Test Drive Disappointment - keeping Gen 2!

Oh look honey! Another 3rd gen bashing thread.

Had a 2013. Great truck. Have a 2019. Both MTs....the 2019 is much more enjoyable to drive, tech or no tech.

 

Our 2018 Camry has some of those safety features...which we turn off. Nothing like having the steering wheel fight you while driving a curvy road.

 

Huh?

 

damn auto correct. Edited previous post. The Camry has lane assist. It will try to keep you in your lane which is pain driving a curvy 2 lane highway.

 

My 2018 doesnt have that thank the lord. Our 2020 pilot touring does tho and i HATE it.

 

I would definitely hold onto your 2nd Gen and wait for the 4th Gen to come out.

 

Definitely not a fan of that. Electrical tape over the sensor?

 

Why not a lightly used 2017 which has very limited tech as an option?

 

When the new Tacoma and Colorado came out, my brother and I went and test drove both on the same day. We drove both the Duramax and V6 Coloardos, and the Tacoma was a TRD Prerunner. I have nothing at all bad to say about either truck. If I had to make a decision on which truck I would buy, it would be the V6 Colorado. And that decision would be solely based on personal preference. All other factors were virtually the same. Power, torque, fuel mileage, price...the difference is splitting hairs. To me the Colorado felt more responsive, and the suspension felt a little firmer in turns. Again, just my personal preference. All the three are really nice trucks. But none of them are enough of a leap forward from my 2010 DCSB to justify dropping $40K+ on them. Once I'm in a position that I have to buy another truck, then I will take another look.

 

It's bad. It false-alarms way less after the recall and re-calibration was done but I've had it slam on the brakes from a 75mph in auto cruise (the only redeeming quality) before because of an overpass. Scared the piss out of me and the truck that was following me to the point he thought I was brake checking him. Made the next few miles interesting...

Honestly wish I'd just replaced my 2007 after it was totaled instead of buying a Ranger. Would have saved me years of payments and I'd probably still be driving it.

 

Dunno how bad it is, but everything I have read says it's not the absolute easiest, like the Gen-2 4.0L is.

 

And it’s able to be shut off with switches.

 

It’s not as easy as your gen 2 but after you’ve done it a time or two it’s ok. Requires you buy another tool, actually a cup to fit over the plastic canister to spin it loose then you remove the filter inside. It is more messy but environmentally more friendly

I hear you about cost. Recently bought a nice used 06 prerunner DCLB for 9k. After service and reconditioned it’s good to go. Let someone else take the financial hit on new stuff, when they become bored or the new wears off I’ll be there to take it off their hands for the right price.

That gen3 canister is made of plastic but an aluminum replacement is available. Easy to over tighten beware.

 

First off, you better have been thinking of adding a vehicle to you garage and not considering letting go of your gen 2! Even with my rust issue I’m not considering letting go of 08. Mother Nature is gonna have to steal her from me one flake at a time. Still not sure what I’ll do next. Keep looking but GMs scare me, not excited about gen 3 and do not believe a Tundra will fit under my short garage doors.

 

It is a feature that can be turned off. Thankfully

 

Did something change for 2020? The 19s had lane departure warning and adaptive cruise. Lane departure is easy to disable, the lane departure isn't steering assist though, so not sure if people are complaining about something the Tacoma doesnt even have.

Adaptive cruise is actually quite nice and did save my ass once.

 

Was not bashing the Gen 3 simply saying I like my Gen 2 better - engine and trans. Relax out there.

Electronics are coming to all vehicles and the feds will mandate them into all to cover all the distracted new drivers so a fact of life.
I test drove a 2020 Ranger FX4 4x4 with a 2.3L 4 cyl turbo and 10 speed same price range - not bad except the back seat was terrible. Same electronics plus a hot spot.
Talk of a Ranger Raptor with a 3.5 turbo so would be pretty fast and high dollar. Saw a full sized Raptor with the sticker at 75k!
Looked at a Colorado Bison 4x4 and looked nice but the rear frame has bending issues with heavy loads/forces - go look in the rear wheel wells.
Jeep Gladiator was a tin can and ulgy as crap - Rubicon a little better but same cheap basic construction.
Rented Ram 1500 5.7 4x4s for 2 years at work and love them but a tad large for trails but smooth and fast but high 40s.
Also the Ford F150 with the 5.0 was fast and pretty nice rented them a few times but had a 3.5 and it was a dog, again large for trails.

What I really wanted was a Tacoma diesel turbo but don't think due to smog laws it will ever be in the US.
Dream would be a mid size with a V8 priced right. What a kick that would be!
I know they make some conversions but add 50-60k after you buy it so out of my range.
I got lots of opinions and dreams.

 

I dont think we'll ever see a new production mid size v8 again.

 

As an owner of both generations, the trucks host a completely different driving experience. The transmission in the 3rd gen definitely takes some adjusting to. As other threads have pointed out, the low end torque just isn’t there from the factory. In ECT mode, the truck feels much like the 4.0 in the 2nd gen. I also feel like my head is going to hit the top of the cab in the 3rd gen as the windshield seems smaller? I’m 6’3” but I don’t feel necessarily uncomfortable in the truck. I love the tech features personally in the 3rd gen, but I understand some people like bare bones. I think a take home test drive is the best way to determine if the truck is for you. As long as your 2nd gen is in good shape, it’s worth not having another car payment.

 

All of those safety features can be shut off if you don't like them. Also, on many cars, they aren't standard equipment so you don't have to buy them in the first place. Beyond that, many people, here included, pound their chests about how good of a driver they are and then go down the highway at 80 mph while looking at their cellphones. I am pretty sure these safety features like adaptive cruise or lane departure has saved hundreds if not thousands of lives already, including people who claim to be good drivers.

I agree with OP in that 2nd gen > 3rd gen. Toyota rushed their redesign due to the Colorado/Canyon release and also cut corners on many things for cost/profits. When it comes to the 3rd gen, the Colorado/Canyon and now even the Jeep and Ranger all beat out the Tacoma in most if not all categories, including reliability.

I bought a 2009 Tacoma TRD OR 4x4 DC in 2018 with 175,000 miles on it and a brand new frame. It looks and feels pretty close to new. But for $12,500, plus a few thousand more in maintenance/repairs, I am still at way less than half the price of a new one but with 98% of the capability.