One year(ish) retrospective

Opinions ahead

Truck:
TRD OR Double Cab Long Bed
Everything stock except for cosmetic/usability add-ons
Bought Sept. 2017

Use:
Daily driver
Family hauler (2 kids + wife)
Road trips, snow, camping, usual rec stuff
Light offroading

Replaced:
09 BMW 335i
06 Honda Ridgeline

Summary:
Everything I ever wanted out of a truck, but falls short for daily use/true family vehicle for a number of reasons. Toyota reputation for reliability is a major plus. Gigantic ecosystem for third-party add-ons is a huge draw. Will keep for the long haul (planning 10+ years) but will augment with a crossover for better family hauling + (slightly) better driving dynamics.

Background:
Not going to waste too much space trying to prove I'm a "truck guy" but I learned to drive stick on a 1990 Ford Ranger and have owned/driven trucks (yes, the Ridgeline counts) pretty much continuously since then. Favorite truck is J60 Land Cruiser that I bought used and continuously beat up but could not kill.

Pros:
- It looks like a truck. I feel like I'm driving a truck when I'm in it vs. a pretend truck. This sounds silly but it counts.
- Nice long bed for mid-size segment comes in handy
- Toyota reliability means I don't have to worry (see: BMW 335i)
- Drives steady, you know what you get
- ECT provides better, more car-like throttle response; good option to have
- No frills, no BS like engine auto-stop
- Nice old school knobs and controls
- Tons and tons and tons of available add-ons made to fit (center compartment dividers, tonneau cover, radio knobs, etc. etc.)
- Cozy quiet ride, no complaints from the family

Cons:
- I've been spoiled by unibody -- forgot how jittery a truck drives, ah well
- I've also forgotten how much trucks love/need weight in the back -- blipping traction control on accel is sort of fun... the first 500 times...
- It's just a tad too narrow -- I could really use a few more inches of overall width in the interior
- Overall interior comfort is just... so so. I'm not expecting luxury comfort (that's the vehicle on order), but it's really REALLY spartan
- Very little usable storage in the cabin -- solved with dividers and pockets, etc., but still

Pic:

 

I like my 15 just great. Never let me down, Carrys all my stuff, drags a trailer. Not much to complain about. I'd like better fuel economy but no point complaining.

 

Just took delivery of the planned Tacoma augmentation. Tacoma now firmly in the weekend toy category, where it rightly belongs.