General Discussion and BS thread -Safe Haven

Honda used to lead, now they follow. Unimpressive design, engines, and mechanicals are their thing. Along with reliability. Which is why people buy a Honda. I will say though that the new civic looks much much better than the last few editions.

 

I just discovered how to change the gauge backlight brightness... It's on the trip knob in the gauge cluster. For some reason I thought it would be 6 menus deep in the apps.

 

Took a DCSB TRDOR 3.5 auto w/premium tech, sunroof, tow pkg for a short test ride. $39,013 MSRP w/bedmat, door sills, roof rack, floormats. Mexico truck, 3 VIN. 80% USA parts content, 20% Japan. Engine/trans USA.

Nice truck, lot of nice features in the dash display and the head unit, dual-zone climate control, autoheadlamps, most of the switches and buttons lighted (ECT isn't, shows up on the dash). Really nice to have an autotrans with both the ECT button and bumpshift.

It had 83 miles on it, 17.4mpg avg. Definitely sluggish off the line in standard mode but that's not a big deal. Cabin seems quiet enough. Buzzy sounding engine note, the 4.0 had more of a roar to it than a buzz.

I noticed the tow pkg came with the smaller 24F battery vs 27F, still the 130A alternator and ATF cooler. I saw the tow pkg has a power steering fluid cooler.

The side windows are short, little shorter even than the Gen2 I think. I'm only 5'9 and if I had an inchannel rain guard in it would interfere with visibility.

With the sunroof I had about 2 inches of headroom, BUT - I drive in an upright position, most people recline the seatback a lot more than I do. Recline the seatback and of course that provides more headroom.

The double door seals, I think what Toyota did is kept the same cab rubber, but added an additional rubber seal to the doors and they compress against each other. They don't offset, they compress against each other to reduce wind noise from the doors.

 

I think I would go with the SR 4WD also to keep the cost down. That's a very capable 4WD for a reasonable cost.

 

Congrats on the truck you'll love it even more once you have it for a while!

 

I wanted to throw out an update now that I have about 2200 miles on my '16.

A little recap. First couple tanks on this truck I was seeing what Toyota was claiming, a pretty consistent 24-25mpg. Right around 500 miles I put in a 3/1.25 lift and 32" BFG MT's. I immediately noticed more wind drag on the hwy and the increased rolling resistance from the larger, more aggressive tire. Not completely surprised, but definitely more than I did when I put the same lift/tire combo on my '14.

So in the 1700 miles since the lift, wheels and tires, my mileage has pretty much stayed at 17-18 regardless of city or hwy driving. Yes that sucks, but honestly it's right where my '14 4.0L was so I'm not complaining too much.

The engine and trans have definitely loosened up a bit. The truck is a bit more responsive off the line and the trans doesn't seem to wander around for a gear like it did new. I know the systems are said to learn a driver's habits so maybe that truly is the case here. It does still shift out of 6th on the hwy for even the slightest grade, but 5th holds a little better than when new. Yes, it does need 4th way more than it should on the hwy, but I can't expect much more out of an engine with the power curve that meant for a car.

I still absolutely love the interior. The stereo/nav system works with almost no lag, the gauge cluster is very cool, especially with all the information it displays, and the seats are far more comfortable. I may have had a bad seat, but the seat in my '14 was horrible.

All-in-all this is a great truck. I am happy I made the move from my '14 for many reasons, but mostly for the nicer interior/seats. A quick test drive really doesn't do it justice as it's actually turned a lot of folks off from one of these. If you are mostly concerned about the power then I can definitely see why it would turn you off. If you are into more of the creature comforts, but still want the toughness that is a Tacoma, then this beats the 2nd gen hands down.

Anyone looking at one or on the fence about it, PM me questions any time. I'm happy to talk to folks about it...especially since most of the Salesmen/women at the dealerships don't know jack about these things.

 

Ordered my '16 yesterday, or "preferencing" as they called it. Black Access cab TRD Off Road with Tow Package. Super excited! I had a '14 with same configuration, mistakenly traded for a civic because of gas, now decided it's worth the cost of gas. Miss my Taco like crazy.

Anyone know how long it will take? They told me roughly 2 months, hoping it's shorter than that. Should at least have it for all the snow Upstate NY gets through January and February

 

Not sure if your dealership offered it to you, but maybe a dealer trade could get you one sooner. Worth an ask if you haven't done so already.

 

That was what they looked for at first, but nothing around how I wanted it. I figure I'm spending $30k+ on a truck it's being built my way lol.

 

I hear ya man!

 

Do you have the 4X4 or 4X2 that was getting 24 or 25 mpg?

 

I have the TRD OR so a 4x4.

 

I can't even tell you how happy I will be if I get that same gas mileage. I was expecting 17-18 since most people have reported that mpg. I mean it's a truck so I didn't buy it for mileage, but it sure would be the icing on the cake

 

Ya I was stoked to see that sort of mileage out of it since I drive about a hundred miles a day. To see it tank once I put the lift and bigger tires on, I was a little bummed but not terribly surprised. It's now getting what my '14 was so I'm not out anything in the long run. And I really enjoy the interior of this one way more over my '14 so it's definitely a win!

 

I just bought a 2016 Tacoma, SR5, double cab, 4x2. This is my first truck, so go easy on me please.
What would turning everything (Traction Control and AutoLSD) do?
Would it drive smoothly? Better mpg? What are the cons? Do I have to hold the button for 5 or 10 seconds every time I turn the truck on?
Thank you in advance!

 

I wouldn't think turning those off would help MPG. Just keep your foot off of the floorboard! lol. Keep an eye on your LCD screen that shows instant MPG and you'll know when to back off the pedal. I would also recommend using the ETC button when hauling or towing. It will shift less and provide more power (rpms). If used properly it will actually help MPG while hauling or towing and not "lug" the engine .

 

New Ranger AND Bronco confirmed. I think my Tacoma might last another 3 years. =) https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/2020-ford-bronco-confirmed-uaw-deal-ranger-pickup-203900438.html

 

Thank you. Yes, I know the importance of keeping the foot off the gas pedal. lol.
For some reason I thought it would make for a smoother ride (city driving) and improve mpg.

 

It would make it drive like a first gen Tacoma, or any other truck without those features. I doubt it would make it smoother, I would say it really shouldn't affect gas mileage at all unless you driving really hard then ot could even make it worse.

And yes, you would have to do that every time you started the truck.

Also even turned off, unless you are in 4wd stability control comes back on above about 30 mph, unless they changed something. But I doubt they changed it since it came from some newer federal saftey guidelines.