Down to two.... Any input ?

Hey All,
I currently have a 2014 F150 FX4 with 6" lift,35" tires, 5.0L V8. Getting 19-21L per 100km driven. Brutal. I'm getting sick of road noise, large lift, wife hating driving it due to size, obviously fuel economy. I decided to sell.
Main use for truck is commuting around for work, weekend mtb or dirt bike trips, general truck bed needs and some city driving with kids. We have a family SUV for most times the 4 in my family are together.

Over the last 2 weeks I have been looking at used 2018-2020 Tacoma's and have test drove a few. I have also been to the Ford dealer multiple times for the last several months with each trip coming up empty as prices seem way to high. This past week I found what I was looking for from each brand. I have had some help on here as well as from a few coworkers as Tacoma's aren't anywhere near as popular around here as F150. I figured I would get some opinions on my two finalists. Let me know your thoughts..... In my eyes Tacoma for reliability, F150 if I really need the room.

2020 Tacoma TRD Off Road Premium Package, 3.5L V6
-truck is loaded (leather, heated seats..etc) and also has KO2's, Toyota hard folding tonneau, wind deflectors, Tint, mud flaps, and predator step boards. 23,000miles
35k USD

2022 Ford XLT Tremor Package, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost
-New, truck is basic xlt package with shift on column but nice leather center console, cloth seats, power door/windows. Price includes spray in bed liner, complete window tint, and weather mats.
44k USD

Interest rate on used is higher, borrow over 72mnths would cost 2,500k more on the amount I would be borrowing.
So the F150 is 6,500$ USD more. I would still have remaining factory warranty on Tacoma and full warranty on new F150.
They both claim to get around the same fuel mileage with Tacoma being a small amount better. Love the look of both.

TACO



TREMOR

 

I happen to have both, below are my opinions when compared directly to each other.

2019- OR pros: resale, looks, small it whips around town, fun drive, good off road
Cons: small payload (but I don’t need), small interior (don’t need), mileage
2017- Fx4 3.5EB.
Pros: Better mileage, way more power, better highway cruiser, tons of interior room(don’t want, I don’t like passengers)
Cons: obtuse ass land-yatch, 10 spd is always in the wrong gear, takes forever to warm and drives horrendously when cold, sync system is terrible and phone quality makes its unusable

the Ford is a company vehicle that I keep, long story short: I still drive my Tacoma on the weekends, I love to drive it. If I had to choose one purely from a DD aspect- the Ford is a better highway cruiser and gets better mileage

 

I will throw in my two cents, you have two completely different vehicles here. Do you need size and hauling capabilities of the ford? Or will the capabilities of the Tacoma suit you better. Tacoma will also hold its value much better than the ford and it costs less. I wouldn’t worry too much about a warranty on a Toyota. I’ve owned two tacomas and a tundra along with many other cars and suvs all Toyota and can honestly none of them have ever let me down.

 

True words!

 

This is Tacomaworld, so Tacoma is the only right answer.

I looked at your list of what you do with your truck and the only thing I think the Ford might do better is haul the dirt bikes. It will also probably get better gas mileage.

The Taco will hold its value way better than the Ford and will be more reliable over the long haul.

 

They are both great looking vehicles...but if you do a lot of highway driving..the tremor would be my choice.

 

If keeping truck long term, I would stay away from Ford EB. 5.0 is the way to go IMO.

But yes, Fords 3.5 EB is way more powerful and will get better/same MPGs while being more comfortable than the taco.

 

FORD: Fix or Repair Daily

 

I think you should get a Honda Ridgeline. Those things are pimp.

 

If I was hauling dirt bikes I would get an F-150 with an 8' bed. If you are not towing anything heavy the NA 3.5 V6 is very reliable and gets good gas mileage. You can usually get those a lot cheaper too.

 

My choice?

The Ford.

I paid $40k for my OR and would take a F150 for $44 in a heartbeat.

The Tacoma is fine but it's a compromise in every aspect. The only compromise on the Ford is size and when coming from a lift that thing will feel tiny.

Get the Ford unless you plant to keep it till 200,000 miles

 

What’s wrong with the EB? My brother has one and it’s been great. 70k trouble free miles

 

They are not reliable at higher mileage. 70k is nothing.

 

I forgot one major con for the Ford!
It’s electronic steering is terrible,,,,, unsafe in my opinion. When the engine start/stop shuts engine off at stop, then restarts the engine, the electric pump will nearly instantaneously build pressure to assist steering,,,,, BUT then will temporarily loose pressure. Of course the timing is what seems dangerous to me- I can start to cross left in front of oncoming traffic and loose assist mid turn.

 

I love my mall crawler. I have to laugh at people who can't park a full size truck, without taking up two parking spots.

OP, have you not looked at the Ranger?

 

Do you think the fuel mileage will still be better with tremor model that has the additional 1” height, 1” wider stance and 33” tires ?
The Tacoma looks better on paper

 

Tacoma all day everyday

 

cant you disable the start stop feature ?

 

yes the ranger just isn’t worth the price difference to the f150. If it’s mid size it’s a Tacoma.

 

I 95% agree with this post. As a former owner of a 2018 EB 3.5 FX4, I can tell you the Ford is an awesome truck, but the EB 3.5 is a very complex twin turbocharged, dual overhead camshaft engine. It is everything the Tacoma's engine is not. In full disclosure, I won't own another one. I went Tacoma because it's still a simple truck mechanically. Probably the last of them in half ton or smaller.

I'm not sure I'd have the 5.0 either. In 2018, there was a class action for excessive oil consumption by the coyote engines. Frankly, if I was going full size, it would be a pre-2022 Tundra with the 5.7 V8. Horrible gas mileage but there's almost nothing it can't handle: it's a simple truck mechanically. Or, if I wanted something older, a 1st gen Nissan Titan after the mid life redesign. They're not perfect but what usually fails is easy to fix.

If you're really dead set on Ford and new, I hear the F250 with the Godzilla engine is very well liked. 7.4L, push-rod valve train, basic EFI V8. Built to last and be easy to fix. Should outlast anything smaller though pre-2022 Tundras I hear have made over 1 million miles for two different owners. That says something too.

Good luck OP.