Car and Driver hates Tacoma?

Exactly

 

07 Prerunner TRD sport here. Push brakes, slows. Push more no increase in deceleration. Push more,more of the same. Push, push, push then it starts to increase the rate of deceleration.

 

I've owned lots of pickups and cars. Yes the Tacoma drives like a truck, and not a sedan. My 2014 TRD Sport stops well without any of the issues discussed here. The ride is pretty comfortable and smooth, not soft. I have no complaints being comfortable on the highway.

The seats weren't supportive enough for me so a local seat shop fixed those. Toyota doesn't illuminate the door switches which just seems cheap.

But I love the truck. It's solid, quiet and a competent truck. Gas mileage is reasonable.

What's the alternative, a Chevy? No thanks. I'd buy another Tacoma.

 

Can't say anything long term but I think the brakes are great, then again, mine is 10 years newer than the test model, things can change. The chassis is what it is, not the most rigid but I'm not expecting that. There are better out there but this thing does the job.

Drive it and see what you think.

I knew I was buying an outdated simple truck, but it has been around for a while and MOST of the bugs have been worked out.

I priced out an equivalent spec Canyon as I do think it's a nicer truck. Much more expensive than the model Tacoma I bought and is completely unproven with a DI engine from GM that makes me nervous. I also doubt the GMC will have the resale value the Toyota will.

My truck is slow, simple and unrefined and to me that's part of its charm, its a truck not a sports car. My only wish was a more up to date transmission(I have a 4spd auto) but this one does work fine.

 

The "touchy" and "spongy" feeling in the brake pedal all but goes away by the 30k mile mark. And in all the tacomas i've driven, only one or two had this "touchy" brake pedal.

OP, Here is what you need to know:

The tacoma is the most reliable, most dependable, and one of the highest resale value trucks sold in America, and it holds over 60% of the midsize market in America.

 

Why do you need a mid size truck instead of a full size? Hopefully not because of the gas mileage... My 2014 Tacoma only gets about 1 mpg better than my buddy's 2012 f250 4x4 with a 6.2 v8.

 

Asking people on a Tacoma forum to evaluate the truck with an unbiased opinion is not going to get a lot of objective answers, but I will try.

The truck is an expensive toy. They look nice and can make for fun, but they are not a work truck or hauler. The suspension sucks, getting in and out of the vehicle is a task as the head room at the door is very poor. They have a frame rust problem and other issues which the report you mentioned covered.

I am not suggesting that they are junk. They are not, but they do have more problems than what they should for the price. As to would I recommend one to a friend. Yes, but I would also warn them about the problems. I was recently asked by a friend about the trucks and I told him the truth. He decided against one.

I bought mine to get me up and down steep boat ramps and in out of out of out of the way places for fishing. In my Ford Ranger which is also a standard, but not 4x4 actually got stuck at the boat ramp at the dam. The ramp is cemented and I still got stuck. The incline is about a 45 degree angle and they started opening the gates. It just sat there and burned rubber and that was with the boat launched and not on the trailer. Before I could get someone to hook to me and pull me up water was at the back door with the bed nearly full so I decided I had had enough and would consider the 4x4 Tacoma. I did and it works fine for what I use it for. To be honest if I was wanting a truck with payload, and strength it would probably be a Ford super duty. Also if Ford still offered the Ranger and with a 4x4 standard I would have went that way.The one thing I have against the Ford is that it only comes with an automatic and I prefer manuals. By the way the Ford is also much more expensive than the Tacoma. So if I was buying again for the same reasons I would get another Tacoma, but if I wanted a serious truck that could haul and work it would be a Ford.

Some state the resale value of Toyotas as a reason to buy one. That is never a reason for me as I drive my vehicles into the ground. My Ford ranger has over 400.000 miles on it and I still have it so it is not a resale issue with me. When i am done with them the junk yard is usually the placed they end up. Just trying to be honest.

 

No nose-dive feeling in my 2015 Tacoma SR5 PreRunner.

That is very noticeable in my 2014 4Runner

 

If he's anything like me, he would rather not drive a full size around if he doesn't need full size capacity, not only daily driving, but if you hit the trails at all the choice becomes obvious. Small/mid size trucks offer more than just gas mileage (which they don't do that competitively anymore).

 

I was just confused by his choice of the word NEED instead of want.

 

Circle the fanboy wagons and pass out the pitchforks

 

Is there any truck so hated and loved at the same time?

 

Nope. All other midsize trucks are hated. The tacoma is both loved by those who own one, and hated by those who settled for something else

 

There will be many more GM haters if the new Colorados and Canyons don't make it past 150,000 miles. Only time will tell, but I bet those trucks won't go 10 years without significant changes as the Tacoma has (is)!

 

The brakes on my '06 TRD seem ok. One just needs to get used to however the brakes work in anything you drive, and adjust the old leg muscle pressure accordingly. Keeping the rear drums adjusted helps when my brakes start to feel like it's taking longer to stop.

 

I have been quite happy with the brakes in my base AC 4x4 - nothing stellar but fairly linear and predictable response. Nothing at all like the extremely touchy brakes in my Dad's Nissan!

 

Which was a huge mistake by Toyota in my opinion.

 

I had a 2008 Tacoma and never had anything I didn't like about except the fuel mileage.

I had a 2010 Scion iQ that Car and Driver really bashed, I never had a single problem with it. You can see pictures of it on Facebook. Just look up But they expected it to ride like a Cadillac and have the performance of a cobra.

I now own a 2014 Tacoma, and am more than satisfied with the vehicle..

 

So does that mean we (new buyers) should look at a F250?