Anyone miss your full size truck after buying a Tacoma?

If you think you feel like you are sitting in a car go test drive a new Ford Ranger. Father in law has a new Ranger Lariat. Nice little truck with lots of pep but its worse for feeling like a car. Does not have that solid feel the Tacoma does. I also found the seats were terrible. Comfy but you slide around in them. Full size truck is nice but I love the Tacoma.

 

Ford just announced a 320 HP upgrade kit for the Ranger for only $825. Ford will include a 3-year warranty if installed by a Ford dealership.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/trucks/a32172409/ford-ranger-320-hp-upgrade-825-dollars/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_aut&utm_medium=email&date=041720&utm_campaign=nl20055962&utm_term=AAA -- High Minus Dormant and 90 Day Non Openers

 

The only way I would take a new Ranger was if the only other choice was a Ridgeline, I absolutely despise both.

 

No reason for a fullsize. Don't care for all the big toys to tow or haul, don't care about interior space. Midsize with a manual transmission is more than enough. I'd have a Suzuki Jimny if they were available here.

That said I'd likely buy an RCSB V8 4x4 F-150 or Tundra if the deal was good enough.

 

i went from a ram 1500 long bed to a 2018 Tacoma dcsb, love my truck but i should have gotten the Tacoma with a long bed, i know it might be a boat but in the last 2 years more than a few times i could have used the extra foot. i think you just have to be honest with yourself what you will actually be using the truck for not what you would like to do (are you driving to work 5 days a week and off roading once a year). the off road is way better off road and the sport is better on the pavment. test drive everything. dealeships cant giveaway cars right now put the screws to them.

 

Nope don’t miss my Tundra at all. My Tacoma fits daily life better all the way around . Plus it offroads better for sure.

 

I’ve had a Silverado.

more spacious. The flat floor in the back of the f150 (and ridge line ) are a selling point for me for having a dog crate back there, my dog loves the swamps and mud.

but, I don’t need the v8 grunt or power, heck I probably could have gotten the i4 Tacoma (and almost did). I like trails, and I’d have to have a second trail vehicle be it a side by side, Jeep, whatever. If I got a bigger truck I’d also be more inclined to have a second road car as well for mpg purposes, where as the Tacoma gets about 20 reliably for me, so it isn’t too bad.

all things told, the Tacoma doesn’t do the trails the best (can’t lie, that would be a Jeep), doesn’t tow the best, doesn’t ride the best, doesn’t have the best mpg, etc. but it checks all my boxes as “acceptable” and means I only need one vehicle, not 2 or more, with a trail rig like an atv or side by side, etc.

 

Yep, I miss the string of GM K2s ('15, '16, '17, '18) I used to own especially the '17 that had 420hp-460lbft 6.2l and 8sp.

I regret getting the Tacoma mainly due to its dual-mode engine and transmission calibrations. The chassis also flexes a lot more (due to the open-C construction) even after lowering the pressure in the rear tires. The open rear diff with its lousy calibration brake-based slip-limiting is pale in comparison to the auto-locking rear diff (RPO G80) in the K2s.

Another aspect (minor to me) is that fuel mileage is not better in the smaller (cross section wise) and lower-weight truck. The electronic nannies are all very annoying, but the dynamic cruise control with its 28-mph minimum speed steps up the annoyance another notch. Then there are problems with ergonomics in both rows.

The saving grace is that the Tacoma is leased at a very cheap rate, but I'm looking to transfer the lease hopefully soon. In the mean time, I'll just drive it since it costs me about the same amount of money to keep it.

 

You probably should have test drove one before you signed papers.

 

I think it's easy to see that the mid-size trucks of the past several years are the same size as the full-size trucks of years ago. For example, the 3rd or even 2nd gen Tacoma is the same size as the 1st and probably 2nd gen Tundra. I guess that's why the 1st gen Tundra...which is basically a modern Tacoma (except features, tech, etc.) with a V8...is so popular.

 

Funny...if you're like me, you get a few looks from time to time. I've worked at a Mercedes plant for over 20 years, and driven a BMW the entire time. Nothing wrong with the Mercedes...I just prefer the BMW...

