My 2017. The Last of the Old Ways.

NoOne · Mar 2, 2018

BillyToy said: ↑

It seems it would work well on my commute (4 lane undivided--hey, probably wouldn't mind collision avoidance either!). People mostly going 55, but some plus 5, some -5. I assume you can set the following distance as well.
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Sort of... the distance is set by the sensitivity (the button on the lower right of the steering). Like the rest of the sensitivity settings, there are 3 zones...

BillyToy said: ↑

Hey, let's say you want to jump into the left lane, pass a slow car, and then cut back to right. Do you have to reset the cruise control (as I would expect)?
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Nope. No need to reset. Once you set a speed, that's the max it will do. Anything under is just following the sensitivity distance until it sees clear and speeds back up to your set speed. In your scenario, I would assume you set at speed limit - 55mph. Behind the car you're doing less than speed limit - 49mph. When you go left, it will speed up to 55mph. When you go right again, it will stay 55mph until something in-front of you is doing less than you. That's the beauty of it. Another nifty thing is that you can set it while following Ms. DragAss at 49mph and bump the speed using the accelerate/decelerate controls to your desired speed. So that once you get clear, it will do your preferred speed.

NoOne · Mar 2, 2018

BillyToy said: ↑

And I'm not talking about juicing up the cruise control with my thumb. I hate doing that. Feels weird, like I'm trying to kill a rhino with a toothpick.

Wait. Am I off topic?
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LOL, well you can do that too in both modes, but it would be from your set speed... not actual speed.

Now you're bringing me back to the days of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom...
"Let's watch Jim giving an enraged rhinoceros an enema, while we sit back here at a safe distance on the lodge veranda having a mint tea."

stun gun · Mar 2, 2018

NoOne said: ↑

LOL, well you can do that too in both modes, but it would be from your set speed... not actual speed.

Now you're bringing me back to the days of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom...
"Let's watch Jim giving an enraged rhinoceros an enema, while we sit back here at a safe distance on the lodge veranda having a mint tea."
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Few “overlanders” here have verandas as well. Pretty sure they got that mint tea thing as well.

stun gun · Mar 2, 2018

NoOne · Mar 2, 2018

BillyToy · Mar 2, 2018

NoOne said: ↑

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[/QUOTE]

"danger filled expeditions to...Arizona?"

uhh...heat stroke? tainted iced tea? spotty cell service? falling into the grand canyon?

someone help me.

I've always felt safe there. (well, as a kid going with my parents to Scottsdale purebred Arabian horse shows, I was worried we might be in danger of becoming weird elitist horse breeders with huge Mercedes vans and horse trailers with showers [for the horses]. Thank goodness though, we were hicks and hicks we remained)

e6400ultra · Mar 2, 2018

Just picked up one of the last new 2017 4X4 SR MT 2.7L Tacoma's.

shakerhood · Mar 2, 2018

e6400ultra said: ↑

Just picked up one of the last new 2017 4X4 SR MT 2.7L Tacoma's.
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Nice, congrats!

1tacomaluvr · Mar 3, 2018

just because you have assistants doesn't mean you can't still drive it.

TheBagel · Mar 4, 2018

I have tried to explain to my wife on more than one occasion the joy of driving a particular vehicle. She just sees it as a method of getting from point A to point B. I have always found the journey enjoyable. I did give up manual transmission though so she could drive the truck. Can't win them all...

stun gun · Mar 4, 2018

e6400ultra said: ↑

Just picked up one of the last new 2017 4X4 SR MT 2.7L Tacoma's.
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Fuck yes. Access cab?

e6400ultra · Mar 4, 2018

stun gun said: ↑

Fuck yes. Access cab?
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Yep.

BlownOutTaco · Apr 10, 2018

hiPSI[OP] initial post: ↑

Reading all the posts on the 2018 models is the driver for this post:

At the Dealership:
When I started looking for a new vehicle last year, I was not even looking for a truck. I was driving a 5th gen 4Runner Trail Edition and it was fine. I actually used the 4Runner more as a truck (hauling lumber, block, trash) but I was OK with it. I went to the dealership because they had called about a new Land Cruiser that had just arrived. I had spoken with the owner several times about a LC and they wanted me to look at it. So I went.

Wow, the LC was sweet, and it had a sweet price tag. I test drove it and, well, it was pretty amazing. We went back and started discussing numbers, which I was very aware what it would cost. I wouldn't have test drove it if I couldn't afford it but something, not money, was nagging me.

I went home in the 4Runner and started thinking. I had a few beers and pretty much contemplated life in general. I am in a position now (married, grown children, job) that I don't really have to have any specific vehicle but I need 4WD and four doors for my job. I have to go off road some in my job and I have to haul people every now and then in my job. That's pretty much it. That was not what was bothering me though. It was technology. The LC was loaded with it. My wife's new super duper platinum gold-plated limited special edition Highlander is really loaded with it. The new base model Yaris is loaded with it. Pretty much every new vehicle produced from now on is going to be loaded with it. Why?

