Not Happy with my 2018 Tacoma Limited

Well I can’t tell from the picture but if I was a bettin’ man...

 

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little....

 

If that’s the case you’d better avoid the “full Monty” at all costs...

 

Wow, 7 pages already! Not reading them all, assume I'm in the dumpster fire zone.

FWIW, I drove my wife's 4.0 '17 4Runner last night for the first time in a while. It felt really slow compared to my '18 Tacoma. Super nice vehicle, love that thing, but noticeably slower and less responsive.

OP, you'll get used to it over time (but do get that diff howl fixed, mine didn't have it thankfully) -- it does drive differently than the previous gen.

 

Most of us don't claim they're perfect. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone here who thinks these trucks are perfect.

There's a difference between accepting something for what it is and being content with that....and having a false sense of superiority.

On most forums, you'll find that acceptance more than you'll find any true claims of perfection.

We can't be held responsible for people having misconceptions about what a Tacoma is.

Keep in mind that people hold onto these trucks much longer than the industry standard....13.4% still have their Tacomas after 15 years (second highest rank in class). Compare this to Wrangler - 3.5% over 15 years (second lowest).

I think that more people have a clear understanding of what a Tacoma is than you give them credit for. Having owned two Wranglers and having been part of that community, I think that it is the prime example of the mythos of the vehicle overriding the reality.

As with the Taco, this is not the fault of the manufacturer, but due to misconceptions by the consumer.

Toyota trucks have never been on the cutting edge of technology, refinement or economy.

 

mhh drove one of those at work once, was spinning tires all the way into third

 

Again all those things are subjective and about the only thing he said that I agree with is about the shitty driving position - which I easily fixed for the most part with a set of risers BTW.

When people make these blanket statements about the truck having a shitty engine or tranny the only thing I can say is, why are they selling so many? I seriously doubt that would be possible if that were true.

 

It is fast

 

You wanna know what would make these trucks damn near perfect for me? Have Toyota put some real off road tires on them preferably 285/75/16 with an upgraded suspension lift, nice comfortable power seats, a front locker and make them available in a true Army Green. That would be my dream vehicle right off the lot.

 

I thought nothing could feel slower than my wife's '16 Civic...then I bought a Tacoma. It is what it is. I just wish TRD still offered a supercharger kit for it. I'm not sure I'd trust an aftermarket company to get it right.

 

I think you just showed your cards....

 

?

 

This thread:

 

All I know is there are many disappointed Tacoma owners. We can point fingers at whose fault that is. Perhaps everyone’s at fault.

I get it: it’s tiring/unpleasant to hear it. But the point that a significant number of forum members express disappointment remains. And blaming them for expressing disappointment is not going to make it go away.

 

I see you complaining about this truck in just about every single thread I happen to read. Just sell the truck already so you can be happy.

 

Again Aldo, the Tacoma is a class leader in sales, resale value, owner retention, etc. It has done so under the same basic formula for decades. This is working for Toyota and it is working across their product line. This is the corporate philosophy.

They're not doing anything they haven't been doing for a long, long time. They're not making any new promises or any new claims.

I take the "disappointment" with a grain of salt. If an old asshat like me understands what these trucks offer/don't offer via a test drive and through research, any other asshat should be able to do the same. I would expect nothing less than exhaustive research from someone about to drop 35 to 40K on something.

It's not tiring or unpleasant to hear. It's amusing. These trucks don't have a cheat program that makes them more enjoyable to drive or makes the seating position more comfortable on a test drive. They don't lie or mislead about their fuel economy and they sure as shit don't hide the fact that they have drum brakes in the rear. My old man sat in a Tacoma for 5 minutes and shook his head in disgust (then again, he loves Fords so.....)

A the end of the day, no one put a gun to my head and forced me to buy a Toyota. If I want something to haul my 5th wheel, I'll buy a diesel. If I wanted a faster/more responsive truck with a more feature laden infotainment system, I'd buy a Ranger. If I wanted more interior room I'd buy a 1/2 ton. If I wanted disk brakes, I'd get another truck. If I wanted a rock crawler, I'd buy a Jeep.

So if someone comes here and has a complaint about something that a modicum of research or a thorough test drive should have ferreted out, I feel for them, but at the end of the day the finger is squarely on them.

This finger right here:

 

Meaning, you showed everyone exactly what you like/have in the way of likes of options of building your own Tacoma. I'm with you. Sounds like good options to me. But you said it first.

 

Calling the engine or transmission in the 3rd Gen’s “shitty” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Mine feels just fine, but even if it didn’t, “shitty” implies a lack of reliability of durability, and the power train in these trucks lacks neither. As for the number of complaints about the 3rd Gen’s on here, I think that has a lot to do with the massive growth in sales over the last couple of years and also the contagious Tacoma World diseases of 2nd Gen Romanticization (slow as f*ck and horrible interior, an amazing truck but let’s be real people) and 3rd Gen Self Hatred. I think a lot of people come on here totally happy with their truck and excited to join the community and leave convinced something is wrong with their truck.

 

I agree, the fact that so many of these are sold (and likely to first time truck owners) has a lot to do with the "complaints". I think it boils down to unrealistic expectations and not enough research done prior to purchasing. I have family members that have/had 1st and 2nd gen Tacomas so I knew exactly what I was getting, and I definitely got a better truck.

 

Agreed, I’m not saying this is the case with EVERYONE who complains, but trucks are trendy right now - and the Tacoma is the trendiest. So the dude that bought a cheap used BMW and slammed & matted it out 6 years ago might end up buying a Tacoma because that’s what’s cool now. And coming from something like that, it will feel slow and unrefined. Compared to my 5.0 F150 however, it feels like a luxury rocket ship.