Potential New Buyer

I agree with you in spirit; however....

- Forced induction isn't an innovative new feature. It's been around forever and is proven to create more power while drastically improving mpg. Which just happen to be two of the primary complaints we see over and over and over here. For example, I have a V6 supercharger in a 5000 lb. SUV and I get 22+ mpg with plenty of ooomph without even trying. On my Tacoma... anyway, you get the point.
- Android Auto and Apple Carplay are not innovative new features, they've been around for years and basically the ENTIRE auto industry supports either/both except for Toyota. And guess what, they're finally relenting in 2020 for no other reason than people complained enough. It's not like either of those things has seen great leaps in reliability to finally get to the point that they passed some Toyota purity test.
- I have more nits and complaints, but obviously none that made me decide to not buy the Tacoma. Don't get me wrong, I really love this truck and intend to keep it for a long long time. Even though it's not my daily driver, I get a big smile every time I get in it, my kids love it, and I have big plans for a second summer full of fun trips in it.

But don't pretend that Toyota is going slow with our best interests at heart. They're definitely phoning it in with regards to any innovation (and one can make the case that they have been for a long time now, ever since the Prius).

 

actually Porsche was #1 this year chief

 

I've yet to ever see this in the real world. Lots of people like to say they get over 20 MPG with their F150, but real world numbers tell a different story. Same goes for the explorer. The 2019 ranger is currently nearly identical in fuel economy to the 3rd gen tacoma.

The entire industry is just now getting around to putting CarPlay in vehicles in the last few years... Toyota also made an investment in entune right around the same time as it was announced, there weren't going to just throw that in the dumpster for the latest thing that for all anyone knew might not actually take off and stick around.

No one really started to add CarPlay until the 2017 model years which was 3 years after it was announced
https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/available-models/

Toyota isn't nearly as slow as the picture some people paint. Every new truck is a tacoma killer, yet tacoma sales are increasing every quarter..

 

Couldn't disagree more. It will be a great showdown between it and the ridgeliner.

 

all I got out of this was that the Tacoma gets 2 mpgs more than a half ton with a 550hp twin turbo v6

 

where are you getting a 550 HP TT v6? The f150 is rated for 375 hp (f150) or 450 hp (raptor).

 

TW should give a trophy for first pic of a Ranger with 33's and a 3 inch lift.

 

Not exactly... Rangers started holding their value, and even appreciating in a lot of cases, when Ford stopped making them. I owned an '01 back around '08 and they weren't going for that much. I thought about picking up another one not too long ago but the prices were insane... A clapped out '01 at that point was as much as I'd paid for mine even though it was nearly a decade older and in a condition that was in no way comparable. Wish I'd kept mine as I could have made a tidy profit on it. Hindsight...

There are people who still want a small truck for deliveries, homeowner stuff, etc. and the OG Ranger is perfect for them. Ford was the last one in that market segment, and once they got out of it the only option for those folks was buying used. Ford apparently thought they weren't selling enough and killed it off, but even at the end they were selling better than the new one is so far. Maybe small / compact pickups are a niche market, but there's definitely an unserved market there.

Time will tell on the new Rangers as they're competing in a highly competitive market segment. Lease residual is great, but it's not grounded in actual resale value at this point - it's a combination of Ford's speculation along with their desire to market their new offering as desirable. Maybe they'll have good resale, maybe they won't.

I'm a big fan of the old Rangers and have nothing against the new ones... Considered one before buying my current Taco last December... Ultimately went with the Toyota but have no doubt I'd have been happy with the Ranger as well. Actually looking forward to seeing what the new Bronco looks like.

 

Ford has nothing on Toyota when it comes to quality. It's closer than fifteen years ago but it's still a good bit apart. Arguing with a Ford owner is like arguing with a brick. They've already made a bad decision that made them happy. They're not going to swallow their pride on a Tacoma forum.

 

All those numbers confirm my choice to buy the Tacoma. If it were about gas
milage I would have bought a Prius. If you're buying a truck and one of your main concerns is gas milage then you're looking at the wrong platform. Get a Leaf or a Cruze and stop trying to squeeze another mile out of your non economical 4x4 that's not what it for.

I love my gas hogs!!
Tundra: 10.5 mpg
Tacoma: 15.7 mpg

When I'm looking to conserve fuel:
Hybrid Lexus F Sport: 40+ mpg

 

OP, don’t get the Tacoma. If you aren’t immediately in love with it you won’t be happy long term. If you’re saying the shifting and power band is crappy in your opinion it won’t get better. It’ll slightly improve, but not enough to make you happy. I would suggest a Tundra, but it’s a truck, go look at a Prius if MPG matters to you. Just being realistic. You’ll probably grow to hate it because the transmission won’t shift much better and your MPG’s won’t be what you expect and then you’ll just keep coming back here saying how much it sucks and how you wish you went with something else. Happens all the time. Just my .02 but your money so your choice.

