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2nd Gen vs 3rd gen, which do you prefer?

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by jbird350z, Mar 17, 2016.

  1. Jun 17, 2018 at 10:02 PM
    #181
    urban

    urban Well-Known Member

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    I notice the third gens are considerable heavier and GVWR has not increased very much. Here is a comparison of weights and capacities for 2nd vs 3rd 4x4 DCLB (my truck).
    2nd/3rd
    CURB 4220 / 4480
    GVWR 5500 / 5600
    PAYLOAD 1280 / 1120
    It may not seem like a lot but when you think about towing and tongue weight, the payload becomes much more important. With a tongue weight of 600lbs (10% of 6000 lbs, towing capacity is 6400) you can still put 680 pounds of stuff in your truck. 4 170 pound people is still manageable or camping gear if you're pulling an RV. If you pull this same trailer in a third gen you only have 520lbs remaining. You would have to lose one person or some gear. This is a pretty quantitative vote for second gen in my mind. If payload is most important then a two wheel access cab is best but I do still prefer 4wd and long wheelbase.

    Also, I despite the third gen growing on me and the appeal of better mileage (I only get about 15-16) I still like the look of second gen better and the more spartan interior. That being said it is loud and prone to rattling/other noises.
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2018
  2. Jun 17, 2018 at 10:44 PM
    #182
    Stocklocker

    Stocklocker Well-Known Member

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  3. Aug 7, 2018 at 5:33 PM
    #183
    Rick's 2012

    Rick's 2012 Well-Known Member

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    To be honest. I've got a 2nd Gen Tacoma. A 2012. I've never owned a Tacoma before. But I have owner an 2002 S-10, a 2009 Mazda and a 2012 F-150. I must say that l loved all the truck's. But I was surprised how quickly l fell in love with my Tacoma. It made me wish l had bought one years ago. I love my 2nd gen Tacoma. I'll never go back to another brand. But l think if you bought any gen Tacoma, and you like it, then you're a winner.
    That's my two Canadian cents worth
     
  4. Aug 9, 2018 at 7:25 PM
    #184
    muddywater

    muddywater Member

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    I owned both and prefer the 2nd gen other than the gas mileage on the 3rd gen.
    Things i dislike about the 3rd gen:
    low beams suck compared to 2nd gen. I feel like i am blind on some roads that i could see perfectly with low beams on the 2nd gen.
    The engine tranny combo feels like a slug unless you really get on it and the tranny tends to lug the engine at times. This has been covered ad nauseum on other threads.
    Entune plus in SR5 sounds worse than the SR base level 2nd gen radio.
    pure black interior rather than dark gray in 2nd gen shows everything and looked worse after 2 weeks than my 2nd gen looked after 10 years. Noise level seemed to be a wash despite their claims maybe because my 2nd gen had a smaller cab? My 2nd gen had more aggressive tires so the 3rd gen should win automatically but did not. Hate the placement of the identically shaped 4wd dials with the identically shaped a/c dials. I kept turning the 4wd dial on the highway. Ergonomics on 3rd gen steering wheel were crummy compared to the 2nd gen i had. When i was shopping, the only ones that had an upgraded sound system were with the sunroof package and the roof is too low for me to sit in a 3rd gen with a sunroof (i am only 6'2"). Other than that, the 3rd gen gas mileage is much to be preferred. Both looked good although i wish i could have gotten desert sand again or that green that seemed to be very rare on the 2nd gens.
     
  5. Aug 9, 2018 at 7:34 PM
    #185
    Tunngavik

    Tunngavik Well-Known Member

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    KC-HiLites Fog Lamps, Kicker speaker and tweeter upgrade, USB in center console, Power tailgate lock, Soundproofing, 32" lightbar
    Jeez, I forgot about this historically important thread.

    Interesting to see there is a good portion of posters from back then are now on perma-ban :anonymous:

    R.I.P Smitty, BlueT, 2016_DBag..... Sleep peacefully you beautiful princes.
     
  6. Feb 17, 2020 at 10:37 AM
    #186
    TacomaWilly

    TacomaWilly Well-Known Member

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    Time to revive this thread!

    I own an 06 TRD Sport DCLB and my buddy has a 17 TRD Sport DCLB, which I have drove many times... and here is my comparison, without getting into the specs:

    Maybe I am biased since I own a 2nd gen, but overall I do like it better.
    -Fuel economy is not much different. I notice 0.5 to 0.75 km/L improvement with the 3rd gen
    -3rd gen is less comfortable (mentally) on the highway unless you're going 120 km/h+ ..Traffic and going up hills leaves the transmission constantly over shifting and 'searching' for gears. Probably be worse while towing.
    -Interior and electronics, back up camera etc. are much nicer on the 3rd gen. As it should be since it is 11 years newer.
    -Both trucks, IMO, shift into OD at too low of a speed which creates annoying drive line vibrations.
    -3rd gen shifts considerable smoother from 1-2-3. Probably because of varying mileage and gear ratios.
    -3rd gen electronic LSD is annoying. You can turn of traction control but I don't think you can turn off the LSD... so you can't have fun sliding around slippery corners without the god-awful grinding noise associated with engaging the LSD. (If you can turn off the LSD on 3rd gen, my buddy would like to know. Lol)
    -3rd gen doesn't have a handle on the drive side so getting in the truck is kind of awkward, for me at least..
    -Paid less than half for my 06 of what my buddy did for his truck, which had a bit less than a third the mileage. And my frame is 3+ years newer than his. Lol.

    All in all, both are excellent trucks in my opinion. If you're just interested in getting a truck for work and reliability, I'd recommend the 2nd gen but if you like the extra ride comfort and electronic accessories, go for the 3rd gen. My truck has 250K and I plan on getting another 250K out of it (unless catastrophic engine or transmission failure occurs)

    Cheers,
     
    Rick's 2012 likes this.
  7. Feb 17, 2020 at 11:05 AM
    #187
    Rick's 2012

    Rick's 2012 Well-Known Member

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    Ditto!!!!! The driving experience and lack of annoying electonic gadgets is why l too love my 2nd gen so much. :thumbsup:
     
    jburner and TacomaWilly like this.

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