Have things gotten better?

I have a 2012 that I have been wanting to put a 3rd gens suspension on for the slight lift. The other day I went and drove a sport and off-road. I was shocked at how poorly those trucks drove compared to a 2nd gen. Going up a slight incline the transmission must have shifted 6 times vs the one time of a 2nd gen.

Anyways let’s not beat that horse to death. Since the afternoon turned into a test drive session the sales lady and myself got acquainted over a few hours. After the hill incident I started asking about if she knew if anything was being done to correct the problems. She mentioned that her boss knew some things and it seemed like Toyota was going to make some changes rather quickly. All I’ll say is I’d wait until 2020.

 

Pretty funny you referring to the 2nd gen as old man trucks. You don't have power seats, your headunit doesn't do anything, no apple or android CarPlay, maybe 2 mpg better, You guys did have an orange stripe for a bit on your dash so I guess that's cool. Not sure how yours is cutting edge modern.
We share the same frame design, pretty much everything swaps over between the two, other than canopies.
They are both good trucks but I wouldn't say yours is the pinnacle of design.

 

I was in a similar boat. I had a supercharged 2gen and my two roommates/buddies had 2016/207 ORs. They felt slow and I never thought I'd get a 3gen. But 2 things happened: 1. I tested the manual transmission, and 2. I realized "hey it's a truck" and ended up getting one when it came time to sell the 2gen.

I can see why not everyone likes the 3gen, but I've come to realize that the pros out weigh the cons for sure

 

I wanted to ask this here before deciding whether or not to make a thread. Ever since I got my taco, I've had this issue occur regularly where when cruising between 1200-1500 RPMs and I give a little gas, the truck hesitates and starts to jerk back and forth ever so slightly. I then have to press much harder to get the truck to overcome the hesitation which almost always results in a staggered acceleration. I've talked to my dealership and they won't acknowledge the problem, let alone help me out.

 

^^ This actually sums up my stance on this issue perfectly. The Tacoma form factor is a requirement for my uses for the vehicle. The 4Runner is a fine SUV, but it isn’t a small 4WD 4-door pickup, which is what I want to have, and serves me best.

Guys who leave the Tacoma for the 4Runner are always edging to come back, if they truly wanted a truck to begin with. Those that wanted a SUV to begin with, are much happier in 4Runner land.

For me, I can’t beat the Tacoma form factor for all I do with this truck. Driving a 4Runner would be more painful in it’s limitations (for me) than putting up with whatever I’m apparently putting up with driving a Tacoma.

I love my truck.....if they find a way to improve it further, I’m stoked about that too.

What I will not do is make the dire mistake of selling the pickup truck I need, for a highly rated SUV I don’t. That would be foolish.

 

We have different uses for sure. My point is they wish they had a Toyota pickup they liked. They don’t actually want an SUV, but they are stuck with it due to their aversion to the present pickup truck offerings and their loyalty to Toyota maybe.

I’m glad I’m not adverse to my Taco, because it suits my needs perfectly, doing things you cannot do in an SUV with any level of common sense, or elaborate struggle, or a trailer.

It’s absurd to say a pickup truck and an SUV have the same functionality. They don’t.

 

You guys realize these are all 1st world problems, right?

I know people who worked at Toyota when the 1st and 2nd generations were out: I won’t say how much it cost Toyota to inspect, fix and buy back all those rusted trucks. But suffice to say, it was enough to arm a small nation.

There will always be naysayers, but Toyota didn’t nickel-and-dime those owners: it knew its reputation was on the line and was willing to put its money where its mouth was. I don’t know many automakers that would voluntarily do that.

After that, Toyota couldn’t just put lipstick on a pig; it had to significantly update Tacoma for its 3rd gen.

Sales figures can be manipulated to some degree, but resale values cannot. The fact that Tacoma remains numero uno not just in sales but also in resale shows that the majority of consumers agree that Toyota did what it had to in order to keep Tacoma on top in its class and to protect owners’ resale values.

Just look at how Jeep has mismanaged Wrangler: FCA expanded production capacity by 50%, MSRPs went up 15%, and all last year FCA bragged of sales growth and higher transaction prices. Now the market is flooded with unsold Wranglers, fleet sales are at their highest levels, discounts are at record highs, and Wrangler’s legendary resale values are getting screwed. In essence FCA is saying: we are in this for ourselves and taking our profits now; screw you and your resale values Wrangler owners.

 

I’m pretty happy with my 18’, sure it drives differently than my 2nd Gen did for sure, but the more I drive it no more I like it. Drove my uncle 2nd Gen the other day right after driving my 18’ and I don’t think I’d ever go back. Cab noise was the biggest difference and the overall fit and finish. While you didn’t have to push the pedal as far to get going, I wasn’t getting anywhere any quicker than I am in the 18’. It’s a different drivetrain so of course it’s not gonna act exactly the same. I still wouldn’t buy any thing else but a Tacoma. It may have a few more bells whistles than the previous generations but at the end of the day it’s still a pretty basic truck compared to most others out there, and that’s why I like it. I’m in a DCLB Sport, and it’s a great truck overall and I’m very happy with it. The damn thing better last me a long time!

 

Drive everything else first, Nissan, GM twins, Ranger then drive a Tacoma.

When all is said and done and you're ready to decide buy a Tundra.

You're still going to find things you wont like about a Tacoma so you may as well move on to something else.

 

Go buy the exciting new Ford Ranger. Nice to have known you.

 

2007 with 200k, a 2016, and a 4 runner and 2 new posts ? Anyway, I have had 0 issues other than a battery and 0-60 on 2016 + Taco is faster than that 4.0 4 runner.
Even outperforms 2nd Gen in towing.
Seems 700 hundred thousand + people don't have issues with it as shown in sales.

 

The new Ram is badass. I rented one for work and I can’t say that I have anything bad to say about it. Good power, the infotainment system was great, the use of space was great and it rode like a Cadillac.

 

Tundra might be outdated but Ram has more gizmos than the Mars lander. Start fixing all that stuff after the warranty is up. Bottom line is all the extra bells and whistles really needed ? I say no.

 

I'm on the fence now either a 19 Taco or a 19 4 Runner. Just had a kid so the extra room of the runner would be nice but I love the bed of the truck. If I go runner I'd definitely need like a 5x8 trailer. It's getting to the wire and it's hard to choose. I've been in several different trucks for over 20 years. Ahh if I could only have both.

 

We've got a 18' DCLB, and a 14' RAV4. The Rav4 has a ton of room in the back seat and lot of room in the hatch for whatever, good ground clearance and pounds through the snow no issues. I love driving it. Very underrated vehicle imo.

 

Forgot to mention that retail value . . . .

 

ram is nice !but man it’s huge! How’s it to park everyday?tundra same problem!tacoma best for daily

 

If you're going to buy another 2nd gen Tacoma I'd consider a Frontier Pro-4x with the premium package. They drive great, very responsive throttle and no shortage of power.

It's a lot like your 4runner, old solid design that works well. It's not on the same level new trucks as far as technology, safety and fuel economy. Still definitely worth a look despite what everyone here will say about the Frontier.