Taco as a family hauler

I know this has been debated here a lot but now that I’ve had my two and four year olds in the Taco I wanted to give my review for those considering the fitness of the Taco for family duty. I would only do it when pressed or when you need to do “truck things” and take your family with you. If you think it would work as a main family hauler I’d do an extended test. My kids kicked the seats a lot and didn’t seem to like being cramped leg wise. My younger one almost never complains about temp but was saying “too hot” likely due to lack of rear AC vents. They did get a kick out of how some of the bumps felt in the truck lol.

Only did it because they have been begging for “DaDa Truck” since I got it and I wanted to put some miles on since I got it just before the pandemic hit.

There’s probably a sweet spot after car seats and before high school where the back seats wouldn’t be too bad for them.

 

Different times.

I bought a Dakota access cab with no suicide doors in 97, the year my second son was born, and got rid of it in 2016- the kids survived but we did buy a minivan when the third child arrived.

Less than ideal conditions builds character.

 

I have a 7 year old and we all 3 ride fine in my Tacoma. My wifes Rav4 is much much better though.

No one is stunned.

 

yeah. to me the taco shouldnt be the bonafide family hauler if you have young kids with car seats/boosters or are a bigger type family. it can do the job but its gonna be cramped and youre gonna have to hear it lol. i have a sequoia that pulls family duty and does it in style. with that being said. i rather drive the taco cramped and all .

 

Yeah I just wanted to share my opinion after trying it. I knew it would probably be tight and we’ll be back to the Atlas for family duty after a few more days of the “novelty” of it. (It is nice not having wet stuff from the spray park stink of the cabin.) I didn’t take family worthiness into account because I never had the kids in the sedan I had for two years prior.

 

We looked at a double-cab initially but there's no way a couple teen boys fit in the back, forget grown men. At that point I went with the access cab and 6' bed. Family car is a Forrester, much more room.

 

I have a wife and 3 kids (4,6 and 8) and fit fine in my DC for short/medium trips. My youngest is still in a car seat, the other 2 boosters. Once my youngest is out of the car seat we will have a little more room. We do have a van for longer trips.

 

My DCLB is primarily my daily driver/work truck, but I bought it to be able to haul the family too. The few times I've ridden in the back seats on short trips to test them out they're fine. We've got an 18 Rogue for longer family trips.

 

Agree 100% man! Like your setup . My wife just got a 20 Rav- was pushing for 4Runner / Highlander but damn they are stupid expensive! I can see 4Runner being same price as my Taco. Paid 43 for my Taco, but can’t see how the Highlander is almost as expensive. Got a great deal On Rav and it’s growing on me every time I drive .

Yes, Tacoma not ideal for family wagon but gets job done for my 4 year and 6 year old . Thank God both in booster seats and both our vehicles have WiFi haha. For family trips , going to visit family etc the Rav is much roomier . At same time, when I drive the wife’s car I miss my Taco - especially when see other tacos .

 

Britax booster with 5 point harness solves all of you rear leg room problems.

I’m 6’ and my 7 year old fits with room to spare.

We also have an Outback and we always take the Tacoma on trips. The bed with a tonneau cover fits all our gear with room to spare. Large rubbermaid totes work well to maximize space. 2 adults, 2 kids and dog fit great.

 

Dad?

 

Right?

 

It works for us perfectly...

 

How do you like that Atlas? My wife has a Jetta and we’ll be moving up to something bigger some day. She and her whole family love VWs so the Atlas will be on the short list for sure....I’m pushing for the next gen Sequoia haha

 

We like it so much we’re on our second. We’re at 20k miles on a 2019 and put over 20k on a 2018 before that. (Upgraded trims when I found an awesome deal.)

The space inside is awesome. It drives very car like. Despite being only a foot shorter than my taco and wider than the truck it drives nimbly.

my only complaint is gas mileage. It is on par with the taco and we know how people complain about that here lol.

 

Haha you said it. Thanks

 

It's obviously not a 'family friendly' vehicle and was not designed as such. It's more very functional truck that can 'make do' as a family vehicle in a pinch.
One of the reasons I purchased my '18 TRD Sport was too carry my 5 and 7 year old grandkids around with me and even though tight it has much more space than my '96 Tacoma below.
The grandkids haven't complained once in almost 2 years as they just love to hang out with PaPa regardless if it's a little un-comfortable.

 

My wife and I have a Taco and a 4Runner. My kids are 7 and 10 slightly above average height. They don’t mind the Taco now but the 4Runner has far more leg room and is far more comfortable in the back seat. I might also add that the 4Runner is built way better and feels much nicer in build and overall (Admit the 4 runner is a limited although the Taco is a well equipped model too). I love them both for different reasons. In my opinion the taco is a great camping and outdoor sports vehicle with an interior that leaves much to be desired. It also makes a great truck in a pinch but I wouldn’t want to tow much with it.

 

One reason I went Taco over 4Runner is that the Taco is more modern at this point. More modern engine, transmission, more safety features etc... I also have rarely more than just me in it...

 

I would have never picked a Tacoma for a family ride, even if they'd made them when the kids were in school.

I love my access cab now with 2 at home, and can have the occasional grand ride in the back (they are 2.5-14) for modest trips.

Sold the '04 Highlander for a '14 RAV Limited last year (under 50k miles, under $17k) and it's ok for 4 if you're not on an extended road trip with lots 'o luggage. It's 'almost' as big as the old Highlander was in cargo space, but not quite. The newer Highlanders were too big, too pricey for me.