2016 TRD OR ~5K mile review

I purchased a 2016 TRD OR DCLB with premium & JBL and towing last month. Since then i've been on a ~3250 mile road trip to Nevada through colorado and Utah, two or three semi-local <400 trips and my daily commute of 12 miles round trip.

Tl;Dr - I love the truck. Most of my initial concerns have resolved and those that remain can be lived with. There are a couple things I would have done differently, but overall I'm satisfied.

I ordered this truck "Custom" - my dealer was super shady and was very flaky on delivery dates and the truck I ended up with had everything I wanted plus a few expensive surprises I didn't ($550 black tube side steps and $200 carpet mats). I was quoted $37.9K, when it was delivered five months later they conveniently forgot and tried to sell it to me for $40K, I flipped my shit about the lies, wait time, and not getting the truck we agreed on at the price agreed on and ended up getting a $40K sticker truck for $37K out the door.

First few weeks - Transmission shifted erratically, sluggish throttle response, serious buyer's remorse.

Nevada roadtrip - Tremendous OR performance (Put it in 4L, point, and go). Seriously lugged the engine trying to maintain 70mph in flat desert. Noticed a leak (presumably from the sunroof) that dumped significant amounts of water from the corner of the upper control console (WTF?) which I couldn't reliably reproduce.

Back home (~3200 miles to current ODO of 4150) - transmission smoother but still a little jumpy. Throttle response improved but still lugs the engine @ ~3K RPM trying to maintain 75mph on flat ground. Brakes persistently super touchy and still can't get the thing to settle smoothly at lights.

5K service today (ODO 4150 miles) - Mention the brakes, transmission searching, and leaky sunroof. Was told Can't do anything about the brakes or transmission and couldn't find anything wrong with the sunroof. Asked them to check the tranny fluid - 1 quart low and replaced. As I was pulling out, the leak from the upper console miraculously manifested. Did a U-turn, showed them the still dripping console, and I'm currently driving a loaner camry while they sort that out.

I'm disappointed in fuel efficiency - average 16.5 city and I drive like a granny. Average 19.5 highway @75mph and while I understand I have the least fuel efficient tacoma possible, for the money I spent I could have gotten a comparably equipped F150 that gets better milage, can tow more, has more room, but sacrifices OR performance. Oh well. I bet back home in Oregon where the speed limit is 65 and the valleys are mostly <1000 feet above sea level this thing would get 22-23MPH highway. Try to go much faster than that and she pitches a fit.

Very impressed with the interior - at first glance it seems disappointing compared to the GM twins, but settle in and you begin appreciating it a lot more. Everything feels rock-solid, the controls are all very well thought out and durable feeling. GM twins are a lot of flash but live with the tacoma and you really appreciate how well thought out it is. Push button start/smart key is something I smile about every day, lots of little details are well thought out like lighted buttons and a well organized center console. Entune leaves a lot to be desired but is perfectly serviceable in the meantime while carplay matures - head unit replacement should be pretty painless once the appropriate adapters come out. Once they make a carplay head unit that meets my standards that will be swapped ASAP (Right now there isn't a single one - OEM or aftermarket - that is worth a damn). For <$750 you should be able to add things like remote start, trailer brakes, and some interior bulbs that actually provide useful light very cleanly and painlessly. JBL isn't worth it IMO - Sound quality is okay but very processed and muddy at anything other than low volume. Much better off going fully aftermarket - I was spooked by the integration of everything into the factory system though and possibly losing features, so I spent the ~550 and got the best factory system. Now that I've had it apart, I've decided an aftermarket system would be totally worth it.

I would have gotten an access cab if I could do it over again - rear leg room is laughable compared to the GM twins and 95% of the time my back seat is just full of gear; easier to get to with the suicide door on an access cab. Better milage and trail handling too.

Overall grade - B+ (pobody's nerfect)

Also, sorry about the lack of indirect objects - too much time spent charting in the medical field.

*UPDATE*

Got it back from the stealership and got it on the highway for the first time since topping off the tranny - On the way in @70mph flat highway I was at ~2000 RPM. On the way back (same speed, same road) I was at ~1600 RPM. Will take it through hill country with cruise control on and see if it shifts more smoothly/less frequently. Leak was the drain tube from the sunroof improperly installed in San Antonio. Fixed now but I'm sure the wires in my upper console will corrode about a day after my warranty is up.

Honestly, I bet if I stop using cruise control in hilly terrain (sound advice with any vehicle) and do the 'ol S5 trick, 80% of my problems with this truck will be resolved. Everything else is perfectly livable....

 

Nice, honest review! I've had mine for about a month now with no issues. Fingers crossed!

 

"First few weeks - ,,,,, serious buyer's remorse."

and still a B+

Can you grade my final exams; please?

jk

fwiw, a 24hr test drive would have revealed about 90% of the gripes to sway another decision. i think you'll grow to love the truck more, regardless.

good write up. drive safe.

 

Nice review, can you elaborate a little bit on your braking issue? Thanks

 

-Started out with buyer's remorse because of the transmission/power band. Now that those are smoothing out some and I've grown to appreciate other aspects of the truck, I'm happy with my purchase.

Sure. When I press the brake pedal, it goes "nothing....nothing....nothing...something?....STOP!". I have one of those "Automatic" OBD port analyzers that tells you milage, hard accelerations/brakes, etc and since switching from my 2006 F150 to this 2016 tacoma i've gone from zero hard stops to at least one a trip. My 12 mile round trip suburban commute usually has at least a couple hard stops...and I was taught to drive by a couple guys with CDL's that wouldn't let me test until I could bring the truck to a full stop without the nose dipping at the end. Even when I concentrate on smooth stops I still end up with my head trying for the windshield half the time. Navigating a parking garage is miserable - it looks like a panicked soccer mom trying to wrangle a Tahoe.

 

For the OP, have you tried running the truck in S4 with ECT off around town under 45 mph, letting the truck shift itself, S5 for the highway up to 65 -70 and S6 for flat terrain at 70+ speed?

See if that performs better around town with more linear acceleration. That mode cancels the use of the OD gears 5 and 6 that are available when you have the transmission in D. Might make it seem like it's lugging the motor less with higher rpms at shift points but be advised the gas mileage will drop a little.

I just use D when I don't want to think for the truck, don't care about lugging the engine or want to save gas.