Taco vs. Tundra

If you plan on wheeling then the smaller wheelbase/ width / weight of the Tacoma are all going to work to your advantage. If all you need is a truck to tow / haul then yes the Tundra will be nicer for those uses. I'd say it all depends on your use for the truck. If you are the only one in the vehicle 90% of the time like I am then paying for all that gas to haul one person around gets old real fast. I drive an F250 Super Duty for work and I am sure glad I'm not footing the fuel bill!

 

My 2009 DC Tacoma replaced a F-150 Supercrew (DC) with the 5.4L Triton V8 engine. I also have a Jeep Wrangler and a car supplied by work (and my wife's car). I got rid of the Ford because I was having regular maintenance issues with it and it simply was not reliable. Plus even when I had it I ended up driving the Jeep most of the time because it was easier on fuel and much easier to drive around town in, and that was including the minor lift and mud tires that it has. Obviously you have to pick something that fits your needs, budget, future plans, etc. But with my decision I wanted a daily driver so I went with the Tacoma. It is better on fuel and much easier to drive around town plus will handle pretty much all of my needs. I will probably even sell the Jeep come spring and have just the Tacoma and work car.

 

The way I look at it is this.


For one, the Tundra was never going to be in my line up for a few different reasons. First and foremost I personally think it looks hideious. Secondly, If I was going to purchase another full size truck, it would not be a half ton truck, it would be a 3/4 ton, and most likely a diesel. Third, the Tundra does not get too good of gas mileage. My 3/4 ton pickup truck with twice the towing capacity gets better mileage then it does.

There are also a few reasons why I decided to get the Tacoma. Here are some of them. I drive quite a bit for work, so I wanted a truck that was somewhat fuel efficient, hence getting the 4 cyl. The truck also happens to be esthetically appealing to me. lastly, I did not need to tow anything with this particular truck, so power was not much of an issue. It has plenty of pep to get out of its own way, and still gets great mileage. When I need to tow, I use a truck that was meant to tow a trailer, not my mid-size truck.

 

I'm all about off road, the Thundra is waaay to fat and long. Tacoma is geometrically better for off road.

 

Ehhh. I won't be doing much (if any) off roading. Heck, I have a jeep wrangler right now set up for off roading, and I'm in a club. In the 2.5 years I've owned her she's only been off road 4 or 5 times. Massachusetts doesn't like anything larger than a quad being on trails... so you need a private piece of land or to get out of state. Then there's the whole "I'm going to break it" fear.

So I figured the LSD would be better for me all around (Rain, snow, on-road driving). I'm not partial to the Sport styling, although I do like the hood scoop for some reason....

Hahaha. I thought the tundra looked bloated for the longest time, and never liked the styling. Then practically overnight I stood back and stared at it and fell in love with the styling.

As for diesels these days, brand new 3/4 ton diesels are getting horrible reviews. The new emissions systems are killing gas mileage (you're getting the same mileage as the gasoline motors). So the extra cost of the motor and the fuel itself isn't as compelling a reason to purchase a diesel engine. Of course, removing the DPF fixes the economy issue, but then you risk losing your warranty (according to the diesel forums).

Well, the Double cab makes more sense overall. I'd like to be able to carry some friends around (on occasion). But I also love the way the access cabs look!

Plus, I'm sure the bed would be slightly more useful. Between carrying a few bikes, snowboards and gear, camping gear and grilles for tailgating, along with the occasional Home Depot goods, I'm sure the longer bed would be nice...

 

I voted Tundra only because it seems like you want it more...
I bought a Tacoma because I didn't need a full sized truck, I needed something with enough room to put a quad in the bed or be able to pull a couple quads on a flatbed trailer. I got a 4x4 cause I need to get those quads to the sand dunes and possibly use it if recovery is needed. I got double cab so my big dog could fit inside. My bf has a double cab Chevy 4x4, we use it for all the 'big' stuff.

 

I have experience with both as my folks had two new Tundra's. The Tundra is a BIG truck. I consider it be a 'heavy half' ton truck as all the underpinnings are huge for a regular half ton. As such it is heavy and thirsty. But it is comfortable and pulls like a freight train all day long.
I found the seats to be supportive on long trips and the cabin noise was nill in crosswinds at highway speeds. The dual zone climate control is nice as are the heated seats. The engine (5.7) is very smooth. If you do a lot of towing and need the space the Tundra is a nice truck.

 

i like the double cab tundra better but the $20k price difference keeps me from getting it.

 

I had a 2006 Tacoma Doublecab that I traded in for a 2008 Tundra Crewcab. I now have a 2009 Tacoma Doublecab again.... The Tundra is a very nice truck, but just too big for every day driving.

 

I bought a Tacoma because I couldn't afford the Tundra that I wanted. The Tacoma had all the options I wanted, leather wrapped wheel and shift knob...TRD package... So I went for the Tacoma. I then started to realize that anything I would need to do my Tacoma was up for the challenge, it started to grow on me. I've now decided that after I drove my brothers Crew Max Limited for a couple of days I would rather have the Tacoma. The size is perfect, even though that’s the reason I didn't want it in the first place. It gets decent gas millage, can tow just about anything that I would need to (Towed a Porsche from Cincinnati to Atlanta no problem) very comfortable on road trips even with 4 people (I have the DB cab). The Tundra is just way to big unless you need the huge cargo or towing capacity. Just overkill for a daily driver... but pick what you want because you’re the one making payments and are going to have to live with it.. I'm just glad that in the end after I've had my truck for a while that I made the right decision and wouldn't drive anything but a Tacoma.

