Tacoma vs Colorado/Aspen

I drove my first 3rd gen for 25k miles and it never gave me a single issue. Only traded it in to upgrade to some better OEM equipment and because I couldn't pass up this one in Quicksand.

No comparison in looks in my opinion. Join the family and get a Taco!

 

I just bought a 2018. My advice would be to try to get the dealer to let you drive the Tacoma for a day or two. Everything is really great about this truck but they really F'd up the engine/transmission. I should have held out for a manual. Driving this on the freeway is really annoying. For the most part it has no business having 5th and 6th gears. I limit the transmission to the first 4 gears pretty much all the time. This issue doesn't bother everybody so you just need to experience it and see if it is OK or fingernails on the chalk board. I would buy it again though - just with a manual. Also, look at the prices of used ones - the resale value on these is insanely good.

 

I'm already at 3500 miles on my 2017, purchased about a month ago, but I don't get the hate on the engine/transmission personally other than it's a little sluggish to respond to throttle tip in. Maybe I'm not expecting much because I've always driven manuals until this truck? In any event, it's gotten a LOT better in the first 3000 miles and seems to be responding much better to my driving. Either the truck adapted to me or I adapted to it.

I briefly looked at the Colorado and Frontier, but looking didn't even get me to where I wanted to test drive them vs the Tacoma.

 

This. Could be a killer little truck with the EB and 10 speed or it might not and the Tacoma will be here

 

I currently own a Yukon and used to own a 4Runner, so I'm pretty comfortable with both GM & Toyota. When I decided, like you, to buy a mid-sized truck, mostly as a daily driver but with the utility of a bed and the potential for some off-road fun, I considered both a Colorado and a Tacoma. Drove a ZR2, expecting to love it and a TRD OR expecting meh. The Colorado drove pretty nicely but I really hated the cheap AND ugly interior (the Yukon is way better/nicer as a GM product). Also thought it looked cartoonish on a walkaround, weird lines, and a god-awful cheshire cat grin from the front(everyone's taste differs). Really poor driver's visability as well. Drove the Taco and was pleasantly surprised how much better it felt. Far better fit and finish, higher quality materials, far superior interior and dash layout, and vastly better curb appeal (it's a great looking truck). Factor in reliability and resale - no brainer for this now 2018 TRD PRO owner. 4 months into ownership and I'm actually growing more in love with it over time, which is rare for any new car purchase. Biased yes, but as mentioned, on this forum, most of us are going to strongly suggest the Toyota. Good luck with your test drives and decision!

 

Before I owned my 17 taco sr5, I owned a 16 gmc canyon slt. It’s not quite a Colorado, but is a twin. The twins give you tons of features for the money compared to the taco. However, the features are not well made. The list of problems that i had are; drivers window didn’t always go up, the radio screen went black a lot, forward collision sensor went off with no one in front of me, forward collision sensor would complain about debris blocking it, but nothing there, auto headlights would come on in middle of day, housing around mirror and forward collision sensor fell off, and the best of all, it stalled about once a month on average. GM found no problems with it. So I traded it on a taco. Does not have all the bells and whistles that the canyon had, bit it is a solid vehicle and I like it a lot! Plus I think it will hold its value much better! Good luck with your decision.

 

Tacoma if reliability is important to you then there really is no competition in my mind. Plus 7 years from now when your wife lets you upgrade again you will probably get more for the Tacoma.

I did have a Colorado for a week as a rental when I was traveling for work and it definitely rides smoother and has better acceleration IMO. That wasn’t important to me though. Personally I think the interiors are equally as nice. Was with my boss and he straight out said he liked my Tacoma better, and is in the process of buying his own.

 

If your intent is to use it as an on-road pickup mostly, with some towing, the Colorado is like going to perform better. If you want to do some serious wheeling, get the Tacoma.

I do really like the way the Colorado drives on the highway at higher speeds over the Tacoma, but that is pretty much the only thing I like about it.

 

I was looking at both models at one point, but Toyota has the manual transmission and I don’t like automatics much.

 

I'll just leave this here:

 

Nice topper!

 

Chevy seems to have designed a proper truck this go around. It's really pretty decent. My hangup is no manual, and my family hasn't really had success with GM products. They tend to have all kinds of little annoyances and interior bits that are just absolute steaming garbage. I don't buy new cars often and don't feel like living with something that will struggle making it 10 years.

 

"I see the Colorado used in local state and govt trucks a lot"
Probably more Govt sales because 2 reasons:
1. Toyota is not considered as a "American" truck --some states cant buy them -Mo. is that way.
2. Govt. purchasers don't buy on value, but on "low-bid" (who cares if the truck lasts -its only taxpayers money).

 

I thought the Chrysler made the Aspen?

 

True, but they still look institutional.
They do not look sporty like the Taco.
And the interior dash is beyond pathetic.