2010 vs 2019/2020

I didn’t read this whole post but definitely read the original topic. I’m not biased to either 2nd or 3rd gen as I’ve owned both.

2015 sr5 2wd vs 2019 trd or

1 - 2nd gen is beast of a truck. I’ve towed things wayyyyyy too many times that I should never have towed with it and it hauled everything just fine and ran like a champ and shifted great day I traded it in as the day I bought it.

I have towed very little with my 3rd gen but it towed just fine but haven’t put it under major load nor for long distance. Doubtful it’ll top the 2nd gen due to a second overdrive on the 3rd gen trans.

2. Headlight on gen 2 WAY better without even slightly exaggerating. My 2019 is so sad when I drove it home that night from dealer. Today still sucks compared to my 2015 as I NEVER NEEDED high beams on it. Factory the 2019 is way too low and the projectors weaken the beam (my opinion not everyone’s).

3. 2019 has auto brights. Neat but miles away from where it should be. You’ll bright light people like crazy. I never use it due to that.

4. 2019 has sunroof. This is awesome right? Not if you’re 6-3 or taller and like to sit up straight rather than the punk kid gangster lean back in drivers seat. I hit my head on roof with my ball cap all the time if I lean even the slightest bit left. 2nd gen no prob with head room. (2020 fixes this with power seat option)

5. 2nd gen is a truck. 3rd gen is a car with truck capabilities. The engine seems ok trans seems ok. Drive a second gen for few years then hop into a 3rd gen. You won’t like it at first trust me. Constant shifting issues is nuts but does get better slightly over time when ecu learns a little. Still isn’t great after 3100 miles but I’ve learned how to drive differently to accommodate.

4. Cruise sucks both gens but you’ll never use it on a 3rd gen. If you do you’re on the flattest ground ever and running with no head wind.

5. Sliding read window - now useable in my 3rd gen. Should be on every Tacoma. Definite plus for 3rd gens but mods available for 2nd gen if really want it bad enough.

6. Looks. I honestly think 3rd gens look better inside and out despite not being a major body change like 1st gen to 2nd gen.

7. Fuel economy. Winner is 3rd gen. Should be expected but once you drive a 3rd gen you’ll be willing to sacrifice the fuel mileage gained to go back to the 4.0 and 5 spd trans. Also Toyota shouldn’t even put digital fuel economy display info. Fuel mileage sucks, buy a Prius.

8. Neither have apple car play..... yet! 2020 will and to me this is huge game changer and honestly thinking about trading mine in for a 2020 if my head unit can’t be fixed to allow for it. My dealer says it can but they tend to lie a little.

Lots more I could talk about but are just mostly not comparing apples to apples type things like added features. Cool new tech is always good and nice but drive-ability is by far a million times above and beyond the number one factor of our trucks. 2nd gen wins this category by a landslide and is the single most reason I’d stick with 2nd gen until they make it better. OVTune supposedly fixes some of the issues but that shouldn’t be necessary coming from factory.

Headlights, to me, huge feature. Don’t think so? Drive your truck then drive a truck with one headlight that’s as powerful as a mag light flash light and one headlight that points straight to the ground. It makes you want your truck back quickly! Same feeling I have about 3rd gen headlights compared to 2nd gen.

On a side note, my 2019 trd or rides like a dream on and off road. Hands down better ride long trip, short trip, on and off road than the 2nd gen I had. Extremely noticeable if you’re a 3+ year 2nd gen owner.

In a nutshell for me, make 3rd gen transmissions shift like normal vehicles do and not hunt for gears at an alarming rate and have headlights throw light further down the road and I’d say 3rd gen is a nice upgrade. Until then, I’d I had to do it all over again, I’d still own my 2015 right now.

 

I'm always a sucker for these kinds of threads because I've owned a 3rd Gen and went back to a 2nd Gen. I'm a picky guy and what bothers me may not bother most. The main issue for me was mainly the software that controlled the shifting. Drove me nuts. On a lesser note was the torque from the 3.5L. It's there, but at higher RPM's and I wanted it lower like the 4.0. Otherwise, loved everything else about the new Tacoma. If I bought one today, I'd grab gears and OVTune's tune (for automatic) and I think I'd be happy with that. I drove a manual 3rd Gen and, of course, liked it better than the auto, but I'd still regear it if I had one.

