New England B.S. Thread

I would give it a go. don't know unless you try it!

I'm waiting for the MSRP to come out. I have a feeling it will be cheaper than the Tacoma but not by much. Glad they didn't jack it up with a CVT or something stupid, I like that they kept it simple. Not a huge fan of 9 speeds, wish it was 6-7 in these small trucks, but I'm optimistic. Front looks like a PITA to put a full steel bumper, but accommodating for a slimline style.

 

I heard they nuked the manual transmission option as well... Sad

 

Agreed, but, look at how many they sold vs making it worth it in a production line environment

Less parts, less configs, etc. The Cost Benefit just wasn't there, unfortunately in today's market. I'm just glad they didn't do a CVT. I was a little worried about that

 

Also my new favorite thing about them...the old, bogged down non-fuel-efficient Frontier....

.....got better MPG than the new drivetrain

This is with all engines, but if you filter just to the V6s the 2020 stays at 16.8 and the 2019 and earlier stays above 17, comes down to about 17.2-17.5, gets rid of the more efficient 4bangers bringing that number up.

That....is amazing. I was really hoping I'd pull up numbers and it was going to blow away the tacoma, ranger, etc. Honestly now knowing THAT I would just get a '19 and not worry about the new shenanigans!

https://www.fuelly.com/car/nissan/frontier

 

With MPG numbers like that, I'd get a full size and be done with it. You get full size fuel economy, full size pricing but a mid sized truck... Only reason I can see buying one anymore is if you physically just want a smaller vehicle. They keep selling though so that must be the case.

 

I'm also kinda bummed that the 5.0 Cummins option in the Titan XD only lasted 4 years. Had Toyota adopted that engine for the Tundra, I'm positive that would've sold like crazy.

 

That was a good idea on paper but, in reality, it's a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. It's the same reason that you could make the argument that a 3/4 ton truck shouldn't have a diesel engine option. It's too heavy and just eats up payload. So you end up paying a large premium for a diesel engine and have the same payload and towing capacity as the gas engine. Payload issues aside, Nissan didn't do their homework with that truck. They had no idea how to make it run right. I looked at one briefly but I couldn't bring myself to own one given the reliability issues they were having. If you want a small diesel, there are 3 decent options in the half ton market. Engine along, Chevy has the best one, in my opinion. The problem is, all 3 are only 'rated' for 150k miles since they were built as 'light' diesels.

 

If the difference between fitting in a garage and not fitting in a garage is at play, then yeah I would go smaller. Also, the "fully loaded" options -- the TRD Pro is what like 45k, where as a 45k F150 is more "equipment equal" to my truck TRD Off Road. And base to base. A base V6 AT Tacoma, extended cab is about 30k (SR, I almost got one!), a similar F150 spec would be about 35k I think.

And -- I had always wanted a Tacoma, so, that played a factor

Next truck/vehicle - will be a lot more numbers and data driven, now that I've had a hatchback Mazda 3 and a Tacoma, all my "wants" cars are checked off my list other than a fiero.

I like the old 1st gen Titans. New ones are meh, and I've heard some less than stellar things, plus this XD thing they tried. Toyota could put a diesel in anything and everyone in the states would flock to it. They don't because of added complexity to their product lines and the necessary stuffs. Kinda says something about modern diesel requirements in the US if Toyota's response is "Nah, we can't make it work in a way that we would be happy to put our names on it so we aren't going to do it". So WTF how is everyone else?

 

PS F150 Numbers:

3.5 EB:



2.7 EB:


I do actually like that 2.7.

And for kicks, ranger filtered to the 2.3 this might include some foreign trucks:

 

If you ever saw Shipping Wars on TV, Royota drove a GM/Chevy truck with that

 

I don't get how people are doing that badly. I've never been below about 18 in mine, typically more like 20-21. The dash indicated is usually a bit high (closer to 22).

Makes me think there's a disproportionately high amount on there with 35" LTs, lifts, or tunes.

