Observations a couple of months in

I've had my '19 DCSB OR MT a couple of months and thought I'd throw out these observations. I imagine they will pretty much echo what others have said, but here goes.

1. Fun to drive--I like cycling through the gears manually. I never have to deal with "searching for the right gear" cause it's me. I honestly don't know if I could live with an auto in this vehicle, no offense to all you who have them.

2. Power OK except some of the time--mostly it has enough power especially from a dead stop, but I do feel it lags in the 30-60 mph situation, e.g., merging onto expressways. It's annoying, but I have experience with some underpowered SUV's and a large RV, so I just deal with it.

3. Towing a medium camper (a bit over 3000 lbs) is OK but not enjoyable. It gets the job done, I just sense it's not particularly happy. I wouldn't mind an extra 100 HP, I'm not gonna lie. Our prior 5.7L Avalanche would pull a trailer like nobody's business. That said, for our purposes of weekend travel it does OK and also is more useful on a day-to-day basis, plus smaller and better gas mileage.

4. The tech is great, except the Entune premium stereo is not optimal. I wish the OR MT would have the JBL as an option. I could upgrade the speakers, I suppose, but I'm a bit lazy. I don't have any complaints about the Entune interface except entering destination info on the Navi. I have yet to find one that doesn't require an advanced degree and 100 hours of training to be able to use easily.

5. I LOVE the adaptive CC much more than I thought I would, also like the lane change monitoring and adaptive brights. I just learned about the clutch start cancel and think that's pretty cool.

6. The seat and cockpit are perfect for me.

7. Comfortable for long drives.

8. Very versatile for hauling stuff--I installed bike fork mounts on the front bedwall, and that's the best way to haul IMO. Planning to add a bed rack for kayaks soon.

9. Gas mileage is not great--a bit worse than I thought it would be, especially with highway driving.

10. Nice size and relatively easy to park and maneuver. Great turning radius.

11. I have not modded and do not plan to do much offroading other than primitive camping and fishing sites, but nice to know it's a good platform if I do go that route.

Overall, I would rate this vehicle a 9 out of 10. I realize they could upgrade some areas, but I knew there were some compromises going into the purchase. I doubt they could "improve" them without more cost, less fuel efficiency, etc.

I would get again, because there's just nothing in this size that has the versatility and performance and style of the Tacoma. Looks-wise I continue to think it's a "10"--I still pinch myself wondering if that cement truck is actually mine, cause it looks so cool.

 

I think you make a lot of good points. I'm with you on the towing capabilities, I wish it had a tiny bit more power. Now, I also have an F250 that I use for larger jobs but I wish I was able to handle more of the smaller jobs comfortably with the Tacoma.