Review & Impressions going on 2 months ownership/3500 miles...

First off, so sorry for the long post. Didn't think it would be this long until after I posted it. I just wanted to give my honest, detailed opinion of the truck and try and be as honest as possible.

I picked up my Tacoma in October in Denver and shortly after moved out to the Bay Area. At the time there wasn't much available in town, and I didn't have time to order one or wait for new inventory to come in, and there were only three dealers in town that actually had a few in stock. Had a choice of a dark grey limited (not my cup of tea), a few SR's, a silver TRD OR, a white TRD OR manual with factory Tonneau, and a Silver TRD Sport, AT Tonneau, predator tube steps, exhaust tip and hood graphic. All trucks listed had short beds.

I ended up going with the Silver TRD Sport DCSB w/ tow package. It already had the Tonneau cover, Predator tube steps, hood graphic and chrome exhaust tip. I could have done without all of those extras, and they obviously increased the overall price of the truck, but with them offering me more than what I was expecting on my trade in, giving me a few grand off the truck, and heading out of town in 2 weeks to move, I feel like I got a fair deal, all things considered and with what was available at the time.

The Tacoma is my first truck, and have been driving 4 cyl. Subarus for the last 10+ years. Love the Subies, but the 4cylinder engine would definitely show it's shortcomings when living at altitude and driving in the mountains and over passes, especially when the car was loaded with gear and or/passengers. This was one of the main reasons I decided to go with a Tacoma. I considered stepping up to a 6cyl Outback, but it still wouldn't be able to tow as much as the Tacoma, since the max the 4cyl Subaru could tow was less than a third of what the Tacoma is rated for. So far it's suiting my needs just fine. I do a lot of camping, hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking, surfing and stand up paddling and maybe once or twice a year tow something that was either at or slightly above the limit of the Subie, and given the Subie had a CVT transmission, which I actually enjoyed for everyday driving, I know it's not made to handle towing heavy loads. With that said, I have never had the desire to, or anticipate doing any "real" off-roading, and if I go off the paved roads it's usually on forest service roads, graded trails, access roads, etc., usually places some passenger vehicles may have trouble with, but most SUV's would have little trouble handling, so that's why I decided on the Sport over the OR, plus, although non-functional I admit I really like the look of the hood scoop and color matched fender flares. The Crawl Control looks awesome, but in my mind I would probably never use it, and to be honest, have no desire to do that kind of thing with a new truck I plan on keeping for a VERY long time. I bought the truck to be used as a daily driver, utilitarian vehicle that would go off the beaten path occasionally, not as an off-road specific vehicle.

Before I even set out to the dealership I knew I wanted a short bed. I live outside the city, but commute to Oakland for work. Luckily I park in a garage at work, but also head into San Francisco now and then, and did not want the hassle, decreased turning radius, etc. of a long bed (and yes, it's only another foot longer, but it can get a little tight making turns in the city even with a short bed sometimes, and you can definitely tell as far as turning radius between the two. I'm also not putting any dirt bikes or quads back there. The obvious con is, well, the bed is shorter! To combat this I have the Toyota bed extender which has already come in handy while moving a couch for a friend, and also picked up an "Extend-A-Truck" (pics attached below), which extends the bed by an additional 50", and can also be used in a second configuration to carry long items on the roof. I also have the OEM factory roof rack that arrived the other day and have to install it, which is identical to the rack I had on my Subie, where it can be folded away when not in use to eliminate cross bar noise and improve MPG. I have a 14' Stand Up Paddle race/touring board and will experiment which works best for carrying the SUP between the roof rack and Extend-A-Truck. Only downside that a lot of Subaru owners have made about this rack is due to the nature of it's design the crossbars aren't super wide, and make it tough carrying things like multiple kayaks, or a rooftop box and a bike or two at the same time, but for my needs it's perfect and I really enjoyed the rack that was on the Subaru.

