What don't you like?

This is my biggest gripe, but I would say it’s pretty much solved on my truck. It’s a gripe that I don’t believe the automatic transmission folks can appreciate.

Have you ever tried higher octane? It makes a big difference in mine. I’ve done a few other things, but octane gets you halfway there…in my experience

 

Yep, 93 octane for over 2 years and now 90 octane no ethanol. Hasn’t changed for me. Same for different tunes, it’s always there. It maybe got a bit better with octane, but it’s been so long that it’s hard to say.

And yes, I agree with you that the autos don’t get it. I had a loaner auto for 2.5 weeks while mine got a warranty repair, and the auto completely sucks in its own way, but it doesn’t have any of the throttle hesitation that the manuals have. So auto owners definitely don’t understand what we’re talking about unless they’ve driven one.

 

Ok. I’ll tell you what I’ve done. I use exclusively 93 octane. Anything less is immediately noticeable. I have the OTT tune, Anderson spacer, and unplugged ACIS. I’ve arrived at that point with a lot of experimenting. It’s not faster than it was stock, but it’s a lot more drivable.

 

I used to use 93 but eventually I started getting chirping from the high pressure fuel pump. Ethanol free fuel fixes that, so that is what I run now. I can only get that in 90 octane.

I have OTT. It’s okay, but I still get it to bog down constantly.

Haven’t tried the Anderson spacer, but I have been interested in it before. Just never pulled the trigger.

I have unplugged the ACIS before. For whatever reason, that felt like it was worse after…one thing I’m not sure about is if it’s spring loaded? I wonder if you unplug it, is the flap free to flip into either position, does it stay where it was, or does it spring back to its natural position? Not sure, and so I couldn’t determine much other than my low end was worse with it unplugged and it went back to normal once I plugged it back in.

 

I tried 3 tanks of 93 octane. Perhaps a placebo of slightly better power under the curve but nothing that makes me believe it's worth the $20 extra per fill up.

 

My only complaint is backing up in small parking lots. The double cab is a very long vehicle, even with a 5 1/2 ft bed. It's difficult to see when backing up in tight places. I took out the middle headrest from the back seat to get better visibility. The backup cam helps, but it's diffucult to judge distance using it.

 

You probably mean you HATE the way that the transmission performs because of the factory settings. Once that annoying issue is looked after it becomes a smooth shifting, non gear hunting, well-oiled machine! (My personal experience spanning the past 6 yrs)

 

Disagree underpowered. As others have said, it’s a v6 and needs (and was made for) high rpm’s. I do prefer low end power of a v8, but the 3.5 does just fine for a pickup truck. I would only feel underpowered if doing a lot of heavy towing, but I also wouldn’t have bought this truck if I was.

Agree with cheap quality of trim plastic is most disappointing quality. Both interior and exterior plastics scratch way too easy for a vehicle. They also fade and look like crap way too fast. The one positive thing I noticed though is that the trim tabs and clips do not break and things go back with the same tightness as before. That’s a first in my experience.

 

3rd gen cabin is squashed like a pancake. I can touch my thumb to the floorboard with my pinky touching the top of the seat. It's basically a gokart. when I drive with my feet all the way back to the seat on cruise control my knees are halfway up the steering wheel for the love.

with the 4th gen they needed to increase the the floor to ceiling height and seat to ceiling height by around a foot. They gave it two more inches. for the love.

the cabin is about 1 foot too short front to back. If y'all all want it to fit in garages for some crazy reason they should have extended the cab by 1 foot and took that foot out of the bed making it 4ft bed. This would add an extra foot of leg room for the back seat. Perfect.

drop the prior gen 4runner 4.o and trans in it and it and add a front locker itd be perfect.

and then take my money

 

ill be happy with the north American Tacoma once it is this

 

I hate that I can't get out on back country or FSR more often exploring with this truck. Stuck like most, daily driving 95% of the time working to pay bills and doing mundane domestic chores. But when we can escape, no complaints.

 

I bet y'all have some amazing trails to ride up there in BC. I've been wanting to hunt there for a loooooong time. Most exciting trails get here in FL is all flat with sandy holes and small stream crossings...

 

Yes, you are correct. We also have some diverse areas here as well. Coastal rain forests, inland deserts, spectacular sub alpine meadows and glaciers. From the southern Can/Am border to the Arctic ocean in the north. At the end of the day, anything outdoors is better than the concrete jungles. Every area always has some interesting features if you stop watch and observe. Can I just win the lotto and do that full time?

 

No don’t spend that if it doesn’t help you. On mine, benefits of 93 octane are obvious within 1/4 tank. It’s odd that it helps some and not others. It’s not placebo in my case. It’s night and day improvement.

 

Unplugging it makes more sense with the spacer. Alternatively, you could reprogram the engine speed that it opens to a lower rpm. I did it entirely to get rid of the big jerk that occurred at 3600 rpm with the OTT + spacer. I didn’t notice any negative impact.

 

I wouldn't swap a 3.5L Tundra motor in it. Too much of a risk of it blowing up

 

modern EPA approved automotive paint/clear coat is weak sauce...that's about it...

 

have you seen the 4th gen manual console? Not sure what they were thinking when they designed that. Looks like they just threw it together with a bunch of parts they had laying around from the automatics. No storage at all in front of the shifter and shift skirt is massive and a weird shape like they were covering a hole made for something else. You think it looks right? Where are you going to put your phone?

 

I thought the same thing when mine was new. After about a year, it more or less settled down. Don't notice it at all now.

 

its shaped like that for reverse gear. its actually same size or smaller than the 3rd gens