Looks like you've made up your mind. If you're still curious about a 3rd Gen, drive one. You may like it.

 

I drove my mom to the Toyota dealership a couple weeks ago when she bought a new 4Runner OR. I mentioned to a couple of the sales guys that I was looking at the 3rd gen because it had some of the features I missed from my old Acura TSX (moon roof, heated seats, dual zone climate control), the power rear sliding window, and the bed light(s), and CarPlay on the '20. Each one of them told me to keep mine until something better came out. At this point, I'm not planning on getting a new Tacoma until one comes out that can get better MPG's than my buddy's F150 Ecoboost, or my gf's JK Wrangler.

 

Great stuff from newdles and Musubi3. Definitely appreciate you guys taking the time to provide the comparisons.

 

Why dump your current GF for new one thats gona suck more $$$ from you

 

This pretty much sums it up, OP. But, I well understand how powerful the allure of a shiny new truck can be. It’s a fun thing to think about.

 

I wanted to share my thoughts after owning a 3rd gen Sport for 5.5 years and then selling it, with under 26k miles, to return to a 2nd gen. Well actually two 2nd gens. First thing is that I loved the features, the seats, the appearance and the mpg of the 3rd gen. I loved having something with a warranty. The problem I had was, in the first 6 months, I had more warranty repairs done than on any other vehicle in nearly 50 years of driving. I had to get Toyota Corporate involved to resolve nearly every issue. Most of the issues were known to Corporate but (1) they were not shared with dealers or (2) dealers knew and just played the ignorance card. After those issues were resolved I had a good truck for the remaining 5 years. Reasons for selling are (1) after adding a K&N CAI, and a quality Gibson 2.5" catback exhaust, the truck, even though these enhanced throttle response, always felt underpowered which is largely due to the Atkinson cycle 3.5 and the automatic transmission, (2) although minor I hated the canister style oil filter which is so much worse than a spin on filter, (3) after 2 transmission programming visits the automatic never drove to my liking and was more of a Prius type of shifting but I never really had gear hunting issues, (4) after seeing occasional reports of rear main oil leaks and timing chain cover oil leaks I was always looking for signs of those which, outside of the warranty, are very expensive repairs, (5) have seen several reports of paint issues similar to 2nd gens, (6) recalls for the differential cover leak which did not appear on mine, (7) the current recall for frame perforation inspection just like the 1st and 2nd gen trucks and finally (8) due to all of the above I did not have the confidence in my 2016 that I had in my previous 1st and 2nd gen trucks.
I knew for the last 6 months that I would eventually sell the 2016. I paid it off in 2 years and drove it less and less each following year. I bought this as my retirement vehicle. I just could not see spending the money on a tune when I was concerned about basic things like the rear main seal or the timing chain cover. It should have had a better tune from manufacturing. Once the market skyrocketed on truck prices I sold it to a Toyota dealer for exactly what I paid in January of 2016. There are things that I miss but nothing that makes me regret selling it. I bought a 2012 SR5 with 144k miles that runs and drives like new. I then bought a 2008 Off Road with only 83k miles and sold my son the 2012. My 2008 runs better than any Toyota truck I ever owned. Both have the 4.0 automatic and I know they will last for many miles. The 2008 has lost the clearcoat on the hood and the center section of the roof but I can paint or wrap those and be happy. I am very happy to have a truck that gives me the confidence of hitting the 200k, 250k or 300k mile marks. If Toyota changes the power train in a future model I may buy one. I will never buy another 3.5 with the current tune and automatic transmission.
p.s. I bought both 2nd gen trucks and still have over $3,000 left from selling my 3rd gen.

 

I too have a 2010 TRD OR, 170,000 miles still runs, drives and shifts like new. Garage kept for the first ten years, now my wifes Camry gets the garage. I enjoy driving that truck, and have liked it from the get go.
I had been toying with the idea of buying a 2022, until I read this thread! I'll keep my 2010. Thank you!