Taco comes in fourth....WTF

6" shorter than DCLB. Right in the middle.

 

Auto journalist are handed a bunch of vehicles for a number of days and are expected to write something worth publishing. They don’t have to deal with purchase prices, reliability or resale values. So they have an artificially limited view of things.

 

Yes.

This is why piece of shit BMWs and Alfa Romeos are praised so heavily in these publications.

 

When I was looking for a new truck the reviews led me to believe the Taco was a gutless, cramped pos with an interior fit for 2009. I was stunned when I sat it in and ultimately drove the one I ended up buying, I love the interior, the Powertrain, everything. I even love the go-cart seating position.

On paper the others had advantages, but in person I loved the Tacoma so much more than the others. The Tacoma just works, and is built like a tank. The rear bench and the price of the Ranger were both a huge turn off, and the fact that the ZR2 is a badass off-roader with the ground clearance of the new Honda Passport is just a head scratcher. The local Jeep dealer has their Rubicon Gladiators marked up to 70k, so that was a definite no go (near double what I paid for my truck.)

The Tacoma will never win a comparison like this because it just isn’t built for that. As far as the automotive journalists are concerned the vehicle with the least hard plastic and most rear seat USB ports wins. The Taco is built with practicality in mind, and it seems that that’s what people want judging by the sales numbers. (Also it may not hurt that the competitors are more than a little unattractive.)

 

^^^Truth. It’s what confounds critics and haters. People love Tacomas. There is something about them. They are like that cute girl with the big nose. Sometimes it’s the flaws that make someone, or something, sexy.

 

And there is this...safety

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fox5sa...r-dui-after-wrong-way-crash-in-oceanside/amp/

Something you don't think about, until you need it.

 

I wonder who on here was driving that Taco.

 

In '71, I bought a Chevy stepside straight six with three on the column. It did everything I ask of it.

 

I wasn't surprised the Taco came in last because it's the oldest in the US market. What shocked me was autoblog choosing the Ranger first. In most other comparisons, it comes in behind the Colorado, let alone the Gladiator. I've yet to see another outlet that chose a Ranger over a Gladiator.

I realize the Gladiator is a great truck and the current darling of the automotive press. Great truck with serious heritage.

Not trying to sound like a fanboy here, but of the four, I would still pick the Tacoma for one characteristic - build quality. I know there are plenty of people on this forum that have experienced problems, but we are a very small sample of the overall population, and a lot of people nit-pick everything. I've had ZERO issues with my Tacoma or any other Toyota vehicle owned in the past 30 years.

I personally do not believe a Colorado, Gladiator, or Ranger will hold up as well over a ten year period as a Tacoma. We'll see in the next ten years if I'm right. I bet $40K that I will be.

 

Id make that bet!

My 2019 Taco is in a lemon law action as I type this. Truck is brand new and my attorney has done several other tacos this year. Not my first Toyota Ive owned an fjs for years “real” fj’s and the cruiser which wasn't really an FJ but a great truck.

I can go into specifics at a later date. The truck has some MAJOR weak areas

I signed up to this board to research my problems and sure enough found them.

 

Certainly there will be outliers in every brand. I believe he is talking about long term as a whole...

 

Fake News.

 

rabble rabble rabble. Validate my purchase. rabble rabble rabble.

 

If got my truck in grapefruit law action right now. The dealer is blind-sided as they have never heard about this before. My attorney has guaranteed me a big payday once the smoke clears.

I’ll fill in details later, but this grapefruit law is going to bring Toyota to its knees.

 

The high end performance doesn't suit everyone. Take 50 hp off the top and put it on the bottom.

 

I read your other post and am sorry you are going through this. What a headache! I hope it all works out for you.

Unfortunately every make has its share of lemons. It's just the odds when hundreds of thousands of vehicles produced. Unfortunately, you "won" the lemon lottery. I'm sure there are just as many - I'll bet more - of the same stories from Chevy, Ford, and DEFINITELY the Jeep forums. The Jeep issues I can attest to from being a member of the JL forum.

Until proved differently, I'll stand by what I posted. From your experience with your FJ's and my own experiences, I'm confident I'll be okay.

Again, good luck with your claim, and best wishes for a quick and satisfying resolution.

 

Some of us still use trucks for work so it would have been nice if they offered a work trim with more leaf springs, brake controller and engine with better bottom end performance. Just my opinion folks.

 

Tacoma’s visibility is not horrendous, but is definitely more limited compared to other pickups. Tacoma’s weird seating results in a “high hood” and a “close to the headliner” position that hinders outward visibility.

The hood scoop of a few years back made forward visibility even worse.

 

I don't have issues with visibility or the seat angle. As has been discussed numerous times in the seat threads, apparently an individual's torso and leg measurements seem to have a lot to do with whether someone has a problem or not.

When I first read about the seat problem, I thought the spacers would go under the front bolts not the back. If anything, I feel like I'm leaning forward and wish the seat cushion had more rake to the rear which is completely opposite of the problem people have described.