Autoblog rips the 3rd Gen

commbubba19 · Jul 27, 2018

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/07/27/toyota-tacoma-trd-off-road-review/#slide-endcap

Why so late to the review party I don't know.

For years, the Toyota Tacoma ruled the midsize truck roost. Sure, the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier had some success, but they were mostly bit players. The Taco was king in both performance and sales figures. That's not the case anymore. Since Chevy introduced the second-gen Colorado and variants like the Colorado ZR2, the Taco has had some serious competition. Sales are still strong, but it's facing competitors that are stronger than ever.

Our test truck is a Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4 Double Cab Long Bed, meaning it's the biggest Tacoma Toyota builds. Only the TRD Pro trim sits above it. Standard features include a two-speed transfer case, a limited-slip differential, a locking rear diff, Bilstein shocks, crawl control and 16-inch wheels with relatively knobby tires. This truck has a few options, including a $650 factory tonneau cover, a $120 bed mat, $129 mud guards and a $3,035 premium package. The latter includes a JBL audio system, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, automatic headlamps and a moonroof.

Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: Toyota must be selling these Tacomas on name, style and off-road ability alone because I can't think of any other good reasons to buy this over something else. Seriously, this truck feels about 15 years behind the times when it comes to on-road driving. The engine feels underpowered and noisy, the transmission takes longer to shift than me when I'm getting out of bed, and the handling, oh the handling. Turn-in is slow, the steering is vague, and there's no grip. The body lists, the whole thing feels more ship-like than road vehicle.

It's a real bummer because the truck looks quite good inside and out, especially in the solid light brown color of our test vehicle. It manages to avoid having the thick slab sides of most other modern pickups. It actually looks somewhat nimble and small(ish), it just doesn't drive like it. The interior is attractive, too, with chunky, beveled designs all over that feel like someone actually cared about the look, which is more than I can say for most midsize pickups.

Even here, though, there are issues. Like almost every Toyota, it's way behind the times when it comes to infotainment. It does basic stuff fine, but it's still missing standards such as CarPlay and Android Auto. The seating position isn't particularly comfortable, either.

But hey, if all you want is a good-looking truck with a high resale value and likely solid reliability, then the Tacoma will be fine for you.

Video Production Manager Eddie Sabatini: The TRD trim makes the Tacoma one of the best-looking midsize pickups on the market. I also found the acceleration to be good on this truck, and I did like the feel of the cloth interior, but the admiration stops there. I'd prefer any Colorado or Canyon to the current offering of the Tacoma. No, I didn't take the Tacoma TRD Off Road off-road, but I didn't need to take the Colorado ZR2 off-roading to enjoy driving it. The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road felt in desperate need of updating — from the infotainment system to the driving dynamics. Pass me the tacos, but I'm gonna pass on the Taco.

Associate Editor Reese Counts: Man, what a bummer this truck is. I want to love the Taco. I want to be head over heels for it. Frankly, it's underwhelming in nearly every aspect, from handling to the powertrain to the subpar infotainment system. Like Joel said, Toyota has to be making sales on name recognition and resale value, because this truck is kinda miserable anywhere that doesn't take advantage of its sizable off-road prowess.

The engine, despite being new when the truck debuted, is coarse and sluggish. Part of that is the abhorrent transmission. I can't remember the last time I despised an automatic as much as this one. It's so eager to save fuel that it's constantly upshifting. That means you need to wait for a downshift if you want to pass. Sport mode fixes this a bit, but I'd love to drive a manual-equipped Taco and skip the auto altogether.

The brakes are grabby and the travel is too short. Because the suspension is so soft, the truck experiences more nosedive than an oxcart. The steering is slow and heavy, and the wheel itself doesn't telescope enough. The sitting posistion — always an issue in Tacomas — is awkward. The cab is short in height in order to improve ground clearance, but it means you're forced to sit further back than you'd normally prefer.

It's not all bad. Aside from the chrome grille on our tester, I dig the exterior design. It's rugged and sporty and far more handsome than most of the full-size competition. There are some interesting paint colors, too. The interior has a nice layout, though it's not perfect and I'm not a big fan of some of the materials, especially the weird rubber in the doors and dash. And of course it's excellent off-road. I've driven various Tacos over the past few years, and all of my complaints about on-road performance don't matter when you're crawling along in four-low.

