Hey everyone :) Looking for Tacoma 4x4 advice

I'm a wildlife photographer looking for a versatile option. I'd appreciate any tips regarding the Tacoma 4x4's.

For four months a year, I film the national parks and forests. Grizzly bears and moose are my main targets. I spend a lot of time on crappy, washboard roads, but also a ton of time on highways. My current rig is a Camry 4cyl with moonroof. To be honest, I should have never taken that poor car into the places I had taken it. The -40 temps last winter in Montana didn't help, either.

So I'm looking for better traction and a vehicle that can access more places. However, not having carpet is important to me. I understand the Tacoma has a factory option called "all weather flooring". This would be ideal for me. Long wildlife trips just trash carpeting.

Also, how much gas am I going to be sucking down with a Tacoma? I had a 1992 4x4 regular cab toyota for 10+ years that couldn't get out of its own way (22re), but had decent milage. I can afford the V6, but the question is do I want to? I'm not really interested in driving stick again, either. I'll be spending time at elevation in the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest, but not much around 10k as the mountains are smaller there than Colorado (although there's much more wilderness overall). Most of the passes in Montana are around 6k.

My other choices are a Subaru Outback/Forester, or a Rav4. These have the advantage of being able to sleep in the back in a heated interior, but I can't seem to find a carpet less option for them. Should I wait and see what the 2015 Tacoma's deliver? Any pointers on other vehicles with carpetless options?

Anyway, thanks for any tips and Happy 4th! I'm sort of in paralysis by analysis here. Do I want the rugged Tacoma (that can actually handle repeated washboard road abuse) with all weather flooring, or the MPG and heated sleeping area?

 

Have you considered adding weathertech floorliners. They mold to the floor and offer excellent coverage. Can you even get the 4x4 off road model without carpet? If you are really worried about traction I assume you want A-TRAC.

 

Hi TakoToy,

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually live a few miles from the Weathertech plant. They make great stuff, but too much mud and snow would still leak over the sides. I'm looking for a complete solution, because so much junk falls through the cracks between the seats, etc and just trashes the carpet.

For short trips and day use, this isn't a problem. But when you often eat in your car, sleep in it (when not tenting) and change in it, it really adds up quickly on long trips.

Also, I wouldn't be getting the Off Road option on this one. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, but I'm looking for a truck to get me deeper along on national forest roads, not for rock crawling.

I know the FJ has a carpet less interior, so maybe I should look that way, too.

 

The Offroad option has the rear diff locker. Good for getting in and out of bad places...The weathertech liners are one of the best options for our trucks. The average for V6 trucks seems to be about 17-20 MPG,with the lower numbers most common. You don't need a standard with the 4 cylinder..you can get it with an auto,and those guys get better MPG...22+ generally. Just about anything you buy has carpet in it anymore,unless you get a stripped down work truck...but then you lose the ability to have some of the options.

 

Find a 4x4 with AT tires and buy a shell for the bed you can sleep in. Sounds like you don't need a rear locker if the Camry has made it everywhere you've been so far.

 

Thanks for the replies. F75 and Carcharias.

The Camry has been great, but it's not really fair to that car, lol. Last year I blew out the left front tire and control arm on a national forest road in Montana.

I hear that the 4 cyl with auto is kind of a dog. But if I can get 22 highway with it, I think I might be fine.

It would be very easy for me to just get the Rav4, but that 6 inches of ground clearance is just sad. No better than my Camry, really.

 

fj cruiser, or tacoma trd offroad

 

I was just quoted $23,999 out-the-door for a 2014 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab 4x4 S manual/V6/white.

Why is this vehicle $5000 cheaper than the comparable Tacoma?

 

Most simple answer? It's not as good, the resale value is worse, and the aftermarket products offered can't touch those of the Tacoma.

 

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the feedback. I test drove a 4x4 access cab v6 Tacoma today, and the Nissan Crew cab v6 4x4.

First, I much preferred the aesthetic of the Tacoma's interior. The Nissan made me feel like I was in a North Korean militarized zone. Drab and grey.

However, the Nissan was more comfortable. Back in my 22Rre 4x4 regular cab days, I always noticed how it felt like I was sitting on a lawn chair at poolside, my legs well out in front of me and bent casually at the knees. Amazingly, the 2014 Tacoma's feel the same way. Not like I'm sitting *in* something, but rather on top of it.

The Nissan seats felt like actual chairs, and my legs fell at a sharp angle. Far more comfortable. The Nissan also seemed to absorb bumps better around town. I', 6'3, and I also noticed that my elbows and hips would sometimes jab into the Tacoma's door handles. I think this was more related to the lawn chair style seating position than lack of hip and shoulder room.

I enjoyed both trucks. The Tacoma v6 felt more aspirated, the Nissan a bit angrier at low rpm's. I like the Tacoma's MPG much more. You can tell the Nissan is a pig and I seriously doubt the EPA ratings.

I drove and sat in a bunch of Toyota's other than the Tacoma's. The overall impression is that they feel cheaper to me. Thinner seats, rough edges in carbon fiber switch spaces (Rav4). The areas where you can remove the headrests from the Tacoma bucket seats felt cheap as hell compared to my 2003 Camry. The metal feels flimsier, too. Lots of hard plastic, cheap looking radio knobs and tinny, hollow sound from the stock touch screen stereos.

Is there an app for crappy sound? The stock CD player in my 2003 Camry LE sounds like a high end audio shop in comparison.

However, the two vehicles that did not feel cheapened out to me were the FJ and the Prius. The Prius felt like Toyota's did around 2001-2003. Over-engineered, stout, a wrecking ball of a machine.

Not really sure what I'm going to do next. I don't think I'm a Nissan guy. The Frontier was much more comfortable than the Tacoma, but needs better MPG. I've always been a Toyota guy, but I'm not blown away right now. At all. The kind of thing that would blow me away is a compact pickup with all rubber flooring, vinyl seats, a peppy 4cyl that can grab me 23highway in a 4x4 with a shell on the back.

I do love the front end of the Tacoma's, though. A work of art compared to the frumpy Nissan and the slit-throat perch look of the other Toyota's.

Eh, I have no idea what I'll do next. I guess I'll just wait.

 

Test drove a 4cyl 4x4 access cab manual today.

Loved it. This is not the 22re, lol That engine couldn't get out of its own way.

Sharp black truck, with matching bumpers. Looked better than the chrome to me. But it was the base. No cruise control, which is freaking crazy. I do too much driving to the Rockies on the interstate.

The Tacoma handled the obstacle course perfectly, and was a blast to drive. It felt much better to me than the auto v6. I'm sure that could change at 70mph going up Butte Pass, but that's a one-off thing.

Getting close to pulling the trigger on an sr5 manual 4x4 access i4 with the all weather flooring option. Have to test drive a couple Subarus tomorrow, and a stick Nissan Frontier king cab v6 (23k they're offering versus 25k for the tacoma i4 so I have to look.)