2016 DCSB 4x4 Off Road in Inferno + Mods

Some of those may have seen a prior post of mine where I was getting a bit of a run around on a truck. I ended up getting the truck I wanted, but I'm having to go out of state to get it. Sacramento, CA to Reno, NV is not that bad so in about 30 minutes, I'll be heading up the hill to trade my 2014 Durango R/T AWD in on the 2016 Tacoma 4x4 DCSB Off Road with Premium+JBL, Tow, Predators, Mats/Doorsill Protectors, D-Rings and Mud Guards.

 

Wow awesome truck ... Welcome to the 3rd gen club

 

Congrats !!!

 

Nice! Congrats!

 

Thanks guys.



Time to do some paperwork.

 

Just picked up mine last week!

 

Made it home. Trip was about 157 miles, averaged 22.4 MPG on the cluster. Averaged near 66 MPH for the trip. I was hauling ass at times.

So I've read a lot on this forum and having owned a few other Taco's, here is my first day assessment:

1. The truck is MUCH quieter on past versions.
2. The brakes work great - so much better than my current 1st Gen and other 2nd gens I've driven.
3. Ride is compliant and comfortable. The only thing that seems to upset the truck is "washboard" type bumpiness on the highway.
4. Steering is a little too numb right on center.
5. Power is adequate. It would do better with an 8 speed automatic. I traded a 2014 Durango R/T AWD Hemi with an 8 speed. The closeness of the ratios make the shifting less noticeable. On the Tacoma, it really needs to stay in 4th or 5th on the hills.
6. Fellas, it has a 3.5L engine in it. You need to let it rev and get into it's power band. Lugging it at a lower RPM will not help your mileage. When you dip into the throttle, the truck responds nicely.
7. The programming for the throttle by wire is pretty lousy. It's very relaxed for the first 30-40% of the pedal's range. This gives the added feeling that the truck lacks power. In addition the pedal is fairly stiff. Major difference from the Durango's throttle response to this and yes, I know it's a V8. However once you get used to it, it's fine. I drive aggressively, so for me, it's easy to overcome.
8. Love the color - it sure does pop.
9. My hood is fluttering a bit - damn glue warranty!!!!!!!!!
10. Infotainment works great and is very similar to what was in my 2014 Lexus IS 350 F-Sport. I much prefer the touchscreen integration in the Tacoma versus the joystick configuration in that car.
11. I like the little "end of trip" notification in the cluster, telling you how far you drove, what your MPG was and how long your drive cycle lasted. Pretty cool.
12. Ergonomics seem good to me. Truck is comfortable and easy to drive.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day in the Sierra's here in Northern California. I hit some ice, a few snow flurries and temperatures dipping into the single digits. I went ahead and brought my GoPro along and mounted it for my return trip, so I'll have to check out the video to see if I captured anything good that I could pull out for stills.

I even went and got the CA SMOG done when I got back. I need to go weigh the truck on Monday and then it's off to the DMV in a week or so. Stupid CA and it's laws. Smogging a brand new truck! lol. -$58.

Pardon the rode grime... but it adds character:

As soon as I got home:




Getting Smogged:


Stopped at a Vista Point:




A few random pics....

I5 was pretty quiet bofore 7 AM:


I80 by Citrus Heights watching the Sun rise:


First sings of snow on East Bound I80 - probably around 5400 feet:


More snow on I80:


Getting slick on I80 - around 10 degrees:


What a view heading into Nevada:


Heading into Reno with a fresh light dusting of snow:


Time to head to the car wash!

 

Great Truck should be getting mine end of Dec !! You mention hood flutter ,will the dealer be fixing that for you ??

 

I'll have to take it back to the dealer. I work for ALLDATA, so I'll just have to keep an eye out for new TSB's or keep my eyes open here to see when a fix will be released. The glue which bonds the exterior sheetmetal of the hood to the inner ribs is failing. How they'll fix it is yet to be determined, but I'll open a case with Toyota next week like many others have already done. That will help expedite a TSB if they realize the issue affects currently produced vehicles. They'll want to reconcile it on the assembly line and then release some kind of a fix for the vehicles already in circulation.

 

A few more pics after the truck's first bath under my ownership:








I'll get the All Weather Liners early next week. I think my first mod will be Line-X on the grille with the premium UV protected stuff that won't fade. I may do the bottom of the tailgate as well, but we'll see. Might go the Plastidip route on the tailgate first to see if I like it.

I was thinking about 20x9 wheels, but I may end up going with the TRD PRO wheels and TBD on the tires until I decide if I want to lift it or not.

 

Turn the hood bump stops up a turn or so to tighten the hood. Looking good and congrats!

 

Truck looks great!

I'm digging the interior. I love the exterior color!

 

Hey congrats! Beautiful truck. Thanks for your in-depth first impressions and for taking us along on your road trip

 

Great looking truck! Enjoyed your write up!

 

Man! I couldn't tell you how many trips I took through the 20 onto I-80 into Reno. Such a great drive. I used to live in Yuba City and would drive to Reno every weekend.

 

Glad everyone enjoyed it. It was a good day. I'd like to thank Dolan Toyota in Reno, NV for helping me get a deal penciled out that got me the truck I wanted. They were VERY kind, courteous and very good with communication. I had never even heard of this dealership, but if you need help, look up Jeff and Connor in sales and Chris in finance. All good guys. I was in and out in about 45 minutes, the truck was ready to go, stored inside in a dry area and the rest of the staff was helpful. They were not the best deal at the start but they did come down to get a deal done.

Let's talk mods.....

Since it's Black Friday 2015, I saw that The Retrofit Source was offering 25% off $300. Well guess what's $300? The HID+FOG kit for the 2016 Taco! I went ahead and accepted their $75 discount on that and ordered it up. The headlights are OK but being most of my cars recently have had HID or LED, these Halogens are nothing special. Hopefully the new HID kit will fix that.

I also bought the stainless exhaust tip off of eBay for $55 shipped. It was the only auction that accepted a best offer, so I offered them a little less. That should give me at least 50 HP and make it sound more like a V8. Yes, I'm kidding but I did order the tip.

Vinyl inserts for the "TACOMA" on the bed are on the way. I may hold off depending what I do with the lower portion of the tailgate.

I'm now kicking around lift kits. Here's my struggle, the truck rides pretty damn nice and better than I was expecting. I don't want to screw that up. If I do lift, I'm leaning towards the OME setup. I want the ride to remain as close to stock as possible. For wheels, I think the TRD PRO's in matte/flat black are where it's at. I'll probably end up with BFG A/T KO2's. However I'm going to put a few more miles on the truck first while I get this sorted out.

Oh and I forgot to mention the JBL system sounds pretty damn good.

 

Do yourself a favor and add sliders from SOS Concepts... You won't regret it!

Also, what exhaust tip you get?

 

Here's one other pic I forgot about. It's a snapshot of the iPhone calculator. I went 155 miles on like 6.79 gallons of gas or roughly 22.8 MPG. This was in the mountains, in the freezing cold, new truck, headwind and me averaging damn near 70 mph on my trip! I'm impressed. I kept clicking the gas nozzle but it was full.



The cluster was indicating something like 22.1 by the time I made it to the gas station. First time I've had a trip computer actually read lower than actual in any vehicle.

 

Thanks. I contacted SOS to get a quote since I'm in Cali.

Exhaust Tip: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272056339958?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I offered $55 shipped and they accepted.

 

17" OEM TRD Pro wheels in Matte Black ordered from Olathe Toyota.

I'm going to buy another set of TPMS's so I can sell my OEM wheels/tires in a complete state.