Should I stay or should I go...

The lease on my 2019 is up this Oct. I have been a pretty loyal Taco customer (6 total) but with the last two, a '17 and the current '19, Toyota seems to have phoned them in. The V6 is not really designed as a truck engine, especially considering the peak torque is generated at a whopping 4,600 rpm's. It balks, stumbles, surges and basically annoys the hell out of me. Without spending a lot of time searching, has anyone come up with a reasonable fix (other than getting a Colorado)?

 

Tune'it

 

https://magnusonsuperchargers.com/search?q="year-2019-make-toyota-model-tacoma"&type=product

 

+1 for tuning. Completely changes the feel of the truck, especially if you have ATX.

 

Tundra

 

Get the Colorado. See you again in two years.

 

Go test drive the Colorado.

 

I don't get the complaints about the engine. I have a 550+ hp car but the Tacoma is my daily and I find it just fine.

OP the only option you have is a tune or supercharging it. I don't think a tune will make you super happy, I'd just get an engine with baseline #s that you find attractive

 

I did, hence the comment.

 

2012-2015 Tacoma or even better get a 2005-2006 Tundra DC. Everything the Taco should be. Same size. V8. Perfect size can and a 6.5’ bed. And they’re half the price of used Tacos.

 

…. and?

 

And I'm considering one. I would rather keep the Tacoma, but I'm disappointed with the performance.

 

Do you boo boo. It’s your world, we’re just living in it.

 

I love my Tacoma. So I don't have any plans on switching.

But I have three friends that bought new trucks in the last year. One has a Frontier, one has a Ranger, and one has a Colorado.

I really dug the Ranger. The Frontier was nice as well.

So I don't think shopping around could hurt if you find the Tacoma lacking.

 

So true! I test drove a couple Tacomas around 2018 and didn’t care for the AT shifting and didn’t want a manual. So I tried the Colorado against better judgment thinking I could get past how ugly they are (never did). After 30k miles with multiple dealer visits for various problems (notorious transmission shutter, electrical problems, and engine oil leak) I couldn’t wait to dump that POS.

Now at one year with a 2021 Tacoma and love this thing. Even better now with the KDMax tune.

 

Treat the accelerator as a step switch (discrete events) vs analog (squeeze). When I teach driving I have the driver drive barefoot a few times to get muscle memory. Also put it in S6 so you can get dash feedback at the native shift points. While many (many) will recommend different tunes, the driver can very quickly learn the sweet spot. Once you get that “by feel” start using the tac again. You may find taking control of the timing not only makes it fun to drive but may give you back a sense of being impressed.

 

Bought a used '02 a number of years ago. Loved it, but it started to become a money pit. You are right, it's what the taco should be.

 

Silverado

 

Go drive a 2021 or 22. My 21 drives fine.
There is no such thing as a truck specific engine. Seriously. That's like saying only blondes can be real women.

 

Get a KD Max Pro + tune. It will drive like it should. @PapaRee or @TWTaco can find you a tuner when you are ready.