On the fence with purchase

Hey guys. Im in the market for a new truck and have been considering another DCLB taco. I had a gen 2(2001) until I traded it for my f150. I ran the tacoma to 115k without an issue. Only complaint was the seat was tough on my knee if I drove for more then two hours. Unfortunately that is a common occurrence for me with my job. Anyway, I've been researching the gen 3 and I see a lot of negative feedback about the trans. Especially on the highway. That is 75% of my driving. I took a 2018 for a test drive and definitely noticed it was a bit sluggish and somewhat slow to react. However, it wasn't a long drive. Does this get worse with more milage? Maybe you guys can give me some more insight. Again I am mostly a highway driver but I need a bed to haul equipment.

 

They drive the same after a test drive.

 

Good dealerships will let you take the truck overnight. Go for a longer drive. Stock seats aren't that great for me. But not terrible.

How they drive---it's a truck. It drives like one. Test drive all trim (Sport, SR5/OR). See what drives best for you.

 

It gets a little better with time, but the power curve is the biggest issue with 3rd gens. The power is there but it takes a lot more foot into the accelerator to find it. Some get used to it, some don't. Take a LONG test drive in city and highway and decide if you can live with it or not.

 

Test drive a newer 2nd Gen like a 2015 too. I just traded my 2016 for a 2012 and I like it a lot better.

 

Worse when using cruise control. It will slow down with adaptive cruise, then the space opens up and it downshifts and hurries to get back up to set speed versus gradual. Driving normal speeds with the ect button on seems to help as its not looking to upshift all the time, and then downshift at the slightest anything.

 

Sounds like you still need a bigger truck...

 

Meh, I don’t think the trans is that bad at all. I drive around on flat highways 90% of the time. The trans struggles a little bit to find a gear sometimes, but not like some other cars I’ve driven.

I imagine in the mountains it could get a little iffy, but I just plan to shift in sport mode then anyways

 

You don't have to use adaptive, you can run "regular" cruise control. Hold the button down and you'll see the icon change on the instrument cluster.

 

Get a manual trans, long bed only comes in access cab with MT

 

Man if I could get a MT I probably wouldn't have posted. Problem is I work around NYC and the traffic is brutal. I need a long bed and auto. I do use CC a few times a week.

 

test drive again, this time with the ECT button on..issue resolved..if you get one then get the ECT "on at start up" mod and you will be all set.

 

Latest tsb fixes what some think is a responsiveness problem. If you are a dwarf and your foot doesn't reach the firewall or you are afraid of turning some rpm and staying in the powerband then this truck is not for you.

 

I’d get a piece of shit truck driving around NYC it’ll just get banged up

 

.. some guys have said their truck runs worse, or ran better for a short time then returned to “normal” and drivability suffered back to where it was prior to the TSB.

So.. I think many would disagree with you.

 

I tend to drive w/ the ect button on all the time, imho that eliminates about 90% of the power/ transmission issues.

 

Just my opinion but it's a great little truck but that's the thing, it's just that a little pickup truck. I've owned an f35, f150 and now have a 2018 off road. I have absolutely zero complaints with my Toyota in the 1500 miles I've put on it except the new desire to upgrade things I never even thought about. It shifts fine, goes fast enough and all that other shit I see people complain about. I pretty much putt around and drive it like a truck typically should be. If you wanna go fast buy something else. If you want a reliable small pickup that does fine on pavement and good enough in the dirt buy a tacoma offroad. Also, I am 6'4" and fit in the thing fine. Maybe I'm just a weirdo for not seeing these issues I read about

 

I really only have issues with my skinny pedal off-road. They do make a plug in module to help with the lag, and I also see some positive stuff with the ovtune thread. It does learn your driving after a bit, but the lag can still be there. I don’t run my ect all the time,just in the mountains. On the hills around here I just slap into sport mode and hold my gear on the incline..

 

put truck in s mode and either 5th or 6th then give it a good drive the tranny is much better!the d mode is for best fuel economy and shifts to lower revs whenever it can which is way to much.as the world is NOT flat!!

 

Thanks for the input so far. I will hit the dealer again tomorrow and see what comes up.