Thinking about going from a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen

Never had a tacoma till my 2020 sr5 v6 auto, so i don't know how the older generation ones towed. For what i tow it works as well as my old 2001 4.7 tundra. Perfectly happy with the truck.

 

Thats bs on mine. It has decent torque above 1500 rpm, and rarely sees over 3k pulling 2k lb boat plus gear. The auto tranny is spot on with its shifts, your always kept in the power band.

 

I've had both. The 2nd gen was much better off the line when towing and had substantially more bottom end grunt to it. The 3rd gen even with my manual transmission and supercharger doesn't match that. That said, with a 6spd manual I can select gearing I want to be in a lot better than in the 2nd gen automatic and I get better mpg overall when towing. Power above 4k rpm is better with the 3rd gen even before I had the supercharger. Overall towing experience with both is pretty close to the same, both generations can handle 3-4k pounds with really no issues besides poor fuel economy. My 3rd gen has a nicer interior but that's to be expected with a 10 year newer truck and newer technology. Overall I can't complain but I would have really liked to have an engine that isn't a pig below 3k rpm.

 

I drive both my wife’s 2015 Gen 2 and my 2018 Gen 3. At high rpm’s the 2018 is a real performer. Off the line not so much. My wife’s 2015 4.0 Off Road is more of a steady in how it shifts even after all of the TSB’s having been applied to my 2018 Sport. The 2018 has a mind of it’s own when it comes to shifting. I got tired of messing with the “S and ECT” shifting bit. I put it in “Drive” and hope for the best. The engine/transmission in the Gen 3 truly is a POS. This is based on over 60 years of driving experience with all types engine/transmission combinations….except for a two speed Chevrolet. That combination was also a POS. Toyota is not going to change how the Gen 3 performs. Might as well accept what is and live with it. I actually like my Gen 3 and would not go back to a used Gen 2.

 

Same experience here, plenty of torque below 3k.

 

A Corolla has more torque at 2500 rpm than our Tacomas do.

Tacoma dyno - right around 120ft/lbs at 2.5k




2019 Corolla 2.0l - about 130ft/lbs at 2.5k

 

120 tq at 2.5k rpm? You must be smoking the good stuff.

There are dynos that show 3.5 makes most of its tq at about 2500k rpms.

 

Nah, I just know how to read a dyno. The stock tune 3.5l is only making about 50% of total peak torque at 2.5k rpm.

 

OP, figure out how to take an extended test drive using your normal driving conditions.

Then decide for yourself.

 

What I find hilarious, seriously, is that everyone is driving the same basic truck yet there are literally 10 different opinions in this thread alone.
It goes from "don't do it I was not happy" to "this truck is perfection" and everything in between.

How is this even possible?
It's possible because everyone has a different perception even though all their trucks are basically the same.

OP, Toyota sells 25K of these damn things every month. That oughta tell you something, combined with the fact that the Tacoma has the highest resale of any vehicle out there.
I advise you to test drive a few times. Pay attention to the little things and if you like it, get it.

 

If you really think it makes 120 tq at 2500 rpms, then I’m not sure what to say.

Corolla makes more torque at 2500 rpms , sounds about right.

 

I went through and looked at dyno plots for both vehicles - it's not just me thinking the Corolla makes more torque, it's a fact based on that collected data. I'm not saying the Corolla would be better at towing, hauling, etc just pointing out how that Toyota built 2.0l engine has a better bottom end than the Tacoma.

 

Okie dokie, Corolla has more low end torque at 2.5k rpms, sigh...


I’ve seen numerous dynographs on here confirming that the 3.5 makes most of its torque below 3k.

Here is one, I don’t have tome to look for more at the moment I am at work.

 

I came from a 2010. IMO 3rd gen all the way:

Better ergo and day-to-day convenience:

• Pushbutton start means no key to jab into my knee (AT only)
• Convenient touch-handle lock/unlock
• More intuitive AT shift gate
• Center console E-brake lever
• Quicker heated air on cold days
• Damped tailgate

Useful tech features:

• Adaptive cruise and lane departure alert for the multi-hour drives to and from the trail - both function at night - this also means large animals outside headlight range are detected.
• Night vision in the backup camera
• Better headlights
• Inclinometer in the dash screen (TRD Off Road)
• Multi-Terrain Select (AT) which is A-Trac with adjustable slip ratio (TRD Off Road)

And of course 42 more hp if you keep the revs up.

I spent the equivalent of $300 on the KDMax tune with a local tuner and can now chirp my 35" tires off the line on stock gearing. From my perspective there's absolutely no advantage with a 2nd gen at this point.

 

Really happy with my 3rd gen.

If I could change anything, I'd want the power of a 6.6 Duramax with the mpg of a Puris.

 

Dyno chart from Toyota on the 3.5 vs. 4.0 vs Corolla (lol) debate. 3.5 has plenty of torque and power, it's the eco throttle mapping that sucks the life out of it unless your foot is heavy.

@Jeff Lange posted this and I stole it so I have no other info on the dyno.

 

Yes! Had an 08 TRD 4x4 dbl cab, my daughter still has her 15 TRD, I also had an 08 and 10 2wds. My youngest daughter has a 17 2wd dbl cab. I have a 2021 SR now.

Same difference. Mileage, driving and handling and all that jazz is so close that I wouldn’t even care what year I had. All these trucks were and are still very reliable and no real major issues. The only thing that really stands out on my 2021 is the shiny paint and no dings so she still sexy!

 

For some odd reason, don't know if its all gen3 tacoma but my 2020 has noticeably more low end than my buddies 2019 trd. Trucks have the same auto tranny, and v6...tires are roughly the same size now to. I can't believe just the small tire differences would make such a change you'd notice. His truck just feels so lethargic below 2k rpm.

 

Also, to be fair, the 3rd gen is geared for better MPG. It's actually pretty amazing what they achieved with only gearing and without sacrificing the stance or putting a giant air dam on the front that gives you a horrible approach angle.

 

If you “could read dyno graphs” then you would know that you can’t read it right where the pull starts