Ride quality, Which model Tacoma is best?

Well, let’s see. Paltry payload, tiny cab space, small bed, weak suspension, etc. These are super light duty trucks made to do super light duty things. And no, I’m not talking about your cute neighborhood rehab or 10-lot resi projects run by truck-n-hammer dudes. I worked for a commercial outfit and the abuse we put the trucks through, you need at least a 1/2 ton, but most use 3/4. HD suspension. Frame. Look at the tie rods, shock mounts compared to a Taco. It’s like looking at a Subaru undercarriage. You think because you drive them through an 8-mile class 5 trail for 6 hours every other month, it would stand up to what those guys put them through on a daily basis?
Look at OZ. The 79 is THE choice for agri and HD work. Not the Hilux. Tundra would be the better choice here. Or stick with the 3/4 ton.

Tacoma is great for what it is. Just don’t use it for what is wasn’t intended for. Or at least complain about it if it falls apart.

 

Meh. I took a Lincoln 300 off roading in the bed of my truck.

 

Which is exactly why the Tacoma shines off road, when lightly loaded, and might perfectly suit OPs needs perfectly.

On occasion I drive a 2018 F250 off road for work, and my work truck for years was an F350 that I put thousands of miles on both on logging roads and highways drives. Driving either truck, with just my hand tools, off road, or even on pavement was akin to a boxing match. Those over-built suspension components, beefy tie-rods etc just add to the unsprung weight and ruin any chance of a comfortable or controlled ride when unloaded. You want lightweight but strong (enough) suspension for good ride quality, which is what the Tacoma has.

If you are not carrying 3/4 tonne of gear, you’re not going to enjoy commuting down a rough road in an empty 3/4 tonne pickup.

 

Sports are stiffer, everyone knows that. I like mine through and I would probably like the OR too. Either way you can't go "wrong".

 

Legit.

 

You are confused, he is driving the truck to work. He is not asking if a Tacoma makes a good work truck to haul or tow.

Btw I’m a union carpenter and have worked for years on commercial sites. It’s rare to see any pickup truck used for much more then bringing supplies/cases of waters etc. Flat beds, box trucks and semi trucks bring the loads and gradealls/forklifts move them around.

 

I was referencing the first part of his post where he does state exactly that the truck is a work truck and have been used to tow. And to those that tried to validate the Tacoma as a work truck.

We had semi’s, flat beds, and lifts, but we sure did use our trucks to pull medium loads (~10k lbs), skidsters, etc. Had to pull a grader high centered on snow one year. Good truck had plenty of usage on the site.

 

He specifically said he was giving up tow capability and needed something more than a Razor to run between jobs in, sounds kinda like a Tacoma to me..

 

He specifically said he has another 3/4 ton to tow with and he would only carry small tools. I don’t see how anything you said applies to the OPs post.

 

Seriously? Read through the first part of the post I quoted.

 

Ride quality, Which model Tacoma is best?

My OR is the most comfortable and best ride, even more comfortable than our new 2019 Rav4.

Why? Because it’s paid for, so Toyota cant kick me in the ass each month for a payment anymore!

 

Here is your first post, no quote of anything. Just a straight up no to the OP.

 

Took my Tacoma off-roading today; aired down this time.

I was very pleased with the comfort and the ride quality of the Bilsteins, and the rear locker came in handy in the snow. The General Grabber ATX tires came through with shining colors.

Scenic trail


North Cascades


The rear locker works like a charm in sticky snow.


The General Grabber ATX shine in the snow. I'm very pleased.


Tacoma's articulation does not compare to Wrangler's. But the truck feels very solid on the trail.

 

I noticed my truck seems to be more comfortable since I paid it off last month too, lol.

 

My ride will be pretty uncomfortable for a couple of years on that basis...

On the other hand, I have been enjoying the heck out of the OR on bad roads. Our potholes were THE WORST this spring...record number of broken axles, bent rims, tire blowouts, etc. I just laughed at them with the soft suspension and fat tires, literally barely noticed them, except for the one that was the size of a small hippopotamus. I drove around that one.

You give up some road handling for a soft ride, but it’s not a big deal. You’re not gonna drive it like a WRX anyway.

My impression from the OP is that an Off-Road would fit the bill for a versatile truck driving to job sites but still comfortable for long drives, hauling or towing small loads, etc.

 

To OP, I think a factor to also consider is how long you intend to have the "work truck" for and if you care about dings and scraches and how much you want to pay for a beater truck...base model Colorados or Frontiers or F-150s I think are more cost effective trucks than a Tacoma... Basically, how much $$ are you willing to lose once the wear-and-tear abuse eventually takes its toll...

 

I’m jealous of those grabbers. I kinda hope my K02s wear out prematurely so I can pick up a set of those.

 

There is a reason you are correct.The reason is 99% of everyone is loaded with heavy tools equipment, or towing heavy ass iron. I see a lot of tacoma's and other mid sized trucks here, hell there are cars on oil sites, even here. I could make a pretty good argument that in these conditions a stiff 3/4 suspension on a truck that's also not loaded down with weight is probably one of the worst things you could put it through. Go to any shop around here and look at all the trucks with the front end that imploded sitting in the parking lot in line for a minimum repair bill of $2000 to get it driving again. Yes btw, i can fix it myself and lower costs but i don't have the time. I need a truck but again....i don't haul anything heavy. Ride, dependability and gas mileage are what I'm aiming to improve and a Tacoma fits the bill in every way.

 

Thanks for the input! Good to hear from someone experienced driving different models.

 

I appreciate your input on this on both the Toyo experience and suggestion on the Kelderman Air Ride. You are the third person that referred me to that setup, but the first i have heard that has actually used it. I am gonna look into that actually a bit more now although i think my hangup when i began looking last time was they didn't offer anything for the front of mine as its a GM with Torsion bars and IFS. I installed bilstein 5100's and sullastic springs a few months back and it softened of the rear a lot on small bumps and helped a lot. As much of a GM fan i am i have really grown to hate the torsion bar setups over the last year or so. I have contemplated doing a coil over conversion on the front but parts alone i am looking at $5000. Trust me if i can keep from buying another one that would be the best bet but i just see an endless money pit lol. Im gonna check into this thanks again.