My thoughts to Toyota about the 3rd Gen Tacoma

Not a disqualifier for this conversation lol.

 

Thanks. I’ve already started some mods. First up being my tasteful spot of yellow paint so it doesn’t not get mixed up with the neighbours.

 

We use numbers here in FreedomWorld.

 

Stop giving him state secrets!

 

So I just watched this and other than the host being super annoying, I can honestly say there are some features of a Hilux I'd love to see in a Taco, but that sheetmetal and grille aren't part of that. I do prefer the previous style Hilux to the new one. But if I was buying a Hilux, it would be one from the 80's anyways.

 

The Tacoma is probably priced better than the Hilux in Mexico, and it's a North American vehicle produced in NA, that could also be an advantage. The Tacoma is an older design, and less technical than a Hilux. Those things are good selling points for a truck buyer.

 

The Tacoma, I believe, is the higher priced truck in Mexico.

 

I like the dash and grab handles. Although I don't want a diesel the Hilus is available in a regular cab with a 6 speed manual.

 

Hilux costs about 40% less than the Tacoma. Hilux looks to have outsold the Taco by about 3:1 in the info I saw.

Not sure I agree about the Hilux being more technical. Power folding mirrors was the only tech advantage I noticed. Hilux has DAC as well, but my truck has the same thing, only with 4 more settings.

 

I did like the rear passenger grab handles in the door frame, but not the overhead ones. The dash does look better on the new Hilux too IMO.

 

An Englishman calling "the ultimate pickup" is like an american calling "the ultimate crumpet".

 

I'll take my third gen over the current Hilux. easy!

 

I really only understood about every third word he said. It didn't help that everytime he talked about something in metric I had to stop and google what it was to freedom units.

I will say, I wish we used metric as well. U.S. and Liberia (I think) soldier on alone in that regard.

Google says Myanmar is with us too. Even though I still call it Burma lol.

 

The infotainment screen looked more advanced in the Hilux. I don't care about the screen, I can't any screen when the sun is out.

I'd take the cost savings of the Hilux if that was an option in the US. Even if I liked the Tacoma better.

 

Yeah the screen is bigger than the one in my truck, but I consider that more of a generational advancement than a Taco Vs. Hilux thing.

 

Don’t worry, they’ll come to their senses and see we were right along and convert. I mean, cmon…. Murica! Am I right or am I right?

 

The T100 has better payload, 4' between wheel wells in the bed, and a 5000 pound tow rating, which may or may not be better depending on the particular third gen.

The T100 is 1000 pounds lighter which makes the new Tacomas (with their arguably poorly behaving automatic transmissions) seem not at all any faster.

The biggest point we may disagree on is that to me the purpose of a truck is to use the bed. It makes no sense to buy a small pickup truck for towing, because 80, 100, and 200 series landcruisers, as well as 4 runners have as good or better towing capacity than Tacomas. It depends a lot on specifics for sure, but I just don't see who exactly wants these trucks, since they just seem to do everything badly in my opinion and experience.

Also T100s are more comfortable and ride nicer than the new Tacomas IMO.


Now one thing that bugs me with torque is that it's a product of gearing, and the torque of the engine is irrelevant when it can rev higher and be geared lower. When people say an engine is torquey-er than another engine they are actually referring to the torque curve. An engine that feels torquey has torque that starts high and drops off at high rpm, while an engine that doesn't feel torquey at all starts at low torque at low rpm and high torque at high rpm. The end result is that you have to shift more on a high revving gas engine, but it can still tow and accelerate just as well, as long as the gearing doesn't require excessive torque converter or clutch slip at low speeds. In that regard the 5vz-fe seems to have a flatter (and therefore torquey-er feeling) torque curve than the 2gr-fks as far as I can tell. I don't have super reliable dyno reports to go off of and I'm not even sure I have the exact right engine.

And the usual disclaimer: I'm comparing the nicer of the available engines. If you have the four banger in either truck you have my sympathy. Other options aren't well controlled in my googling, and may change the results.

 

Look, I love my country, I bought like $200 of fireworks just to show my neighbors how much, but... Metric and Celsius just make better sense. Yeah, yeah, I know. But 0º should be freezing, 100º should be boiling, everything math based of of 10's. So simple. 32º and 212º degrees??? Yet 0º is 32º degrees below freezing?

People ridicule America for it's education system, but we might be the smartest MF's in the room... How else would anyone figure this stuff out?