Recent 3rd gen years... Are you happy?

I like the truck and the mods I've made but I get less and less satisfied with all of the tech BS it has on it For example, it's a brand new truck purchased in October currently has 4400 miles on it. I just finished putting new wheels/tires/lift on it, and TRD pro style grille in it. I had some issues with the TSS after I put the new grille in but I've resolved those.
Last week a rock broke my windshield so today I went and got the windshield replaced. They have to recalibrate the TSS system after replacing the windshield. The glass place declined the recalibration due to the fact that I have the lift/wheels/tires. Said I'd have to have the dealer do it, but that it should be covered by my insurance. WTF! With as many people who drive these trucks and make these kind of mods to them you'd think by now they'd have the right equipment to compensate for all of that stuff. I think the TSS system sucks and I'd rather not have it. Been driving for 45 years without it and had no problems

 

Here is an idea Im just throwing out to Toyota. Offer an off road package similar to the Trd Pro on the SR trim without all the extra tech. They started in that direction with the Trail Edition but could go further.
Ford just did something similar, although not far enough, with the Rattler package on the XL trim of the F-150

 

SR, DCSB MT with a locker

sign me up.

 

I bought a 22 SR5 DCLB in September and after a set of more aggressive tires I'm very happy with it. Probably the two things I dislike the most is that power locks on a $40K truck do not include a power lock on the tailgate and the way it seems the engine and trans speak 2 different languages. Once I recover from buying the wheel and tire package I'll probably get a tune since it seems like that gets the engine and trans working better together.

 

I like:
-manual
-ride
-customization
-appearance overall (LED lights, wheels, overall a great looking truck)
-color options
-I actually find the seat very comfortable, I’m 6’4” 205 and have 0 issues on stock seat (is power though).
-community

Things I don’t love (but still can deal with)
-lack of power (add another 75 HP I’d be happy)
-abysmal fuel economy. Everyone will say but it’s a truck. Sorry no. 1/2 trucks get more power and better mileage than the Tacoma
-not my truck specifically since I’m okay with the short bed but it would be nice if they offered long bed MT for the homies here.
-infotainment sucks, not a huge deal but coming from a F-150 Tremor their tech blows away Toyota. Usable 360 cameras v a camera with 120p resolution.

 

Fuck yeah I love my 2021 SR-5. And its stock.

 

I appreciate that. On my must have list was at least a 6ft bed. On my really, really want list was a manual trans. Unfortunately, the long bed was more important to me than the manual trans. Not to mention the fact you couldn't get the SR5 V6 in manual anyway.

 

OP, you have the same 2nd gen I did (except mine was a 2010)!! I absolutely loved that truck, same color, hood scoop, long bed, Pre-runner, did my own maintenance, never left me stranded, paid off for years, etc etc.

Then last June I was rear ended by an uninsured motorist and the truck was totaled. I was absolutely devastated. It was my forever truck!! Either I would die or it dies was the only way I would have separated from it. Insurance gave me $21k for it when I bought it back in 2010 I paid $26k drive out.

So I was hesitant to get a 3rd gen, but I knew I had to get a Tacoma and I didn’t want to buy used. I will say it slowly grew on me and now I absolutely love it. Features I thought I didn’t need I can’t live without now.

As long as you stick with a Tacoma, you’ll be happy.

My 2010:



My 2022:

 

Unless you re-geared, your 2nd gen V6 oem diff gearing is 3.73. The 4 cyl has 4.1.

 

Yep, this truck is a beauty.




.

 

Shame stick shifts are going bye bye. I’m actually looking at getting a 1st gen CTS-V because I can get a 6 speed with it.

 

Yeah I regeared when I had the Truetrac put in. 4.30 wasn't available and 4.56 might have been too much if I ever wanted to go back to shorter tires. I'm happy with 4.10 it's a big difference over 3.73 on my 33s.

 

Wow I got a ton of insight. Thanks all of you for responding. I'll try to go through and respond individually when I'm off work. I have a lot to read through but it seems like it's a mixed bag. I'm actually excited to see the new powertrain on the 4th gen Tacoma and I'm not turned off by a four cylinder turbo or some kind of hybrid. I may just hold off because going through the process of modifying my truck only to sell it 2 to 3 years later doesn't sound good to me.