If you value off-road capability over everything else (and can't shell out for the Colorado ZR2), then the Taco is the truck for you. For everyone else, stick with the GM twins or maybe hold out for the new Ranger or Jeep Scrambler.
Click to expand...

MadDaddy · Jul 27, 2018

Autoblog is Pro-Ford bias. I stopped following them years ago when they laid off entire staff.

PROseur · Jul 27, 2018

Repost

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/auto-blog-3rd-gen-review.560684/#post-18339805

Anchovy · Jul 27, 2018

Inb4 the

Ossaris · Jul 27, 2018

Anchovy said: ↑

Inb4 the
Click to expand...

DOUBLED UP!

Massappeals · Jul 27, 2018

@MadDaddy How did you come to that claim? Just curious

Pine State · Jul 27, 2018

This reads like they never drove the truck and just read the negative posts on here then formulated an article based on what they thought the tacoma would drive like.

Total hit job.

BSFord · Jul 27, 2018

Pine State said: ↑

This reads like they never drove the truck and just read the negative posts on here then formulated an article based on what they thought the tacoma would drive like.

Total hit job.
Click to expand...

Pretty much, if I just read posts here and never actually owned one I'd think it was the worst truck on the planet. All joking aside this isn't at all my impression with it and I did compare pretty heavily to the Colorado when I bought mine because I reeeaaalllyy wanted to like the Chevy. In the end it really wasn't even close. My only complaint is that it doesn't come standard with an auto start.

Massappeals · Jul 27, 2018

I agree it reads like a rant, but the points they bring up about transmission are valid. Many threads on tacoma world talking about sluggish feeling transmissions and transmission hangs.

MadDaddy · Jul 27, 2018

Massappeals said: ↑

@MadDaddy How did you come to that claim? Just curious
Click to expand...

Had a friend who worked in journalism and then marketing for Toyota fill me in on the Autoblog drama back around 2015.

csmacomber · Jul 27, 2018

I test drove everything that offered a manual (even the Ram 2500) before I purchased the Tacoma, both in manual and automatic. Even if I went with the automatic, I still would have gotten the Tacoma based on my test drives. I am curious what trucks they are comparing to to make this review...

Prairie Hawk · Jul 27, 2018

What model year did they test?

tacoandchill · Jul 27, 2018

Taco's are slow and steady...a B+ on the day ya buy em and a B+ when you go to sell em. The new Chevy might be good for a bit (my boss has the new Colorado gas motor and its got balls for sure) but I've owned new Chevy's and they're throw aways after 100k. I'll drive my '17 TRD for 150/200k miles and than sell for 20 grand still. Try that with any American made truck. And like the article noted, they rule off-road. Thats why I bought mine. If I wanted handling in the street, I'd of bought a Miata

12 TRD OffRoad · Jul 27, 2018

It's a good thing I don't base my purchase decisions off of magazine opinion pieces.

asuchemist · Jul 27, 2018

autoblog. never heard.

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Autoblog rips the 3rd Gen

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Autoblog rips the 3rd Gen

#1 commbubba19 [OP] Well-Known Member

#2 MadDaddy Pork Rind Extraordinaire

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#4 Anchovy Rule #1: Never take me seriously

#5 Ossaris A Bad Person Doing Good Things

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#1
commbubba19 [OP] Well-Known Member

#2
MadDaddy Pork Rind Extraordinaire

#3
PROseur Well-Known Member

#4
Anchovy Rule #1: Never take me seriously

#5
Ossaris A Bad Person Doing Good Things

#6
Massappeals Guest

#7
Pine State Well-Known Member

#8
BSFord Well-Known Member

#9
Massappeals Guest

#10
MadDaddy Pork Rind Extraordinaire

#11
csmacomber Well-Known Member

#12
Prairie Hawk Unknown Member

#13
tacoandchill Member

#14
12 TRD OffRoad Well-Known Member

#15
asuchemist My Hamstrings Hurt!

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