4th Gen AT Test Drive - Impressed!

Took a 2024 SR5 AT for a test drive last wknd. Dropped the hammer as soon as I hit the hwy, very impressed. I've got a 2016 OR MT with the Coyoza tune, drives as good as I can get it (accumulator delete). I've been a MT since my 2001 taco but when I get a 4th gen (not if!), I don't see any point in getting a MT - less HP and the AT seems like there's no shifting issues, has tons of pep.

No point other than sharing my thoughts from a guy with 20 years behind the wheel of every gen.

 

Price tag, questionable reliability, smaller engine, looks,

 

Ya not cheap, going to wait to get a used one in a year or two maybe...we'll see how long term reports come in on reliability. But it drove way better than any 3rd gen, and the look is growing on me!

 

I went from a manual 3rd gen Tacoma to my current SR5 auto. Not regretting it at all.

 

You won't miss a thing about your old truck and will have the best looking truck on the road. Certain people will be dead before they are absolutely, without question, certainly, you know maybe you guys were right about it 20 years ago, when they finally concede their High Moral Ground of yeah maybe it was reliable after all. Not like the 3G didn't have its share of TSBs and recalls. Hey, but it makes them seem wiser. In their own minds.

 

#1 Yeah, I agree. That's been holding me back. And now that brake line issue. WTH, one look at that hose and even Stevie Wonder could see it's not a good idea.
#2 I've wondered how that turbo will hold up in the extreme Southern Arizona heat. I looked up the price of a turbo. A big hit if you were out of warranty.
#3 Yes just a four banger but after watching many technical reviews, I'm impressed with the apparent durability, well laid out arrangement, except for the vacuum pump location, and ease of maintenance or repair.
#4 At first I was all for the Ranger's looks and not the Tacoma. After a while and after driving both, I think the Tacoma is a far better choice than the Ranger and the looks have grown on me a lot.

 

Honestly the TSB and recall list on the 24's is actually not that bad for a first model year. Honestly I think it was a pretty good launch.

Yes, there is the transmission issue but I haven't seen anything recently on another one failing so maybe the ones that were bad already shit the bed?

 

The brake mounting issue is the only design related problem, which has been acknowledged and a potential remedy to be released. I wouldn't have expected Toyota to do any less. The others were obviously production problems that can pop up at any time on any generation.

 

True. I've been on all the mid and small sized truck forums for a while gathering info to make a decision and some of them are comical with their multitude of problems. And how about the Ranger where you are instructed not to put more than 88 pounds total weight on the bed rails for fear the welds will break. They finally beefed up the supports starting last September, but that's just another bit of genius engineering that should never have made it out of someones brain. I'm encouraged by the lack of complaints here. No apparent electronics gremlins, the transmissions seem to be doing well, no trim falling off. All situations I've read on the other brands.

 

The MT is only like 7 or 8 HP less, doubt you would notice the difference.

 

do you think you can out shift the 8spd auto? 7-8hp plus the 8spd can shift faster than any human.. what do you really get from a manual then?

 

Security, knowing you wont have to rebuild the manual

 

Drive it for a week, crawl underneath it, and adjust your eyes to the new modern-truck proportions with far less front & rear overhang and you’ll never miss Gen3. Even my 7yo thinks it drives 100x better from the back seat, and prefers Gen4 for profiling at the school drop line.

For some context, five years into Gen2, the 2010 Tacoma has 13 recalls hanging over its head. Not sure which one of those recalls “ruined Toyota’s reputation forever”, because obviously they didn’t. And in another seven years, this one will probably be the standard that people will use to crap all over Gen5.

 

At first I thought you were going to say "carjacking"

 

Same old tired shit

They’re the same price in real dollars as other gens when compared with equal feature sets, but better in every way

the only “questionable reliability” is a transmission TSB that doesn’t apply since manufacture dates of almost a year ago

More torque and useful power than the “big” engine of the past

girl bye

 

I guess I've never been on board with how they keep making trucks look more like transformers and adding size. They are supposed to be midsize and now they stand large compared to even a 1st Gen Tundra. I'm a simple guy who likes simple and reliable tools. I'm not into all the unneeded technology they throw into vehicles nowadays and I'm a millennial..
They're throwing turbos on engines to comply with the EPA while trying to save on the torque and HP puts strain on the engine its. Looking at these trucks you can tell they definitely made a lot of things on the cheap.

Why the 50k+ price tag? I'd honestly rather buy 3 first Gen Tacomas or Tundras. At least I know those things are bulletproof. I suppose I've never been keen on the new American throw away culture, every 5-10 years new cars, new phones, new this or that. If I have a tool thay works and is reliable, I'm not gonna go buy another one because I saw a questionable flashy new one.

People with their new 4th Gens and are happy, cool, happy for ya. It just won't be me anytime soon. My mind cannot justify it.

 

In real dollars? I guess you mean not over inflated prices of today. Guess what? People still earn the same amount they did 5 and 10 years ago. So I don't really understand what you're getting at there. I can take 50k and go buy any truck of a previous generation and still have plenty left over for mods and whatever the hell else.

More torque and more powerful, you're wrong there, it's about equal with added turbo which makes things more complicated and less reliable. Been proven a million times, not to mention putting more strain on the engine which again knocks off points for longevity.

Reliability on this truck isn't proven yet, and just because it has a Toyota badge on it doesn't mean it's automatically reliable. You've introduced an entirely new platform to this truck using technology that has had problems with other brands of vehicles.

"Big" engines are trustworthy because you can work them hard knowing they have the displacement and quality for it and have been proven over decades.

GiRL bYe

 

This is exactly what they said about the 2016’s.

 

Prob not but was just an additional point of consideration. Main point is that if the new AT doesn't have gear hunting issues and has impressive acceleration, it makes me reconsider my die hard MT ways.

 

Right? It's amazing how tribal people get about their particular vehicle. The only "good one" is the one "they have."

Ford guys insisting that Chevy guys will be pushing their trucks home while they stand there with a set of busted cam phasers and timing chain guides in their hands. Chevy guys insisting it's "Found On Road Dead" while they wonder why their transmission won't go into gear and why their lifters are making that weird tapping noise. The Dodge guys over in the corner are laughing at both the Ford and Chevy guys while they hope nobody notices that their 2024 RAM Classic was designed 15 years ago, has an engine old enough to drink, and that has lifters wiping the cams right now.

Porsche dudes can't stand the new ones. They're the death of the brand! Water cooled engines? Commie bullshit! Wait, what do you mean air cooled Porsches aren't cheap anymore? Uh, the water cooled ones are fine now! Except those 996's because the headlights are dumb!

I'm a BMW guy. The first think I learned when going to local auto shows was that you don't ask the other BMW guys about their cars. See, if you do, they'll tell you. I hope you didn't have anything else to do today.

It's nuts. Just enjoy your damned truck and let me enjoy mine.