After having a 4th gen for a few months here is what I wish Toyota would improve/redesign

So I've had my 4th gen for almost two months now and overall I do like the truck. But these are some things I'm a little disappointed Toyota did not nail on the 4th gen or wish they would improve or redesign upon.

If you're looking at a 4th gen these are the things you might want to factor in.

1. The turning radius
-Compared to a third gen, the turning radius is a big let down. I wouldn't quite say it feels like driving a full sized truck but in the turning radius sense I can understand why people are saying this truck feels like a full sized truck. I know they increased the wheel basis and I'm sure they had their reasons for doing so but on a day to day basis it is pretty annoying in tight spaces/parking lots.

2. Cupholders
- This might seem like a small issue but to me it drives me crazy that the cupholders are in front of the shifter. When you rest your arm on the center console/shifter and have drink container or cup with a straw in it the drink/straw will constantly poke your arm.

Can someone please come up with an aftermarket product that would redesign this? (I do love the handle/hook though)



3. Center Console/glove box/cigaret lighter outlet
- The center console on the 4th gen is smaller and shallower than the 3rd gen.

The glove box console does not have a shelf like in the third gens and I constantly have things slide out when I open it.

There is no cigaret plug-in outlet in the center console like the 3rg gens. However there is one for the backseat. I am wanting to see if there is a way to make it so the cigaret lighter can be double ended or one added so you could put one in both the backseat and be extended into the center console.



4. Storage
- The storage behind the seats feels smaller compared to the third gen. Also if you do end up getting the hybrid I believe there is no under seat storage or less because of the battery.

The storage compartments in the sides of the truck bed are also not standard on all models on the 4th gens.

5. Rear Window
- The rear window is not standard on all models of the 4th gen.

4. Tailgate looks like Chevy Colorado
- I do love the exterior of this truck a lot better than the third gens but I must say the tailgate is ugly and looks exactly like a Chevy Colorado.

5. Gas Tank
- The smaller gas tank is a bummer considering that the increased MPG's in these is only marginal compared to the third gens.

6. Volume/Next Buttons
- The +/- volume Botton being on the left side of the steering wheel and the next/seek buttons are on the right side of the steering wheel. This is definitely less seamless compared to the third gen that were both on the left side of the steering wheel next to each other. Most people likely drive with one had on the steering wheel at times and having to constantly switch is pretty annoying.



If you're looking at a 4th gen these are the things you might want to factor in as opposed to keeping your 3rd gen.

Overall I do like this truck and the 4 cylinder turbocharged motor will smoke any 3rd gen but when you pay almost $50K for a truck these are the little things that annoy you spending so much time in your truck.

Curious to see what other 4th gen owners would like to see improved/redesigned on these trucks.

 

Redesign truck interior or buy a shorter water bottle? What about the door water bottle storage?

Why a lighter plug in the front? For power or an actual lighter?

 

Tell me about the acceleration vs the 3rd generation v6. Is it a lot quicker? After I got a Kdmax tune installed I was happy with the acceleration but before that my 2022 was a dog. Just wondering how the 4th generation compares (mine arrives in about 30 days or so)

 

Can we have the A/C to remember the last setting if it was on/off?
Mine seems to always default to off whenever I start the car and it's a minor annoyance.

Also, I like the built-in upright phone slot in the front, but it's a little tricky to reach the bottom of the phone if I need to unlock/clear out notifications without picking up the phone.

Re: Cupholders - yeah same thing on my RAV4 too, wish it's sideways like the Camry.

 

I chose to use the water bottle in the picture because it was the only one around at the time, but regardless there are a lot of tall drinks that people are going to want to put in the main cupholders throughout the years they will own this truck. If you go through a drive-thru chances are you're going to have a drink with a straws/plastic to-go lids which are going to poke the driver or passenger when in the main center cupholders.

The door cupholders are a good backup storage for sealed water bottles, but using them for drinks with straws/to-go plastic lids is less practical. Reaching down by your feet to access a drink while driving with those kinds of lids will just increases the likelihood of spills, is inconvenient, and takes your eyes off the road.

