Cool Things About Your Taco You Didn't Care About At First

After one year of ownership and about 12K miles, I thought I'd write a bit about some things that I initially didn't even care about or didn't know about when I bought my 2023 V6 SR5 CC A/T. You know, things that didn't amount to a hill of beans when considering the purchase, but were later recognized and valued.

1. MANUAL e-brake. Holy shit I've put up with the electronic versions in other cars for years now and it's so refreshing. I use it all the time to save the parking pawl. It had nothing to do with weighing my purchase options, but love it just the same.

2. No stop-start. And not having to turn the shit off each time I start the truck. THAT would have been a negative in the purchase process.

3. I can turn off the nannies and they don't come back on. Don't care for the lane keep stuff and such....I turned them off a year ago. Turned off auto high beams too. At first, I liked them, but they are a bit inconsistent and I'm a bit more kind when turning down my brights.

4. Simple and proven engine. I'm not starting an "anti-turbo" thing here, but I wasn't in a hurry to buy a Tacoma until I knew for certain that Toyota would stop putting the V6 in them. Then I was shopping in a hurry.

5. Puddle lights. Didn't give a shit about this package, but they're freaking cool.

6. Ease of swapping out headlight bulbs. 'nuff said.

7. Composite bed. Initially a skeptic, I like this.

8. HVAC. It may sound strange to mention this in 2024, but you'd be surprised at how many NEW vehicles can't blow really cold air. The A/C in this truck will freeze a witch's tit in a brass bra in January in a snowstorm.

9. MPG. SURPRISINGLY GOOD, but due to the way I drive as well. WAY above what the sticker says. I'm getting 22-23 in mixed country driving and my commute to work in Virginia Beach. I've had 26.7 mpg (manually calculated) on a trip down 17 to North Carolina.

10. Availability of mods (also a risk to my wallet). They're everywhere and easy to get.

11. Resale value. Always at or near the top across all manufacturers and models. Fingers crossed 2023 gets a little bump in that regard.

12. This forum. Full of sarcasm, smartass comments and some genuinely friendly folks. A nice mix. Entertaining. CERTAINLY used quite a bit - and that keeps it fresh.

 

I agree with all but #9

 

1. The color. I wanted Lunar Rock, but LR access cabs were tough to find after Covid. So I settled for Cement. Not sorry at all. I have grown fond of the more neutral color, and in some light it does look a lot like Lunar Rock. AND I was able to get a 40-oz Yeti Rambler cup in a color very similar to LR. Win/win.

2. Some of the nanny features. Am pretty sure VSC saved my bacon after hitting some black ice a couple of years ago.

3. Backup camera. Scoffed at that, thinking one should always be aware of what is behind them whilst backing up. Alas, I am human and that camera has prevented some dings and dents.

4. Push-button 4WD. Now mind you, I never had a problem getting out of the old trucks to turn the front hubs in, and I thought the push button controls would just be another thing to go wrong. Wrong there! They work well, and maybe I'm getting lazier but I do like it.

Overall, my '21 TRDOR Access Cab is the nicest Toyota I have ever had.

 

I like the 300 cup holders.

 

You must have a double cab, my access cab only has 8 for its 2 person capacity

 

#9 doesn't apply in the mountains, but man I love the MPG I get when we go to OBX for vacation.

I do enjoy the over abundance of cup holders. And the center console is a black hole. There is stuff in the bottom of mine that has been there for years.

The under seat storage under the back seats is nice, as are the behind the seat storage. You can put a lot of stuff in them.

 

Clutch start cancel button is very handy when I want to start my truck with my ski boots still on.

 

Cruising around in 4LO w the manual transmission. Never even thought to use it in normal trail driving before this truck, but it’s a blast.

 

I'm coming from a 1992 pre-tacoma standard bed 5 speed manual. That truck was black. When i looked for an upgrade (after 23 years of driving the 92) I really wanted white. In Florida a white car is orders of magnitude cooler in the summer. I narrowed my search to 4 cylinder,SR,Access cab. As luck would have it,the best price,mileage,maintenance combo was......you guessed it!

Seriously though I'd say it's a tie between AC and auto transmission. 5 speed was fun to drive but past age 60 the sciatica acted up on long trips.

 

What are puddle lights? Don't have any...
MPG... lulz... I am at 17 over the last 9k miles and was at 18 for 20k miles on my first taco... all other points are pretty valid.

 

Puddle lights are leds on driver and passenger side under the truck that illuminate the ground under the truck when it’s unlocked. Pretty cool, actually.

 

#8

 

I don't think i have that...must be some sort of dealer/distributor ad

 

I agree with everything above save the MPG. Mine sucks! Driving 75 on the hwy in 6th gear I get around 17 or 18. But cruising around town at 30 to 50 I can break into the 20s. Yippee!

I'll add:

1) Most definitely #1

2) the led lights. I love them and the driving and front turn signals that come with them (I was trying to avoid led's, but it's what they had. But, man, am I loving them).

3) the seat cover design. I love the black/gray pattern in the TRD trims.

4) The layout of the cabin. I find it tasteful compared to the 4th gen (no hate here, but just saying)

5) Similar to #4. I like how my dash screen is embedded in the dash and doesn't stick up above it

6) I'll go out on a limb and say I really like the 5 ft bed. It's a pain loading stuff up for camping (that's when I miss that extra foot) but driving around town feels much sportier than the long bed

7) I'll go even further out on said limb and add the stock wheels on the TRD OR. I think I'm the only person who drives a TRD OR who really loves those wheels.

I only meant to add a couple items, but the more I thought the more I added.

 

Yes the puddle lights! Didn't even know I had them when I bought the truck.
Rear storage compartment is very useful, keep my tool bag stuffed in there.
Old fashioned e brake is best e brake. 1 of my workers had to have his car towed because it lost all power, nothing would turn on. We couldn't disengage the electronic parking brake to get the car on the flatbed tow truck!

 

I count 16 if you include all the door pockets and rectangular areas that are vaguely cupholder shaped.

I got 22-24 in my stock SR driving across Colorado. Mods will lower it (I already put on load range E tires and remove the air dam since then). But I get the same or better MPG in all my vehicles in the mountains as on flat ground, probably because the speed limit is 65 or less for most of it. It also doesn't hurt that there's less air, so less drag. Sure going up hill uses a lot of gas, but coming back down uses nearly zero.

 

A.) 16 sounds about right if we get creative.
B.) I also get great MPG’s in the mountains, but that’s mostly due to being able to coast down the passes for half the trip. That and the my MPG’s are absolute garbage anywhere that’s not downhill. Like I will get 16-18 going to work (completely flat with half city and half highway) and/or going up a mountain pass.

 

I only keep my Tacoma because of #9 .

 

Yeah... puddle lights? As far as I know, that was never an OEM option.
Gotta be a dealer/distributor add-on. I'd still like to have them though!

 

I'm happy I don't have the puddle lights. At night I call it "stealth mode." I can come and go and people just won't know.