2015 Tacoma vs Frontier and Colorado

First Post here: A week and a half ago, I bought a new Tacoma and Motor Trend's opinion really doesn't speak to me. I think, they assume that everyone wants all of the features. Everyone is only concerned about peak HP. First of all: I like the styling of the 2nd Gen trucks. I have been wanting one for a long time. Motor Trend beat on that quite a bit in the article. I own a 2006 Colorado and it has 210k miles on it and has been a great truck for the most part. I have meticulously maintained it to get here though. I'm keeping it and fixing some problems and then I will let my 16 year old daughter drive it to school. Mine has the typical 5 cylinder valve guide/stem problem. Chevy issued a recall for the valve train on the 2006 model year that only applied to Colorados with less than 100k or less on them and mine had 120k at the time. Mine didn't have the problem until later. They also have an issue with the "Passlock" system on Colorados as well as most Chevrolets. My truck has died on me twice while driving down the road because it thought that the key wasn't the correct key. I would think this would be a safety hazard very similar to the ignition switch recall that Chevrolet ignored. The dealer solution to this problem was to replace the ignition switch and reprogram the keys at a cost of $350. I fixed it by switching to the extra key that came with the truck at no cost to me. No Passlock light or problems for 3 years. I used a key which I had made at the hardware store to start it on Sunday which tells me that there is no chip in the key to program anyway so, it doesn't seem as if the techs at the stealership even know what they are talking about. I say all of this because Motor Trend has failed to take into account that the Colorado has a newly designed engine and chassis and Chevrolet's history of issueing recalls and TSBs tells me that I should wait at least 10 years before I purchase a vehicle from them. I'm not knocking the Colorado, because I like my Colorado (and was hesitant to purchase a new truck), but I am knocking Chevrolet management in general for not putting safety at a high priority and for not standing behind their product. I did consider the Frontier and waiting on the Colorado. I am not crazy about the styling of the Frontier and the resell value isn't quite as good as the Tacoma. Mainly, it is the styling and features of the Tacoma that I wanted. I would've like to had rear discs as the Frontier does though. As for the Colorado: I do not like the exterior styling of the new Colorado and it has too many electronic fancy features that will be expensive to fix when they break and the price was more than a comparable Tacoma. I own a fully loaded 2004 Tahoe as well so I know how it goes when these things stop working. Its nearly impossible to fix without trial and error unless you take it to the stealership. No thanks. Lastly, the Colorado HP peak is at 6,800 RPM while the Tacoma is at 5,200 RPM. I would guess that would not be as much of a difference as it sounds in normal RPM range. Additionally, the Torque peaks at the RPM and barely any difference. Motor Trend also failed to take into account the reputation that the Tacoma has, the popularity and the resell value. These are all of the reasons I wanted a Tacoma.

 

Say whaa?

Toyota truck engines/powertrains have not seen any major changes in freakin' decades. They are about as reliable as can be, but that should be a given after so many years of production.

I can't believe Toyota came out with a new Tundra with no major drivetrain changes (other than deleting 1 engine config). Talk about sucking the last little bit of R&D expense from the last century dry!!! Meanwhile, Ford and others have added smaller displacement gas turbo engines, and these newly re-launched small pickups will soon also offer small turbo diesels. Not to mention the new aluminum F-150. Now THAT's R&D investment!

I still don't want anything else but my humble Taco, as for me so far even with all the new stuff available the value proposition is just not there for me yet. But from where I see things today, it's very doubtful my next pickup will be a Toyota unless they crack open their shriveled-shut R&D wallet and soon.

What I'd like is a small displacement turbo diesel 4X4 that gets 30+mpg, tows 7,000 and is equipped with all the modern stuff.

 

What's the point of having the best engine tech if you can't put the power to the ground? That's why the Tacoma is faster than the Frontier. Far more refined power train that eliminates parasitic power loss.

?

The head lights are great in this truck. My stock bulbs lasted 5-6 years. Tacoma also has some of the best stopping distance. (Again, in that article they used the jumped up Baja version, which is taller, bigger tires etc.) so the read drums work fine. The engine is bullet proof which is why they haven't changed it. You start making things more complicated and you're more likely to break shit. That's why they didn't put the Dual VVTi in the Tacoma. The Torque is the same. And that's what is going to shift the weight. Not the HP. HP just sells the cars. (As that article proves. Who the hell is going to put their truck up to 6800 rpms?)

