Long bed owners- what’s your experience with maneuverability and parking in urban places?

There is a reason I specifically didn't buy one. I came from a full size 1/2 ton truck. A Double Cab Tacoma with a 6' bed is almost exactly the same overall length and wheelbase as a 1/2 ton extended cab with a 6.5' bed. The rear seat in the 1/2 ton is larger than the Tacoma Double cab and the bed is longer, wider and deeper. I wanted a smaller truck. If I were even thinking about a Double Cab 6' bed Tacoma a 1/2 ton just makes more sense and is no harder to park and maneuver.

I've owned 1/2 tons with 5.5' beds since 2002 and a 5' bed Tacoma since 2007. I have yet to find anything that I couldn't haul in any of those where 12' more would help. A 12' kayak or lumber isn't a problem. The next size up in lumber is 16' and you can't haul that in a 6' bed either. The bed on a Tacoma is narrow, shallow with insanely low payloads. You ain't gonna put much in the bed of a Tacoma anyway. The 1st 2 things I did when buying my Tacoma was to buy a flip out bed extender and a 6'X10' utility trailer if I needed to really haul anything.

This is as much WEIGHT as I could carry regardless of bed length and a 6' bed has less payload than a 5' bed.

 

Are you referring to trails with tight turns? Or off-road trails in general? I am planning to do some off-road and overlanding.

 

Tacoma long bed is just like driving a Tundra when it comes to maneuverability the Tacoma might be marginally less cumbersome than a fullsize.

 

Both. on really tite turns, the longbed can be harder to manuever. Ive never slid off or damaged the truck on any off road trails out in the mountains, but came oftly close a few times. Only you will know where you will be taking the truck, and how skilled a driver you are.

This is my old Frontier, I came home with plenty of pinstripes from this trip but the long bed went everywhere that Xterra did so Im happy with the length even off road.

 

I went back to verify my recollection from the when I purchased my 4th gen TRD OR long. My recollection was correct. The vehicle weighs a slight 20 pounds more, but Toyota published the 1,610 pounds for short and 1,655 pounds max payload for the long bed model for a net difference of 45 pounds more.

It's totally fine and great how the short bed works for you, but but there are a lot of us who can't have pickups that carry less than what a minivan does, or need payload and tow capability beyond a minivan capabilities. It is pretty sweet that Toyota offers the gen 4 long bed plus that tiny bit of weight added not hurting the max payload.

https://www.toyota.com/tacoma/features/mpg_other_price/7558/7544/7568

 

I drive a long bed, my truck is brown, and my profile pic is my brown wiener dog...

 

9.5 days out of 10 I dont need the LB. Hell, I dont need a bed at all. But, if you have any notion to cap your truck and sleep in your truck bed, then its a no brainer to get the LB regardless of the additional turning/parking hassle. The LB Tacoma gives you the most utility, IMO, and its still shorter than a full-size.

 

Is that a selfie stick on the front bumper?

 

Cell booster

 

I came from a full size tundra and have driven many rigs requiring a CDL so for me there isn’t a problem driving my 6 foot bed. Yes it doesn’t maneuver like my old gen 2 but I’m just used to planing any city driving which I very rarely have to go thru. If Toyota didn’t offer a long bed I probably wouldn’t have a Tacoma. I kept my CDL till I retired in 2020.

 

It’s not the wheelbase or the bed length that makes the LB annoying, it’s the shitty turning radius in the 4G.

The turning radius is my second least favorite feature after the 18 gallon Fuel tank.

 

I get reminded of those annoyances, but also recall my pre-sales exercises where I definitely did not want a Nissan Frontier, and F150, Lightening, and others has similar turning radius with the similarly useless to me 5.5 vs 5 ft short beds.

In my case back seat size is not so important, and a lot about 4th gen Tacomas stood out as good and important so I live with it.

 

No problems here. I had a 2019 long bed, a 2022 short bed, and now a 2024 long bed. I never noticed much of a difference.

 

What @b_r_o said.

 

I live in one of the densest cities in Canada (Vancouver) and I manage. Parking can be a chore especially since I park on the street (my private parking spot is way too tight). I’ve never had any issues with turning radius, just parking. You get pretty good at parallel parking real quick . Parking at work is super easy since I have like 3 spots just for myself lol.

P.S. I use my bed to haul stuff for work/play/camp and the 6ft makes a huge difference vs the 5 ft. It’s not just about hauling lumber (I’m a carpenter myself) but when I’am moving honey bee boxes for example I can carry an entire line more with the 6ft vs the 5ft. That’s a massive difference for someone who actually uses their truck to haul bulk cargo.

 

I just test drove an F-150 Tremor. TIGHT turning radius, turns on a dime. 36 gallon tank.

We can all cope all we want, but as an early adopter of the 4G I have to admit Toyota shanked this one into the grandstands. Fail.

 

Come on guys, it’s not so bad. I drive it in NYC all the time. More K-turns than U-turns but the 6’ bed is where it’s at. Any short-bed was a dealbreaker for me, given my use. Just know your vehicle!