I towed about 3000-3200lbs combined in the bed of my truck and inside a 5'x8' Uhaul trailer from Denver to the Bay Area. Since I had about 350 miles left before I got to 1000 miles I had to keep my speed under 50mph per the owner's manual (says not to tow until you have 500 miles on the truck, then for the next 500 miles keep the speed under 50mph when towing, and then after that do what you want!) I towed in ECT mode as the owner's manual suggested and it went well. Could still feel the truck working going over passes, steep grades, etc., and was a bit disappointed with this, but after reading on this forum, it seems like the this is the nature of this engine since it makes more power at higher RPM's, and I will add there never was a lack of power, you just had to step on the gas and it would still accelerate going up hills, you could just tell it was working. I didn't baby the truck during that trip, and got anywhere from 10mpg-13mpg, depending on how heavy my right foot was on the pedal and/or the terrain, which varied a lot. I took I-25 from Denver into Wyoming then headed west on I-80 for the rest of the way since the passes along I-80 are not as steep as the ones on I-70 if anyone cares!) Didn't burn a drop of oil. The truck inspired confidence when braking going down passes with the trailer, and really have no complaints about the truck having rear disc brakes, and they worked flawlessly. I also experimented using "S" mode when going down passes so I wasn't riding my brakes the entire time, incorporating engine braking, which worked wonderfully. I'd even say without the trailer the truck stops way better and quicker than my Subaru did and that car had discs all around.

Fit and finish-wise I am pleased. I have the standard interior, so no leather seats, no high end tech package, but still feel the truck is nicely equipped, minus a few missing creature comforts my less expensive Subaru had. I had them toss in the Toyota all-weather mats as part of the deal, since I don't think carpeted mats belong in a truck! Also had them tint the front windows and install the clear bra for free, and caved in and bought the extended 7yr/100k warranty, only because it's a new redesigned model, and after haggling forever with them, got it pretty cheap. If I was still in Colorado with all the snow they get I would have gone with WeatherTech or Husky liners, but now that I'm not in the snow the OEM all-weather mats will do just fine. I do miss heated seats though and may go aftermarket at some point. Auto headlights were another creature comfort I missed from my Subaru as well, but again, not worth the cost to upgrade for me and I'm already used to turning them off myself. Although the JBL system sounded better than the stock system, it wasn't good enough to my ear for the added cost, but that's obviously a matter of personal opinion, plus, like I said, I had 2 weeks before my move, so I couldn't be super picky! The paint on the Tacoma seems way more durable than the Subie. You looked at the Subie wrong and I swear it would scratch or dent. As soon as the weather permitted I washed the car, hit it with the clay bar and then applied 2 coats of wax. I usually clay cars once every year or two and follow it with a coat of wax and it has proven to be very effective in keeping the finish looking great.

I don't really carry passengers in the back seat all the time, but still went with the DC for when I need to. I folded down the rear seats and covered them with a piece of dark grey indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot and its a great place for my dog, or for times when I have certain things I don't want to put in the bed, like guitars and amps when I go play, or other somewhat valuable items like my SUP paddles (full carbon fiber paddles are not cheap!)

Next is the factory Tonneau cover. Overall I really like it. I know people scoff at it, and hate that the bed rails have to be cut to install it, but in reality you will never see that when the cover is closed or later on if you took the cover off and added a camper shell. It's a bit heavy and seems like in some ways overbuilt, but it is what it is. It works just fine, and like others have already discovered, it does let a small amount of moisture in when theres a heavy rain, but water doesn't rush in there or anything (and the owner's manual clearly states that it is NOT waterproof). One gripe would be that the panel that locks closest to the tailgate has a little play in it when locked, even after I relocated the tie down cleats that were right next to the pin that the cover latches to. I'll have to take a look at the cover to see if there is anything I can adjust to make it lock more snug, or just bring it up to the service dept when I go in for my first oil change. I really like the look and security of the cover, but am debating getting a camper shell. I just feel like you lose so much potential cargo space with the Tonneau. I would also put my dog back there if I had a camper shell. Going to see how the Tonneau plays out over the winter and decide in the spring if I want to get a shell.

The truck drives great in my opinion. As many others have commented, when you first drive the truck it can feel a little anemic off the line, but over time that seems to have disappeared or I've just gotten used to it. But when you step on the gas on the freeway the truck definitely hauls, or at leas has plenty enough power to make me happy when I want to pass someone or get out of someone's way. Transmission is smooth, have used cruise control a few times and it worked flawlessly, and as already mentioned the truck does seem to want to rev higher when pulling a trailer. Some are fine with that, others think it's a major flaw. Decide for yourself about that one! I guess if I was towing anything of any significance on a regular basis I may have considered purchasing a different vehicle, but for someone like me who won't be towing often, or towing anything close to the trucks max capacity, I'm pleased.

I have has no issues with hums or noises that others have reported, my hood doesn't vibrate at highway speeds and the reinforcing under my hood has not separated from the hood itself as others are experiencing. My hood has a darker grey adhesive which looks different than the lighter, beige/tan adhesive on the trucks people seem to be having problems with.