 

I took delivery of my new TRD OR in October of '22 and am nearly at the 5k mark. Overall I love the truck, but as others have mentioned, it's now 7-year-old hardware sold at a new truck price. For me, that was a selling point and part of why I pulled the trigger now vs. waiting for a 4th-gen. I plan on keeping the truck a while and have a number of friends with early 3rd-gen trucks that have been flawless well beyond 100k. Plus, this platform has an incredibly robust aftermarket.

That said, in my experience all of the typical gripes you hear about 3rd-gens are true: the 2GR isn't overwhelmingly powerful (I prefer the 1GR/5AT combo in my FIL's 4Runner), the trans shift logic can be frustrating (although it improved noticeably over the first 1,000 miles and there are plenty of tuners that can solve it), the interior is solid but cramped and the plastics scratch easily, etc.

Now that the market's starting to calm down, you might instead look for a clean used 4x4 2nd-gen. With a little effort, you could get yourself into a 4x4 version of the truck you already know and like for significantly less than you'd be OTD on a new one, and that delta could go toward upgrading the truck for your desired use. I get the new truck bug, though - might be worth a test drive in a 3rd-gen to see if it feels like enough of an upgrade.

 

i’ve owned about 10 different Toyota trucks. I’ve had every gen of pickup except the 2nd gen. But I’ve owned 2 4Runners with the (even more powerful version of the) 4.0 with 5 spd. auto trans and still own one of them. My ‘21 TRD OR DCSB 4x4 beats them all. No question about it for me, I love this truck. Everyone praises the 4.0, and it’s a great engine that’s worthy of it, with good low end torque and overall power for a V6. But… the honest truth is, my 3.5 Tacoma smokes our 4.0 4runner in every gear after 1st gear. The 4Runner is more responsive off the line, but Tacoma is quicker and noticeably more powerful in every scenario after that. I drive them both almost everyday, up 6000 ft. mountain passes on the weekly, on hilly and flat freeways, in the city, everywhere.

The later 3rd gens don’t suffer from the tranny shifting problems nearly as bad as the 1st few years did, plus there are tunes to make that a non-issue for the minority of owners who even notice an issue in the first place. I fully believe Tacomaworld has exacerbated this shifting issue 100xs worse just because the internet. I have a handful of Tacoma-owning friends and not one of them has any clue their trans shifts “weird” because they aren’t on Tacomaworld. They all love their trucks. I am not tuned and I’m fine with my ‘21’s shifting as much as any other auto trans vehicle I’ve ever driven.

You only live once. Get the 4x4 3rd gen. Eat the cake. Ask the cute girl out while you can.

 

2019SR I4, AT, I like everything about the truck except 2 things. While the 4 cylinder does everything I ask, I wish I had the 6 cylinder for the occasional highway driving. It did not come with remote lock-unlock. But keeping these 2 things in mind, buying the SR allowed me to pay it off quickly I like a payed off car. I would buy another ( with 6 cyl ) if it got stolen.

 

In the fall of 2015, I was needing a new vehicle. At that time I could have gotten the last of the 2nd Gens or the first year of the 3rd Gens. I went with a 2016. I had a handful of TSBs to address during the first year (of a new generation), but I expected that. I love my 2016.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with buying the last year of a generation or the first year of a new generation (if you are willing to make a few trips to the dealer for warranty work).

 

Bought a 19' SR 4x4. Havent had an issue in 44k miles. i plan on driving this for another 150k miles or more. More power or better gearing is necessary when you get larger tires. Gears seemed fine when it was 245/75/16 tire but i can see the need for 4.88 when just stepping up to a little more tire like the 265/75.

 

I wouldn't wait on the 4th Gen. Snag a 2022 or 2023 while you can. Leave it stock for 20,000 miles and then think about this-and-that.

Oh, and I'd keep that 2nd Gen you already have - treat like a beater.

 

I love everything about my new taco. I do not have to get it tune as there is nothing wrong with its performance.