Some thoughts after demoing a 4th gen

Not to mention Tacoma has always had a 4 cylinder option, I guess slapping the turbo on it makes it less manly.

 

Real men use blowers!

 

Somehow my 4cyl Tacoma is great, but the new one with double the power, 3x the torque, and 4000lbs more towing capability is too weak and girly for modern use

 

That is just it, it isn't a drag car it is a mid sized truck. .6 seconds in real world driving is nothing.

 

But it isn’t about the .6 seconds. I can’t remember the last time I ran full throttle in my Tacoma to 60mph.

I can, however, remember when I enjoyed the part-throttle torque of a strong, torquey engine

 

Yeah people bitched about the 3rd gen powertrain for 7 years, but now that Toyota has a better more powerful package they are all like.. MUH V6!!!

 

3 car lengths when your merging onto the freeway isn’t nothing. And you’re not comparing it to a drag car but another taco.

 

I’ve never had issues merging into traffic on any of my vehicles, and I’ve had some good shitboxes. Let alone a 278 hp Tacoma…

How are some of you guys driving?

 

I test drove a SR5 4th Gen the other day in underground. I believe the MSRP was $42,900.

The good stuff:
the front end looks good in person. Like really good

It's quick: at 70mph on the highway, I stomped the gas and it got up and went!

The whine of the turbo sounds cool

The shifter feels sturdier than in the 3rd gen. It feels more robust while, by comparison the auto 3rd gen shifter feels dainty.

The ride is super smooth. Almost car-like smooth.

It seems most models come with heated seats (I like my heated seats)

The bad stuff:
The back end looks too boxy for my taste

The seats were less comfy than my 3rd gen (but I have the seat of my 3rd gen dialed in, so whatever)

Hate the cabin. I don't like how the 8in screen pokes above the dash. The climate control dials are huge! I was thinking, "C'mon Toyota, WTF? I'm not that old yet." And too many buttons and dials. It just felt too busy.

My 3rd gen with the V6 accelerates smoother than the 4th gen. The 4th gen may be quicker, but that 4cyl felt like it was struggling to keep up with what I wanted it to do when I mashed the gas. Reminded me of how the little 4banger in my 90 Honda Accord felt when I taxed the engine. In other words, it reminded me I'm driving a truck with a 4cyl.

Would I buy one? If I didn't already have my 3rd gen, sure. But it would have to be under 50k. I can't stomach paying over that for a 1/4 ton. The stuff I don't like that bugs me, I'd just mash the gas and laugh about it as the turbo spools. Seriously, though, my wife wants an automatic 4th gen. So, I'll probably wait awhile then trade in her current car and snag a 4.5 gen.

 

No one is saying they have trouble....but it is simply easier to merge when you have more power to do so with.

 

Especially with a trailer or load in the bed

 

I dunno man. Maybe if you are merging at the wrong time? Unless you got like a 90hp motor, then there should be absolutely no issues merging into the freeway, IMHO of course.

 

I’ve got 155hp, and sometimes steep uphill merges in my home town or short ones like onto the 101 in downtown LA can be pretty dicey. Especially if I’m hauling my camp trailer and a bike

 

I used to have a 65 Corvair Greenbriar with 110 hp. It was 6cyl too! That was dicey merging onto traffic, but I was also driving an old 60s boxy van in the 90s so it felt like people gave me room. My next car was a 90 Honda Accord with only like 130hp, but man did that car ever feel like a racecar compared to that ancient Corvair! And funny thing, the Corvair only weighed like 200 or 300lbs more than the Honda.

 

If you have the money to buy one, do so, then yank the stupid shit 4 cylinder 4 a crate engine in the form of a L6 twin turbo. Sure would be The Kind on a 3rd Gem though. Shiiiiiit

Toyota USA, I’m hoping Dodge builds a 1/4 ton with this engine, I would then have to jump ship. I want to hear the engine going balls to the wall, and not just the sound of a turbo or needs the assistance of a battery for top shelf ratings. Cheap stuff choosing the 4 banger thinking that was the best move only to achieve a 4/10 rating for fuel economy/greenhouse is a fucking joke. Remember, KIA might bring the TTV6 Tas stateside. Then there will be 3 manufacturers stateside offering 6 cylinders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJP27QYtsgY

 

Yeah but that’s sketchy as fuck regardless of what you’re driving. Some crazy bastard in a AAA tow truck tried to push me off the road in my 911 simply because he was having a bad day.

 

Less than 10 years ago I daily drove an ‘82 Westfalia in metro SoCal for almost a year before CARB put it in time out. This is a 4000#+ vehicle with 48 HP when it was new. I shouldn’t be alive right now if I went by the assertion that anything less than 400 HP simply isn’t safe..butt..here I am..and it was never really that bad. Maybe took some planning ahead but..oh wait maybe that’s my problem, I was reasonable about it..

 

There was a TRD sport on display at work the last couple of days. It looks great. I just sold my 08 TRD sport but taking delivery on a tundra soon. One day I'll own another Tacoma.

 

It was never about the engine. The trans is the culprit. My manual taco has 0 power issues

 

I don’t see anyone wishing back the 3.5/6speed into Gen4, but a solid V6 that matches or exceeds 317ft/lb at a low rpm and doesn’t “run like a Deere” is certainly do-able within the Toyota empire. And personally I stop caring that having to use a small-displacement 4 cylinder for emissions is technically not Toyota’s fault when the prices cross over into ridiculousness. At these prices, just get it on an engine test bench & make it happen. It would probably be the last pure ICE they sell anyway so why not give your customers what they’ve expected since the 3.slow?

Otherwise, I’m fine with most turbos as long as they’re under warranty and appreciate my torque delivered down low, but…I totally understand why so many owners will prefer to keep their “minivan motor” as long as possible.