2016 driving position

I am 5' 8" and this is my first Tacoma. I have the TRD OD model, and I specifically got it for when I travel to the Far North of Canada and have to drive through the snow and back trails. I find it REALLY different to be sitting on the floor, but like others have said ... it feels like being low in a race car. Now with that said, I really LOVE sitting that low because I know that I have a HUGE clearance underneath the truck to clear obstacles, and as silly as it sounds I feel with my legs outstretched it gives me JUST that little extra clearance ....... LOL

Also love the adjustable and telescopic steering wheel.

 

Where in Canada do you go? Need help?

 

The voice of reason

 

I travel from Dallas Texas, to about 2 1/2 hours north of Lac La Biche in Alberta Canada. I have friends/family that live out in the middle of nowhere. Some of the directions they sometimes give me sound like ... drive about 1 hour north of Lac La Biche turn right past the moose and drive east until you see the 3 white tail deer by the trees, cross over the washed out bridge then about 1/2 mile across the ice and turn left by the dock and you should see our house .......... hmmm ..... that is why I got the TRD OD model ......... LOL

 

Dude, if you call that middle of nowhere in Canada then I have many sights to show you.

 

LOL you are so right. That is where I drive to go visit which is off the main highway and goes to the middle of the bush.

I have been to MANY other places which are definitely more remote as I used to live up there.

The most notable was Tuktoyaktuk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuktoyaktuk

NOW that is in the middle of NOTHING let alone nowhere ........

 

I've spent some time between northern BC deep into the Yukon Territories. Nothing quite like it that I have ever seen. Miss it.

 

Yup, thats better I used to live up in Iqaluit, and Coral Harbor in Nunavut

 

The Tacoma is my husbands. He's 6'3" and I've never heard him say he wasn't comfortable. He loves his truck. I like the feeling of sitting up high but I'm almost 5'3" and I have to sit on a folded blanket to be really comfortable. I really wish the seat could be adjusted up.

 

This is EXACTLY how i feel (or felt) in my 05 taco... i put no more than 20 miles at the stock seat height until i was fed up. Raised the front of the seat about 1.5" using a metal spacer and longer bolts. had to drill out the rear bolt holes and make them a bit oval so things would line up, but it def helped. HOWEVER, it's still not enough and if i drive for more than a 3 hours my legs get tired. im 5'10". Thinking about some custom seat covers so i can wedge in some padding where i need to add comfort.

Shame on Yota for not at least having manual adjustment. its easily the worst part of the truck (and maybe the only bad thing).

 

I am close to putting a down payment on a SR5 DCLB and just finished with the test drive. The only concern I have is with the seat comfort, it really feels different than my 2010 4Runner. I`m just curious if it`s something that I will get used to or will it be a long term pain in the ass?

 

This was the one thing that shocked the hell outta me once I started looking at 3rd gens, as I had never been in a Tacoma before.
Are there other vehicles on the market that have zero up/down seat adjustments?

 

Yugo and Lada

 

I like how height adjustable seats even come on the Hilux, aren't those supposed to be the workhorse trucks with no real extras?

It all comes down to this: The front seats are literally the only thing that would keep me from recommending these trucks to anyone else. If they want a standard or to use it offroad, then it's really the only option (Frontier is kind of an option, the seats were way better in mine, although that was the only thing that was better... oh wait - solid frame). If they don't want the better clearance or a standard or a frontier, then I would recommend the canyon, hands down. I do not like the canyon.

 

I doubt there's many (any?) above $30k. Thanks Toyota.

 

This is really making me re-think this truck. I'm coming from a 2012 4 Runner and really liked the upright seating. I previously had a 2006 Tacoma and one of my biggest beefs was the seat height which made it really difficult for my wife to drive the vehicle .... thinking an extended test drive will be in order .... sometimes Toyota's conservative design engineering really bites them.

 

this.

I was so happy when I realized how low you sit.
Its another reason I decided on the taco and not any other truck. I'm used to being low like that. I love it.

 

No issues whatsoever with the seats being low ... but as others have indicated, lack of adjustability is astounding in a vehicle that costs this much. My $0.02 .

 

Yup, me too. It's the ONLY thing I dislike about the truck and not sure I can get past it. At 5'7", it feels as if I'm sitting on the floor.

 

I think the lower seat makes the interior feel smaller compared to a vehicle with higher seats (for example a T4R). I know the 3rd gen interior dimensions are slightly larger than the 2nd gen but the interior of a 5th gen T4R feels significantly bigger/more roomy than a 2nd gen taco. I was surprised to discover that the 3rd gen taco has slightly larger interior dimensions almost across the board than the 5th gen T4R. I suppose technically if the seat is higher off the floor in the T4R, the actual floor to ceiling distance is greater and could make the entire interior feel larger. I imagine the measurements are made at the lowest setting but thats just a guess.

Numbers in the attachment are pulled from Toyota's website.