I'm new here. (sort of)

I joined here back in May of '07 when I got my first Taco. I was "Plain Taco" not that anyone would remember. For some reason it said my PW was incorrect. Whatever.

Anyways, I now own a '13 Taco Access cab, v6, auto with convenience pkg. I'm going to be trading late summer early fall for a double cab 4x4 and am wondering which pkg to go with this time. From looking at the SR5, TRD Sport and TRD OR, there doesn't seem to be a huge price difference.

I like the looks of the Gen 3 Tacos although the TRD grills are a little.....different? I tow a camper, but I'm now 50+ and my wife and I aren't as much into the harsh ride these days. Is there a difference in the ride? I haven't driven one yet so I'm not sure what to expect.

 

Yes the TRD OR is the smoothest and plushest ride. Many people complain about the harsh/stiffness of the Sport ride. SR5 seems to be a good middle ground as far as ride (my sister has a SR5 which I've driven several times for hundreds of miles and I test drove a Sport). The sport ride definitely felt harsh to me, compared to my TRD OR and the SR5.

 

Which one is best for towing? They all have the option of tow pkg for $650. Is there a difference?

 

Did you compare the towing ratings between trims in the brochure? The difference should be negligible.

 

It seems that the softer ride of the TRD wouldn't be as good for towing? I haven't picked up a brochure yet. I'm sure I can find out online. I guess I need to do a little more research.

The only thing I know for sure is I want the Magnetic Gray.

 

Welcome back

 

Not the greatest towing vehicle overall IMO. It will do fine towing maybe 2500 to 3000lbs but would not want to tow more than 2000 to 2500 regularly with this thing. I have towed an A-frame pop up at about 2500lbs, if you have a lot of elevation this truck really struggles to stay out of the 4500 to 5k RPM range when towing 2500+ up a grade. Do not think you will find a discernable difference in how it tows weight of this range anyhow, between trims. Get the TRD OR for the softer ride and Throw some firestone airbags on it if you're worried.....it's a relatively cheap mod.

 

so i now own a TRD Pro and before that, I had a 16 TRD Sport. The Sport definitely felt more stiff to me than the Pro but it was perfect for daily driving. that's all I've got for you.

 

Off-road is definitely the softer ride, as it absorbs bumps and potholes much better than the other trims. Test drive each trim, and see which you like best.

 

Welcome back

If you're towing more than the average bear, I'd go full size.

 

Our camper weighs about 2700 lbs dry. I have Hellwig helpers on our current Taco to make me feel better about towing. I've never been overly thrilled with them due to the U bolts slipping constantly. I'm thinking of trying the Sumo springs on my new one.

 

Honestly if you're going to change out the suspension at all, it's a moot point. Ride will mean nothing stock. I came from a BMW and Merc and you want to talk about harsh rides, my teeth are still rattling. If you're going to keep them stock, drive them and see which one you like better. OR and Sport are basically the same price. You're not going to be towing huge trailers with this truck and if you want to, you may want to look into full size.

 

Also you're going to notice a significant drop off in the low end torque and overall feeling of throttle response in the 2016+ Tacoma coming from your 2nd Generation Tacoma. If you have a trusted dealer I would definitely request a test drive in towing your trailer to see how it handles. Hit the ECT button for more throttle response and improved shift mapping for towing.

 

http://www.toyota.com/brochures/trucks

 

Where are you located in general? Where are you towing the camper to? In Texas, Florida or other flat land states, I don't think you'll have any issues. If you're in New Mexico, Colorado, or AZ and plan to do a lot of low to high country tows....you might want to consider a Fullsize

 

Thanks guys. I don't remember getting such quick replies years ago here.

 

I'm in Vermont where there is a LOT of mountains. I also go to nearby NH where there is also a LOT of mountains.

I'm not considering a Tundra or any other full size due to our small two car garage which we can barely get the Taco and Rav4 into side by side.

 

Diesel Colorado has more torque and better towing capacity too. I'd test drive one even if you THINK you don't want one.

 

You definitely want to avoid the Sport as it has the harshest ride of the Tacoma's. Try to get an overnight test drive to see if you can deal with the Automatic Trans as it likes to constantly up and down shift.

 

I just recently went from a Titan to a Tacoma. I love my new truck but would buy a tundra if your planning on towing just my opinion. Especially an automatic I've never driven a 3rd gen six speed so can't give you an opinion on that. My biggest disappointment with this truck is the transmission.