Long road trip and 3rd Gen

Well, I have been taking my time looking for a Tacoma. However, recent issues with my beloved 2007 Civic have pushed me to find a Tacoma rather quickly (within the next few weeks). With that, how doable is a ride from MD to GA then from GA to FL and back again (3rd gen)? We have that trip planned in June and if I have my truck by then, my wife is pushing to take that.

We did test drive a 4th gen and she preferred that ride much better (she drove as I was the passenger) and wants to go that route. For me, I would rather have the 3rd gen as I just overall like the truck better.

Thanks again all.

 

I think you'll find that any vehicle with wheels and runs is going to be fine. I can't speak for the 4th gen but the 3rd doesn't get great mileage when you're driving at 85mph. The engine will rev up quite a bit to hold those speeds. This is specific to the 3.5L. I don't have experience with the 4cyl 3rd gen.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to drive my Tacoma from CA to NY and back. I bought the truck for duck hunting trips where I drove 1,000 miles each weekend.

 

I did many long distance trips in my 17 with no problem.

on long trips like that, added technology is definitely nice (radar cruise, lane centering, CarPlay). Personally I wouldn’t go older than a 2020 but at this point, I’m not sure I would buy a 3g over the 4th.

 

With the crazy prices of used tacos, I’d opt for a Gen 4 and then you would have a happy wife on a long road trip. That in itself would be worth thousands!

 

I have done some long road trips . The seats can be tiring after 3hours of driving. Taking breaks is key . The inside of the cabin is a bit noisy not overwhelming.

 

I live in the furthest north east corner of WA. state as you can get. 10 miles from Canada and 10 miles from Idaho.
I've driven from here to L.A. and back, twice and last Sept. To Huston and back for a wedding. No issues whatsoever, and since I love road tripping, for me a lot of fun.
MPG is certainly not the best, but I have the 2.7, so if I kept it at 65 or under I can get 24-25 MPG, which I can live with.

 

I bought a '23 OR in February of '23 and by the end of the year (well, actually January 1st, 2024), I had driven it from TX to VA and back twice! That's 1,300 miles one way and I do that non-stop all in a day. The first trip, the truck was stock. The second trip, I had seat jackers and it had the Overland Torque Tune.

Both trips were more than doable. The seat jackers and the tune did make the 2nd trip better, but still, both trips were fine.

I'd say go for it OP! I've got 2 more trips from TX to VA planned for this year and I'll be taking the Tacoma without even thinking about it.

 

I've done multiple 2k road trips in my 21 OR. Only issue will be your mileage, I find it impossible to drive at the limit in the middle of nowhere. Out West if you go 95 you still feel like you are crawling along in some places.

 

Get yourself 2 of these - or something similar -
Your spine sets straight in the slot and it alleviates back pain -

 

I'll say this, a 4th gen is going to get better fuel economy and have better power, and most importantly NOT have the annoying transmission of the 3rd gen.

If I were to choose between the two, I'd probably opt for the 4th gen.

 

I came from a BMW X5 with superb seats for long road trips. With that being said my 3rd gen seats are not bad for road trips.
I just make sure I don’t have my wallet in my back pocket since I do find the seats a bit more stiff .

 

Funny, I did as well. F15 X5d Msport. Not only was the interior comfortable, but it had M Adaptive and DHP so the ride was great. I miss it, the power and fuel economy the most.

 

I haven’t driven a 2024, but everything I’ve read here (and elsewhere else) indicates the 2024’s overall ride quality is better than the 3rd gen…which should surprise no one, considering Toyota has had 8 years to improve it. But that is not to say the 3rd gen ride quality is bad. In fact it’s quite the contrary, especially with the stock suspension. Some aftermarket suspension bits can make it less enjoyable on the highway, but the stock setup (at least the Bilstein) is tuned especially well for highway cruising.

If you can buy a 2024 for close to MSRP, then go for it. I think market forces are finally swinging in buyers favor, and the days of outrageously high ($6-8k) dealer markups are beginning to fade away. Dealers will still markup the rarer models, and suckers will keep paying for them. But in a few weeks, you’ll be able to get a 2024 SR, SR5, maybe even Off Road for close to MSRP.

But by then the used Tacoma market should be cooling down as well. If you don’t need the “latest and greatest”, then you’re always better off buying a 1-2 year old vehicle. Buying brand new always incurs depreciation as soon as you drive off the lot. I prefer to let someone else take that hit.

 

I find my motorcycle more comfortable than my Tacoma for road trips.

 

Thank you all for the wealth of information!!! Not gonna lie, I had fully expected most to say -- no to long trips. So, this is very encouraging.

Although we have a Mazda cx-5, we would much rather take a Tacoma (when we get it). I've read a lot about seat jackers and that and the pillow are great suggestions. As for trucks we are looking at a 2023 TRD OR or a 2024.

Again, thank you all this was very helpful.

 

I’ve done Maryland to Montana (and back) in about 2 weeks. I’ve also done MD to Canada (and back) twice. I’ve done a bunch of other very long trips in my 3rd Gen but I won’t bore you with them all lol. I have many more planned. You won’t regret taking a long trip in the truck.

 

If you get the 23, definitely get the seat jackers. I was really on the fence until I got them and they make a noticeable difference.

G'luck! I love my '23 OR even though it took a tune to get the transmission to act better (not perfect, but much better).

 

I have a similar cushion for my chair in my room lmao. I bought a shitty "gaming" chair that can lean the back almost 180 degrees so I can lean mine back and chill in a comfortable position while watching movies or whatnot on my PC. The cushion for these "gaming" chair is terrible and my ass started hurting sitting on these for long periods of time so I got one of those and it's much better. TBF, as uncomfortable as they are, the Tacoma seats are better than gaming chairs you'd find on Amazon. Low bar but still, lol

 

Why

I have a 2nd gen
it was for sale down the street
5 miles

drove it many a far trips
that is what they do

the seating position stock is not good
and the solution is from here the rear seat riser spacers to fix the angle to become comfortable