Back issues and questions about the Tacoma

Hey all, I'm a new member here and need some advise. I realize there is a section to introduce yourself as a new member, but since my question is about the new 2016 Tacoma, I figured I'd receive more responses in this section. I apologize in advance for the very long post, but I'd like to give some background before I ask my questions.....

I've never owned a truck before. I have always been a sports car guy, and most of my vehicles have been 2-seat manual transmission sports cars.

Then about 5 years ago I suffered a back injury which made it uncomfortable to sit in a vehicle with such a low seating position, and even painful on longer trips. So after a couple of years of dealing with this issue and it not getting better as I had hoped, I went ahead and sold my car 2 years ago.

I was advised by my physical therapist that I needed a vehicle with a higher seating position, so I went ahead and got a somewhat sporty SUV, a BMW X1. My reasoning was that if I couldn't have a sports car, I would have as close to one as I could get. The seating position in the X1 is decent, although not as high as in most SUVs or crossovers, but it is acceptable to me.

The problem is that I am just bored with the car. I feel like I am driving a soccer mom car, and even though it can be sporty to drive, it has no personality. So I have decided I want to get a truck. I used to be into auto crossing and racing with the sports cars, and I am now very intrigued by the idea of taking a vehicle off-road, and I think I would like to explore that in the future.

I have decided I want a "smaller" truck. I wish they still had small regular cab trucks, but obviously they do not, so a midsize will have to do. I live in a somewhat urban area of New Jersey, and I have the need to parallel park on occasion and drive in NYC, so a full size truck is out of the question. Also, I can't remember the last time I had someone in my back seat, so an access/extended cab would be plenty big for my needs.

So it comes down to the Colorado or the Tacoma. I've been following the Colorado on their forum, and while I think the truck looks great, I have some reservations about owning a GM product due to reliability issues. On the other hand, my dad has a Toyota Prius with 185k miles and has never had a single issue with it. Many years ago I had a MR2 and never had any issues either.

And while I love the look of the Colorado, the Tacoma seems to offer quite a few features not available in the Colorado, such as the crawl control (probably good for a novice like me, and seems like it would be useful in snow as well), blind sport monitoring, rear park assist, push button keyless start, and LED daytime running lights just to name a few. The only feature I really like that the Colorado has over the Tacoma is Apple CarPlay (I'm an iPhone user). But the new Tacoma has Siri compatibility, so that should suffice.

After watching the reviews today on YouTube, I think the TRD off road with the V6 and access cab would be a great fit for me. But I am wondering about the seating position. In the TFL Truck review, they specifically mention that the seating position is like sitting on the floor of the truck. I have previously sat in the Colorado, and in that truck the seating position is significantly higher compared to my X1, higher than what I would need. But I can't go back to driving something that is low like a sports car, or even many sports sedans or coupes (my friend's BMW 328 coupe is too low as well).

I guess I'm going to have to go test drive it next month, but can anyone comment on this? Anyone here that has any back issues and can you comment on the comfort factor? Also, anyone else cross shopping the new Colorado and Tacoma? What is your opinion? They both seem really close to me.

 

Your best bet is to test drive. Your back and issues are unique so with so many variables it would be impossible to give an answer of true value. Test the seat controls. Ask differences between off-road version and other trim packages. I bought my Tacoma for reliability, durability and long term satisfaction. I doubt you will be disappointed with performance on the Tacoma.

 

Sounds like the seating position in the 2016 is very similar to the 2nd gen Tacoma. The only way for you to find out is to head to a dealership and sit in one of the Tacomas. You could wait for the 2016 to come out to sit in or test drive one, but I don't think that's necessary. Sit in a 2015 one and see how it feels. Test drive both the Colorado and the new Tacoma, and then decide on which one fits you well ergonomically.

 

Well I know in my Corolla you can make the seat go up or down, but this isn't available in the Tacoma. I know what you mean when you say it's like sitting on the floor, all of the 2nd gen Tacoma's don't have much in the way of seat adjustment. Just your typical bucket seat. The most comfortable seat I've sat in was my old '95 4runner. That thing was comfy. To each his own though, definitely express this to the dealership. For parallel parking, the backup camera is a lifesaver. You can get within an inch or so of the car behind you, and I can fit in some tight spots. Keep in mind too the Taco has decent "get up and go", but nothing like a BMW. Not sure about the supercharger option for 2016+, but I would look into it!

 

My dad just traded his x5 in got a jeep gc. It was a nice suv. Super comfy though.

X6s look like a turtle.

 

Seating position is low in the Tacoma. I'm sure the '16 will be similar.

I did auto cross years ago and suffered a broken back having crashed the same vehicle I used on the course. That said, I don't have continuing back problems of any significance....just occasional flare ups.

