Test Drove 3 2018s - My Impressions

whats ghosted me mean?

 

Left without following through on a promise.

 

if your looking for better power, better mpgs, more room, better ride, get a ram. With extended warranty of course.

 

salesman no show..also like if you have a friend and all of a sudden they quit communicating with you, like not replying to texts or e-mail, etc..you have been ghosted.

 

So basically 2018 trucks drive the same as my 2017... sounds right

 

maybe the salesman felt that they were getting shined

 

coming from a 15 challenger r/t with a manual to a auto truck . you get so used to that v8 power so your experience is going to be nothing but negative . its a good truck plenty of power its not built for speed its a off road fun truck.

 

A video is not always easy to see. It's possible it was fastened in some other fashion. Not having bolts means that your only choice is to replace the entire rear end I believe.

I like that the bed can be unbolted. I like to put products on to stop rust and so that may be one of my first mods. How about an Oil Catch can, anything folks been running? One of my typical first mods.

If anyone has pics of them replacing the EnTune with a large aftermarket headunit Id be interested as well. Thanks in advance. Im narrowing down to an Off Road. I don't like the fake hood scoop and I like the abilities of it.

 

Anyone who goes to a stealer and asks them to "run the numbers" is .........just asking for it. Be prepared!

 

Weird the new Tacoma has a lower 0-60 time than a new CRV. Also, not sure on what Subaru model you compared this to. They have a full range of vehicles from family to performance.

 

You'll have that on a "truck" engine that has more horsepower than torque. They should've kept the 4.0, it was a better engine in my opinion, and it dusted the 3.5 in TFLT's drag race which was kinda funny!

 

Weird, when you put weight behind them it's a different story.

 

Update 11/1/19

Test drove another 2019 DC OR for an extended drive. It was again, much better than the 2018s. I actually enjoyed driving it mostly and thought I could actually own this. Now, the transmission still was jumpy at times but I found it was decently powered and decently smooth without ETC on. Once or twice I again felt the "dead zone" where it felt limp but generally the acceleration curve was good and smooth.

I also paid attention to other areas and realized how quiet the truck is on the inside, which made me happy.

No rear-diff whine although maybe that develops over time?

EnTune still is not as good as the UCONNECT but it did pick up my nav verbal commands with 100% accuracy.

I like that the bed is composite, one less thing to worry about rusting here in CT.

I figured "ok so let's see the numbers" but they were disappointing with only 4.5% off MSRP. I again didn't haggle because they didnt have the exact car I was looking for (top of the line OR with the dark grey graphite) and the manager showed me that were literally zero in the country currently available and I would have to order it and wait until January. I dont want to order.

Therefore at this point Im going to keep shopping and thinking about it. However, I am at the point where I do like the truck and would own it

 

What is the future like on 11-1 of 2019 where you updated from, lol?
MGM is a beautiful color if you do choose to go that route.

 

To what do you attribute the improvement of the 19 vs the 18??

 

I was hugely concerned about the engine/trans before I pulled the trigger on an '18 V6. I drove an '18 earlier this year in April - the manual sport - and it was an absolute dog. Walked away from the truck completely. I came back to it a few months later, tried the automatic and it was much, much better. That was in August. Then I test drove another automatic that was hunting and seems kinda lousy. Then I finally drove my truck which seemed perfectly fine and I was happy with it. I suspect I was driving various trucks with and without the update.

Anyways my '18 feels great. It does like to hold crazy low RPM's, but that's the nature of the beast. Simply tipping into the throttle a little more takes care of it, and putting it in ETC absolutely takes care of it. I don't even use ETC much now... it's fine most of the time as it is. I also really like the "manual" shifting on the automatic, which lets you hold revs and squeeze the most out of the engine. The function works really well and the placement of the shifter is perfect IMO.

I came off a F-150 Ecoboost where you barely had to touch the throttle and you were flying. So yeah, there's an adjustment coming from other vehicles depending on what they are. But after two weeks I'm acclimated and very happy with this truck. In fact, it feels better around town than the F-150 simply because it's not so damned big. Handling feels better, and the ride isn't as jittery. The Taco, while still a truck, definitely occupies a place in between a car and a full size. I really didn't mind the ride of my F-150 at all, and I certainly didn't mind the acceleration. But this Tacoma really does feel good to me - it's a nice balance.

This is just my experience. Unless you want real straight line power I think this truck is adequate. If you want the fun of really being able to pork it then yeah, go with an ecoboost or something. But there are other trade-offs there as well. Like visiting the dealer for repairs. Again, and again, and again, and again and aga...............

 

Mind power.

 

Everybody enjoys a good yarn....

 

Interesting there are some folks here who like the F-150 after being in the Tacoma too. Did you find the full size to be that big? I figure I would get used to it eventually and it would be second nature. Never really felt like it was too big in the past.

 

I was ok with the size. After driving it a few months I'd acclimated. I really didn't mind it, and it was only after I got the Taco that I realized how big the Ford had been.

I think if you can truly get the most out of a full size it makes sense, but you compromise on some things like handling, ride quality around town, etc. It's great at cruising because it's like riding an 85 mph rocket couch, but around town the taco is much more enjoyable. And I spend a lot of time around town.

It goes both ways though. If you need to move a LOT of stuff both inside and out, full size all the way. I didn't utilize it's size enough to warrant the trade offs.

Concerning the engines: Tacoma feels like a N/A V6 in a truck. The ecoboosts are just sick... So fast and responsive, and I was averaging only 1 mpg less than the taco! But mine also received a new turbocharger at 19k miles, as well as a host of other bits and pieces, and in my mind having a slower engine that I felt would be around in ten years outweighed the nagging feeling in the back of my mind about Ford. I'd get the V8 coyote if I was buying an F150 now. I'm all set with twin turbos.