2016 Off Road Test Drive

So next year I'll be graduating from college, and it's time for me to get a new vehicle, don't wanna hold off for next year, cause while the truck can make it, I feel it's just time. I currently drive a 2009 regular cab 2WD taco. Crank windows, no power locks, all that fun stuff.

So today the padre and I went to CarMax to test drive a few cars, one of which was a silver 2016 TRD Off Road ACLB 4WD. Honestly, I didn't get to spend much time in the vehicle(test drive was 5 minutes, and had only briefly sat in it prior, should've sat in it more!), but wow I was impressed. The ride really wasn't too bad, and feature wise it had stuff I need, and not stuff I don't(besides potentially 4WD and the rear locker- I don't off road). Unfortunately there was very little time spent on the highway, so I didn't get to see just how much(or little) power the V6 had over the I4. Overall I was really happy with the handling and steering, and didn't notice any erratic shifting with the tranny.

One thing I did notice however was the brakes. It seemed that the trucks brakes were a bit worn, as I had to basically floor the brakes to come to a complete stop- even the sales associate commented how the brakes seemed worn down. Not a huge problem, brakes can easily be replaced if needed.

Overall I was actually very surprised with the truck(especially the height, I was surprised how much taller 4WD is than 2WD. I would absolutely consider buying a 3rd gen if it wasn't for one MAJOR issue- price. Gotta love Toyota resale. Unfortunately I'm a college kid, and mildly poor(me personally), so I could theoretically afford it, however, I'd be a bit stretched thin for money, and overall even a heavily used 3rd Gen costs more than I'm comfortable spending. But later this year if I manage to find one I like for a low price, I'll definitely jump on it- there's already a few in the area that are a bit low for a Tacoma. The truck is amazing, and honestly I feel I'd happily take it over my 2nd Gen any day.

One last note I forgot to mention, though, that I found surprising was the seats. I found that the bucket seats sat simnifically lower in the vehicle than the bench seat found in my 2009. I found this also with a 2015 AC Taco that I sat in next to the 2016. Something I found really odd, but I'm sure that I'll quickly get used to it.

 

Make sure you take an extended or overnight test drive next time before you decide to purchase or not, definitely something wrong with those brakes If the pedal was going to the floor.

 

Several months out from buying, and like I said, probably not gonna get one because of money. But I agree, the brakes are definitely not up to where they should be.

This was more of a "first impressions" thing

 

Congrats on the upcoming graduation! Job well done.

 

dont buy from carmax... they are a joke.. go to a local dealership and buy new, or used.. if used, just ask for carfax, and inspect the truck yourself.. and if you know a shop really well and trust their opinion take it to them to have it checked out. preferabbly on a lift, and check for wear items, and possible future issues.. you can use these in a used vehicle to your advantage when negotiating price (or get them fixed for free before purchase).. I wound up getting a 2016 TRD OR DCSB with 20k miles on it for 29500. in october of 2018. they had the complete service history, and came with brand new 265/70/16 Yokohama Geolandar AT's.. was bought at my dealer (Maine), serviced there, driven to florida, serviced there, driven back to Maine, serviced, and traded in for a 2018 TRD OR.. truck has 27k miles on it, and I still love to drive it everyday... sometimes I make excuses to take it out for a spin...