 

I just provide the data I don't analyze it

You're also probably on easy driving. That was the point in me looking at fuelly when buying the Tacoma, was "Okay, the tacoma is averaging 18.5 aggregate data. The frontier, probably driven the same, is 17.5 the Tacoma is only 1mpg better, and that 1mpg gap will probably extend to both similarly"

As in: If I get 20 in the tacoma, I'd end up with 19 in the frontier, etc.



Ignore 2019, and July 2020 (road trip, ran the truck at nights for the A/C....that wasn't great for my emm pee gees). Wonder how much of the winter drops is winter gas mix vs using remote start, and heat.

So, I am getting about 18.8 in the tacoma overall, which is almost spot on what Fuelly said I would be getting. probably would be getting a shade above 17.4 in the VQ40 frontier!

 

https://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/ctd/d/lowell-2019-toyota-tacoma-4wd-sr-double/7264429395.html

2019, 12k miles, SR.....34.3

WTF! I paid 36 NEW for my 2020 off road in December. Let alone 2 MY's back, without the apple/android shenanigans and power seats, used, 12k miles, not "certified" used from Toyota. Ho-lee-shnikes is that what people are actually paying for these things used?

 

Keep in mind, on Fuelly and with trucks, you have no idea how they're being used. I started looking at 250 numbers on Fuelly and a lot of them were single digits. It's not like a car where, even though driving habits will vary, the general use is the same, commuting. With trucks, you have some that will tow all day, every day, some that are commuters, some with utility boxes, some idle all day so the MPG's run the gambit.

 

Hey guys I'm looking to get a C4 Hybrid front bumper and Victory Strike II rear bumper installed in the next week or two. Both bumpers involve a bit of cutting to the body (especially the rear) and I'm not comfortable doing it myself.

Any body shop recommendations to get the custom work done? I'm near Danbury, CT at the moment but wouldn't mind a little travel to get good work done. All the shops I've called in the area are less-than-enthusiastic about doing the work I want done.

Any help is appreciated!

https://c4fabrication.com/products/tacoma-hybrid-front-bumper-3rd-gen-2016

https://www.victory4x4.com/product/VT3RS2.html

 

I agree but disagree. I prefer the reliability, performance, and mileage of diesel engines. I understand you're adding 400lbs under the hood, but the torque those engines have and the ease with which they tow is impressive.

The 1/2 ton offerings are impressive. I'm a big fan of the baby PowerStroke, but that 1/2 ton market is not for me. I want and need something heavier.

Nissan totally screwed the pooch with their choice. It would have been much better to drop the engine with a new model refresh, and some serious hardware updates as well.

I still think Toyota would've done much better things with that engine.

I dunno, a TON of my customers at Toyota that used their Tundras for towing/work were pretty much unanimous in siding with a diesel option. They refused to go domestic for their vehicles because they needed reliable vehicles.

A Cummins Tundra would be in my driveway next week if it existed

 

https://geotargit.com/called.php?qcity=Danbury

 

Come up to NH and I'll install it for ya.

 

I think we agree/disagree for the same reasons. The Titan XD with the Cummins had a 1,400-1,600 lb payload capacity so it was right on par with any other half ton pickup, it got 16-18 MPG and didn't offer anything performance-wise that bested the other half tons. It had all the draw-backs of a diesel, high entry cost, higher fuel cost and maintenance requirements, lower payload due to the heavy engine, and didn't come through on the perks like better MPG, better performance. I do think a lot of that was Nissan's fault though because they couldn't properly tune their engine to make it run like it should.

I'd take a look at some of the testing videos of the half ton diesels. Ford's and Ram's are sort of in the dog category, they're not great performers. If I had to choose a half ton diesel, I'd go for the baby Duramax. I think they did a lot of things right with that engine. Ford's and Ram's are efficient but are underpowered for towing (on paper, I realize they're producing similar numbers to the Duramax, but real world, they're slow and underwhelming).

 

I've yet to drive one of the baby PowerStroke trucks, though I really want to. I'm gonna look up a comparison now!

Edit: Ok, the Duramax seems pretty impressive. It has the inline-6 torque, an aluminum block (which concerns me for longevity and power adding), and a decent power band!