 

Why is everyone worried about the gas mileage? It's a truck.

 

New Tundra? You mean in 2007? Everything since then has been face lifts and tweaks. I'm not sure what you're getting at. The Tundra hasn't been actually changed for 7 years now. You want to talk about clapped out, ask Ford about that fucking 5.4 they dragged through the mud for years. (Debuted in 1997 and dropped in 2009)

 

Not until they bring back the first gen! With new engine options and an improved frame, it would be dynamite.

 

Why not make a more efficient engine like the other companies do? I had a 2011 F150 with the 3.7 V6 that did as well or better on gas than my '05 Tacoma. In a full size truck that weighs more and has more frontal area than the Tacoma. And even had more HP and torque both. I love my Taco for sure but Toyota can do better on fuel economy.

 

I thinks it's more of a numbers game for toyota. In 2013 toyota sold 159,000 tacomas. In the same year they sold 408,000 camrys. They are simply concentrating on their best selling vehicles.

 

Well because if you have a truck, you're likely to drive it. In order to make gas-powered things move, you've got to put gas in them. Gas costs money. If you use less gas, you can do more things with the money you would've otherwise spent on gas.

I know I know crazy talk on a truck forum. Please don't ban me.

 

I have seen talk on industry sites on the possiblty of going back to compact... but I doubt it. And with gas prices dropping....

Frank

 

I was reading through the latest edition of Motor Trend & found this under the "MT Confidential" section on page 22.

"We hear that despite being 9 years old, the next Toyota Tacoma will basically be redone in similar fashion to the current Tundra - exterior, interior & content work with carryover powertrains."

If this is true, does that mean the chassis will stay the same & they will just be upgrading the sheetmetal, interior & adding the latest electronic gadgets?

 

I thought Toyota billed the most recent tundra as a new model. In any case, my point was exactly what you are saying here - virtually no major changes in a very long time. Their cars are not much different. Even the all new Avalon has carryover engines & drivetrains.

The only R&D Toyota seems to be engaged in in the past 20 years is how to squeeze out as much cost as possible.

I don't know about Ford's 5.4, but I think they are a much different company now. I wish they would bring the Ranger back - I'd really like to see what they could do with it today.

 

So MT compares the specialty/high-end-stock off-road versions of 3 mid-size trucks... and doesn't take them off the pavement? Huh?

I get that 93% of mid-size truck buyers will go off-roading less than once a month. But more than 93% of Tacoma buyers will not shell out $39k on the TRD Pro. I'm not saying the results would've been different if they tested base models - maybe they would be, maybe not. But if your gonna compare real-world everyday driving scenarios, use the more common models that people drive.

I understand that MT sells more magazines by testing the biggest, baddest, and most expensive models. But if you're gonna test the TRD Pro vs the decked-out Z71 and Pro-4X take them all to Moab, don't run errands to Home Depot.

 

Welcome. first off, I'm old. MT was a magazine. we used to rely on those before the internet. Real words printed on real pages once a month. fast forward 30 years. MT is a relic who depends on hype and shock to drive readership. I don't even read their shit anymore. pure shit based on speculations.

 

Signs of a car engine that they put into a truck.

 

I dont know if Colorado will sell. I just tried cheap options but minimum (4x4, towing package, alloy rims) and it came up to $33,430
They must be crazy if they think I am going to pay them that much for Double cab Chevy. If it was $23,000 than maybe. For that money I can get Toyota Tacoma, why would I get Chevy.

 

I assume this has been posted elsewhere, but
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/03/aut...-trend-truck-of-the-year/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

 

Once they start the 10,000 cash discounts to get them off lots, you'll be able to pick one up for 23k.

I hate GM interiors, they look good brand new, but i'd take a 5 year old yota' interior over a 5 year old GM interior any day.

 

Stupidly, the company I work for owns many Colorados. I call them Craporados. Cheap is the word that describes this vehicle perfectly. I've seen numerous new Colorados and am not a fan of the styling. To each his own. My Taco will run 4x longer than these pieces.

 

I really fail to understand these types of questions. Why would anyone on this forum know what Toyota has planned? It's all rumors and BS until it's actually announced by Toyota.