I found my 2012 comfortable enough for drives up to 8 hours tho it wasn't perfect.

The other consideration is ride. These trucks aren't known for ride quality. I say do your test drive & maybe spend some extra time on road surfaces you drive & not the standard dealer/salesman test loop.

P.s. Just sold my low seated 3 series.

 

Consider a 4Runner?

 

How is the height of the seating position in the Tacoma compared to the 3 series?

Seems like a waste to get such a big SUV when I never even put people in the back seat. A truck seems way more useful for the utility.

 

Just a little out of my budget! hehe

 

I agree that you should test out the vehicles you are interested in. Maybe find a dealer that will let you test one out overnight so you can get a better feel for it. I know different people handle back problems in different ways. My back is messed up also, and I have made the mistake of borrowing other vehicles for trips where MPG is nice. Out of 5 vehicles I drive/ride in on a regular basis, only my dads '08 Tundra is more comfortable than my '07 Tacoma.

 

The seating in 2007 328xi & 2012 Tacoma TRD Off Road T|X Pro 4x4 felt very similar in floor to seat bottom comparison (Tacoma may be somewhat higher than the BMW could be adjusted). Of course that may be because I adjusted the seats (granted a limited adjustment on the Taco) to fit my 5'-9", 150lb body.

I'm driving a 2014 4Runner 4x4 Limited as my daily driver now. I put ~40,000 miles a year on my DDs & the 4Runner is one of the most comfortable vehicles I've owned. Most vehicles I ride/drive in seem to have seats that are almost too large when not equipped with adjustable side bolsters (which neither of the Toyotas we're talking about have).

One advantage the 3 & 4Runner have/had over the Tacoma, IMO, is adjustable lumbar support...it's not or wasn't offered on the Taco.

 

My 75 year-old father-in-law has the Highlander Limited for his back and feet (diabetic). He gets better blood flow in it than he ever did in his GMC Jimmy or the Terrain. He doesn't do well for longer than 10 minutes in lower cars.

 

It doesn't make sense to me to choose a vehicle based on it's seats. If seat comfort is the biggest priority, then test out aftermarket buckets and put one or a set in.

Edit: I went from an '01 Audi S4 to a '96 Tacoma, my first thought on the freeway was WTF did I just do...
The second gen is much better, but it's still no sports car.

 

Obviously the answer is to go test drive the new Tacomas as soon as they come out, however, since they are not available yet I would go drive a 2015. Ask the sales guys to take it on a longer test drive by yourself. My dealer let me do this and I really appreciated it. It's nice to drive around a truck and pretend it's yours and fiddle around with things in the interior to get a good feel for the truck. I feel like short rides with other people around is distracting and you never get a real appreciation for the truck and what it offers.

That being said, go look at a full sized Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado. I feel like the Silverados are smaller than most other full-sized and honestly I don't think the F-150 is that intimidating on size. Although I have driven an F-250 my whole driving life (a whopping 8 years ) and I moved from the country to the city where I work and go to school downtown. I can parallel park my Double cab 6 foot bed. It's called, learning to drive lol.
My dad is a sports car guy too. Has a nice Porche. While I love the power under the hood and the manual, I HATE CARS! I hate sitting on the road and feeling like I'm eventually going to get arthritis in my neck the position is so horrible. He hates my over sized trucks, so it's all what you get used to and learn to work with.

Explore your options. Knowledge is power. Ford makes a nice access cab is that is what you want. Personally I think the F-150s are a good driving truck. Plenty of interior space for long trips and passengers, and I don't feel they are as bad to drive as most other big trucks.
I am not an off-roader, but it seems like a smaller truck is better for off roading because you want a cozier ride, less room to jostle around. I personally like a luxurious gentleman's ride of a full-sized. To me that's way better than a teeny, tiny, impractical sports car any day ;D. It is also something I will miss with a Tacoma.

 

Make sure the test drive is long enough. What shows up in an hour can be different then two hours.

 

Here's some interesting info from the Motor Trend review:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/trucks/1508_2016_toyota_tacoma_first_drive_review/

In contrast to the Tacoma’s outgoing generation, you no longer climb in and then proceed to fall into the seat. The 2016 truck’s seat bottom is higher off the floor than before and doesn’t lift my knees up, which helps accentuate the feeling of newfound height.


Yet the TFL Truck review mentions that you still feel like you are sitting on the floor of the truck. I guess I will have to drive it before I will know for sure.

As for seat comfort, I haven't really noticed myself being super picky about the actual seats or adjustments, or even lumbar support. I just need a seat that is high enough off the floor. Basically my knees should be below my waist, not at the same level or above it. As long as that is the case, I seem to be pretty comfortable.

 

I finally found a good profile picture of the seating position, at 1:33 of this video:



It appears to be high enough. It certainly looks higher than most sedans.