 

I just traded my 2007 Tundra (double cab w/6-ft. box) for 2020 Tacoma TRD SPORT with 4-doors.
I really like my new truck. Fun to drive, easier to maneuver, gas mileage in 20’s up to 23-mpg. Safety features like passing clearance & lane warning, radar cruise control, backup x-traffic warning, auto hi-beam, etc. are a major plus!
Before you buy, make sure you can easily get into & out of the front driver’s side. I’m ~190 Lbs at 5’8” & a Sr. citizen. My truck has the Predator step-bar which is quite different (& better, I feel) than other factory Tacoma step bars!
Good luck with your new Tacoma if you should make the purchase.

 

This is what I do for now. 2017 Tundra and 2019 Can Am Marverick sport. Will be going back to the Tacoma hopefully within the next 6-8 months.

 

Same as many here. Sold my 2006 Tundra in with 230K-still ran great and absolutely loved that truck. Frame was rusting through though. Shitty gas mileage but comfy and quiet and reliable. Am a Toyota disciple having owned Chevy, Ford, Dodge, and GM trucks prior none came close in reliability and cost of maintenance. Wife has a 2011 4runner with 180 K and has done nothing besides tires brakes and oil. Literally.

Bought a 2020 OR Tacoma with a manual-fun to drive, maneuverable, roomy enough, love getting 20 plus MPG, feel like I'm at least a little environmentally conscious. Is underpowered IMO but that's the trade off right? I have felt for a while that full size pickups are grotesquely large particularly the Tundra although hopefully it looks like that trend is in reverse. Don't haul and tow large items so Tacoma works for me-will probably drive it 2 or 300K.

 

I had a 2004 tundra with 370000 km, one of the best trucks I ever owned. Bought my Tacoma in Oct. and found it took me time to adjust to the size and difference in power.
I still love my Tacoma even more than my old Tundra, I just find it more fun to drive.

 

I have never owned a full size but my work truck is a DCSB 2016 F350 with the gas 6.2. it weighs in at 9k pounds and rides like a city bus. At 45k miles, the front wheel bearings were shot. Replaced them and it still has the death wobble. I considered buying a f250 in the past, but now I never will. I will also never buy a live front axle vehicle after this experience.

Anyway, my Tacoma is way more fun to drive and does everything better, except tow and haul. The 350 also gets 11mpg. The interior is definitely much tighter in the Taco. I'm 6'3" and my legs feel a little cramped after driving a couple hours. The only full size I'd consider is a Tundra, but I just don't need the extra size and power.

 

Of course not! Our Tundra was just too big. Hard for me to park in tight places. Now I scoot right in. I do miss the smoother ride of the Tundra, but the Tacoma is a rugged little truck.

 

This is my second Tacoma 2017 4x4. My first was a 2006 4x4 and I had it for 11 years no problems I traded it in with 246,000 miles on it for my 2017 Tacoma. Always buy a pickup truck with 4x4. I made the same mistake you made when I brought my first pickup truck a Chevy s10 2 wheel drive and it was junk. Recently I have been thinking about moving up to a tundra because the Tacoma is rather small I inside. When I have 3 normal size adults in my truck it feels like I am driving a corolla however I heard the tundra does not provide good gas mileage but I sat in one and there is a big difference in cabin room. I think I will wait to see what the new tundra has to offer. I am hearing that the new ones will be hybrid. If so I will be sold. Love the Tacoma good gas mileage and very dependable but I am looking for more cabin space
Good luck

 

The only things a taco does better then a tundra are save fuel and fit down a trail.
Sorry but the tacoma interior blows.

 

I went from a manual Ram 2500 to a manual 2nd Gen Tacoma OR, then to a Titan Pro4x, and now going back to a Tacoma. I loved the Ram at the time, but had to get away from it due to financial reasons. However I discovered once my son was born that a rear-facing car seat basically doesn’t fit in a Tacoma. So, it didn’t get driven much. The Titan was a great truck. Very comfortable, strong V8, nicest truck I’ve ever had, but I missed having a manual. And with them all fading into the sunset, I decided to go get one again before it’s too late. I would get the LB if a manual were an option, but for what I use a truck for, the DCSB will be fine. It will require adjustment for sure, but it will be fun for me to drive, and that’s what I’m after.