No love from Jalopnik

Looks like Jalopnik isn't a fan of the Gen 3 Taco.

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/the-4-cylinder-toyota-tacoma-is-completely-pointless-1724669002
http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/it-doesnt-matter-that-the-new-tacoma-isnt-better-than-t-1724541263
http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/the-2016-toyota-tacoma-a-spicy-taco-that-doesnt-taste-1724495355

 

This one sounds like the majority of people on here, including myself. Too afraid to try something else. Why Toyota doesn't try harder anymore...

Believe they are going to loose a few people with this re-do though. Already seeing guys buying F-150's...with the Colorado diesel coming out, might loose a a few more.

 

I did not see anything wrong with the articles. The one about the 4-cyl makes a lot of sense... why even bother with a 4-cyl on these trucks?

The other two? Nothing that has not already been said here by many current owners. And like the article says, people will still buy the Tacoma for the reliable image it has...

 

If it had a Porsche badge Jalopnik would be losing their minds over how good it is.

 

Well the first link is dissing the 4-cyl, which IMO it should. I know many may disagree with me but that's how I feel.
You can't do squat with a 4-cyl. Go get a Prius at that point. Has plenty of interior hauling room and gets better MPGs. Trucks are for work, and work cannot be done without a super charger on a 4-cyl.

I do agree that Toyota is slightly screwing it's customers over. The truck is over priced and it is clear the engineers just want to make money rather than truly lead a market by a landslide. On the other hand, I do understand that designing a new truck that has undergone massive changes tend to not do that well. Plus it takes a lot more money and time than most people appreciate. You don't want to rush development of some features. If they aren't properly tested and proven then you run the risk of those features either not holding up or causing major problems. I think consumers hate that more than not getting certain features at all.

MPGs are what fry my ass more than anything. Not that I was hoping for 40 highway or anything, but I was crossing my fingers for 26 hwy. I should be at least able to match full-sized modern mileage on a mid-sized don't you think? Especially when the stupid company brags about it for months and months before the EPA numbers are released. This is a truck I plan on committing to for at least 10-15 years. So what numbers I get, I get for that long.
But I'll likely get over it. It is still nearly double what I get now.

 

Maybe Toyota will do a rushed revise like Honda did to their Civic a few years back after it was met with almost universally negative reception. Toyota won't though, because they are Toyota.

 

My hope is that Toyota will see Colorado sales jump with the addition of the diesel, and implement one themselves. But with decade old Tacoma's selling almost 10x more vehicles, that may not be that case. Jeep is supposedly doing the same thing.

 

I understand that Toyota is still outselling GM, but I don't see why people think that's proof the GM trucks aren't selling. Everyone always says NOT to buy a first model year vehicle, regardless of brand. That being said, should it come as a surprise that GM isn't wildly outselling Toyota, who has been the market leader for a decade with a bullet proof truck? The fact that GM is even doing this well should be a testament to how good the new truck really is. Even in the first model year they have Toyota a bit worried when just 2 years ago GM wasn't even on the freaking map!

The fact is, GM has made ENORMOUS strides with their new model while the Toyota world has virtually stood still. That's crappy any way you look at it.

 

The 4 cylinder is a joke.
159 horsepower and worse mpg then before...

 

some people don't have unlimited amounts of money for high end model trucks(college,kids.marriage,mortgage,rent,taxes etc.) so a 4 banger truck is an alternative if your not Puff Daddy

 

The point is the 4cylinder, as an engine, couldn't be THAT much cheaper to build. It requires tooling for the engine and also the assembly line. If Toyota ONLY made the V6 it could charge even less money for the better engine (that gets virtually identical mileage) due to economies of scale and supply chain simplification. There's literally no reason for the 4 cylinder to exist.

 

That's my hope too but I'm not holding my breath. It's Toyota where it's take it or leave it.

I think Toyota did a rushed revise of the 2015 into the 2016 just because GM introduced their trucks. Toyota realized they had to do something so they slapped something together and proclaimed it all new except for the seat belt bracket. I guarantee if GM did not introduce their trucks, that the 2016 Tacoma =

$90 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma With 4L Right Petrol intake air snorkel kit high performance system compatible kit Replacement black Rotational Molding (2005-2015)

2005-2015 Tacoma and that would continue for another 5 years minimum.

 

The stat being cited as proof of worse mpg is:
2015 Base 5MT: 21/25
There is no more base model. They're all on the lifted suspension, and you can only get 2016 2.7 MT with 4x4. So a lot of bad comparisons out there, not understanding the different trim levels.

city/highway/combined
2015 PreRunner 2.7 AC RWD: 19/24/21
2016 2.7 AC RWD: 19/23/21

I agree, one would expect the new 6-speed automatic with two overdrive gears to significantly outperform the old 4-speed for highway MPG, at least. But they do have the same combined rating, and I'm sure it will make the 4-banger less of a dog to live with.