The lighter plug-in upfront is great but it's nice to be able to hide the chords. The glovebox is the perfect spot for charging devices without chords flopping all over the place. In the third gen, both upfront and center console plug-ins were available standard. When you're paying $50K for a truck would have been a lice little thing to have.

 

The 4 banger turbocharged is 100000X better than the third gen imo. Acceleration is amazing/not laggy and this feels like a fast truck compared to the turtle gens.

 

Bruh

it is a Tacoma
Older Tacoma center console is cup holders front and rear
Your appears to be the same

a big hydroflask does not go in the front
It goes in the rear for exactly this reason
No vehicle is going to have a hydroflask clear a shifter in the front of the console

 

No rear window? Surely you jest....

 

I have no complaints about the interior. They did a kind of bulged out bed sides, maybe to make it look muscular, that get really dirty quick. Like one drive and there is shit stuck to the bed. I washed this truck more in a month than my old tundra over 11 years. First world problems

 

As previously mentioned I used the hydro flask because it's all I had around when I took the pic...any drink with a straw will do this.

On all previous gens there were cupholder options in front of the shifter or to the side.

 

*Rear window opening.

 

The turning radius is disappointing and is probably exactly why some people say it is like driving a 1/2 ton. The 4th gen turning radius is 21.25 to 24.1 and the 2.5 Gen Tundras was 22-24.5. As compared to the 3rd gen. 20.3-22.05.

 

Agreed, also when I start the truck, often after previously using Apple CarPlay before turning off the truck, the media display defaults to the 'Toyota Drive Connect' input, asking if I want to subscribe to up the Drive Connect.....I wonder why a corporation would do that haha?

Wow that's a noticeable difference, thanks for sharing.

 

The majority of the issues you mentioned really have nothing to do with how the truck actually performs as a "Truck", towing, hauling, offroad, etc.

Toyota has figured out that the Tacoma fan base is now mostly comprised of former BMW owners and is building trucks accordingly.

 

So true. I’ve had a Toyota truck around the house since 1985. That 1985 SR5 Xtra cab was pretty fancy for its time, but nothing like today’s trucks.

 

This is my third Tacoma and when you spend so much time in your truck these are things that I felt could be improved to make the truck better. I'm not really dissatisfied in those areas you mentioned.

However, let's be real: if you need to tow or haul anything more than a your small trailer to the dump you're not looking at a tacoma...you're getting a full sized truck.

 

I was offered a really high trade in offer for my taco, so I looked at the 4th gen. The 4th gen seemed nice, kind of reminded me of the nice looking but hard cheap style plastic interiors GM uses in their trucks.

As far driving goes, the turbo 4 cylinder does seem more peppy but not fast by any means. Feels just like the wife’s 4banger turbo SUV. Or all the other similar turbo 4 cylinder engines I’ve driven. Turning radius did not seem great as you mentioned.

The back seats actually felt smaller then my 3rd gen but may because I had the front seats to far back. Nonetheless the family was not impressed. And I can’t believe there was NO rear passenger AC vents. No go for the family. I can’t believe for how much these trucks cost they couldn’t add that simple feature in the entire redesign. When cars a fraction their cost have it. Even the 4Runners get it.

I had no intention of getting rid of the 3rd gen, was just thinking about getting the 4th gen for myself and holding onto my Taco for my son.

At this point I think I’m just going to enjoy my taco for our short camping/outdoor trips and get an HD truck as the big road trip land yacht. Also checked out the Tundra Pro, almost decided on that actually over the 4th gen as it seemed to fill more of my needs. But for what the taco and tundra cost now, I’m just going to spend a little more and get the HD 3500 I’ve been eyeing. Maybe I’ll even add a camper for the back, been eyeing those and getting the diesel will open up that possibility.

To each their own though, no judgement for whatever people decide on. I do feel like Toyota could had done more in some areas and less in others but it’s okay.