2018 review; drum brakes, AT

hi,

Was considering a 2018 SR5
Overalll i like it except for the following;

1. STILL rear drum brakes!! Come on Toyota
2. Some professional, credible reviews state that the AT can struggle in finding the right gear.
3. Have to upgrade to get blue ! Annoying upsell tactics.

Others have sumilar reservations to buy the 2018 Taco ?

Dave

 

If those bother you, removing the "skid" plate to change the oil filter is really going to blow your mind.

 

The turd gen is not for you my friend. Oh and welcome to TW!

 

Good to know about the filter with skid plate issue !
Wonder what the quickie oil places say, thanks but no thanks ?!

Good to be back, perhaps I will have to wait until Gen ?? !

 

You are a little late to the party Dave, This horse been beat to shit!
But a for a quick short answer to your questions before everyone on here tells you to use the search function:
1- Toyota say drum breaks are way superior off-road than disk break, you plan on towing get a tundra!
2- transmission hunts and clucks and all jacked up until the TSB that came out last month! People have been reporting a lot of improvement! Test drive and figure this out on your own I mean better than 10 speed F150 I rented once!
3- yes Toyota is all about spitting vehicles out as fast as possible out the assembly line! They are not interested in customizing there assembly lines or spending any time and resources on adding a custom option. You want sunroof you get leather JBL and all kinds of other shit you don't care for. That's how it is and will always be. Don't like it Toyota say get a Lexus.

 

I would like to point out that despite the shifting, the AT gets good fuel economy.

I got 26.8 mpg on my way home today on a 65 mile trip, was about 90% highway and 10% local with stop/lights. How can you complain about that?

 

1. What's wrong with drum brakes. Seriously. Tacoma stop distance is same as all other vehicles the same weight. Plus on a pickup fronts have major bias.
2. Professional credible reviews? What are the reviewers qualifications? Are they automotive engineers? Oh wait... "automotive journalists?" What a joke.
3. Every company that sells anything upsells product. Not a Toyota only issue.

Test drive. Buy it if you like it, if not, do not buy it. There is a guy right behind you who will.

 

1. The average consumer will never know a difference between drums or disc, especially on the rear.
2. Its designed to get good fuel economy. Dont like it, wait for the Ranger with a 10 speed auto.
3. Why do you need to upgrade to get blue? I have seen plenty of BBP SR5s.

 

OP, drive around in a 2010 Taco like is owned by our poster ^^^, then drive around in a new one.

I have done both of those things and you can see what my choice was. Nothings perfect, but the 3rd Gen is just a little closer to perfect than the last iteration. There’s a lot of 2nd Gen jealously that goes on since the release of the 3rd Gen Tacoma because the new version gets a lot of attention. The current craze for these trucks has existed only since the release of the third gen. It’s because they are awesome vehicles, and very capable, comfortable, and versatile. The general public never took any notice of the 2nd Gen tacos mostly because they are just not inspiring to look at. Good performers for sure, but a dull looking truck with bad fuel economy never really stood out.

 

Nicest truck I have driven is a 2017 TRD Taco. I have driven Rangers, Frontiers and Mazda B2200’s

 

Lol.

 

Personally, I don't mind the rear drums. IIRC, the rear brakes only supply like 30% of the total braking force, and the rear end of an (unloaded) pickup is fairly light compared the the front end. It's basically just a big empty box over the rear wheels.

The transmission is a little funky, but I routinely get ~25 mpg on the highway which, for a gasoline pickup, is pretty decent. City miles bring down the average, but still.

 

Test Drive and see what you think

 

No transmission issues on my '18.. seem to be the minority ...at least on TW. No TSB update needed here

Drums are outdated tech but doesn't really bother me since I'll never be the one replacing them

You can still get an sr5 in bbp

 

I don't want one, but not for those reasons.

I see a Ford in your future.

 

One of the biggest drawbacks to drum brakes is how they perform when wet. If you go off road and cross streams they will perform like crap but the front brakes do most of the work.

 

For a 4500 pound truck with a 6 cylinder engine and a 4x4 to get me 26.5 mpg over a 100 mile trip home just now...how can you beat that??

Yes it does shift almost constantly, but really, who cares? I'd take that gas savings anyday. People like me are who the Tacoma was designed for. If you don't want the shifting, get a tundra, and pay up at the pump. Not for me.

TACOMA

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with drum brakes, more than 60% of stopping power is from the front brakes. And any oh shit slam down on the brakes is almost all front brake.

 

The drums will lock up with the handbrake if you want them to. My f350 has read drums and will stop will too.

 

1. I'm with you, drum brakes still and its 2018? Its not a big deal though, the pads last a long time. But seriously, it's not hard to fit a proportianal valve with the correct settings to allow rear disc brakes.
2. I read this a lot too before buying mine. I recently bought a used 2016 that had 0 TSB updates done to it. I honestly only had 1 complaint with the transmission and that was that it shifted a little rough in 1st-3rd gear. Told the dealer, they checked tranny fluid and installed a TSB and it got much better. I never had a problem with hunting for gears, but I've been driving v6 4wds for a few years now and long got over them having to downshift on hills or when a deer farts in your general direction while doing 60+ mph. If you're coming from a v8, just expect to be disappointed for awhile, a v6 just doesnt produce the same power a v8 does.
3. Then buy a lightly used one. I was at my dealer last weekend and they had a 2018 Trd off road with 1200 miles on it for $29950. I kicked myself for not waiting a little longer to buy mine. It had a few upgrades done to it as well