I went for a second test drive and I love the truck, but.......

My father in law is a die hard Ford guy and bought a Ranger Lariat new in 2019 as his shop truck. He was disappointed when comparing it to my Taco, especially considering Ford constantly compared it to the Tacoma. It has more power but torque is lacking. Fuel economy is good. Tacoma has much more space in the back seats. Bigger sliding window. Ranger does not have a sunroof option. His Ranger was $5k more than my Taco which included all this.

 

At least you make test drives and can make your own decisions.

It's why I drive an unpopular 5 lug. It met all my needs at a good price.

 

Yep. At least he is not like many recent posts on TW. Take the truck for a drive around the block, buy it and then come on here complaining about the power!

 

And there you have it folks. The hidden secret to getting awesome MPG's!

 

Get a Maverick. They get mpg.

 

Truck and good fuel economy are not often synonymous!

 

Don't be jealous

 

The 1997 F350 long bed, crew cab, 7.3 got better mileage than my Tacoma. It's a bummer. Something about available power versus weight, I think. The Tacoma has a lower torque, lower power engine so it is operating at a higher percentage of power to achieve the same speed as the F350. I wish the Tacoma got better mileage as well but if you are looking for a truck that gets 25-28 MPG, this truck is highly unlikely to do it, unfortunately.

 

I was going to suggest Maverick as well.

 

Fuel economy is not likely to dramatically change in just a few years. Also be aware of the fuel economy claims for small turbos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9aO2vC_iMTI

Calling a Tacoma “small” isn’t taking into consideration the full spectrum of automobiles on the road worldwide. The taco is quite large, heavy, and non-aerodynamic in the grand scheme.

Also keep in mind that fuel economy is determined by a host of factors including aerodynamics, engine efficiency, weight, rolling resistance, and driving habits.

 

The additional cost of basic maintenance on a Diesel engine will buy a lot of gasoline. Is everyone’s obsession with mpg some hippie assed carbon footprint thing ? I’ll pay at the pump and be done with it. Don’t have time to dick around with turbo replacement, chinese hybrid batteries, dpf, or driving a damn Kia rental

 

Felicia, heads up, you don't need to sign off your comments on the internet. We know who wrote it.

 

I totally agree with your decision. I considered trading my 21 tundra in for a '19 Tacoma 2.7 5spd 4wd dbc. After the test drive I realized I'd be giving up all my towing, power, and warranty for the same gas mileage as my 5.7, and the same payment. I love my 2wd taco, but it's definitely not better on gas than my tundra either with the pedal commander and mods. Best of luck finding something more suited to your needs!

 

I know lots of truck guys will blather on about it "not being a truck" but man I think it's a cool little vehicle. I hope they take off and more companies get into the mini-truck market.

Looks better than the Ranger too in my opinion.

 

Lol some of your explanations are ignoring physics.

 

Both the hybrid and non-hybrid get good to great gas mileage, the price point is sweet, and if you don't need a 5'+ bed and just need some space for hauling, it is a fantastic option. And AWD for snow driving!

Not for me but it has a perfect place in the world of vehicles. I see a fair number of them out there and it has only been a short time. If I was right out of college or getting into the work force or tight on $, would totally be near the top of my vehicle list.

 

Ridge Line time.

 

Cowfootball, try to refrain. The 7.3l powerstroke is a Navistar engine with some additional Ford application specific parts. It was in many medium duty wreckers and school buses. It is not a GM product and is one of the most respected power plants on the market.
If I am on the diesel forums, many don't even consider the Taco a truck. I disagree. It is a smaller truck and I love just about everything else about it. But, I think this power plant design is long in tooth and ready for a power plant revision. The Maverick is an option, but way less attractive. It is much more like a car. I don't need another big truck. I thought the Taco would be perfect and I LOVE the enthusiast following it has. I usually make some modifications to my vehicles and there seems to be TONS of support and passion for the Taco. I just need that 23+mpg on the highway. The F-150 ecoboost gets 23. It is a bigger truck, bigger price point and I don't want to go there.
That brings me to my only other gripe about the two test drives. On the second drive, I took two teenagers. They were fine back there in the rear seat. The problem is, I have 3. The middle seat in the back in non existent. There is zero leg room with the trans tunnel and center console. They need to change that.
The Maverick is on the list, but it really isn't a truck. The Taco is absolutely a truck and I give it respect. The issue is that the rest of the market is starting to pass it in economy. I am almost positive Toyota will address this in the future.
If I were designing it, it would have a manual lever for 4x4, 6speed manual trans, better back seat room, 6 foot bed for manuals as well, and either a small diesel or turbo engine.

As far as the Colorado, I looked into it and it has engine issues that require big work and headaches to resolve. I am not trading MPGs for a modern diesel will all sorts of issues.
The RidgeLine is not an option. I have two CRVs. It looks just as whimpy.

Folks, I still love the Taco and if I only needed one truck, it would be a serious option. But, I also need to something to tow my dump trailer and skid steer and that punching way above the Taco's weight class. All in all, nice tough little truck. I just need it to get better than 20mpg.

 

I need a Tacoma that has 440hp, 600 pounds torque, tows 22,000 pounds, does sub 10 sec 1/4's, hauls 14 people and 2,900 pounds of payload, and gets 27.9 mpg through the mountains on a windy day.