I Love My New Tacoma

Long post warning, haha.

I really love my new truck. In 2015 I bought a ‘16 SR5 4runner and didn’t bond with it for many reasons and had almost immediate buyer’s remorse. It got astonishingly bad gas mileage for a modern SUV (15-16 around town, and never better than 18 on highway trips). It handled like a tug boat, and I work in the mountains so the lack of good cornering was one of the worst things about it for me. The engine felt anemic, slow, unresponsive... just a dog. It was a well-built solid and reliable vehicle, but it just wasn’t for me. My wife loved its practicality for our family though, and in 2017 we test drove and Limited 4runner and she fell in love. We still own that 4Runner and it has always felt more powerful than my SR5 for whatever reason, and although it’s still not the best handling vehicle out there, the upgraded factory Limited suspension handles the corners sooo much better than my SR5. It’s still a gas hog, but the +s definitely outweigh the -s. But this post isn’t about 4Runners, it’s about what lead me to my Tacoma.

After 2 years with the ‘16 SR5 4Runner, I replaced it with a 2013 Subaru Outback that I drove for 3 years. It got good mpgs, handled nicely, and was very practical for me and my work, but it was kind of a piece of shit. Seemed like every week something new went wrong... I had to add a quart of oil every 2500 miles like clockwork because the oil light would come on the dash (and Subaru kept telling me that’s “normal”). All of the windows stopped rolling down randomly and then would work again randomly, the windshield wiper fluid light would always come on and off, and the suspension was the most clunky, loud and roughest ride I’ve ever felt on a car (even though I had Subaru check everything out multiple times, and of course, there was never anything wrong). The engine would hesitate randonly pulling out into the road and almost caused a few accidents because it wouldn’t just get up and go like it should. I had random misses and shaking with the engine occasionally, and then after bringing it in to fix a rear diff leak, they found the head gasket was leaking. That was the last straw. People told me for years that Subaru quality was right up there with Toyota, but I say not even close. This was a 6 year old car that had more problems than most 20 year old Toyotas. I’ve always been a Toyota guy and that Soob made me realize that I’m still a Toyota guy.

I wanted to replace the Outback with something similar that had a Toyota badge on it, so I grabbed my mask, went to the dealership in November and test drove a Rav4 and a Highlander. I just didn’t like the way the Rav felt, but I did like the Highlander. Then I realized that the AWD Highlander was almost the same price as a TRD OR Taco. They had a beautiful ‘21 OR 4x4 (in my first choice of color - cement) sitting right there on the lot and it was like a light beam from heaven was shining down on it. I test drove the truck with 4 miles on the odometer, just brought out to the lot. I was the first (and last) customer to test drive it and it I fell in love. I am a truck guy once again, and after almost 2 months of owning it, I have zero regrets. I really love everything about it... excpet that the powered driver seat doesn’t have a memory button (c’mon Toyota). But that’s something I can definitely live with.

I’m not doing any major off road mods (because I already have a lifted/locked/geared ‘97 4Runner that I’ve had for 20 years). I love the way this Tacoma looks and drives as it is, but I have done a few cool things to it...

-I sold the stock Goodyear tires and got some 265/75r16 Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws.
-Removed the TRD stickers and chrome emblems, and I put a “Pro style” TRD Off Road badge on the door, and got some black tacoma letter inserts for the tailgate.
-Added a Rugged tri-fold hard tonneau cover
-OEM bed mat
-OEM bed divider
-Pro grill
-For Christmas I got center console and glove box organizers, and
-Garmin mini dash cam (which plugs right into the powered mirror with an adapter).

I’m pretty much done for the foreseeable future and I’m happy. If you’re still here, thanks for reading!

 

Cement is the best color...

 

I share your enthusiasm. I've owned a lot of vehicles but this Tacoma is my favorite.

We have a 14 SR5 premium 4Runner and it does handle like a boat compared to my new Tacoma. But the 4Runner has been flawless.

Hopefully we are both just as happy with our trucks years from now.

 

Great color choice!

