2012 NEW --> 25k Miles review- Thoughts

Hey guys-

I thought I'd share a few thoughts and a very basic review so far on my DC TRD Sport Tacoma. It's a 4x4 longbed in Magnetic Grey Metallic. This forum was a huge help for me before I bought the truck and I was a total newbie to Toyota. All of the trucks I've owned previously had been 3/4 or 1 ton diesel or gas Chevy's or Dodge's.

I bought this truck because with my work I am doing a ton of commuting and roadtrips. I got the truck in Sept and it is already at 25,000 miles. I've driven it in 12 states and all over the Southeast. I haven't had a chance yet to get it off raod much or to modify it much, fall was super busy for me at work and I pretty much bought it and hit the road asap. I do intend to do some basic modifications, mainly a small lift and a little bigger wheels and tires. I still commute and I don't want to completely destroy my ride or milage.

For what it's worth to anyone who may care, here's my thoughts so far:

The truck is small. Now, I know you're saying "duh" but having gone from a bigger truck to this, it will surprise you how dang small they are. That said, it's not really a bad thing, especially when you're driving with just 2 people in the truck. Riding with passengers in the back seat is brutal for the passengers, unless of course it's kids or someone pretty small. Again, not really a negative, it just is what it is....

Toyota paint seems to be super cheap. I take super good care of my trucks, regular washings and keeping them clean, I swear if I look at this thing wrong it has a small scratch...

The seats (I have the sport seat material) don't seem to be wearing well. I am not hard on them and they look worn on edges and in spots. This is disappointing. I intend to get some nice seat covers on them ASAP or maybe even just switch it to leather.... But while seats are pretty comfy, they don't wear well and they seem to be getting some light stains on them even though we are super clean...I think they were treated with something with the Toyoguard package? Oh well...

I LOVE the ride and handling of this truck. Again, having come from bigger trucks I still feel like I'm driving a sports care when I'm in it. Got a nice turning radius and handle is very responsive.

Entune-- I was on the fence with this not knowing if it was worth the money....In my opinion, it's badass and I am VERY glad I have it. The sound is unreal and tethering to my phone, and the screen, and all options... I likey. Never been much of a gadget guy but my hell I love me some Entune.

The bed features are pretty cool and come in handier than I thought they would. I love the tie downs and rail system. The outlet is nice and over all I like it. The plastic bed is kind of a pain in the butt at times when stuff is sliding around in your bed as you drive. I'v always had trucks done with Line X in the bed so the smooth plastic is a new thing. Since the interior is so small, I find myself putting more in the bed than I ever have in a truck. That said, I plan to put a Leer topper on it in the next month or 2. I've never been a topper guy but I use my bed wayyyy more than in other rigs for normal stuff I don't want getting wet (hunting gear, guns, duffel bags, etc)

Mileage has been about what I expected. I'm getting about 17.5-18 on a normal tank of city/hwy driving and when I'm road tripping, I'm getting about 19. I once tried to drive like a grandpa and see what happened....going 67 mph I averaged 20.7 mpg on a road trip from SC to MS. The slow driving killed me and truth be told, a mile or two per gallon saved to me isn't worth driving so damn slow. I am happy with the MPG. I switched it to synthetic oil on the first oil change at 5k miles and I have no clue whether that helps, hurts or doesn't make a difference.


Overall, I really am liking it for what it's made for and the purposes I bought it for. I still have a 3/4 ton Chevy Silverado for when and if I need a bigger rig but the Tacoma is growing on me. Having put 25k miles on it in 5 months I've gotten to know the thing pretty well. I'm going to be driving it from South Carolina to Utah and all over Montana this month so it'll get it's first taste of mountains, cold and off roading. I'll be moving back west and so it's life of luxury in SC is over I like it, I'll prob be a Toyota fan for a long time. So far I dig the Taco... And I'll keep lurking on the forum and getting ideas on how to blow my money on cool, needless crap for my truck... I know once I start modding it, it's a downhill slide from there! haha ..

B

 

That's good information to know! I just sold my 6.0L and will be purchasing a Tacoma in the near future. I figured it would be a lot smaller than a full size truck. I have an '84 4Runner, you talk about small compared to today's vehicles!!

 

Good review!

Look into purchasing a bed mat for your truck - it takes care of things sliding around

Dee Zee DZ86964 Heavyweight Bed Mat

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VUC51G/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Great write up, thanks man! What do you do for a living that takes you all over the country?

 

I came from an 03 Tacoma and can't get over how much larger the 13 Taco is. It was like going from a compact truck to a full size truck. When I see a new Ram or F150 on the road it amazes me how huge they really are.

 

cool write up and takes lots of pictures of the country!

 

You drive alot huh?

 

Rock on.

