Tacoma Test Drive

Hey all updating here to post some of my observations after test driving a Tacoma today. I posted a couple weeks ago about asking how people felt about the MT Tacoma, being that i may be in the market next year for one and if i should buy one. Today i finally got the chance to sit in and test drive a Tacoma sadly it was an automatic because there isn't a manual one at all close to my area right now but i still thought it was a good chance to feel the power of the truck and just see how it drove. I test drove a DCSB V6 TRD Sport while not the trim i want, as i want an Offroad here's some of my quick observations from a short test drive. Sport suspension felt like a pogo stick to me while not uncomfortable just bouncy when hitting potholes or uneven road. The truck itself feels smaller than my current 03 Silverado which is perfectly fine to me. This is more along the lines of its hard to tell how big a vehicle is on the internet until you actually see it in person. The truck is a very nice looking truck. The hood scoop is rather annoying and in the way i feel, especially cause i'm tall (6'2) and the windshield feels so small already. Probably because of my taller stature i felt like all i could see was the dang hood/scoop but i felt like its doable maybe the powered seat in the 2020 will help fix that. I see people complain about the power of the truck and i honestly thought it was quite adequate even in the automatic granted it was a pretty short test drive couple miles back and forth but didn't feel severely lacking by my assessment as i'm not looking for a rocket ship. I did notice the automatic likes to hang in lower gears even in the slightest of inclines so that part was rather annoying which is something i obviously wouldn't have to deal with in the MT. The interior textures felt very nice and good quality, sure it's not as fancy as other brands but didn't feel bad, if you really want to feel low quality try driving a 07 HHR as i have as a hand me down right now its all hard plastics.

All in all the truck didn't completely blow me away and it had a very truck feel to it. The manual transmission probably gives it a little more fun factor/enjoyment to it but i still think i'm pretty interested in getting one. I'll probably go for a test drive in the 2020's when my dealer gets them to get another feel for them with the powered seat. As for test driving a manual i doubt i'll get the chance to so i'll probably have to order one and go into it blind if i decide to get one.

 

Good luck , if you decide to buy.

 

You did the right thing by test driving! And these trucks truly are not for everyone! I’m just glad to hear you actually drove it before buying. Like I said on another post today test drive every vehicle you possibly can and get what works best. You are a ways away from purchase so use this to your advantage. Drive EVERYTHING.. lots of people on here didn’t buy the “shitty truck” they think they did they bought the wrong truck. Since someone else will buy that truck after them and love it!

 

Have you had issues with the so called rear drum vibrations that a lot of people seem to have? I certainly didn't notice or pay attention to anything vibrating from the pickup when i test drove it, it drove like a truck for sure and bounced around a lot so it was hard to notice something like that.

 

If you live in a mountainous area then drive it on hills. The one I had while driving on flat land and in town was great. Every time I hit a hill on the interstate it would downshift to 4th and hold it around 3500 RPM. While this is perfectly normal for this vehicle you may not like it. I thought I would be ok with it but after a couple years I just didn't care for it anymore and got a Tundra. Every time I wanted to pass someone it would downshift to get in the powerband of the engine. Again, all normal for this truck but it may not be for you.

Test drive it in every way in which you would normally drive it and if you are ok with it then it is a great truck. You have to drive a manual before you buy it because I probably would have kept mine if I had a manual. Good Luck!

 

I live in a quite hilly area not crazy elevation changes roughly 600 feet at most between the low and high spots. My plan is really if i get a Tacoma to get a Manual, I'd have to drive 200+ miles just to probably test drive one so i doubt i'll get the chance to try it so if i purchase it would be blind. I've driven Manual just haven't owned one so i'll probably be pretty rusty at first.

 

I would advise you to drive the manual if you can. I wasn't too impressed with the clutch feel when I test drove so I ended up going AT, and am happy. Supposedly there is a mod you can do which helps to improve the clutch.

Best of luck with whatever you choose!

 

I recently purchased a '19 DCSB TRD Offroad. MT coming from a '17 Nissan Titan Pro4x. The suspension is much better offroad compared to the Nissan the little tacoma soakes up bumps the transmission is a ton of fun rowing through the gears.

 

Sounds like a Tacoma is not for you . You seem like a Honda Ridgeline type person .

 

Bruh how dare you even say that.

 

I honestly 100% have had 0 issues with mine and I always try to listen to things people mention. But I couldn’t be happier!

 

Agree with your test drive impressions, good job on that!

Test drove a Sport and an Off Road. Off Road suspension is much different than Sport. Didn't like it at first as it seemed to roll over in corners and brake dive more than expected. However on rough roads and off road this setup is really smooth which translates to being able to hold a decent speed for washboard or bumpy stuff. Pretty sweet for a stock setup and it's nice that Toyota offers these 2 choices in TRD trims.

Prefer a manual but believe it is not available in Off Road Access Cab in the US. Fine with the auto, ECT always on, S mode to limit upshifts, and in hilly terrain often manually shifting it. Just putting it in D and expecting it to be in the gear you want ain't gonna happen.

 

I bought my '17 brand new with 11 miles, sight unseen, and no test drive. I would not change anything.