Don't get me wrong, 159 hp is kinda weak. This isn't my dad's little old 1992 Toyota Pickup. It's heavy, and it's going to be slow with the 4-banger. If you want RWD, I'd definitely spend $1600 more for the V6.

But... the cheapest 4x4 is the 2.7 Manual at $25,725. The cheapest 4x4 V6 is $28,485, and it's an automatic. The cheapest V6 4x4 Manual is $32,220 (TRD Sport). So for someone who really wants a 4x4, and really wants a manual, and really can't spend much more than $25K, I can see the appeal.

 

I'm not that old, but it seems like the average TW is 9 years old. What has Toyota been revolutionary about? Ever. From the FJ40s to the FJ60s to the first toyota pickups to the first tacoma to the 2nd gen tacoma, what exactly was class leading? HP? Never. MPG? lol. Options? lol. Seat ride height? Get outta here.

Tacoma owns the segment because of two reasons: utility and reliability. They got to be number one because of those two reasons. There are tradeoffs. The GM twins get marginally better mpg. You think the yota engineers can't figure out how? If you lowered the taco and moved that air dam 8 inches forward and 4 inches down (like the GM twins) it would get 2+ mpg more. Then again, you'd have to approach parking lot entrances in the city (lol) at an angle. A fucking subaru has better real world approach than the GM twins. 90% of the taco owners on this website are rolling on lift kits. So just pull off the dam and raise it! Then the GM twins get worse mpg than a Toyota. Toyota makes all kinds of compromises for utility.

The same goes for reliability. Toyota has tuned this engine to run probably 70hp less than they could. Is this because they can't figure out that if you jack up the compression and put all kinds of strain on the engine it will put out more power? No. They do it because they want 300,000+ miles on a 3rd gen to be as common or more than with the 2nd gen. Because that's what customers want.

In 10 years, toyota will still dominate the segment. Not because of brand loyalty or because consumers are dumb, but simply because the priorities of toyota are in line with the priorities of the consumer, the priorities are in line with what led to them dominating the segment. Capability and reliability.

 

What in hell's fuck are you talking about? Their priorities aren't in line with the priorities of the present-day consumer. If everyone's number one priority was reliability, why would so many other brands sell despite their known faults? People want bells and whistles, a stylish exterior, more power than they truly need (for grocery hauling purposes, of course), fuel economy, and reliability. I'm not saying it happens in that order, but I'd wager reliability is NOT the #1 of MOST people buying trucks these days.

Keep in mind that a lot of truck owners seldom utilize their high payload #'s and towing capacity. If they do haul frequently, they're happier in a full size. If they don't haul frequently, they're happier in a full size with their ventilated captain chairs, passing power, general interior and exterior refinement, identical fuel economy, similar purchase price, etcetcetcetc. There's a reason Toyota is pitching the offroad capability of the new Tacoma... it's one of their ONLY angles to entice buyers. We'll see how the marketing evolves as the 2015 models are sold and they try to get a broader audience stoked on the new truck, but at present they're appealing to a tiny - TINY number of potential buyers.

TL;DR - Consumer priority is to get a good deal on everything they need, could need in the future, and in some cases never need. Toyota's priorities butt heads with consumer priorities.

Not everything that is bulky, messy, or otherwise worthy of a bed (even a small 6' bed) is heavy. You can certainly do work with a 4cyl naturally aspirated Tacoma. That was the argument I used when I bought my 2012 2.7L 5MT Tacoma. I knew it'd be sluggish to merge on to the highway, I knew it wouldn't win any races, and I knew that what I wanted to haul at the time (float tubes, fishing poles, camp chairs and tents, etc) wouldn't overwhelm it. What I didn't realize was that over 25,000 miles my average fuel economy would be 18mpg making every effort to baby the truck. Sadly, babying something so underpowered isn't easy. Down shifting in to 4th and sometimes 3rd to maintain 70mph on gentle (but long) inclines on the interstate SUCKS. Getting blasted by cars going 80mph because you lost all oomph half way up a small hill sucks. That was every day in that truck, even completely unloaded with just myself in the car, and it was a regular cab. You will hate your 2.7L if you live ~5kft above sea level unless you literally never take it on the interstate, or your interstates are miraculously flat / downhill slopes in both directions.

 

I have driven a couple of 4-cyls in the past and honestly, it doesn't feel like they can handle much before they have trouble. Heck go up a hill and you have to floor it. Poor thing is giving all it has just to make the hill let alone maintain speed. I feel like you put a few hundred pounds in the bed or strap on a 5K pound trailer and you are in trouble (can it even tow that?).

I just don't like driving around feeling like my engine is always working over time.

Have you ever towed 10,000lbs with a V10?
If not, you should, you'll understand what I mean about a 4-cyl.

 

I drove the 6.8 L V-10 offered from Ford. Kinda sucked and didn't feel all that powerful after driving big V8's. Had a relatively short run.

 

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Jalopnik is right on few things, but hoping that everybody will buy lesser of the vehicle just because the name is a far stretch.