 

Great write up & review.
I agree with the sport seats & threw cheapo covers on them & am now signed up for the W.Okole GB.
I guess I had different expectations since my 2006 had the SR5 seats.
Now the 7 Way sport seat buckets I had in my old 90's toyota truck were awesome.
No comparison to what is put in their trucks today.

 

Ya that's a sure thing! Again, exactly why I bought the Taco. I used to own an alarm company but we sold it and I'm moving back west to work in construction sales. So, I'll be travelling all over Utah, Idaho and Montana.

Another major contributor to my miles is I have a terrible addiction to hunting. I'll load bird dogs and travel anywhere just about anytime to hunt or chase critters on a mountain. I've road tripped numerous times this year to Mississippi to hunt ducks and quail...

Good idea guys on the wet okole... Seems like everyone here pretty much agrees they are nice, I should get some ordered up and installed or these seats will be shot in no time.

When I get out west I'll have a chance to haul a variety of smaller trailers and boats with it. I'm real curious as to how it's gonna hold up and haul. I need to get a trailer brake controller in it and giver er a go. Obviously it's not made for large loads but I'm curious how it handles the reasonable stuff.

 

Get a bed mat so things don't slide around. I absolutely love mine.

 

X383 on getting the bed mat.

 

Holy shit that's a lot of miles! My 09 only has 24000 on it. Thanks for the write up, and like everybody else has said, get a bed mat. It's really amazing how useful it is.

 

nice truck...great write-up,with so much interstate driving,i'm sure you've encountered your share of dense fog and critters,i'd hate to steer you towards a "damage multiplier"(brush guard,bull bar)but those two things may need addressing(fog,critters).a substantial plate bumper will add weight,mileage will suffer at a minimal rate,you'll need to revamp the front suspension to handle the extra weight(hello coilovers)...then,since you're at it..check your rear leaf pack,if you've only got the 3-leaf pack,you may want to go to the "tsb",4 leaf pack..since you're useing your bed for luggage and adding co-workers to the mix..leaf pack and rear shocks might be in order,add in a topper and it's a "must have".i dig the canvas type toppers,but security may be a big issue for you,so a fiberglass topper may be your best bet..add some lighting in the topper for convience.evaluate your night driving..is the lighting good enough or just so-so,get more light if needed.basic tool kit and emergency gear are a must have,i've seen some crazy stuff happen in the wee hours on the interstate! a"butt-kickin" flashlight(mag light mounted to driver seat bottom) and lantern are good to have.what about "aggressive looking tires,may not be the best choice for the highway..but they look soooo good,choose carefully,a moderately lugged "AT" type tire ain't gonna kill your mlieage,but they are heavier.at this point,you've added weight and possibly lifted the ride height..gas mileage killers,so keep that in mind.also,just about everything you've done so far will increase "in-cabin noise",you'll learn to live with that,not that big of a deal..i have a rack and light bar on my cab,if the radio is on i don't even notice it.good luck man,and stay safe on the interstate.

 

well dang dude..hunting dogs...now you gotta get more storage for dog stuff...e-collars and chargers,neoprene vests,food and water storage,long-lines and tie-outs,crates,safe gun/ammo storage..a fridge would be nice,you're probably gonna need a rack on your topper or cab,and now you're gonna need even more lighting(back/sides),cause you never know what a dog will get into in the woods,trying to care for an injured dog with no light sucks.

 

Ya I do need more cool stuff for the dogs! Ha!

I'm planning to put a Leer topper on and then a nice 2 hole aluminum dog box in the truck with storage in it. One of my main motivators to put a topper on is to light the thing up like the Grizwalds house. I HATE how my truck has no light for the bed as it is now. In a topper ill put a few lights in there. So many early mornings and late nights hunting and I hate fumbling or having to wear a head lamp.

 

And a bed mat is next on the list--- great idea gents!

 

B,

I went with the Leer 100XQ and love it. It looks great on the truck, doesn't stick up in the air stream and is holding up well. The wife and I towed a 3,000-3,500 lb trailer from NW Washington to Houston with zero problems. It was hard to tell there was a trailer behind us (until I looked at the gas gauge). Lastly I went with the Toyota bed mat. It's very comfy to crawl around on and built quality is very good.

 

On an Island: That's exactly the topper I'm looking at. Thanks for the pic and thoughts! Sounds like you've liked it, I'll get one ordered up !!

 

Great write up. I'm at about 25k miles with my 2012 as well. This is my first truck and first Toyota. Overall I am happy with it except for the gas mileage as I haven't been able to calculate more than 15-16 mpg no matter how I drive and then I see people getting 20+ on here. Another gripe is the downshifts with the auto when you lightly press the brake pedal and it feels like you applied a lot more brake pressure than you intended to. Never felt such a thing in any auto I've driven where it literally pushes you forward in your seat.