3rd Gen V6 plus OV Tune or 2nd Gen V6 ?

Yeah....I know......but believe me, your truck isn’t doing well on those 33’s.

If you could afford the regear, it would open your eyes. 95% of 2G guys running 33’s with no regear prioritize looks over performance, or don’t know what they are missing, or have horrible fuel economy that they don’t discuss, or are waiting on gears.

 

I've only had my '16 for a few weeks now and I'll be honest that at first I was a little skeptical after coming from a jeep. But having driven it for a few weeks I'm actually pretty impressed. I'm a biologist and needed a capable off road truck that can handle sketchy military roads and utility service roads where I work. There were a few places I wondered how it would handle and it made steep climbs, rocky, and sandy roads like it was effortless. And mine is bone stock. I've never driven a 2nd gen so I can't compare the two but I don't think you would be unhappy in a 3rd gen. It's little quirks do take time getting used to though.

 

If you like low end torque you need a full size truck IMO to actually get it. The 4.0 or 3.5 don't have it. I came from a 3.5 ecoboost F150 and was originally disappointed in my 3rd gens power.

After a few weeks of driving it and adjusting my exceptions to something more realistic (I had only owned V8's prior to the ecoboost) it performs just fine. The drivetrain has it's quirks but its not as bad as people make it out to be (either 2nd gen owners or manual 3rd gen owners). I've yet to tow anything with mine but think that may be the only time I actually miss the extra power and the 4.0 wouldn't solve that. A full size truck would.

Buy whatever you want and can get a deal on. You'll be happy with either I bet.

 

P rated 285 falkens, really? Literally no difference from my stock wheels other than higher RPMs after 70mph on the freeway. Mileage does really start to suck after that point when RPM's go to 2500 and above but otherwise no issues. Because it's a truck engine not a 3.5L made for a Corolla

 

Get a ranger, better drivetrain, better interior, better infotainment system.

 

I love how folks with the 4.0 think they are torque monsters and/or powerful

 

back at the vwvortex forum there's this joke that the 1.8T nevar loses. everyone except the 1.8T guys know it's a joke. but not the 1.8T guys. i think we have it similar here.

 

I cut my teeth in the Vortex.. ahh, college..

Anyways, I preached the 4.0 wagon and cussed myself for not buying that 2015 with only 30k miles last March but last week I drove a 4.0 again.
Actually felt sluggish, not as Skippy as I remembered it and the brakes felt like my 88 Toyota, ha.
I was happy to hand the keys back over & get back in my 3rd Gen after that. I'm now more in the camp that these 3.5s and 6 speeds just take a little getting used to but I'm beginning to believe it's a better driving combo and I don't even have OV yet, may not even get it actually. It took time for the truck & myself to adjust to each other but after last week, think I'm there..

 

With that said, I don't think you're going to find what you seek in the 3rd Gen in a test drive unfortunately, unless they let you keep if for a couple thousand miles..
My best advice would be to test drive with ECT on to get a better feel of how the truck will act once it learns your foot and your daily commutes, I don't really mess with the ECT button anymore because my truck started performing differently at about 3k miles and now it's way peppier than that 4.0 I drove the other day, gas mileage been about 19.2/gallon since day 1, seems no matter how I drive it it stays at about 19, all stock.

 

Another factor in all this is pride of ownership. I had a 2002 TRD Double Cab for 11 years and 180K miles. I never got tired of that truck, it looked good, would go anywhere, and I had a lot of good times with it.

I really like the 3G in TRD OR trim. It seems like the kind of truck I’d be happy to climb into every day.

 

Op, early examples of the 3rd gen had significantly different ECM calibrations than later models. One only has to look at the number of TSBs related to driveability to realize that Toyota heard feedback and did something about it.

Now for personal experience.

I owned a very early OR V6 6M/T (purchased October 2015), and yes, even in the manual the OEM tuning left much to desire. Fast forward to the summer of 2017, and a Toyota TSB came onto the scene which fixed nearly all the original issues I had with the factory calibration (throttle inconsistency was still there). In the interim I bought OVtune, because I was about ready to push my truck off a cliff. It's a great product, and getting better all the time.
Well, just a couple of weeks ago I picked up a 2019 Sport 6M/T, and other than a somewhat lacklustre bottom end and inconsistent throttle, the truck ran just fine. Since I already had OVtune, I had my license transferred to the new truck and tuned it ASAP. Yep, it made a noticeable difference.

