Spec'ing 2016 Tacoma for Utah Winter...?

Hey, Folks! I've been reading a lot about the 2016 Tacos and topics related to same (general points about how to spec for winter driving, manual vs auto, which packages are worth it, etc.), and I'm going in to a local dealer tmr. to potentially purchase one I've seen in the online inventory that is on the lot or start the process of ordering custom. I was just hoping I could get some last minute advice directly from you guys instead of just lurking more.

The long and short of it is my wife and I currently live in Florida, but we are planning a move to Utah in the future. We love living in more "country"/rural areas, and intend to keep to that if possible in Utah as well. I have some idea as to how to drive in snow and spec my car for same as I've lived in the north in the past, but I've never had a pick-up, nor have I ever been in Utah through a rough winter. I was hoping you guys might be willing to shed some light on how you'd spec a 2016 if you were in my shoes. Maybe some of y'all actually live in Utah or thereabouts already and have first-hand experience that I can learn from!

I wanna be able to take anything Utah can throw at me, have a double cab, and everything else is up for grabs - LB or SH, stick or auto, whatever. I am fine loading this gal up or keeping her in lower cost (if, say, the v-4 has better balance or something). Safety and off-road/inclement weather capability and fun are paramount, then secondary priority is cost to buy and cost at the pump.

Sorry for the long post. I'm often told I talk too much, but I figured maybe too much info. might be better than too little here. Thanks for any and all guidance! Thanks, folks!

Oh, and I've run a lot of searches, but if someone already addressed substantially this topic, I apologize for bothering you, and please feel free to point me in the direction of that thread! Thanks!

 

As a Utah resident myself, welcome to Utah. 4x4 is a must in your purchase, and I would recommend a model that has heated seats for the winter months. If you like to go off road, you may consider the off-road model with crawl control. As far as bed size goes, I think its a personal preference.

 

Thanks a ton, Mike - for the welcome and the info.!

 

What Mike says. 4X4 is a must especially since you have 5 awesome parks that are worth exploring. As far a s snow in the winter that depends on where you're at. Some places get alot more than others. Switching to a different tire can fix that. I prefer manual trans but crawl control can go a very long way on the auto.

On a side note you should make a trip down to moab, find the bbq called the blue pig and get the brisket. You won't regret it.

 

themittenishome - awesome! Definitely going to go with the 4x4. Also, I thought I might prefer the manual, but I love the long bed and the auto is actually pretty solid and nice, and then the crawl control is just darn impressive.

Moab is definitely something I wanna check out, and I'm a huge brisket fan, so I'm definitely putting the blue pig on my list of things to do when I get out there. Thanks so much for the info and suggestion!

 

No problem! I'd also go to the canyon lands national park over arches nat. park any day. Takes a bit of time to travel from the north end to the south end because of the massive canyon, but the views are spectacular and traffic is really light!

 

All you see there is TRD off roads I am a 38 year resident but now I am stationed in San Diego, dont buy a Florida pre runner get a 4x4 you wont be mad that you did

 

Canyonlands - White Rim Trail - easy-ish off-roading in a 4x4 but the switchbacks are scary just because of exposure - you are all the way in the movies - 110miles - did it on a MTB in one day once

http://tirpak.com/2006/08/07/white-rim-in-a-day/

 

Welcome! As stated above heated seats would definitely recommended. 4WD definitely and crawl would be nice to have. Its like a gun or a condom.. better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it!

 

DEFINITELY going to wait for a nice TRD Off-Road to pop up! Regardless of how I feel, there are certain things I know my wife would kill me in my sleep over if I didn't get them. One of these is heated seats, haha. Looks like Auto is going to be the best option for me, too, given that whole crawl function.

Really looking forward to heading out that way. My wife's already got her job lined up because they have a base/hub in SLC, but we still have to wait for me to find something. I have a few applications out, but no word back yet. I'll be looking to tag along on a few of her work trips out to the area and catch some sights in the meantime. Wish me luck!

Thanks again for all the input. Can't wait to get it! It looks like I'll have an easier time finding my exact Taco set-up at a nearby dealer once I move out west than if I buy one while I'm still in Florida, haha.

 

1st gear + 4LO + ATRAC + right foot ... all the crawl control needed

Seriously, ATRAC (only available on TRD OR manual iirc) is awesome and with the gearing of 1st in 4LO you can pretty much just crawl up and over a lot of rough terrain without giving hardly any gas at all. The ATRAC will keep you from spinning the tires like crazy if you do need to give it some gas which helps with some of the tougher stuff.

My wife still chews me out for getting a manual though, "what if we were back home, and it snowed, and my mom wanted to drive the truck?" ... hmmm, guess she won't be able to, sweetie. Shame.

