Tacoma for high elevation rockies?

Yes it does. No rubbing with 35s as well.

 

If audio is important, you'd feel silly getting a Toyota and adding Subaru speakers...


Edit: I vote 4runner. Would have got one if I didn't want a bed.

 

OP is coming from a Prius. Going to a 4Runner would be like one of us going straight to a king of hammers truck to get a little better off-road ability over a Taco.

If he wants to stick with Toyota I would say RAV4 would have plenty of ruggedness to meet his needs without the sacrifice of road ability and comfort with a 4Runner.

Disclaimer: I’ve never driven a RAV4. But if you don’t off-road, a 4Runner is an overpriced outdated under featured turd of an on road suv.

 

I'd go with a turbocharged Subaru, too.

 

OP is posting on a Tacoma forum about 4 vehicles. Taco, 4R, Rav4 and Subie.
The best vehicle out of all of those is the 4R. Unless you need a truck bed (Taco). There were literally 2 reasons I didn't buy a 4R. I wanted a bed, and I refused to not have push button start. Now that it's 2020, 4R's have the button and it's a harder call for me to make. But I still love my bed. They also have the safety stuff like adaptive cruise (another one of my must haves) and blind spot (should see how hard I'm trying to keep mine and still get a steel bumper).

For the rav4, I've test driven it multiple times this calendar year to make my choice (coming from an Escape). I've test driven the 4R (even rented it for a few days), it's an awesome vehicle even in SR trim, blows the taco out of the water for comfort. OP mentions passenger comfort (knees), and the 4R is the best for this, sorry Taco owners, lets be real. And the Rav will give him pretty much the same problems as the subie and the Prius.

For Subaru, my best friend owns an outback that has almost 300k miles, great vehicle, but no thanks. I also used to own a forester (gave to cousin for license present 2 years ago). No thanks.

The Rav4 is most like the prius, the mileage boost from the hybrid also hits a good point of his. But from the OP:
"I also often find myself in remote places with no cell service and poor roads" and "I'm looking for a car that can excel in bad weather, can hopefully perform semi well at 10,000 feet, can handle dirt roads (no rock crawling, but fire roads and remote trail roads) has a lot of cargo space, could hopefully sleep in."

The 4runner best checks all those boxes. I would MUCH rather sleep in a 4R than any of his other options on the side of a road in a blizzard.

 

4 runner for sure
I live on i-70 in Colorado and we drive over vail pass all the time.
I defiantly kick myself for not buying a 4 Runner for that situation even though I absolutely adore my Tacoma.
*We live in New Castle and I drive nights to work, I had to upgrade my headlights on a 2010 Tacoma, Best decision of my life

 

For the OP............. 4 Runner

 

It sounds like you really want a 4Runner. That doesn’t necessarily mean the OP needs one. The fact that he has driven all 4 of those vehicles and still has all 4 on the list means he probably doesn’t need the capability of the Tacoma or the 4Runner but likes the idea of the rugged persona they carry. In reality if he was truly in 4Runner territory he would be comparing the more appropriately similar Subaru Ascent not an Outback.

The dirt roads and snow mentioned don’t require the high clearance and heavier suspension so they aren’t worth lugging around for the average person. Some good tires on any modern SUV or even many awd cars will cover that type of driving.

So all that, on top of the fact that the 4Runner carries a price premium and a pretty big fuel mileage deficit, it just doesn’t seem like the best fit for the described uses.

Don’t get me wrong, 4Runners are awesome off-road suvs that fill a niche between trucks and crossovers. But they are old design and the many times I’ve driven them to try and convince myself I needed one they just don’t feel worth the price premium. Considering the OP ghosted after the first post, none of this discussion amounts to anything anyway. Just useless opinions.

 

I do really want a 4R. I've said that lol. It's a great vehicle.
It also happens to be the best vehicle for the OP's criteria. Is it overkill on most of them? Yeah. But there's no arguing it's the best lol. And you pay for that. In mpg as well as initial cost (should also resell better than anything on the list other than the taco keep in mind). But, he only mentioned mpg as a secondary consideration, and didn't mention cost at all. Soooooo.. Unchanged decision lol.

Edit, agree about ghosting. He ended up with a cheap Subaru because of Toyota high resale lol. (probably)

 

I just need a loud stereo to provide the metal soundtrack that makes my mild off-road adventuring seem hardcore. I do draw the line at a TV in the truck, though.

edit: whenever I think about putting an entertainment system in the truck, I remember pulling up on some lowered Maxima or something and seeing two guys watching porn in the front seat. Lady porn. It was weird.

 

Op’s gone, stuck in his Prius in a normal summertime mountain snow storm. Does the heater work on those?

 

Let's do a group vote, that's the vehicle he has to buy

 

My coworkers 2016 Impreza burned oil like crazy. He just sold it cuz he was tired of having to top off his oil so often. Not an Outback but I personally wouldnt get a Subaru after hearing his and others experiences with them

 

Do the new (2019-2020s) still have this issue?

 

Probably the 4th time I almost died in a snow storm I would say

 

Right now I don't feel comfortable, but I'm sure I could learn. I am a little off put by the select-able 4WD system that would come with a Tacoma/4Runner. I haven't driven anything like that before. Is it a pain to switch between? Also I grew up hearing that a rear wheel drive vehicle was about the worse thing you could have in snow, yet that's what the Tacoma and 4Runner are unless you switch them to 4WD. Does that mean that unless you are driving in 4WD during snowy conditions you're gonna have a bad time? Or is there something about the Tacoma/4Runner rear wheel drive that makes it better in inclement weather compared to a charger or something (if that's RWD?)

 

Could you elaborate more on the outback snow performance? Subarus are generally regarded as one of the best cars for snow (probably the only reason I'm considering one). If it doesn't perform well (with good snow tires) I'd definitely be less likely to buy one.

 

How's the maintenance on the 4Runner? It's very true. The prius has required pretty much zero maintenance over 100k miles. I've literally had snow tires put on and my oil changed and that's it. Maybe brakes at some point, but it's been pretty much maintenance free. That's something I want to mimick.

 

Yeah i've been offered about $1500 by both the Subaru and Tacoma dealer. Unfortunately I don't have room to keep it as a DD so I need something that can function as that

 

Might not find out for a couple of years. I would check out their forums, but personally I'm done with Subaru. It is the design of the engine, laying flat. Makes for a low centre of gravity, but it causes those oil issues, that's what I was told anyways.