Is the newly designed Tacoma getting closer for real?

I read on TruckYeah.com they were going to debut it at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

Sorry... didn't click on the link before posting.

 

yep, I guess im strange but I think steel is stronger and tougher then plastic

 

i don't know how much heavy steel i've thrown in my bed over the years. no dents, no rust. a few scratches yes, but nothing major. fuck steel beds.

 

I would like a composite bed

 

There's a sneak preview of the 2016 Tacoma in the January 2015 "Motor Trend" magazine. I went to Motor Trends website, but I couldn't locate any preview photos, but they did mention them. It's gonna retail for $38K+.

With the 4.0 it still only gets an estimated 18 mpg hwy. Not very good given all the technological advances they've made over the years. But the interior looks very nice with the TRD trim.

I'm a simpleton, so all the gadgets really don't appeal to me, but I can see where somebody will really get hooked on all the options they have put into this package.

Edited to add links to Motor Trend Magazine. The 1st link is to the sneak preview pictures. The second link is to the road test. Hopefully they work. If not you can go to the website and locate them.

http://wot.motortrend.com/1412_2016....html/2016-toyota-tacoma-teaser-wide-version/

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/trucks/1411_2015_toyota_tacoma_trd_pro_first_test/

 

Link^

 

I think you're referring to the 2015 tacoma pro. Atleast that's what the 2nd article links to.

 

Steel beds may be stronger, but the majority of Tacoma owners are not dropping rocks into their beds from a 6' high excavator bucket, so the plastic is a great alternative material IMO

 

The composite bed is stronger and more durable than steel. Google it.

 

i think a first gen throwback body style would be awesome. not sure about the composite bed, i like dents and dings, adds character

 

I don't think so, or all the trucks would be using it by now. It's cheaper to produce so there's no doubt in my mind that if that were the case they'd all have composite beds. I liked the stuff in my 2011, never had any complaints about it.

 

Is Tacoma and Ridgeline the only "trucks" offered with composite beds?

 

I used to think the same way

Not necessarily true.

My buddy has a new to him 2006 DCSB.
He's kind of a redneck, he drilled holes in his composite bed, right on top of the fender wells.
He installed 3/8" eyebolts, using a couple washers and the required nuts.

He used them to tie down his gear, I laughed to myself, never said anything, expecting the plastic/composite to rip, crack, tear over time.

So to get to the point, he left a rather long loose end of the tie strap hanging one day, 1" fairly thick strap btw, and naturally it found it's way under the rear tire going down the highway and ripped the strap in half. Eyebolts were bent open. Composite bed was fine.

I feel if that had been my 1st gen bed, it would have ripped a hole in the sheet metal.

Something else to consider, even though my truck is much older than his, they both have about the same amount of body and paint dings. My bed looks like absolute shit, beat to death and dented inside.

His looks like new still.

 

"Leave it to Toyota and Honda to offer what Ford, GM and Chrysler have talked about -- an all-composite pickup bed on both the newly redesigned Toyota Tacoma and the all-new Honda Ridgeline midsize pickup trucks. We're not talking about a composite "bed liner," we're talking about a complete structure of composite, replacing the "traditional" steel bed. No need for a plastic liner, which adds cost and weight, and provides only a cosmetic fix for the underlying issues -- rust, corrosion and dents/dings to the traditional steel bed.

There has been little doubt for some time that a composite is a good choice for a pickup bed. All the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) conduct grueling, real-time structural and performance testing at their off-road test facilities. Not only do composite truck beds pass these tests with flying colors, they also offer greater resistance to dents and higher impact strength than steel, and they are 100 percent resistant to rust and almost all corrosion. Further, they are unaffected by most materials that could find their way into a pickup bed, such as petroleum products and gardening chemicals.

Designers can optimize weight savings, which run as high as 35 percent, and take advantage of parts consolidation and noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) damping properties. With this weight savings come obvious advantages, including increased fuel economy, better front/rear weight ratios and improved horsepower-to-weight ratios -- more performance. Molding composite beds offers the opportunity to mold-in features not available in steel beds, such as side and bed-floor storage compartments and grained, non-skid surfaces.

So why Honda and Toyota, and not the Big Three? From a historical perspective, it's no surprise. I recently reviewed CT's February issue from a year ago, where I wrote in this column that "Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler have all celebrated their centennials, a milestone that represents 100 years of stamping, grinding, forging, welding, assembling and painting steel.". The Big Three know steel. They have billions of capital dollars in steel processing technology and decades of investment in training a workforce to optimize its use. Little wonder, then, that in the past they've chosen to win, lose or draw with steel as their first, second and third material choice for the majority of the vehicle."

 

Currently I think they may be the only ones. Chevy and GMC had a composite bed option in the early 2000s I believe. It didn't last very long. I'm not surprised though. Can you imagine trying to sell a 'plastic' bed to some stubborn 'good ole boys' who normally buy Silverados and Sierras?

 

Shouldn't this thread be in the 3rd Gen section?


P.S. I like my composite bed.

 

I had a 1986 Toyota pick up with a plastic bed..Well actually it was the bed liner.The bed was rusted through .It looked like Swiss cheese. I like the composite bed.

 

1. It's not plastic. It's closer to fiberglass.
2. What you think doesn't necessarily correspond to reality.

 

Yeah, I get that