4th Gen Blows the Doors off the 3rd Gen

I see a lot of coping in the 3rd gen forums about how happy the owners are with their “reliable V6” and all of the nonsense about the hybrid and turbo reliability concerns.

you can tell Toyota has their brand loyalty massively imbedded in their brain. Sounded similar to the Honda fanboys before the civic went turbo- and guess what? Extremely reliable, insanely good gas mileage, smooth drivetrain.

people are still pretending like the 3rd gen auto / V6 combo wasn’t horrific design. The 3rd gen is also not much more reliable than most modern trucks from every measurable scale.

the new 4th gen is a massive leap into the modern world of vehicles and should solve all of the massive design set backs of the 3rd gen, which always felt like it was sacrificing in so many areas.

- auto transmission was horrible
- manual has a quirky accumulator and the reverse gear is insanely tall
- if you have to tune and tinker with your trucks programming to get it to work “fine” you know the truck isn’t great.
- random quirks
I could go on but you all know the issues. I personally love Toyotas and had my fair share of 3rd gen Tacomas- each felt like a compromise for the price.

bring on the 4th gen with massively updated everything, and a much better driving experience especially in the auto transmission.

 

You’re probably right honestly

 

I just find it funny how the 3rd gen was the worst truck ever built until the 4 gen power train was announced

 

We will see but as I've always learned, never buy first edition of a new Gen.

 

Gotta call bullshit on this post. At any point of the day I can see at least 1-2 Tacomas at almost every intersection I’m waiting at. All the owners of those trucks I doubt are suffering or waiting to be rescued by an untested 4th Gen. just look at the crap Tundras and their problems from the start. You don’t see them flooding the roads. I’m not hating on 4th Gens, that aren’t even f’n out yet, but confident in the truck I own. You are the one sounding like a fanboy for having such a hard on for something that just a bunch of influencers have driven. Get what you want but don’t paint all 3rd gens with a shit brush.

 

True too. I’m happy with my 2023

 

Turbo hybrid made in Mexico.

This will go well.

 

its a natural reaction to being superseded, I sat out the whole 3rd gen in my 2nd gen because it felt like a side-grade rather than a true next level upgrade like this 4th gen looks like its going to be. am looking forward to adding one to my stable.

 

This

 

I think the OP is overly optimistic, and overly critical in saying:

"the new 4th gen is a massive leap into the modern world of vehicles and should solve all of the massive design set backs of the 3rd gen, which always felt like it was sacrificing in so many areas".

G4 is more evolutionary than revolutionary. It is not a massive leap forward. A massive leap would be something like being able to drive 100 miles on battery and then switch over to an engine that gets 40 mpg. Or a towing capacity of 10,000 lbs. Or to be able to custom-order one exactly as you wish to configure and eliminating the mob-like distribution system that adds worthless port accessories and needless cost. Make no mistake, the overall buying/owning experience will be more similar than different.

G4 won't solve "all of the massive design set backs" of G3 either.
-The "new" front seating position is 30 mm higher than the old. Big Deal - that's basically a pair of SeatJackers.
-The rear seat leg room is no better - you still can't seat teens or child car seats back there and there's no vents (WTF?)
-A chin spoiler that many owners remove.
-No in-bed or under-bed storage
-It's still a relatively small cabin. There are no awards to be given for use of space.

The only "massive leap into the modern world of vehicles" will be Toyota pushing their subscription services and maintaining tabs on you and your vehicle, if that's your thing.

The G3 is definitely not perfect, but it is pretty good, same with the G4.

 

I'm quite happy with my 3rd gen. 162k miles with zero complaints. Gets me everywhere I want to be. If you've had your fair share of these trucks, you'll likely be unsatisfied with anything after a few years. Having bought it for $31.5k back in 2017 makes it that much sweeter. Should it die on me someday, it'll still be cheaper to LS it or find a salvaged drivetrain.

 

Why does everyone complain about the interior size? It's not a half ton for jeebus sake, you want more room buy a bigger truck.

 

I want a truck that has the cab of a half ton and the exterior dimensions of a mid size. Why can't Toyota make that happen?

 

i wouldn't get too far ahead on this one just yet. on paper so to speak, the 4G tacoma has some improvements, no question. that should be expected.

but, this is the company that hasn't resolved frame rust and oil leaks for decades and over numerous generations of the same vehicle.

some of the messaging from 3G to 4G has been hypocritical, the drum brakes for instance.

the engineers, marketing, and influencers have an agenda, obviously. time will tell.

 

Every generation of the Toyotas I have own since 1985 were better than the last, would hope the 4th is too.

Would have to disagree with the 3rd Gen’s transmission being horrible, shifts fine with the cruise off. It is the cruise programming that needs some help, not the trans itself.

Sure the engine has a soft bottom end, and so has every other Toyota truck I have owned too, they are real happy at 3500+ rpm.

 

Drill motor with battery gets the 4th going. Not even a hybrid. Cost effective ?

Updated IMAX screen in center console too. 737 Air dam for better efficiency.

Massive more costs and maintenance also.

I'd get a Tundra with a 6 instead of all this added on a 4 banger. Not worth the cost of addons to a 4 cylinder going.

 

Agreed.

 

The former is optional, the latter is removable. There are things to whine about with the Gen4 but the fact that these specific two things keep getting brought up just shows that some folks are just looking for things to hate on.

 

Lol