Family with 4th gen .. Question.

Does anyone have a wife/gf and two teenagers and also have a 4th gen? I have a 23 Tundra with 40k miles and just can’t trust the engine. Looking at going to a Taco. I had a 2004, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2019 and 2021 Tacoma (wish I had never got rid of the 21 Tacoma). But still seeing engine failures arise with the 2025 tundras, I would rather have a reliable engine over room. But would love to hear anyone’s experience and thoughts if you have at least two kids.

 

Two adults and 2 teenage kids are a no-go in a Tacoma of any generation. You can make it work with small kids but they grow, fast.

Mine is a 2nd generation but I didn't even think about a Tacoma until my youngest moved out of the house. I drove a crew cab F150 prior to that. My son was 5'3" and 130 lbs in 7th grade. By 10th grade he was 6'3" and 230 lbs wearing a size 13 shoe. He wouldn't fit in my Tacoma's back seat.

That was in 2007. By 2016 I had 5 grandkids and there was simply no way to make that work with Tacoma. I kept my old Tacoma but we upgraded to a SUV with 3 rows of seats for my wife and I bought another crew cab F150 for those times when it was needed.

 

I'm 6'5" and the front seats are fantastic but the back is crowded. My teens "fit" but its not comfortable. I think the 4th gen has slightly less room than the 3rd gen.

 

Go to the dealer and try it yourself. All other answers presume matching body sizes, shapes and comfort requirements.

My guess is you'll be in a F150, if you really need a truck

 

The back of a Tacoma is not particularly friendly for anyone past middle school. A pickup truck both useful as a light truck - none of those dinky 5 and 5.5 ft beds - and with large cab is a really big vehicle. We just chose true passenger vehicles for family hauling.

My suggestion for reliability is exercise some stats basics. By VIN Toyota knows which Tundra and Tacoma have the risk from the engine and transmission manufacturing problems and they are caring for their customers well compared to their competition that also has reliability problems. In all of my pre-sales homework it was clear these are high volume vehicles and risk of failure not too high.

It seems people hear gossip, read social media, and forget or are just daft to not realizing some of these problems don't even equal the percentage of all new vehicles with problems.

 

Has the Tundra given you a reason not to trust in 40k miles or is this just worry? I'f not I'd drive it until it gives you a reason to trade since you're still under warranty. As others have already said the rear seat is a no go, I'm 5'10" and there's no way anything other than a very small kid would fit behind me.

 

Not OP but appreciate all the responses as the same thought has crossed my mind. Me and my wife/her family are all pretty tall and the kids are shooting up like weeds and still only in 2nd and 4th.

 

I grew up in the back of a tiny sedan with my sibling, and it was just fine. Kids make the best of anything. Taco on brotha

 

Thanks for all the responses. The biggest issue I have is the rear headrest. They lean forward and cause a weird position of the kids. My 14 year old who will be 15 in 2 weeks doesn’t like them. But if I flip them they work great only problem then is they don’t lock in I have always loved Tacomas and can’t believe in 2025 I am terrified to be in a Tundras as even the 25’s haven’t had issues. It’s all fun in games until someone finally dies when the Tundra kills someone stalling out. I haven’t had any issues out of my 22 Tundra or 23 Tundra. But I’m just not sure of the reliability of the Tundra vs the taco. I haven’t seen Taco engine failures .. yet.

 

How is it that you are actually "seeing" or really knowing when 466,000+ of the current gen Tundra have shipped? Your paranoia is harder to understand knowing actual failures from a specific problem are a small percentage and root cause was solved 2+ years ago. With a few thousand early Tacomas having a transmission TSB how or why do you not share same paranoia or fear to buy one?

From my experience with the generations predating these, they have recalls and failures too.

My best advice beyond what I expressed about the cab size is work on paranoia and stats methods. You don't want the wrong kind of fear in life. It contributes to our species making poor choices, plus being easily manipulated. Statistically, both products are not really outside of what occurs in the industry, and Toyota is better than other light truck makers for standing behind their products.

If you don't really need a pickup or too often you can consider how I just rented when needed and often used a trailer during prime/peak window of raising the kids. Not only was it absolute best comfort, but some of the most reliable, safest and practical stuff out there.

Good luck.

 

If I were you, I’d buy the 10/100 Platinum warranty and keep the Tundra. It was $1360 for my Tacoma.

 

Two teenagers on occasion maybe, but not on a regular basis. Petit girls and growing boys are two different sets of circumstances.

As far as the engine, Toyota knows how to build a 4 cylinder. This seems to be their latest architecture, all-purpose engine. Although it rattles, clatters, pops and wheezes with all the gizmos that meet the EPA's restrictions, it's stout and seems reliable. Time will tell if their turbo holds up, but this seems pretty basic and addresses the common problems (mainly resulting from cooked oil).

Given what the 3.5 has done to brand perception, I'm surprised they don't toss that and add 2 cylinders to this design and just make a straight 6 for the Tundra.

 

I've never sat in a 4G but they don't look like they have the most interior room that's the midsize class for you. Toyota would rather sell you a Tundra instead of a Tacoma that's why the rear seat and passenger area isn't all that big to start with.

 

This. These are first world problems. My kids grew up in Tacomas. Still have 2 teenagers in the house and they don’t bitch about the legroom. Kids adapt to whatever they are used to. It’s good for them. They need their own “back in my day…” stories for later.

 

Here's the complaint department, plenty of rear seat legroom:

 

Shaquille O'neal could comfortably fit back there with all that leg room. 4 lug who has a 4 lug? I know fox body Mustangs are mostly 4 lug. I'm surprised that Brat has a passenger side sideview mirror and the driver's side looks like it has been replaced with a round mirror.

 

Amen brother, we all need some adversity growing up so we aren't complete gormless losers as an adult. I'm not sure a slightly uncomfortable back seat even counts as "adversity."

 

Honest question and looking for input; the angle I look at the tight back seat from is in terms of a crash/accident/whathaveyou. At what point does small transcend from being a nuisance to a danger to the occupants (in your all's opinions)?

 

I have a 13 and 16 yr old they get in the back

 

In that case you know what you must do.