Tacoma Size vs Full Size

Some people have unrealistic expectations (which is why you're getting most of the negative reviews). Toyota never said the Tacoma was a work truck. A power house. Towing machine. Gas sipper. It's been what it's always been. Well-made midsize truck with decent offroad capabilities out of the box, midpack engine performance, in an uber reliable package.

Glad you're enjoying it. It really is a great truck. Keep up on basic maintenance, and it will give you 100's of thousands of miles of good service.

 

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I'd agree. I'd also add that people tend to forget that increasing your tire size and/or raising the suspension and/or adding overlandin' junk to the bed penalizes the acceleration performance. Like, by a lot. If you built your rig to be a bulletproof hog on the trails, don't expect it to be nimble at the on-ramp.

 

IMO if you are looking for fuel economy and a lower price tag and you don't have to haul the 3 kiddos too often go for a 4 cylinder access cab long bed and get the bed extender. You'll get in at 30kish price and have good mpg while still being able to lug all sorts of junk and my son fits fine in the back with his front facing seat. Here's mine with a 42" riding mower in the bed.

once you go crew cab, long bed, you'll end up with a 40k price tag and a v6 with similar mpg as an F150...

BTW I average ~22-23mpg mixed driving

 

Not to kick a dead horse, but mixed driving I average 21 with a crew cab F150.

 

Fuelly seems to indicate closer to 17 is more typical. My trips are actually pretty short 9 miles so engine isn't warmed up. I get around 25mpg on a 50/50 highway/local 45 mile trip.

I did consider the 2.7 ecoboost when buying but everywhere I look they were getting closer to high teens than low 20s. Didn't want to risk it. I was coming from a 3.0 Ranger which got 17-18 mpg and one of my reasons for moving was better fuel economy.

Is yours 4x4? which engine?

 

The thing I like least about the taco vs. the Tundra is the view from the cab. Taco seems to have very limited visibility compared to the Tundra. I could see everything from it. It was almost like driving a convertible or a riding my motorcycle. By comparison, driving the taco feels like I’m wearing blinders. It’s all relative though.

 

How accurate is Fuelly? Does the 17 mpg make allowance for the trucks that record mileage while towing?

 

I tried to join fuelly to report my mileage so I can say they ask A LOT OF QUESTIONS for you to record your mpg. I don't believe towing is accounted for but it seems to prefer users that report mileage more than once so you track for a period of time and provide your model/engine/driving mix etc. it got so intrusive that I never even finished my 1st fill up.

The other thing I based my mileage off of was forums like these so on the F150 forums there was a fair amount of complaints that the ecoboost engines do not deliver their sticker mpg (which honestly looked great). I think it is usually turbo motors get poor fuel economy when driven hard to moderate, where as a V8 will deliver better fuel economy when driven lightly to moderately.

I sacrificed power for fuel economy. I don't drive fast anyways.

 

I have a 2018 F150 Supercab 3.5 Ecoboost. Just completed a 2000 mile mixed freeway, mountain, city and offroad trip. 1/3 of the trip was with a relatively unloaded truck and the meter said 21.1 / 20.24 hand calculated. I didn't baby it and it included 80 mph Highway 90 N. Idaho. 2/3 of the trip was with the addition of a Gofast camper and I got slightly over 19 mpg with similar driving conditions but more 8000 ft+ altitude and more dirt roads. I hand calculated.
Around my little town, where most drives are 3-4 miles I get 13-14.
BTW even Fuelly gives the mpg edge to the Ecoboost.

 

Wow even 19 is good for a loaded truck. Mine will get around 19 around town when I'm stopping and hauling stuff. I never had 1st hand experience but was leaning towards the 2.7 4x4 extend cab truck but hard to find a cheapish one most are setup for fleet use (2wd, bare bones).

On the V8s though I tend to hypermile and I found I can really get more out of big engines than little ones. This little 4 banger does the same hard or light as it has to work kind of hard to get the job done. The V8s I could just blip the throttle and coast forever and just keep doing that down the highway. Always beat EPA MPG on big engines.

 

I kinda wish I got the 2.7 since I don't tow. The 2.7l is an incredible engine. I had the older 2.7EB with the 6 speed and it impressed me performance wise but the mileage wasn't much better than my present 3.5. The newer edition of the 2.7EB with the 10 speed and some other improvements definitely would get better mpg than my 3.5. With my 2018 3.5, I feel that I could meet the EPA estimates under moderate conditions with an empty truck.

 

I qualified for only the rebates that everyone qualifies for and I did not qualify for the additional $2,000 for being a prior GM lease customer. That additional $2,000 would have put the deal at $17K off msrp.

If you look hard enough you can find new 2018 Sierra 1500 Denali (all 6.2L) 4WD trucks for less than a new Tacoma 4WD.

 

4X4 3.5 Ecoboost V6

 

I agree with the other poster: wait for the next generations of the Tacoma and Tundra and then make a decision. The current generation Tundra is VERY dated (a decade old already) and is a gas pig.

 

I don't think the issue is an inability to do something. I suspect it has more to do with the ease (or lack thereof) with which it does it. That's the case with me. I just didn't like to hear the Tacoma V6 winding out at screaming rpm's just to merge, pass someone or climb hills. Some folks are not bothered in the least by it and of course that's great.

When I drive this 6.2L truck I just feel calm and comfortable when I ask it to go. No crazy noises or vibrations, no 3 gear downshifts, no feeling like I want to poke holes in the floorboard and start doing the Fred Flintstone. Just smooth sailing. It delivers me exactly what I want (with the exception of being a slight bit bigger than I wanted). The Tacoma did not. That's no an indictment of the Tacoma. It's just one dude wanting one thing and finding it in one place and not another. Happens every day in many different ways.

It's also comparing apples to oranges to a large degree. The Denali is a $66K truck. It should feel more substantial.

 

This is my feeling with my F150. I never owned a 3rd gen. Had a 2nd gen. Really liked it. But, I hated driving it on long trips. Luckily, I had a second vehicle for trips. I bought the Ford because IMO, it was the best full size truck out there. Do I need a fullsize? Not really. But the benefits of owning it for the last 14 months have far outreached the negatives. Even the size doesn't bother me. I park out in the great wide open at the store anyways.

 

I live in a city and I disagree. The Tacoma does just fine. It's got 278 hp. It's fine.

 

Sorry, but the more I drive my Tacoma, the more I realize how far Toyota has fallen behind the competition in engine and transmission development.

Is it reliable? I am told it is. Is it enjoyable? Perhaps, if I drove it like granny.

I am going to try to keep this truck for at least 6 months to see if I can learn to appreciate it, before I trade it in for something else. No full-size pickup for me, though.

 

The bottom line here is that you really have to drive the truck in a variety of situations before making a decision about whether it's RIGHT for you. Read these posts to gain insight into what to look for so you can resolve the hot topics in your own mind. That girl at the end of the bar? She's pretty enough for some but not others. There is no right answer here.