My new Taco is half the truck as my old Taco

I thought the same thing, I put 325k on my previous truck and it was still shiny! The 2nd Gen just felt flimsy in comparison.

However, I've got 180k on my '05 DC 4X4 and it has not been back to the dealer for any reason since I drove it off the lot.

I do my own scheduled maintenance. In addition to that I've had 6 small issues:

1. Spiral cable failure (replaced myself before the recall came out)
2 . Mud flap broke off so I trimmed the rest off and like the look better
3. Heater blower motor resistor - the connector overheated, causing low speed to fail (same as on my last truck also). I soldered a 12GA wire in parallel with the failed connector and now it works fine.
4. Tailgate bent slightly when a motorcycle ramp failed and the bike fell on it. Bought a reinforcement from Relentless Fabrication
5. Leaf springs are weak so I added Firestone air springs as boosters. I run them with very little air unless I am hauling something.

Other than that, it's been great. Still shiny, headlights are clear (wax them every car wash), no rattles, seats have no rips or tears, runs and drives like new. The ride is like a car, I really like it.

My previous gen truck required a valve job, front axle bearing and front diff rebuild, blower motor resistor, and 2 driveshaft rebuilds. It would no longer pass smog check at 325k. At the rate things are going the 2nd gen is on track to be even more reliable.

 

I had an 01 before my 14 and I love the 14 so far. More room, more power, etc