 

You love your third gen tacoma?

HE'S A WITCH! BURN HIM!

 

Wow, that was a long post....Congrats on the new Taco!

 

What adapter did you use to plug your Garmin Mini to the rearview mirror?

 

Cement is definitely the best color! Fell in love with it on my 21 SR5 when i bought it in November. Congrats on the new Tacoma!

 

Sweet truck!! Congrats!!!

 

Toyota said that was normal...

 

This one:

$37 Dongar Dash Cam Power Adapter (12-pin Type A) - Compatible w Toyota Tacoma (15-23), select Highlander, Tundra, Sienna; Honda Ridgeline & more. USB Power, Connects to Rearview Mirror. Easy Install!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DMW3DML/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And this short USB cable:

$7 mxtechnic Micro USB Data Cable 5.9" 90 Degree Left Angle USB 2.0 A Male to Micro B Left & Left Angle for syncing Charging Smartphones, GPS, External Hard Drives (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078Z8ZM7W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Super easy install, took me about 2 minutes. The only thing left to buy is a mini SD card for the cam. Download the Garmin app to your phone, connect to the cam to the app and you can edit the videos and download them directly to your phone without needing to remove the cam from the truck (which you can also do easily if you prefer to download long videos).

The cam also turns on/off with the truck’s ignition and starts recording automatically, so you never have to think about it.

 

Congratulations! You picked one of the best colors too. I know I fell in love with Cement myself.

 

Welcome to TW! Probably my next favorite color choice after white. Nice truck!

 

If I were buying today, I'd probably consider cement as well, it really does look sharp with the black accent fenders/pro grill/etc. Waaaaay better than an outback too!

 

Congrats on a beautiful truck. It's eerily similar to the way mine is going to be. My TRD Off Road emblem on the door will reside in the same position as a TRD Pro emblem. No bed stickers, TRS Pro grille. But mine will have 2.5 Fox Socks, with rear springs and 5.29's. Still working on the right wheel and tire combo. I do know it will have Nitto Ridge Grapplers, I had them on my JK and loved them, super quiet. All parts except wheels and tires are inbound now.

 

Nice! I sorta went back and forth on whether to put the TRD OR emblem in the Pro spot or where the “Tacoma” was. Obviously I went with the tacoma spot. I liked the way it looks and also figured it added a little something different to personalize my truck a tiny bit. What size tires are you going with the 5.29s?

 

I'm strong on 285/75-R17. Either Volk or Work wheels. I know I'll need some body mount mods, but I'm okay with that. I specifically chose this truck as I have had a Toyota 4x4 of some sort for the last 40 years. I really wanted the Advanced Technology and Premium Off Road packages. I would have gotten a Pro, but knew I'd throw away the suspension. I missed not having a truck. Where in So Cal are you. I'm in the San Diego area.

 

I can appreciate your enthusiasm as I had a 1992 V6 4X4 Toyota Truck for 14 years. Couldn’t afford one in 2006 when our first kid came along until now. Love my 2 month old 2020 in Super White.

Mater of fact, so does the entire family including my 2 kids. My wife always wants to fricken drive it but is short so the power drivers seat has been helpful for her to find a comfortable driving position. Unfortunately it’s a bit of a pain to have to re-adjust everything when I take over.

So yes, a memory button for the power adjustable seat would have been awesome.

Congratulations and enjoy your new Truck!

 

Yeah, probably a wise choice not the spend the extra $10K on the Pro if you’re going to change out all that stuff anyway. I have some brand new 285/75/17 Toyo AT3s on my ‘97 4Runner and love the size and everything about them (downsized from 315/75/16 MT/Rs and I’m super happy with the power and mpgs I gained back from going to a 1” smaller AT). I’m in Redlands area. Here’s a shot of my 285s

 

We had a 94 Four Runner, it was a vehicle we leased and made money on; by buying it out at lease end as it was worth far more than buyout. I really liked it, just wished for more power. That looks like a fun ride, I have had many vehicles for ten years, but never for twenty! Enjoy!