Long Distance Road Trips

Bottom line up front ... there are 9 cup holders within reach of the driver. If that doesn’t scream road trip then I don’t know what does.

I thought my 2019 TRD Off-road did great on a long road trip. I drove it from my home in Clarksville TN to McAllen TX which is about a 2300 mile round trip. I had a motorcycle in the bed which reduced my fuel economy due to some additional drag. In the windy spots the truck seemed to get blown around a little on the highway and I was averaging about 18 mpg up at 75 mph until I got to Texas and the highway speeds jumped to 75. Then my fuel economy dropped to around 16-17. On the return trip I did not have the bike in the bed and I averaged about 19-20 mpg. I still have never seen this claimed 22mpg on the highway. In town I have no issues getting over 20mpg though.

I am honestly not a huge fan of the adaptive cruise control in this truck if you’re in heavy traffic. It is like a light switch and the acceleration and deceleration can be very abrupt. When it is less busy the adaptive cruise is a nice addition. Does anyone else have thoughts on this? All in all I absolutely love this truck for road trips and would recommend it to anyone who can live with the smaller back seat space.

 

We’ve driven back and forth to Dayton a couple times to see the kids. 450 miles one way and we were fine. Nav was good, Sirius was good, cruise control definitely was put into use also. Last time we were out was in crappy snowy-icy weather both ways but all went well. Keep in mind thought that it was just two adults, no kids and no pets.
I agree with the above that the cruise is really only useable on long stretches without a lot of traffic but in those conditions it’s great. If I remember right we got around 23-24 mpg.

 

Yep. I've suckered people into long trips in my frontier crew cab and I think leg room was as big of an issue as the shitty seats. There just isn't enough truck.


If you want a multi person road tripabblr pickup, it's gonna have to be a full size. A taco is fantastic for one or two, but any more and it falls short.

 

100%.

Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it's a a good time. I do from NH to Miami almost every year. Last year we took my wife's grand Cherokee. What a difference.

Normally I like to take my truck so we can wheel on the beach or go camping.

But money spent into making a truck comfortable doesn't help it be any more of a truck and just drives the price way up. The price as it is for these trucks is a joke for something that can't do work. They're just fine for under 5hrs and that's all they need to be.

 

We do an annual road trip to the family farm 11+hrs in the Tacoma. Family of four with 6 and 8yo kids and a Chocolate Lab.

Tacoma does great- carries all our stuff, no worries about weather or road conditions.

3rd Gen is comfier and has more gadgets than our 2nd Gen.

 

Kinda depends on the people too. I grew up doing long trips in an old suburban. My options were looking out the window and reading a book, so these days I'm good with an audio book or a phone full of music. Don't need much creature comforts for that.

 

Yep. It's do able.


But, for those who have done 1000 mile plus trips in a Tacoma vs a full size or a nice SUV knows the Tacoma isn't comparable.

I still do it all the time because how I use the truck justifies a ride that's inferior but tolerable.

 

Im with Akbar. 80mph on Utah freeways loaded for the weekend aint happening in my moose unless on a downhill. Itll hold 72-5 pretty comfortably though.

 

Seat comfort is the biggest factor when doing long trips (>10 hours). My 2001 Subaru Forester had excellent seats (sold it with 533,431 miles) even with my longest trip ever (Denver to Raleigh in 30 hours). For my 1st Gen Tacoma, I did a couple of 15 hour trips, but disliked the seat so much, I curtailed long distance travel in it. I finally broke down and spent some serious money replacing the stock seats with Recaros and it made all the difference. I test-drove the 2020 Tacoma with the new driver-adjustable seat in February before I ordered it; it was MUCH improved over the stock Tacoma seats in my 2004.

 

^this.


@btu44 's install. I'll be following myself shortly.

 

It is all a matter of perspective. Prior to getting the Tacoma, our family of 4 vehicle for roadtrips was a base model 07 Hyundai Elantra. Lets just say the 18 Tacoma is the Cadillac of roadtripping vehicles compared to that. It helps if your passengers don't know any better.

Once my wife's vehicle starts to nickle and dime us, we'll upgrade her vehicle to a Highlander or possibly a RX350L if the grill has been un-uglified, and have that be the designated roadtrip vehicle. If we wanted to have it be offroad capable, we would likely get a 4R OR instead.

 

I literally just drove from Manitoba (Winnipeg) to BC (Vancouver), the trip was amazing. I love my Taco. My passengers even commented on the nice ride. I feel super safe. Feel super cool with style (TRD Sport) and the only downside is gas mileage lol.. I got swamped KO’2 on my truck though.

I got a nice rock windshield chip though haha. All things considered this truck is wicked for road trips.

 

You really need to look at a Subaru Outback Touring or Limited. If you need a bed, the Honda Ridgeline crushes the Tacoma in comfort and overall every day utility. Tacoma's are targeting a completely different mission than either of those two and would be a huge disappointment. The gear hunting alone on along interstate ride would drive me insane, don't even get me started on the lack of NVH....Either of those two vehicles suggested would seem like a Lexus compared to the tuff and tumble Tacoma ;-)

 

If someone could justify those vehicles they probably didn't need a Tacoma in the first place. Lol

 

Agree 100 percent. Most Tacoma owners don't "need" one, they just like the price/reliability/looks/image. Who needs a "truck" that can't really tow or has a payload less than a Sienna minivan? Nobody.

 

4runner is a good option. Or a slightly used GX460. Both would probably be more comfortable if you're traveling with more than 2 adults.

 

I mean I don't agree with that at all.

I'm just purely talking about cross country comfort not being an attribute to rate mid size pickup trucks on.


Plenty of people tow and use the payload of the Tacoma with no issues and can easily justify over said minivan.

 

In Canada a 4Runner is about $4-5k more than a Tacoma and only comes in auto trans. So I got a OR AC MT Taco, only available in Canada. I love the adaptive radar cruise control on the highway. It is the first MT vehicle that I have driven that does NOT disengage the cruise control when shifting gears.

I found the seat back quite comfortable for my back but my thighs did not like the seat bottom until I got longer bolts and washers and raised the 2 rear seat mounts by 3/4". This is something that the 2020 power seat should address.

The TRD OFF ROAD has the softest suspension of all the Taco models.

 

If you want a truck this size for camping and exploring, test drive the Taco and its competitors. What fits and is comfy for some doesn’t fit and feel good for others. Ridgeline AWD, Ranger, Tacoma, and the GMC twins should be your shortlisters.