No bench racing here, no bullshit about stuff I don't have a clue about. You probably won't need OVtune by the sounds of it, but rest assured you will notice the difference if you decide to get it.

TL;DR - Early 3G V6 trucks with early calibrations were not as good as later versions. The good news it that updated calibrations are available via TSB at the dealer, or you could even update it yourself (I did on my '16).

Have fun!

 

I am driving a Nissan Titan now. The 2017 was the first year of a major redesign with a new motor and transmission. It had similar growing pains. There were at least 3 TSBs that I'm aware of related to transmission shifting, hunting, and driveability. Either Nissan fixed it, or I got used to it. I just dont have any problems with it now. It is wasn't so big and was a 4x4 I might keep it.

 

Always go with your gut.

 

I have averaged 20.3 mpg on my first 500 miles on my new 2019 trd offroad. I live in the oregon cascades. Plenty hilly. It is a rocket ship compared to my old 97 T-100. Really surprized to see all the whining about the newish 3.5. Get used to driving it. It rips along just fine. Check out the tfl truck ike gauntlet towing tests of 2nd and 3rd gen. The 3.5 does quite a bit better.

 

I currently own a '17 V6 auto with 275 E rated tires and a lift. I previously owned a stock 2003 4Runner with the same 4.0L they had in the 2nd Gen Tacomas. I am currently in the process of doing the OV Tune to hopefully improve upon some of the complaints I have with the 3.5L V6 auto combination. I also work at a Toyota dealership so I've had a lot of seat time with both the 2nd gen and 3rd generation Tacomas. The 4.0L definitely feels torquier off the line and has better throttle response than the 3.5L but in terms of passing power the 3.5L wins hands down. The problem with the 3rd gen isn't that they're underpowered it's just getting to that power in a practical way that has more to do with Toyota's tuning of the transmission and throttle response/inputs. ECU PWR button helps with that but it's still obvious this was tuned with efficiency in mind. This is why I spent the money on this OV tune. And if the hundreds upon hundreds of reviews are to be believed it accomplishes that. Recently I got into a low mileage 2015 Tacoma at work and was disappointed how much the power fell off at higher RPM's compared to my 17 Tacoma, which would be sketchy for passing on some of the mountain highways I travel on with limited room to pass slower drivers. In all other aspects besides torque off the line the 3rd gen Tacoma wins. It feels much more solid than the 2nd gen, the body stays way more composed in a 3rd gen when you hit road imperfections and obviously has some nice modern amenities not available in 2nd gen Tacomas. I also do a lot of off roading/back road traveling and the 3rd gen is perfect for that. If the OV Tune works as advertised there's really no reason to go with a 2nd Gen IMO. If you are still undecided you might as well take advantage of the best deal in the industry right now- leasing a new 19 Tacoma. Those leases are stupid good deals and would give you 3 years to decide if you like the 3rd gen. And if you don't, 4th gen will be out by then! Just a thought... Best of luck with your decision.

 

@Warhawk
You talked me into a S&W instead of a Ruger. I'll do the same for you here, buy the Tacoma. Like I told you on arf, test drive a 3rd Gen and I think you'll be surprised. Internet commandos make a big deal about the transmission shifting, lack of power, etc. Same type of people claim that Smith sucks and will shoot loose if you run anything hotter than factory 240s....

 

Small World ain’t it. I hope you’re enjoying that Smith, I sure do mine.

I have another reason for a 2nd gen, besides knowing I’d be happy with one. I should be able to get a nice one without borrowing any money. Being debt free is becoming more and more important the closer I get to retirement.

 

I was finally able to test drive a 3rd gen, a used 2018 TRD OR double cab. The way the engine and trans work together remind me of my Nissan Titan, but with a lot less power. I liked this Tacoma, but would be saving my pennies for a re gear.

Also had a 2017 access cab SR5 pop up about 100 miles away. Good price, very low miles, and a clean car fax. Did Toyota make an upgrades in 2018 or 19 that would make them a better choice?

 

Not as far as engine/transmission. Very small changes, and addition of TSS. The old guard will tell you how the sky is falling in regard to TSS, but I find it works very well, and so do most that actually have it, but internetz gonna perpetuate, you know.
If you like the 17, you'll like the rest of the 3rd gens, good luck!