 2017. But damn it, this is the truck I want! If by 100K the issues havnt been worked out or aftermarket hasnt come up with better Im pondering what it would look like to swap some things and get a SC. 2nd gen stuff in a 3rd gen? Best of both worlds? Hmmm...

 

That would be the best 2nd gen powertrain and 3rd gen styling/tech. It amazes me how Toyota butchered the transmission and diff gearing. Even the MT feels sloppy/clunky. But ford nails it with their 10 speed trans smh.....

 

Drive it like an old man...



Its not an easy thing for most, but kind of for me. I dont race anymore plus since I now live in Montana, Im not in any sort of rush, oh and sitting in traffic is a thing of the past. So typically I average 20.something for a whole tank. It was definitely a selling point for me.

 

I thought maybe a manual 3rd gen could convince me to leave my 2nd gen and I had the same thoughts

 

I’ve driven 2nd gens, the 3rd gen is superior, no contest. 3.5 makes quite a bit more power, quite a bit.

The difference you feel is mostly difference in weight, aero, foot print, tire, gearing, etc. If you were to do a 4.0 motor swap into a 3G, you would also be “disappointed”.

I used to own a 12’ F150 with the 5.0. And as great as that truck was, there is nothing I miss about it, when comparing it to my tacoma (other than the glorious sound of a v8 and more comfortable seats).

Boom! Head shot.

There is always gonna be people unhappy with products, doesnt matter what brand. Toyota, Chevy, Ford, Nissan, BMW, Ferrari, etc.

With all the access / growth of social media, the complainers / snowflakes are louder than ever.

3rd gen is the superior truck, no questions about it but if you arent happy with it, do something about it. Sell it.

Wrong.

Facts are facts, the 3.5 is quite a bit more powerful:

Both stock TRD OR 4x4 on dynojet dynos:

2012 4.0L : 198 RWHP




2016 3.5L : 245 RWHP




THATS OVER 40 RWHP DIFFERENCE in between engines. Let that sink in for a moment.

Then there is this test too (motor trend), which shows the 3.5 ahead of the 4.0 in the 1/4:

4.0L : 16.1 sec @ 84.7 mph in 1/4




3.5L : 15.4 sec @ 91.2 mph in 1/4

 

Other than the torque off the line your last tables exactly show why 3rd runs circles around 2nd once moving. That's a big difference in speed at end of 1/4 mile. Also why it can tow faster too, much more hp. About a whopping 18% which is no joke. Puts you back in the seat. 2nd Gen doesn't do that. Also 2nd Gens ride like a horse, 3rd are smoother.

 

I would rather have my 07 4.0 6MT than a 3rd gen 3.5, having driven the auto. Not to mention, there is less head room in the 3rd gens, transmission hunting in the auto, and supposedly a subpar manual trans too. I have not driven a new MT though. Anyways, I know that the 3.5 makes "40+ WHP more" but it does not mean that it necessarily feels like it. The 3rd gen tacos weigh about 400lbs more than the 2nd gens. I think it would take more than 40 WHP to make a tangible difference in acceleration. Also with the gearing the torque comes on faster in the 4.0 than the 3.5, which feels more like a car with a more steady increase in torque. I don't care if one engine makes 100 WHP more if it FEELS slower. And this goes for any vehicle, not just Tacos. I care about how it feels and the driving experience much more than what numbers on a dyno chart say. Just my $0.02

 

While I don't disagree with what you are trying to say, I do think the little Charts and Graphs are bogus. The Dyno Sheets are from different sources so it's not a proper comparison, the only thing we can see at the bottom of the 3.5 chart is wheel speed of around 90 MPH at peak, so you need to really be moving on a racetrack for that extra 40 horses. For your comparison you chose a 15 Pro which seems to be the slowest of all 2nd Gens and if you read the article you got it from it mentions it was slower that the 2012 Baja that they tested, which amazingly has the same 0-60 and 1/4 times as the 16 OR in your chart. All Tacoma's are fantastic trucks!

 

Gauntlet test which isn't a "bogus" chart lol shows 3rd beating 2nd by almost a minute. That's the hp difference for you. The facts are there and so are Internet ramblings.
You don't have to be moving on a racetrack lol, just get rpms up after off the line. Then it's bye bye.

If this 4.0 is so great off the line with torque well how is it 3rd catches up? It's called passing on the highway with hp no raceteack needed. Why do you need a racetrack to rev. I can do max in 1st.

 

Right, and you can look at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Gen Video Drag Race as a Fact too, like I said, all Tacoma's are fantastic trucks.

 

Forest gump 3rd party video fact (?) vs maufacturers spec ? Also Motor trend c&d tests.
Ok.

 

*cough* 2nd gen throw out bearing *cough*

 

Same exact guys made the Gauntlet test video. Like I said all Tacoma's are fantastic trucks.

 

I don't mean to be a dork, but flat 6?

Sorry!

 

Yes it’s the only way they can fit it in the trunk!!!!

https://www.total911.com/porsche-993-carrera-rs-clubsport-the-exquisite-details/

 

Having driven a 2G, I rather own a 3G. Plenty of head room in my 3G (no sunroof).

No issues with my trasmission, whatsoever. It does what I want it to do. Works just as designed.

I feel my extra ponies, especially on the highway when I want to pass a 2G, no issue there.

Your “feels” is not equal to raw data. I’ll take raw data over “feels” any time.

Just to ilustrate, as an example, my previous vehicle was a 14’ Shelby. I have a friend with a GTR. Back when I got the shelby, we wanted to test the cars to see which would pull which. I rode in his GTR before the race and his car felt VIOLENT. Made me feel like I was going through a wormhole. My car felt slower... it was definitely slower... HAD to be.

When we lined them up, guess who saw who’s tail lights?

GTR did.

My Shelby might have felt slower, but it definitely was not the slower car.

Ill take raw data vs “feels”.

 

Lets hook em up and have a tug of war. Then we will go front bumper to front bumper, push contest. Then we will race them around a motor cross track. I don't know who will win, but I will get some beer and tune in.

 

Yeah. I know. I've dreamt of a 993 C2 since they were new. It was just that you said it has an N/A V6 in the rear.

I like I said, just being a dork!

 

Go back to what I wrote, I said I did not disagree with him, just that the charts and graphs are from different sources which makes it bogus for an accurate comparison. The reason I mentioned the race track was because the chart he posted shows the peak around 90 MPH. As I have said repeatedly, all Tacoma's are fantastic trucks.