 

I live for these threads lol never fails to make me giggle.
I don't know much about engines..but I feel the same way as most. The Taco hands down just..beats the competition. Everyone and their mom knows the quirks and downfalls with these trucks..but they are exactly that..trucks. If you don't like it during a test drive,look elsewhere.
I for one can't wait to get rid of my 2013 Frontier. Love the truck..I do. It's been extremely reliable,but lord is it outdated. Even the Pro 4x in my opinion still doesn't live up to snuff as the newer Tacos.
STILL planning on getting a 2020 Taco. Maybe because my expectations are lower since I have the Frontier.

 

Sorry but the charts you gave have pretty small sample sizes. I won't criticize too much since my firsthand experience has even smaller sample size of two (BMW twin turbo and Audi supercharger). I will say this:

My Audi Q7's curb weight is 5000 pounds and I see daily 18-22 mpg mixed and highway 25+ mpg at typical 70+ mph cruising.
My Tacoma's curb weight is roughly 4500 pounds (double cab long bed + tonneau) and, with the same driving habits, I never top 17 even on long road trips at 75+ mph (e.g. Bay Area to LA via highway 5).

Again, I'm not trying to make a big deal out of mpg as I don't care. My point is that FI is a known and proven technology that provides increased performance and better mpg compared to NA engines. It's not really a valid point to say that Toyota doesn't do FI because it wants to optimize for reliability over unproven innovations. It's much more likely that they're stagnant.

With regards to Apple Carplay, you're even more wrong. First, Carplay was released in 2014 and manufacturers (notable Hyundai/Kia) started supporting it right off the bat. You can see here that support really took off around 2016:

https://www.apple.com/ios/carplay/available-models/

But look at Toyota on that same list:

2019 Avalon
2019 Corolla Hatchback
2019 Camry
2019 C-HR
2019 RAV4
2019 Sienna
2020 Supra

Sad, dude, sad.

 

You could compare the Q7 to a RX, something that's actually comparable... obviously a truck and SUV aren't going to get the same fuel economy. Also fuel economy ratings aren't done at 70+ mph nor are vehicles designed for that. Drive the tacoma at 55 and you'll see better than 17.. I've seen 20+ in my truck plenty of times, even at 70 mph.

Toyota does FI in plenty of (Lexus) models, but they are much more focused on hybrid powertrains as their future. FI isnt the answer to everything.

I'm well aware CarPlay was announced in March of 2014. Go ahead and look at all the manufactures in the link (which is the same link I posted). Kia and Hyundai had support a handful of models in 2014 (1) and 2015 (8). Thats hardly support right off the bat.

Toyota is 2-3 model years behind some others adding CarPlay. Given how often Toyota updates things, 2-3 model years is pretty quick for them and not that far off from the industry. Toyota also doesn't roll out new generation vehicles every couple years like other manufacturers.

Chevy

• 2016 - 2017 Cavalier
• 2016 - 2019 Camaro
• 2016 - 2019 Camaro Convertible
• 2016 - 2019 Colorado
• 2016 - 2019 Corvette
• 2016 - 2019 Corvette Convertible
• 2016 - 2019 Cruze
• 2016 - 2019 Impala
• 2016 - 2019 Malibu
• 2016 - 2019 Sail LOVA
• 2016 - 2019 Silverado
• 2016 - 2019 Silverado HD
• 2016 - 2019 Spark
• 2016 - 2019 Suburban
• 2016 - 2019 Tahoe
• 2016 - 2019 Volt
• 2017 - 2019 Aveo
• 2017 - 2019 Bolt EV
• 2017 - 2019 Prisma
• 2017 - 2019 S10
• 2017 - 2019 Sonic
• 2017 - 2019 Trax
• 2018 - 2019 Equinox
• 2018 - 2019 Traverse
• 2019 Blazer

Ford

• 2017 - 2019 C-MAX
• 2017 - 2019 Edge
• 2017 - 2019 Escape
• 2017 - 2019 Expedition
• 2017 - 2019 F-150
• 2017 - 2019 Fiesta
• 2017 - 2019 Flex
• 2017 - 2019 Focus
• 2017 - 2019 Fusion
• 2017 - 2019 Taurus
• 2017 - 2019 Transit
• 2017 - 2019 Transit Connect
• 2017 - 2019 Mustang
• 2017 - 2019 Super Duty
• 2017 - 2020 Explorer
• 2018 - 2019 EcoSport

Honda

• 2016 - 2019 Accord
• 2016 - 2019 Civic
• 2017 - 2019 Ridgeline
• 2017 - 2019 CR-V
• 2017 - 2019 Pilot
• 2018 - 2019 Odyssey
• 2018 - 2019 Fit
• 2019 HR-V
• 2019 Insight
• 2019 Passport

Jeep

• 2017 - 2019 Compass
• 2018 - 2019 Grand Cherokee
• 2018 - 2019 Renegade
• 2018 - 2019 Wrangler
• 2020 Gladiator