Seriously though, just get whatever you're most comfortable with. You may want to also check out the 4Runner. Those are real popular in Utah/Colorado as well, and in some ways are even more capable off road than a Tacoma. I like the newer interior on the Tacoma, it has a next generation feel whereas the 4Runner definitely still has a connection to the 2010 generation when they were first released. Still, 4Runners are popular and if you go the used route there are a lot of them on the market. For some reason people who buy Tacomas seem to hold onto them until they have 250k miles lol ... might say something, but 4Runners are reliable and last a long time too. Both are good choices and I'm sure you could be happy with either one. Around here we all know the Tacoma is best though heh

Whatever you get just make sure you get some good tires for the winter. Even with 4x4 you need good tires, and in some areas you're required to run chains for certain mountain roads (there are signs, "chains required beyond this point,"). You can run different tires for the summer, but a lot of people with trucks/suv get snowflake rated AT tires that are good year round. Talk with the locals and see what they recommend

 

Thanks for the elaboration, JoeRacer. My pop used to have a 4Runner and loved it. I've got an SUV now, and I'm just sick of dirtying up the interior when I have to haul stuff around. I also just love the look of the Tacoma and have wanted a pick-up for years. That being said, I was seriously eye-ing the 4Runner before the new Taco came out.

I have pretty much the same problem with my wife and the Manual, except she's the one who doesn't feel comfortable driving it. She knows how - learned on a Civic a friend had and my old Subaru back in college - but it's just not something she kept up with. She's happy for me to get whatever I have more fun with, but I know she'd prefer the Auto. I haven't had a chance to try the stick shift, but, if it's even more fun than a Taco with the Auto, I may just be holding out for that! I just don't wanna place an order for one without having tried it out (a good shifter is great, but a crap one is horrendous - hard to take the risk), and no one around here has any Manuals in stock (they're bought before they even hit the lot), so I haven't been able to try it to see if I like it more.

Love the Rick profile pic, btw. That show is hilarious.

 

Yea, it's my favorite new show ... it gets so dark.

I was torn between the 4Runner and the Tacoma. I looked real hard at the 4Runner, because honestly I probably only use my truck bed a few times during the year when running to Home Depot or moving my bikes around. The 4R has enough room in the back with the seats down to fit any of my stuff back there, and if I did need more carrying capacity I could always use a small utility trailer (even easier to load than a truck bed, but you either have to rent one or have a place to store it when not using). I really like the way the 4R feels too. Even though I think the Tacoma has a newer feeling interior there is just something about the 4Runner that I personally like but can't quiet put my finger on. The Tacoma though won me over with the manual transmission, and I'm also just a huge fan of pickups. I think the 4Runner could have worked great for my needs though, so I always recommend people to check them out also because there are some things they do better than a Tacoma. You'd probably be surprised how much stuff can fit in the back with the rear seats down ... I've seen refrigerators crammed in there lol.

I know I'm not making it easier lol ... but I do love my Tacoma, and I don't regret buying it at all. For a truck it handles great, and the manual makes the engine feel peppy when you're driving hard (although if you're under 2500rpm the torque is low).

The stock Goodyears are kind of crap in the snow unless I'm in 4x4 though. With the lightweight in the rear due to an empty truck bed, if it's in 2wd then it can be fun driving in the snow lol ... Throw it in 4x4 and it's a lot more stable, and has no problems getting going even up steep hills. I plan to replace these tires with some snowflake rated AT's this next season though, probably the Falken A/T3W since they'll be best for my mostly highway/city driving and occasional light off-road use (I'm not big into rock crawling or anything ... yet). Although those new BFG KO2 (also snowflake rated) are really kind of badass looking, just kind of heavy and only come in E load for 16".

What part of FL are you in? I'll be down in Jax for the 4th of July (unless I get pulled for a project at work and not given the time off ...). I was planning to drive down, so if you were in that area and wanted to meet up I'd be happy to let you take my manual truck for a spin. I'll probably head out to Huguenot to have fun on the beach/dunes . If you're planning to buy before then, or not in that area I guess I can't help much then lol

 

southerpine, send me your email and ill let you know of any jobs, I travel the whole valley and meet with lots of people, and if I here of a job, ill let you know

 

Hey! Thanks a ton, guys!

Joe - I bounce between South Florida and North Georgia and I think I may be in GA near the mountains around the 4th, so I'm a bit out of the way from Jacksonville. I have some friends not too far away, though, closer to Gainesville, so, if I end up driving instead of flying, I'd love to take you up on that! Thanks a ton for the offer, and I'll be sure to let you know if I'm coming that way!

I'm definitely going to take your advice and invest in solid winter tires, too. I haven't had to consider changing tires much in the South, but I've read a lot about how huge a difference they can make in the winter. I actually worked through a couple rough winters in the NE, but I was taking public trans most of the time, so it didn't really come up.

Mike - Can't thank you enough for the offer, man. I've got a weird resume because I'm a lawyer with business degree and some teaching and employee relations experience who dabbles in computer programming languages for fun but currently has been working as a construction project manager for last last couple years, lol. I think my current resume is a bit too unfocused, but I'ma try to work on it over the next week, and I'll be sure to send it your way when I do!

Y'all have been wildly kind. Thanks!