About to buy -- couple questions:

I'll likely be buying my first tacoma in the coming weeks. It will be replacing my 10 year old sedan as my daily driver and my 20 year old beater Ford pickup as our household hauler.

I have the ubiquitous dilemmas regarding trim package and bed size.

Uses will be driving in a mid-sized sort of urban area with a lot of tight parking lots. Trips to mountains for MTB and fly fishing. Light to moderate off road (mostly as a means to get to a destination, not for the sake of off roading). Household chores -- recent examples include yard waste to dump, mulch, gravel, home depot trips but rarely any lumber, occasional piece of furniture -- pulling a boat a couple of miles a few times a year, pulling it 3 hours twice a year.

Requirements are double cab (family needs) , 4wd, tow package.

With the tow package, the TRD OR will not have the locker? So basically then off road package would be for the shocks and seats? And the bed outlet I guess. Is the seat/interior upgrade worth it in terms of 'weather-resistance' or however it's billed?

Also considering the long bed in a SR5. (not a fan of the Sport styling). I sort of envision some awkwardness the first time I try to get a load of mulch dumped into the bed and half of it ends up on the ground. But I also feel like maneuverability in day-to-day driving might trump the extra bed space.

Finally, regarding the color. My current car is silver, which I was never a fan of, but over the years I've realized it hides dirt and scratches well. I don't have a garage or carport and think the dark colors are out of consideration due to showing dirt. Does the magnetic grey 'behave' more like a light color or a dark one in this regard? What about that pyrite color?

thanks for any/all advice

 

The TRD OR has a locker.

 

I thought it didn't if it had tow package?

 

Nope, all ORs have the locker. Magnetic Gray is going to get water spots and show dirt almost as bad as black.

 

Here's some input based on my recent experience as a new Tacoma owner. It sounds like you will be utilizing your truck almost exactly like I do.

Bed length...I frequently use my truck for trips to the MTB trails. I have the short bed and ride a medium frame bike. If you use fork style bike mounts that are bolted to the rail, a medium bike barely fits in the short bed. I recently just switched to a new style thru axle mount that is bolted to the track system and when I close the tailgate it puts pressure on my rear tire. Also, I cannot load or unload the bike with the tailgate closed. My previous fork mount gave me about an inch of play. The upside is my bike doesn't move. Having said all that, I still prefer the short bed. Just thought it might be good info for you as a mountain biker.

Seats - I have the TRD Sport package with the upgraded sport seats. I really like the support and comfort, but neoprene seat covers were one of my very first mods. As often as I get into the truck after a bike ride I wanted seat covers I could remove, clean and replace as needed. I have been very, very happy with the fit and appearance of my seat covers.

That's all I got.

 

TRD OR has the rear locker and you CAN get the tow package with it. My 07 TRD OR came with both.
As far as the seats in the TRD OR, they are way more comfortable than the SR5 and handle alot of abuse. I can atest to that cause mine are still in very good shape with 116K on my truck.

 

Lots of people use tailgate pads to carry their bikes, is you get a short bed look into one of those.

From my experiences parking trucks in tight spaces is parking in tight spaces. Just takes a tad bit more fineness to get the long bed in sometimes (from my experiences with full sized trucks)

As mentioned above seat covers will make your seats more weather resistant than any factory option.

As you said, if you want the locker you will have to go with the short bed. You can always get a bed extender with may fit your needs and give you the best of both worlds....kind of...But if you are regularly carrying things that would fit in the long bed but not in the short bed may want to look into that if you don't want a trailer.

And lastly the mag grey is an awesome color, I have never read of anyone complaining about scratches popping out, unlike black.

 

It sounds like you may be better off with the SR5 package with long bed. If you're hauling as much as you do the extra may suit you more, plus its only 13" longer. Not too bad and SR5 should come with a back up camera, so parking around town will be slightly less of a headache. Unless you think you need a locker for boat ramps i wouldn't get an TRD OR, just save your money the upgraded suspention is nothing amazing

 

I have the DCLB Sport in the super white. I love the truck. It can get pretty damn dirty before you really notice the grime on it.

The only thing visually different on the sport/OR is the hood scoop.

I bet you could trade it with someone and get a little cash if you don't like it?

I use my truck for my business so I needed the long bed to haul lots of crap around. And in my opinion the long bed looks more symmetrical. The short bed looks unfinished.

But if you are not really into upgrading stuff like stereo, seats and little stuff like that get the Sport or OR with those packages. If you are an upgrade monster then go with the cheaper model.

All I have really done so far is added some air bags to the rear suspension to haul/carry more weight. The OR has weaker springs FYI.

One last little thing if you are prone to get dirty feet don't waste your money on the toyota all weather mats. Get the weathertechs or husky liners. And you will really want a bed mat. That composite bed really lets stuff slide around. The Toyota one works great.

 

all very helpful and useful information. thank you. going out to test drive a couple today.

 

I have a short bed and have had no problems hauling loads of sand or an ATV (tailgate down of course)

I enjoy the maneuverability of the sb more than I would enjoy the extra foot of the long bed i the rare occasion I would need it.

But of course everyone's needs are different

Forgot to add that the locker has saved my butt a couple of times off road. It has been the difference between making it up an obstacle and being stuck in BFE.