 

My Dad has the first Tundra- the ones that weren't supposed to be all that good. Anyway, he's put 235,000 miles on the thing. Its a very smooth riding, capable truck. The first gen is really not what I'd call a super heavy duty truck. But it hauls about everything he wants with it. I'm personally not a huge fan of it but I like the new Tundras better.

 

I had a Dodge Ram for about 4 years. The only reason why we bought it, was because we were towing a Jeep Wrangler with a Grand Cherokee and decided we needed something 'bigger' for easier towing. We were towing about 6500lbs about once a month or more. That's the only reason we bought it....

When we stopped towing that often, the Dodge went bye-bye. It was my daily driver and it was just too damn big for daily driving usage.

 

I've been on this fence for a long time. I owned a 96 Tacoma that I lifted, wheeled a little, and then always assumed that my next truck would be a fullsize. When it came time to buy my 05 (two yrs ago) gas prices were near their highest, and I let that dictate my choice. I still would LIKE (key word there) to have a fullsize for the added space and bed capacity, but since owning it for two years, I've only found tow MAJOR reasons I would NEED a fullsize. Carrying more people (I have an AC), and hauling bigger loads. These times, however, are somewhat few and far between.

Gas mileage between the Tacoma and new Tundra is much closer than I think a lot of people realize, but size difference is HUGE. For instance, just the other day, I was bringing in a load of wood at my parents. To get to the pile, I need to cut up a road we cut with the tractor, and it's TIGHT. Any wider than my Tacoma, and there's no way I was getting in. Not only that, but once at the wood piles, you have to make a three point turn to get the truck angled back down, and do so without hitting any trees. The truck did VERY well (plus I have a locker when needed...another plus). Surprisingly, it handled a bed full of oak/maple pretty well, and I'm on GARBAGE 83K mile original non-tsb springs).

So, in short, I'm happy with my choice. Plus it's paid for.

 

Yeah, I've always said that the Tundra appears to be a 2/3 ton truck. It falls into a nice sweet spot for what I want (not what I need). Honestly, I'd love a 2500HD diesel pickup truck, but it's overkill. The tundra is likely overkill for what I need now as well... But I could see there being a need for it in 5-10 years, which is why I'm tempted to buy one now.

Can I ask what your parents are getting for fuel economy in the truck??? I'm not looking for a prius here (I realize trucks don't get 20mpg city), I'm just curious as to how far off the EPA ratings they are.

Also, when you say there's no crosswind noise wiht the tundra, does that imply the Tacoma does have this problem??? My mother's '03 Highlander has some wind-leakage at highway speeds through the tops of her windows, and it drives me batty. I'm curious to know if the tacoma has a similar issue?

I think I'm in the same boat. My dream truck is a Tundra double cab (not a crew max) limited. If they made the Platinum in the double cab, I'd go for that. However, it's a $42,000 truck! Now yesterday I dropped my mother's Highlander off for service, and started browsing through the trucks. They had two Tundras and one Tacoma.

Now, the Tundras weren't loaded... one had a bench seat with the Smaller of the V8's, the other had bucket cloth seats, power everything, and the 5.7L. The tacoma was an Sr5 package, with the long bed, double cab.

The tacoma cost $29k, the "lesser" tundra was $30k, and the bigger was $32k.

This got me to thinking: Well, if I were to truly compare apples to apples (in terms of trim levels), the Tundra can be quite the deal. This is the whole reason I started the thread. If I show restraint, I can get a Tundra, it just wont be my dream tundra! So I'd like to see what others have to say, because I'm sure some people were on the same boat that I am now.

It's good to see you can happily downsize!

I think for right now, the Tacoma is all I need. I just have to decide if it's all I want...

 

Now they are down to one. The silver fully loaded 4 door 5.7 engine 4x4. It gets 13mpg in town and highway 17mpg with a tandem axle enclosed 24ft trailer. Not too bad for a big truck. The Tacomas tend to get caught up in crosswinds and get tossed around quite easily, imo, here in the midwest. Now changing the alignment a bit will help this. The Tundra is rock solid on the interstate. But again, it's a big ass truck. My mom traded her white Tundra in on a white DC Tacoma 4x4 short bed. As others have stated, it's easier to park on a daily basis.

 

The tundra is my dream truck to... My father would never approve, so i gotta stay Tacoma. Definetly the access cab tho!

 

I bought a pair of helper leafs at autozone for $25 and instead of mounting them behind the truck axle to help with load carrying capacity I mounted them backwards on the truck and forward of the axle. they act as a stabilizer bar and totally got rid of the wind gust issue in my truck. it tightened up the suspension also. before I was always readjusting the steering wheel because of wind gusts, now hardly ever

 

Test drive both and decide from there.

 

I just want to point out that if you go to Tundra forum, you will get just the opposite of this poll.

No one here is going to tell you not to buy a Taco, already over 75% of your poll says taco. Like we said in your first thread, its your truck you have to be happy with it. Don't let others decide for you...

 

I think they only real thing to look at is do you want a v6 or v8, the cost on the two trucks are not that far apart.