Tacoma for high elevation rockies?

I currently own 2019 taco and 2017 forester xt. I like the XT in the mountains and passes. Consider the 2020 outback XT (new, adding the turbo back to the lineup)

 

If it’s burning oil then but still has lower emissions than a comparable vehicle then they are not wrong.

 

Right. I'm curious how the excessive burning of oil is accounted for. How can you be burning more oil and have lower emissions?

 

Burn all the oil you want as long as it doesn't come out a tail pipe I guess...

 

Another vote for either the Tacoma or the Subaru based on what you've outlined. And given your elevation and your hesitation about a truck, the Subie might be the way to go.

I drive a Taco and my wife a Forester. I love 'em both. If you're interested in the safety features, the pre-collision and safety nannies in both vehicles have performed about equally well (and both have helped turn potential "oh shits" into easily-avoided situations... on the second day we owned it, the Subie saved us from rear-ending some dipshit who slammed to a full stop on a highway surrounded by 75 MPH traffic.

I love my Tacoma, it's the perfect vehicle for me, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I don't need a truck on a daily basis or for work, but I need one often enough that I'm really glad I have one. But... I live in a relatively low elevation area with very few demanding climbs, so while the engine/transmission works just fine for me, it may not be so awesome for you day in and day out. And I work from home and put far fewer miles on my vehicles than most, so I can sacrifice gas mileage in favor of the utility of a truck without batting an eye. If I had a commute that made me visit the pump a couple times a week, I might feel otherwise. Plus my last vehicle was a first-gen Tundra, so the Tacoma is actually an improvement in terms of mileage for me.

Good luck, you'll enjoy either one.

 

Maybe those boxer engines do a really good job of burning up that oil.

 

Considering my 2017 DCLB OR Taco got maybe 1.5mpg less than my Impreza... I'll never go back to a Subaru.

Also my OR basically handles anything I throw at it, and that was before new shoes and sliders.

 

If you’re convoyed up with a 1st gen I would imagine you probably had plenty of power in relation.
At 10,000’ a 3rd gen is down to about 180hp. To me that seems marginal at best for a truck that’s over 5000 lbs when loaded up. For comparison that’s a worse hp to weight ratio than a Toyota Yaris at sea level! Couple that with the busy shifting and need to manually manipulate the auto tranny you have a bit of a handful compared to a turbo vehicle with a more refined shift pattern.

 

Did they bring the Manual Trans back with the XT?

 

no, I don't think so, just auto. I am okay with it... to much mountain traffic anyways. bumper to bumper drove me crazy in the 06 taco standard.

edit, auto, CVT, some people do not like, I have been okay with it.

 

i tried to get one in MT last year. only available MT wagon was the cheesy Crosstek. walked away from Subie and never looked back. (and unfortunately had to buy an AT anyway... 3 row SUV y'know). tried to keep it MT for my wife. she appreciated the effort.

 

I vote for a gx 460

 

It's right there in the middle of his damn post:

"The things that I like about the prius would be: its fuel economy (although this wouldn't be a deal breaker for me), it's upgraded JBL stereo that actually sounds great, it's reliability and low maintenance costs."

and then again in the 2nd paragraph, talking about his must-haves: "has a good stereo (pretty important to me), good infotainment system"

He already had PLENTY of advice for the mechanics and terrain, fer fucks sake.

I know, it's crazy that someone (me) talked about the stereo and entertainment features, just because he said they were important to him (twice!).

 

Pretty much every new vehicle can be optioned with a good audio system. Not every vehicle can no optioned to fit the mechanical needs OP is facing. That may be why most of us honed in on that rather than a feature that can be easily had or easily upgraded at a minimal cost.

But yes, you were answering his questions. I’m not sure why someone thought that was a problem.

 

I wanted to buy an sti, but the gf absolutely hated them!

As soon as we got in the taco she was like, i really like it! Which is funny bc when we went to the dealership "just to look " she was convinced we weren't getting anything.

Stock outback sucked in the snow from videos I saw, but mpg is great. I think its gonna come down to prioritizing which features are the most important to the OP.

But coming here and asking what to buy is like going to catholic mass and asking which church to join. .

 

Except in this thread I think most of us tried to steer the OP away from a Tacoma.

 

The Prius is available with AWD now.

 

If I had any kind of extra parking available I'd keep the prius as a DD, reasons: high reliability & mediocre resale value.

 

Lol. You are right.
It's like I haven't had any water in three days wandering in the desert, finally seeing a bubbling spring and not drinking because I didn't have a twist of lime.

 

They sure do. I know all about it, great vehicles otherwise.