In addition to towing the trailer and moving some stuff for friends, I also took the truck on a camping trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and if you've ever been there you know how narrow and windy the road is to get there. The truck handled perfectly and was a pleasure to drive on the windy road. Definitely not as nimble as a car, but still felt good in the corners and not clunky or obnoxious, but still drove like a truck.

One thing worth mentioning is I was told by a SnugTop dealer that although there is an option for them to wire the lock on the camper shell into the truck so it works with the OEM key FOB, it voids the trucks warranty for the electrical system since they are tapping into it. This is also the reason that I ended up retuning the Pop-A Lock kit I purchased for the rear tailgate. Also makes adding seat warmers difficult, unless I shell out the cash to have Toyota install them (said it would be around $250 to do), which I was told they do for customers quite often, and since the heating elements would be OEM Toyota heating elements installed by a certified Toyota technician, it wouldn't void the warranty. It actually works out for me since I surf and paddle, and can't take the key fob with me in the ocean. So what I do is take the key for the tailgate with me, and then lock the FOB in the bed in an Altoids tin lined with foil. The Altoids tin blocks the RF signal, which prevents someone just walking up and being able to get into the truck.

So in conclusion, at this point I'm pretty pleased with the Tacoma. Definitely missing some of the little creature comforts that my lesser-priced (but lesser capable) Subie had, but the advantages the truck has over the Subie more than make up for it. I've since added the OEM bed mat (which in my opinion is a must have and very high quality and can easily be found for under $100, and is the same one that fits in the 2015 Tacoma) and some AVS window visors (they get the job done but appear slightly cheap, have an uneven, rough and unfinished bottom edge and distort when you look through them and would recommend going with WeatherTechs instead and shell out the extra $$ for them), and the only thing left is to add some mudflaps, and most likely will go with either WeatherTech or Husky, depending on who releases them first, since I'm not impressed with the OEM flaps and think they are overpriced.

Luckily most of the "issues" people seem to be having with the new 3rd Gens are somewhat minor and easy to fix, with the exception of a few more concerning problems that only seem to affect a small representation of 3rd Gen owners. I think some of these little issues (that are almost expected when theres a new revision or redesign of a vehicle) are really being blown out of proportion by people, and although they are annoying, seem to be a pretty easy fix and a minor inconvenience. Others just seem to complain about everything, and I have to ask, if these things bother you that much, why did you bother to buy the truck in the first place?! Some will immediately post up on the forum complaining before they even contact Toyota or take it to the dealer. Thats what the warranty is for, so take advantage of it! I also believe that in some cases the things people are complaining about are their own fault for not doing more research or taking more time to really see if this truck is really meant to handle their specific needs. If you want "x" amount of power or towing capacity and the tacoma isn't doing it for you, it's not the trucks fault. The specs are clearly posted, so it's up to the consumer to do their homework instead of buying the wrong vehicle then blaming the vehicle for their own poor decision. It seems like the Tacoma has attained an almost mythical status over the years and some think it's just capable of doing way more than it really can. In my opinion its a light duty truck with a solid record for longevity, that's a jack of all trades so to speak, but master at none. For the hardcore specialists who need a truck that's designed for a specified task, the Tacoma probably isn't for you, but if you're someone who wants something super versatile that will get mosts jobs done within reason it seems like a Tacoma is the best choice out there.

I'll add more pics of the truck with the roof rack and Extend-A-Truck after I install them, hopefully in the next few days once my recently jacked up back calms down. For now here's a pic of the truck that I apologize has been posted before, and some stock pics of the Extend-A-Truck.

 

Good write up.

 

Good write up, as I am doing research to order one.

Beautiful truck.

I would like the moonroof on mine. Do you know if the OEM roofrack works with the moonroof?

 

No clue if it works with the moonroof, but I really can't see why it wouldn't. My Subaru with the identical rack had a moonroof and it wasn't an issue (Toyota actually owns part of Subaru and I think this is why the racks are identical in their look and design). I couldn't do a moonroof since I'm 6'2, and only have about 2" of clearance between my head and the liner as it is (if I'm sitting up straight) and the moonroof equipped Tacomas apparently have less headroom.

 

Yes it does.

 

Great review!

 

Nice work

 

Nice write up and a good looking truck. I like that color on the Tacoma, very sharp!

I have the factory Tonneau cover and my back panel also seemed a bit loose when I first got the truck. I found that the latches have two positions and if you press down good on the cover above each latch it will click again and lock down pretty tight. Give that a try and if it don't work see the dealer. They should latch down pretty snug.

 

Thanks for the tip! I will try it tomorrow and report back!