Coming from a 2017 Ridgeline

Here you go. Better enjoy it while you can. Probably be taken down.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6YlfiLSb7o

 

I had a 2016 Tacoma...ended up with a 2020 RL RTL-E No issues on the highway. Especially in Sport mode. You will not have a smoother ride in the Tacoma nor the acceleration.

Test drive the Tacoma in all conditions. Take it for a half-hour. Forget it's a shiny new truck for a minute and test drive it for a long time. OTOH The Tacoma will be a lot more fun if you go "off off road". THEN go test the RL again. The 2021 Has a beefier front end.

Coming from RL, You may miss some of the features the RL has

Side open tailgate
Slightly Longer bed
48" wide floor can load 48" wide plywood flat
floor to ceiling space when rear seats are up Much more than Tacoma. (can load up two bicycles behind the front seats.)
Bed Trunk and Where the spare is Don't have to worry about the weather when removing it unlike the spares on Frame on body pick ups where it's under the truck.

I don't know. I had four Tacos and the new Ranger and settled in on the RTL-E. But my off off road days are long gone. Just fire roads now.

 

I couldn't agree more with you on this. If it is not because of manual transmission and the look of Tacoma, I would get RL in a heartbeat. It is functional, smooth, and roomier. Maybe when I am ready to retire and Honda comes with full EV truck, I would get one

 

Those times that are posted by MT and other magazines for the Tacoma 0 to 60 is with a manual. Having owned both manual and automatic at the same time I can definitively say that the manual 0 to 60 is quicker. To get the quickest time with the manual takes more effort and understanding of the power band than the automatic(which you can just basically mash down the accelerator). Once you get going though the automatic will achieve higher trap speeds in the quarter mile due to the manual having the 4.30. There is an article about it if I find it I will send you the link.

 

Are you trying to say that doughnut spare inside that bed trunk is a benefit? My last flat tire was when l had a bed full of treated lumber out on the highway. I would have been freakin' enraged if l had to take all that wood out and set it on the ground while traffic is whizzing by at 80 MPH just to get to the damn spare. I personally think it is a horrible idea, what do you do if you have a load of gravel or dirt back there?

 

Load of gravel in a Tacoma, lol.

 

Regardless if there is any type of load blocking access it would be inconvenient.... not to mention it's a doughnut vs a full spare. And if you go up in tire size in a ridgeline then you cannot use the spare. In the Tacoma you can finesse upto a 285/75/16 or equivalent under the truck... especially if its worn a bit.

 

Not sure what you are getting at, but I had a yard of gravel in my taco and she handled it just fine. It was a 45 min drive through mountain passes too. I only felt it when braking, the engine did not care.

 

Having a spare at the bottom of the box definitely sucks. I carry loads quite often and that would be a huge inconvenience if I got a flat.

 

I just got a 21 TRD Sport and test drove a couple TRD off roads first. The OR was comfy on potholes and poor gravel conditions that I tried, but no where near as stable and comfortable on the road as the Sport is. The Sport handled better on pavement and that's where I plan to be driving 90% of the time. Before purchasing I test drove the Colorado and looked seriously at the Ranger. I didn't look too closely at the Ridgeline due to front wheel bias AWD and poor towing rating, which was one of the primary reasons I was looking at trucks to begin with.
I have a 19 Outback and was looking at trading for a 22 Outback XT. I still might do that, but since I traded my WRX on the Tacoma I now have the ability to also look at the updated Crosstrek with the 2.5. I wish Subaru would put a turbo in the Crosstrek. If they did, I would have bought that over my 19 WRX in a heartbeat! I previously had a 16 Crosstrek and lack of power was my only complaint. Otherwise I loved it! I'm going to go test drive a Crosstrek Limited later this month as well as the Forster Sport/Limited and Outback XT.

 

As most people probably aren’t carrying a bed full of gravel or loads of lumber with their Tacoma on a daily basis, you can easily remove that tiny little lightweight donut from the trunk slot using one hand for a few seconds and just place it on the back floor for a little while, a few times a year....

If you’re worried about flats while carrying loads, you could mount a full size spare on a fold down hitch carrier or mount it on the side of the bed interior.
Maybe construct a swing-out tailgate spare tire carrier, or mount a spare to the heavy tailgate.

I’d say the Ridgeline trunk is definitely a benefit. The easily accessible and clean spare tire is also a benefit most days...and nights.

In most sedans, hatchbacks, compact SUVs or wagons, the spare resides below the trunk space, possibly under a bunch of luggage, camping gear, groceries or the new cabinet, throw rug and pillows from IKEA.

 

I didn't say everyone was doing it daily, I mentioned that my last flat happened when l had a bed full of treated lumber and was on a highway, would have absolutely sucked if l had been in a RL. I guess your method of removing the tire and tools and putting it inside the truck every time you hauled something would work but would be a serious PITA along with needing to drive on a doughnut with a load.

 

Same here, picked up a yard of gravel too and truck was fine.

 

Yep, was even room before it hit the bump stops too, no issues at all. I was actually impressed. My ranger struggled more with the same load.

 

Absolutely spot on. I came from a V6 Rav4 that I asked to do many (too many) truck-like things. Took my wife on my first test drive of the Tacoma and asked her if she thought it rode too rough. Her response: "its fine; its a truck". Indeed it is.

 

There is a shade over 1000 pounds in that load, the stack on the bottom is 900 and the stuff on top along with a box was 118, it drove totally fine and managed 20 MPG on the 35 mile trip home.

 

This thread sucks having to defend our Tacoma’s against Ridgeline's and I didn't buy my Taco for its speed .

 

My wife drives a Honda Pilot, which I assume drives more or less like an RL. For freeway driving, the Pilot is about 10 times better. I love my Tacoma, I love the way it drives off the freeway and off-road. Luckily, I don't have to commute in it.

 

I haven’t had to change a tire on the road since oh the 1980’s. My last 2 sports cars didn’t even have spares. Hoping my luck will continue.

As far as changing tires on the interstate, that’s a good way to get killed. That’s what AAA is for.