Land Rover

• 2019 Range Rover
• 2019 Range Rover Discovery
• 2019 Range Rover Discovery Sport
• 2019 Range Rover Evoque
• 2019 Range Rover Sport
• 2019 Range Rover Velar

Lincoln

• 2017 - 2018 MKS
• 2017 - 2018 MKX
• 2017 - 2019 MKC
• 2017 - 2019 MKT
• 2017 - 2019 MKZ
• 2017 - 2019 Navigator
• 2017 - 2019 Continental
• 2018 - 2019 Nautilus

Mazda

• 2018 - 2019 Mazda6
• 2019 CX-5
• 2019 CX-8
• 2019 CX-9
• 2019 Mazda3

Mercedes

• 2016 - 2019 A-Class
• 2016 - 2019 B-Class
• 2016 - 2019 CLA-Class
• 2016 - 2019 CLS-Class
• 2016 - 2019 E-Class Cabriolet
• 2016 - 2019 E-Class Coupe
• 2016 - 2019 GLA-Class
• 2016 - 2019 GLE-Class
• 2017 - 2019 E-Class
• 2017 - 2019 GLS-Class
• 2017 - 2019 SL-Class
• 2018 - 2019 GLC-Class
• 2018 - 2019 S-Class
• 2019 C-Class

Mitsubishi

• 2017 i-MiEV
• 2016 - 2019 Pajero
• 2016 - 2019 Pajero Sport
• 2016 - 2019 Mirage
• 2016 - 2019 Mirage G4
• 2017 - 2019 Outlander
• 2017 - 2019 Outlander PHEV
• 2017 - 2019 ASX
• 2017 - 2019 Triton
• 2017 - 2019 Delica D:2
• 2017 - 2019 Delica D:2 Custom
• 2018 - 2019 Eclipse Cross

Nissan

• 2017 - 2019 Maxima
• 2017 - 2019 Micra
• 2017.5 - 2019 Murano
• 2018 - 2019 GT-R
• 2018 - 2019 Kicks
• 2018 - 2019 Leaf
• 2018 - 2019 Rogue
• 2019 Altima
• 2019 Titan

Subaru

• 2017 - 2019 Impreza
• 2018 - 2019 BRZ
• 2018 - 2019 Crosstrek
• 2018 - 2019 Legacy
• 2018 - 2019 Outback
• 2019 Ascent
• 2019 Forester
• 2019 WRX
• 2019 WRX STI

VW

• 2016 Spacefox
• 2016 - 2018 CC
• 2016 - 2019 Amarok
• 2016 - 2019 Beetle
• 2016 - 2019 Beetle Cabriolet
• 2016 - 2019 Caddy
• 2016 - 2019 California
• 2016 - 2019 Caravelle
• 2016 - 2019 e-Golf
• 2016 - 2019 Fox
• 2016 - 2019 Golf
• 2016 - 2019 Golf Cabriolet
• 2016 - 2019 Golf SportsVan
• 2016 - 2019 Golf Variant
• 2016 - 2019 Golf R
• 2016 - 2019 Golf SportWagen
• 2016 - 2019 GTI
• 2016 - 2019 Jetta
• 2016 - 2019 Lamando
• 2016 - 2019 Multivan
• 2016 - 2019 Passat Variant
• 2016 - 2019 Polo
• 2016 - 2019 Scirocco
• 2016 - 2019 Sharan
• 2016 - 2019 Tiguan
• 2016 - 2019 Touran
• 2016 - 2019 Transporter
• 2016 - 2020 Passat
• 2017 - 2019 Atlas
• 2017 - 2019 Crafter
• 2017 - 2019 CrossFox
• 2017 - 2019 Gol
• 2017 - 2019 Saveiro
• 2017 - 2019 Voyage
• 2018 - 2019 Arteon
• 2018 - 2019 Bora
• 2018 - 2019 Magotan
• 2018 - 2019 Sagitar
• 2018 - 2019 T-Roc

 

WTF is that?! I though they weren't making a regular cab? Want.

 

Apple phones suck (and yes I have owned two), so why would I ever want or need Apple play... Anyway, wifey has it on her 2019 Forester and with here brandy new i-phone and I still think it is useless. I cannot imagine how apple or android car play would ever influence ones decision on a vehicle , but guess to each there own.


Oh Ford, yeah heard they have another recall to fix the recall from this December = nope

 

For anyone to boast about the new Ranger that they've had for maybe a couple months is ridiculous. Come back next year at the earliest and wow us with your tales of ultimate reliability. By then I'd bet the honeymoon will be over.

 

Concept vehicle

 

what the hell is a Tac?

 

I love my 18 taco sport. Had ranger before and my buddy had a frontier. All MTs. The taco is definately the quickest out of all 3. I love the MT in my taco. First gear is low, makes much easier to pull out the boat on a ramp. The reverse is stupid tho.(was same in ranger) I can smoke most of cars/trucks off the line around here. Never felt its underpowered at all. I would lean towards MT if you buying a taco. Obviously cant speak much about the AT, since ive never driven one and not planning to for a while. Good luck!