 

I have a 2013 TRD Sport Double cab Long bed...

I traded my 2011 TRD Off Road Double cab Short bed...

In 2011, I got the short bed TRD Off Road and ended up regretting it. I loved the truck, but love my 2013 more. I use my truck mainly as a daily driver, and Home Depot/Jet Ski/Trailer accessory on my days off. Long bed makes towing much more enjoyable, especially with a boat or 6x12 trailer. Long bed will also be better if you actually want to use your bed...Sometimes it feels like a limo off road, but other than the ability to be high centered more easily, it handles just as good as the short bed did. Long bed downsides: not offered on the TRD Off Road. You'd have to get the TRD Sport which doesn't have the locker, but does have color matched accessories and the infamous scoop. As long as you get the 4x4, you'll have to decide if the locker is really necessary.

As others have said, the TRD seats are way better than the SR5 seats...

 

I have an SR5 SB. I have no problem hauling my mountain bikes using "Rocky Mounts" fork mounts. Also, depending what you are going to haul, I have a bed extender. I love it, it gives me plenty of room to haul yard debris, but I'm not driving a LB the other 99% of the time. Plus, it acts like a trunk when in the stored position with a tonneau. You can put grocery bags or other items in the back and they won't move around.

 

If you do NOT need the locker do NOT get it.
I have a locker and it spins in wet grass all the time.
The reason is, that if you have a LOCKER you have an open diff.
(The stock tires suck for traction as well, so that makes things WORSE)
So unless you want spin in wet grass and drop it in 4x4 all the time, DO NOT GET THE LOCKER. It's a total PITA to have to use 4x4 all the time.

I have to use 4x4 all the time when parking in the yard when it rains.
It' s that or back out of the yard the long way.

 

You put it in 4lo range and engage the locker in your yard?

 

^^^fail post right here

ALL of them today have open diffs, locker or not,
and in 2wd mode you engage AutoLSD with a button press,
which performs limited slip duty using the brake computer


You might have read this somewhere:
An Automatic Limited-Slip Differential (Auto-LSD), which uses brake intervention in place of a mechanical-type
limited-slip to help reduce wheel-spin, is standard on all Tacoma models with the exception of those fitted
with TRD Off-Road packages, like our test model; those will have a separate locking differential.

The above is a half-truth. TRD Off Road has AutoLSD like any other Tacoma, the rear locker
is irrelevant to AutoLSD.[ it just happens you -can- lock the rear in 4lo if you want.]

 

There's already some great input in here, and this is a great bunch to get the input from (I made a very similar thread when I was shopping).

I also use my truck for DD in a mid-sized urban area (and often times in downtown Denver and the traffic that accompanies the city), and I think that the argument could be made either way:
1.) LB is going to be harder to park and maneuver than the SB. However, it's only about 12" longer, so it's not going to be like going from a Regular Cab to an F-250 Super Duty or something. 12" really doesn't make that much of a difference.
2.) On the flip side, the bed is only 12" longer, thus your payload isn't really changing that much. For as much as you lose in convenience of tight space parking/maneuvering, you gain in bed space. Like mentioned in points 1 and 2, it's really not a huge difference.
So, as far as your qualms with whether or not to get the LB, it's really about what you'll use it most for. I have never thought to myself "Dang, I really need about 12" more of bed space." But, I have thought to myself numerous times "There's no way I'd fit in this parking spot (my garage included) if this truck were any longer."

If you're going to be doing light to moderate off roading, you probably don't really need the locker. I do go off roading for the sake of it, and I'm not sure that I've ever really needed it yet. Granted, I don't really go on trails where I think I could do some real damage to the truck, and doubt I ever will, but I do like knowing that I have it if I need it. So, without the need for a locker, it's not all that critical that you get the Off Road. Again, it comes down to whether or not you feel like you'd like the security of having a locker more or less than the utility of having 12" more of bed space.

As mentioned before, you can get the DC, 4x4, and Tow Package with the DCSB Off Road as well as any other configuration of Double Cab. The fit and finish of a TRD package over the SR5 package is definitely worth it, in my opinion, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to trade you hoods/bumpers/mirrors/grille surround/etc... with cash for your sport goodies.

I have MGM. It's a beautiful color, but it does not really behave very well. My last two cars were silver and hid scratches/dings/dents/chips/etc... very well. MGM does not - it's just the nature of a dark color. If I could go back would I pick a different color? I don't think so... but if I were to pick another color it would have been white. I don't think white has quite the pop that MGM does, but it's sure a lot easier to keep clean looking than my MGM is.

 

I feel your pain, turning that knob is such an inconvenience...

When I drive in the yard and the grass is wet, I'll put in 4wd just so I don't spin and tear up the lawn. I guess I'm failing to see the problem

 

The problem is lazy america right there

 

Ive had a double cab sport short bed, hated the sacrifice in bed space, loved the sport package with one exception, the stupid seats, they stain so bad, just do a quick search, water stains them and nothing gets it out, I tried everything. I now have an SR5 4wd access cab, the seat feel on long trips seems no different than my previous sport with upgraded seats and they dont stain. And I love being able to haul my bike around with the tailgate up. Since you need the 4 door I would definately get the long bed, my friend loves his, and unless your adament on the sport seats and a non functioning hood scoop I'd stick with an Sr5 or ORD.