Looking to purchase a new Taco

Hello all,
I am a former Tacoma owner(2002), current 2019 Rav4 owner(hate it for a multitude of reasons and am working with the dealer and Toyota to get me out of it), and trying to decide between an SR5, Sport or OffRoad(probably not doing much off roading tbh.). Any all suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

Do you want a manual transmission? If so the SR5 is out.

Then it comes down to style and options and capabilities. To me the Sport and Off-road were in the sweet spot of affordability and amenities. I didn’t plan on doing much off-roading, but appreciate the ride of the OR and am glad to have the option to go off-road anytime I like.

As far as the Sport vs OR, plenty of posts here, but for me it boils down to soft cushiony ride on uneven terrain with the OR vs stiffer ride with the Sport with more road feel. I personally like the OR ride especially on the bad roads around town.

Anyway, good luck. Give them some test rides and check out the options. Make the sales people do a little work to get your business.

 

Oh BTW, curious why you hate the RAV4? I have admired the recent update, and the reviews have been very favorable. If not for the need to tow more than 3000 lbs and my desire for a stick, I might have gone with the new RAV4. My BIL got a 2017 (his second) and still loves it.

 

Sit in each one, test drive each one and not just the quick route the salesman wants to go.
I got the Sport because I liked the stiffness of the suspension and the way it holds in the curves, but I also love riding motorcycles, so the curve hugging thing works for me. If you dont want push button start then get the SR5 and build it the way you want.
Getting a TRD for the Entune premium system will be pointless as it is not great, so dont let that be your deciding factor. Other than that, there is not a lot of difference between the SR5 and TRDs. The Off Road will get you more bang for your buck as it does have more features, but if you are not off roading it may mean nothing to you.
Also curious about the Rav4. We have a 2015 and its been excellent, last time I brought it in for service they tried to pull the sales tactic of, we can get you in a new Rav4 and give you top dollar for your current one. I said get me one in Orange and we can talk. That ended that conversation real quick.

 

I am certainly open to a stick, as my prior Tacoma was a 5 speed manual. Good points about the off road...I will definitely give it a harder look.

As for the Rav4...we have a 2015 LTD and it has been awesome. The 2019 unfortunately has a series of new body style issues. The engine hood...no hood insulator and no weather stripping around the front of the hood over the headlights. Makes the vehicle very loud and the engine compartment is getting dirty quickly with the gaps ups front. Front passenger seat, manual only with no height adjustment and it sits waaaaaay too high! 5' 10"+ people look like they're sitting in a booster seat and they have a tendency of banging their heads getting into the vehicle due to the higher seat and reduction of head room. The new Entune 3.0...could write a book on all the issues but basically the streaming capabilities(including GPS) only function when they feel like it. The Alexa app hasn't worked in 2 weeks(deleted and reloaded on phone and no help.) Toyota has been working on a fix for months but no success yet. The side mirrors shake/vibrate at highway speeds or riding on rough surfaces. They are mounted on the doors and not the corner of the window like prior gens and other Toyotas. The Camry has the same placement as does some Lexus now(Horrible idea but Toyota says no issues they work as designed?!) The new 8 speed transmission is bulky and tends to jerk like a misshifted manual at lower speeds...again Toyota says this is normal. This is a list of the major complaints from me...if you go to the Rav4 blog you'll see many others unfortunately. My mistake for buying 1st year new generation.

 

OMG...
Dude please test drive test drive test drive.
If you don't like all that shit on the RAV4 you sure as shit are not going to like the Tacoma. Good luck and maybe look at a Highlander or something.

 

Go with a 2nd Gen Tacoma. The reliability rating is much higher and owner complaints are FAR less than the 3rd Gen. The 2nd Gen isn’t as technologically modern as the 3rd Gen but it depends what your priorities are, reliability or gadgetry.

 

You buy the TRD off-road 4x4 and throw a long travel kit with 35s on that bad jonnie.

 

There’s plenty of shit to fix on 2nd Gens, there’s no complaints because power train warranties are done and nobody to complain to.

 

I did test drive a Sport 4wd 4 door and put about 120 miles on it, had it overnight and didn't have any real complaints. The Entune was an older version without all the bugs of the 3.0 and trans is a 6 spd and didn't feel anything like the 8 spd in the Rav4.

 

Fine. Then you should have no reason to complain after you buy one like so many do.

 

I read the negatives that the auto websites listed but I can't say I agreed with many of them. Legroom is limited in the back but I don't plan on hauling a bunch of people around in the truck. Our 2015 Rav4 would handle that for us.

 

Just be forewarned... 80% of new posters here whine because they "thought" they wanted a new Tacoma. Good luck.

 

Be sure to test drive a 6MT.

 

*is guilty*

 

My 2 cents OP:

If you enjoy and you do not have a physical limitation, buy a Manual trans.. I’ve had both trans (now manual) and you could live with the auto... bit sometimes at very specific moments it have brain farts and it will piss you off... you will be driving around at 1200rpm on 6th 80% or more of your time and it will feel gutless... manual in other hand, will do what you want when you want.

Welcome if you decide to get one.


I LOVE MY TRUCK.

 

Manual also has its issues in the 3rd gen... js...

I have a cdl. And drive a notoriously hard to shift kenworth everyday at work...

Lets just say... the 3rd gen taco is more 'touchy' than the 10speed kenworth I use at work....

Itll be a good girl when you have her figured out... but she has a serious attitude problem...

 

200K on my 2nd gen and have had no problems and never once said my transmission sucks.
That said, If I was to look at at a new truck I would probably check out a low miles 2017 Offroad. No TSS or other tech to worry about fixing later on, but better mpg.

 

I like 2017’s

 

I must be in the 20% group because I love my new Tacoma. I am glad i got the M/T because it gives me the flexibility that I was after vs the auto trans and computer control. So if I want to optimize fuel economy I select gears that give me 2k to 2500 rpms. If I want quicker throttle response I just select gears that keep me closer to the max power output which means high revs for this engine. I also find this M/T truck to have a smooth shifting gear box.