25K review - K02's, Overall Good's and Bads

So this Feb I sold my 200 series Landcruiser and purchased a 2016 TRD OR doublecab shortbed 4x4 with the V6, aluminum running boards, mudflaps and roof rack. Purchased it for $33.5K. Put 265/75/16 E load range BFG K02's on it the week I purchased it from Discount Tire. This is a San Antonio truck for anyone curious.

Driving habits - I drive @ 90 miles a day with 80% on the highway at 75 and the rest on country backroads, fields, fire roads, etc. She is on the road 7 days a week.

Tires - very good traction on dirt roads, wet fields, etc. I use 4x4 just about every day driving through the pasture fields, fireroads and a 3/4 mile gravel drive way. Tires rotated and balanced every 5K by DT. They started quiet and smooth and after 25k they still showed 13/32 tread depth but picked up an imbalance that took a lot of weight to clear up. They also became very loud, the typical lug void you would expect from a MT not an AT. That being said, the Duratracs on my Landcruiser did the same thing in the noise department after 25K so it could be the environment I drive on. All in all, a great tire. A bit heavy for this truck, but they will probably last 75-100K at the current wear rate. MPG took a 1-1.5mpg hit with this tire. Chalk test put them at 33 fronts and 35 rears.

Drivetrain - Transmission did have the shift flare when cold and reverse to drive delay. Had the fluid checked (which read high - probably tested incorrectly at dealership) and did have the TSB done as this VIN fell in the range. This did resolve the shift flare and reverse to drive delay. It didnt do very much for the 6 - 4 downshift I experienced though I believe this is more a matter of the torque/gearing of this drivetrain combination than a trans issue. Driving on flat roads the truck maintained 6 very well. Light grades and the truck would shift to 4th @ 3000rpm and hang there for quite a while. Cruise control was not usable during my trip through the Tennessee foothills due to its constant hunting and rpm hand. The transmission is smooth and for typical city driving and Interstate travel at 70 or below most people would never complain. I believe this issue can be resolved with a lower set of gears and less mpg geared ecu programming. From the limited dyno graphs I have seen, the Tacoma v6 is only putting @ 125lb-ft of torque down at 2.5k in 4th. So in 6th with a .58 ratio its putting well below 100ft-lb of torque to the ground during cruising rpm's at 70. Combine that with a conservative ecu program and heavier tires and I can understand why it shifts out of 6th so easily.

No driveline vibration was noted in my truck, but I did have an annoying buzz in the dash at 2K. Brakes worked great.

Towing/Hauling- I used the Tacoma this year to haul 5cords of firewood. Hauling beds full of hardwood were no issue, even when combined with @ 3000#'s of trailer. Any trailer longer/heavier than 5000#'s or 12' or so was terrible. My 25' toy hauler which is 6000#'s loaded was murder on the Tacoma. Of course towing is not the even in the top 5 needs of Tacoma owners based on surveys, just set your expectations if you want to pull a 20' travel trailer or anything approaching 3 tons. This is not the truck for you unless it is very infrequent and short distances. Occasional 5x8 utility trailers, pulling bikes/atv's and such should be no issue.

Offroad - Very capable with the K02s. I used low weekly and 4hi daily. Both engaged very easily. Never used the multi-terrain, however the crawl behaved identically to the LC. My rear locker took @ 10' to engage sometimes, but I understand that is relatively normal. Great approach and break over, did bang the tow hitch on a few rocks/logs but no damage was sustained. Never got stuck, this truck really loves the outdoors.

Interior - Coming from a Landcruiser, I will say the fit/finish/layout of the Tacoma is very good. You can tell the biggest difference in things like the thickness/plushness of the carpets, headliner and seat quality. The switchgear was very similar, just missing details like heavily padded leather knee bolsters to pad your legs while offroading. My drivers side cushion and cover was replaced @ 20K miles due to being worn out. (Im 5'10 - 170#' so not a fatty) The stitches popped and the material was very frayed. The Entune worked very well and synced with my Edge 6 without issues. BT streaming Spotify was excellent and people could easily understand me on the phone. The verbal nav was awful. Never could train it right and ended up using Waze to navigate instead of the factory Nav. I did have the random restart when it rained which seems to be relatively common. The rest of the interior held up very well (4 kids) with the only real wear besides the seats was the plastic covering the gauge console. It scratches and swirled very easily even using only microfiber cloths. Not sure why the smart key was only set on the drivers door. I do miss being able to go to any door to unlock the truck.

Exterior - Through a year of heavy use including 2 seasons of salted roads local and during travels, I will say the exterior has held up great. The black fender flares scuff easily, however the paint still looks new. I did fluid film the underside 2x's and there is not a hint of rust on the underside. The bed held up great, however the tailgate plastic is very heavily gouged. Luckily its an easy to replace item. I did have the howling lower control arms which were plugged thanks to Lowes and a terrible kazoo sound at 80. This may be the roof rack. Not 100% sure. The bed power adapter came in handy for using a chainsaw sharpener and other small plug ins, however a dedicated 2000watt Honda generator or equivalent is better suited for longer term/constant use such as at a campsite. Replaced 2 windshields. Small chips tend to spread very quickly.

MPG avg for the life of the vehicle - 18.4mpg. I believe with the factory tires and a less offroad/hauling it could easily hit the 20mpg combined rating.

So this closes a short but satisfying chapter of my life. I traded the Tacoma on a 2017 Tundra Crewmax 4x4. Trade in value of the Tacoma after 25K was $31.5 so she definitely retained her value.

I look forward to coming back to the Tacoma experience again in the future when my vehicle needs better align with its capabilities.

TLR crowd. Had Tacoma nearly a year and drove it 25Kmiles. Great truck, traded for a Tundra due to needing a bigger truck.

 

As much as I love trolling on these forums, it's nice to see and read a comprehensive thread like this once in a while.

 

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

 

This is what I'm thinking about doing. I see no mention of a lift, everything was kosher with those tires on stock rims and suspension?

 

yes

 

Yes, I did have a lift. 3/1 and it cleared without any trimming.