Transition:
We are now going through a transition phase in the vehicle world. We are going from a fully manually operated vehicle (manual meaning manual control of accelerator, brakes, steering - the three things that every vehicle has) and transitioning towards fully autonomous vehicles. These "self driving vehicles" are not that far away, maybe five to ten years. And sure, not every new vehicle will be fully autonomous. Specialty vehicles, like off road or work related vehicles, will be set up to have dual controls, manual and automatic. Eventually though , most every vehicle will be autonomous, but it might take 30 years for that to happen. What will be the key is the general population's acceptance, and I think most people will welcome it with open arms. Not all, but most.

The 2018 Tacoma versus the 2017 Tacoma:
We all know that the only real difference in the mandatory inclusion of Toyota's Safety Sense.
From Toyota Press: "The next-generation Toyota Tacoma enters its third year with a safety enhancement: all 2018 Tacoma models gain Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P). This equips the Tacoma with Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Sway Warning System (SWS), Automatic High Beams (AHB) and High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC). Toyota leads the auto industry in making automatic emergency braking systems standard on most of its vehicles."
In a nutshell, that is the major difference between the 2018 and the 2017. Now, don't get me wrong... I absolutely agree that is is much safer to have these features. There will be many lives saved and accidents will be reduced. I am all for these features. Self driving vehicles will take this a huge step forward and eliminate most accidents.
But I am from the old school. Back in the days when you couldn't wait to get your driver's license and you took pride in your ability to drive well. Even though I have been driving 39 years now I still genuinely enjoy driving, whether it is a five minute trip to the store or a 17 hour marathon drive to Kansas. I enjoy it, and that is what I contemplated over several beers that night. I knew that, if possible, I wanted to experience one last hurrah before technology overtook me. I wanted a brand new vehicle that I could still manually drive, one where I still had control over all the functions, one that forced me to pay attention and be vigilant and defensive in my driving. I now knew what I wanted.

Back to the Dealership:
So, going back to the dealership, I asked the guy what he had in trucks. I really couldn't see me hauling 2X4's or trash in the LC. A few weeks before I had went to the local gravel yard and had them fill up 10 five gallon bucket with gravel so I could haul it in the 4Runner. Again, hard to see me doing that in an LC.
So I test drove a 1794 Tundra. Too big. Too much tech. I then drove a Limited Tacoma. I liked the size a lot. Too much tech. I drove the Off Road. Again, too much tech. Also, these didn't leave much room for my noggin with the sunroof. So I asked what Tacoma they had without a sunroof...
I loved it. Manual transmission, 4WD, four doors, looked great, no additional tech. Yes, it has entune and a backup camera. That's pretty much it. I have to drive it. I have to pay attention. It will not stop for me. It will not slow down for me. It will not change my headlights for me. I have to do that all on my own. And, I even have to shift it! Reminds me of a bunch of vehicles I have owned in the past. So I got it, and I have been happy.

Happy Ending:
Yes, I know I cannot the inevitable march of progress as it tramples it's way towards fully autonomous vehicles. It's time I guess, now that the technology is out there and it's cheap enough for the masses. I know that in a few years when I get rid of this truck and trade for a new one that the new one will have TSS plus a whole bunch of other safety devices. Yes, I know it is for the better, and I welcome it because there are a lot of no drivin', no paying attention people out there now operating a 4000 lb weapon with their eyes cast everywhere except out the windshield. Airbags, VSC, ABS and a whole slew of other acronyms are just the precursor for things to come, and I appreciate these features on my truck.
However, until it's time to get something new, I will have the pleasure of driving one of the last vehicles that gives the operator full control (minus VSC) of their destiny.
Thanks for reading.

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Wow... missed it by a year! Super well written. I guess I could throw the oem wheels/tires back on and head back to the dealer for a ‘17 but I’m pretty slammed at work/home at the moment. If I had the time I’d do it.

I don’t mind it when tech helps us do what we’re already doing just better/faster/stronger. ABS, power steering, air bags, etc. It’s when it starts making decisions that it really starts to bother me.

Midknight · Apr 10, 2018

Good post, and I agree; however, as someone who was recently in an accident, I do wonder if the TSS would have actually prevented it from happening.

12 TRD OffRoad · Apr 10, 2018

I don't mind Toyota putting TSS into their vehicles. Just don't discontinue the "basic bitch" models and don't force that technology self driving crap on me. I don't want it. Option? Fine. Mandatory across the board? F off.

mdiprimio · Apr 10, 2018

+1 OP! Congrats!
Sounds similar to my dealership experience, when I pushed to have less tech they kinda cocked their head sideways and were confused
Now happy as a clam in a manual no-options TRD OR.

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