New Member....Why I bought the 2016 Tacoma

Hello Gentlemen,

As a short term lurker here on this forum I thought I would share my experience and decisions finally culminating in the purchase of a silver SR5 Double Cab 4wd. I have looked to this site for opinions and there have been both positive and negative. Some well thought out and others not so much. All opinions have value as each of our own preferences make for what we like or do not like. Lets respect everyone's opinions because they are, personal preference. Its actually the fact that we as consumers do not like the same things that the manufacturers keep improving their products, that includes Toyota.

My last truck was a first generation Tacoma. It was a 2.4 cyl extra cab. That got traded away some years ago for a family vehicle. I have been thinking long and hard all year about another truck. I began to read about the Chevrolet Colorado and Canyon. These designs looked good on paper and in the flesh. I also really liked the idea of a steel bed frame and especially the promise of better gas mileage including the potential diesel engine. However, reading the forums on the Colorado and Canyon side there has been some sort of delay to the release of the diesels.

I figured I could at least assess the current platforms so I went to the local auto show and sat in all offerings from Nissan, Chevrolet, GMC, and Toyota. Much reading, a lot of opinions, much indecision on my part.

This week I set out to look and weigh these vehicles in actually driving. My original intent was to find a basic extended cab 2 wd truck with a 4 cyl engine and stay under $26000. My plan was coming together perfectly then enter my wife. I received quite a bit of guidance that a minimum capacity of 4 full size adults was going to be required with 4wd. How can you not love a woman that likes 4wd.

I drove the Nissan Frontier which revealed to my old body a very basic, capable, but uncomfortable truck. My guess is that you can probably get a great price on these if it fits your needs. Perhaps if I was 20 again.

I next went to GMC which is the upscale version of the GM truck twins. I liked this trucks look, solid perimeter frame and bed. It drove nicely, like a truck but more refined. It has less ground clearance and you sit more higher in the cab.

I stopped by Toyota hoping to find an SR. Not much luck there. Chevrolet and GMC had the msot basic offerings. Toyota had few. Of course, margins are probably higher on more loaded trucks which is why they cost so much. I found a very nice double cab in silver SR5 with 4wd

Sorry for blathering on. Here are the primary reasons i chose to buy the 2016 Tacoma:

1. Cockpit Layout: This thing reminds me of the FJ Cruiser. Very functional (spartan) or rugged. The lack of height adjustment of the seat is a valid complaint but I am 5'11" and I fit perfect in this. The cockpit puts the gear selector and parking brake easily in reach. The sear selector feels solid and high quality. All of the knobs and switches feel high quality. One note is that that there is a bezel that surrounds the instrument cluster that is colored the same color as the body. I looked at both a white and blue Tacoma and found this to be annoyingly tacky (your mileage varies). In the silver, this contrasts well with the dash and eliminates the visual annoyance factor.

2. Electronics and controls: The SR5 I tested had navigation. All knobs and switches fell solid and high quality. The electronics responded quickly compared to the GMC. One feature that was on the Tacoma that was clearly lacking on the GMC was a lighted ignition. The Toyota controls have nice back-lighting for visibility at night except the stereo volume and tune knobs. This is irrelevant since you have steering wheel controls.

3. Price. My SR5 listed at 34xxx compared to the GMC 39xxx. These were comparably loaded except the GMC lacked the tow package. Did I not say my budget was 26xxxx? Fail oldguy55.

4. Reliability: The Tacoma is not really a new generation. Some folks complain that the 2016 Tacoma is not a full refresh. Guys, if you are the market leader there is a lot of risk in a full redesign. Reliability is the result of good design and trial and error. The longer a design is in production the more reliable it is. The engine was taken from an existing Lexus. How bad could that be?

5. Drive: The Tacoma feels more like a truck than the GMC. The GMC has lower ground clearance to improve cab height and reduce drag and improve fuel economy. I drove both, I prefer the Tacoma.

6. Fuel economy: Not sure about this. I doubt the Tacoma is going to get "good" fuel economy. I think my old Tacoma got in the high 20's. I did not think about that back then because gasoline was cheap. But that SR5 is no where even 50% as nice as this truck. The GMC should do better than Tacoma. Lower ground clearance. But if you off-road that is not a positive. Just a note that my truck will rarely see a dirt road. If you want fuel economy get economy car.

7. Stying: These trucks look not too different (Minus the Nissan) except ground clearance and structure. If I was going to use the bed for hauling, I might want to consider the all steel bed and frame of the Colorado and GMC. I think these trucks are built for gas mileage so perhaps the transmissions are not geared for this work.

The SR5 is in my driveway today. I only have 22 miles on the clock so I cannot give you any other thoughts on how it handles or drives. I spent a couple hours today spraying the cloth seats with Scotch Guard so that that might explain my rant because brain damage due to the fumes. Guys if you get a cloth interior put the scotch guard on them and it will save a lot of grief or pay the dealer $500 to do it. FYI, I used 6 cans of Scotch Guard $6 each to do the job. Make sure you do it in a well ventilated garage, leave the windows open to air dry.

I do not know if this will help you in your decision. My recommendation is to drive any potential purchase during the day, and in the dark. Drive it on city streets and the freeway. Save the stereo for when you are parked. Turn on the fans, AC, and defrosters. Make the salesman work for their commission. My sales guy was quiet the entire trip and did not complain or make stupid comments.

Best Regards,

oldguy55

 

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