Meeting your Taco's big brother, truck envy, and redemption.

I see a good looking Tundra every now a then.. But for most part when I see a Tundra it's either at a gas station or just left a gas station.

 

This x 100.

 

Damn that Tundra is a beast!!!

 

I Like the Older Tundra Design, they were a little more handsome, offered a manual Trans and were almost the same size as the current Tacoma.

BTW, I like your Access Cab OP

 

100% agree, but I needed a truck in 2016, and theTacoma was the best choice for the long term at that moment. I have owned GM and the qualify was not good. I test drove the 2016 Canyon first- the transmission was shifting up and down way more than the Tacoma, could not find a way to adjust the side view mirror without rolling down the window, and on the test drive, every right turn, an alarm would sound that a door was open- three strikes in my book. Tacoma is a nicer designed interior, feels more solid, and has (had to some) a good reputation for reliability.
Time will tell, and there is no such thing as a sure thing in life. "You pays your money and you takes your chances" as a friend of mine used to say....

 

The Diesel Colorado I drove shifted very smooth and had better low end grunt than my 2016 Tacoma. Of course the transmission is different and IIRC the baby dmax in those comes with less gears in the auto trans.

My 2011 GMC Sierra Denali had impeccable quality. It was really TOO nice to use for hunting and back country stuff. I paid about 50K for it.... it was a HELL of a lot more truck than my Tacoma for ~$40K...in more ways than one of course. The Tacoma is better for around-town use, parking, maneuvering and for access in back-country but the full size has it's advantages too. Gas mileage was the major downside of the Sierra with 6.2L motor and all-wheel-drive I was averaging about 10MPG around town. Sure was a boatload of fun to drive though.

The newer Sierra and Silverado with 6.2L comes with even more gears but I hear nothing but GREAT feedback on how it drives and performs. I don't like the "too many gears" excuse for the Tacoma having shitty transmission performance. Other manufacturers are pulling it off with more gears than the Tacoma has, in other Truck applications. Maybe the GM you test drove was the exception but there are others doing very well with these "high number geared" auto transmissions.

The Tacoma shifting is sporadic and indecisive. It gives a dead pedal feeling often times. The low end torque is non-existent. This is an issue that has multiple contributing factors including software, transmission gears, gear ratios, and engine behavior. These are not just my findings but the findings of many reviews both from individuals and major reviewer periodicals.

 

I am loath to own a full size pickup. I have to go to Manhattan and Philadelphia on occasion, and navigating/parking there can be tricky. In general the Northeast US is way more crowded than many other parts of the US, and midsize is a good fit for my needs.

Luck of the draw, the salesman at the GM dealership was absent from school the day they taught selling. It was me and my wife taking the test drive. The salesman declined because he did not want to ride in the back of the access cab. When we returned, we mentioned some of our concerns and he had really lame retorts. Also asking about price, he told us no negotiating since demand outstrips supply. Later much to him.
The Toyota salesman was a young family man, very knowledgeable and not pushy- made a fair deal and I stop in to say hello when I go in for scheduled service.
Such is life, going with the flow...

 

Its pretty crazy the ledges he can climb. He can keep up with the 37" tire jeeps 90% of the time. He just cut around 10" off his rear fenders to gain more rear approach angle and is currently getting a custom high clearance tube bumper build with dual swing outs.

Talk about torque with a 5.7L and 4.88 gears w/ lockers sounds amazing climbing over rock.