Thinking of switching from Ram to Tacoma, need advice

I hope this helps.

My kids are 9 and 11. When they were smaller we rolled around in my 07 access cab sport manual 6. Now that they are bigger we decided to buy a DC taco to haul them around in. But we KEPT the sport! It is simply far more fun to drive then my brand new 2022 auto. And it's not just the transmission, the access cab simply feels more like a truck, it looks more like a truck and your gonna love that 6 foot bed.....

We still roll around in the 07 access cab, almost as much as the 4runner or double cab.

As for Toyota in general, at 297,500 miles this little gem has had one set of brakes, one clutch, and new ujoints. That is it for mechanical repair.

 

If you like the Ram and want to downsize. You could get a Ram classic regular cab, still have a hemi, and some shoulder and leg room.

 

Too funny, for many years my career had me living and working in cities all over the place, some even over seas, and sitting in the metro area traffic of Boston, New York City, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay region, London, and Stuttgart, I have never once wished there were only two pedals under my dashboard. This is the thing many autotragic drivers miss, many of us actually like stirring our own gears, regardless of the traffic.

 

I went from a full-size to a Tacoma. I sold off the truck, trailers, and ATVs and wanted to build a truck to off road and daily. So I was willing to give up something in light of others.

Pros:
Smaller size for trails
Endless after market support
Reliability
Ease of driving and parking.
off road ability
Resale value

cons
Small cab and uncomfortable padding in seats.
A lot less power.
Plastic bumpers (planned to replace anyways).
Gear hunting. Tune and gear changed that. You want a manual so no biggie.
Towing and hailing. It’s just not a full-size truck but a non issue if you don’t expect it to be.

Those are what come to mind off the top of my head. Overall I couldn’t be happier with my choice. The Tacoma has some shortfalls but for what I’m doing with the truck it was all overcome by aftermarket support.

 

I say go for it. Hopefully you have the luxury of time, if you do your best bet would be to put a deposit down at one or more dealerships for a specific build (and with second choices for color) and then wait some number of months for it to be built and delivered. I opted for this route, my deposit went down in February for a TRD Sport, DCSB, 6MT with all of the packages, and was told "Don't expect it for six to eight months, maybe never", my Tacoma will be delivered in the next couple of weeks.

 

It’s in model year changeover right now. Inventory will increase some pretty soon, but you’ll likely need to order your unicorn.

 

I'd go for the manual in the Bronco, but a Corolla GR would probably be more fun to drive.

 

I traded in my 2013 Ram 1500 for my Tacoma. Best decision I’ve ever made. If you don’t need all the space the Ram affords, it’s nice having a truck that is very capable but not like driving an airplane.

 

Lol your post reminds me of an Amsoil fanboy post, only your words indicate you only recognize one transmission...manual.
When younger, MT was way to go. Now my older self likes autos.

 

Having been a prior Tacoma owner, the switch wasn’t as jarring to me as it may have been…but I recently got into my ‘22 DCSB 6MT, coming from a Tundra CrewMax. I really liked the Tundra. I still love the Tacoma.

 

Scamzoil? Never!

My wife and kids and I all joke, "We never learned how to drive an automatic transmission, it's manual only for us or no car at all." The fact is, I hate feeling like a passenger in my own car when sitting in the front left seat, said another way, any car with an automatic will not darken the threshold to my garage.

 

Precisely this. I’m in the process of moving down from a sierra crew to a dcsb sr with the 2.7 i4. Went with it for simplicity and long term reliability, planning to drive it until it drops dead. I’m only about 500 miles in but would have much preferred this truck with a manual. The power this little engine produces is adequate but it’s delivery system leaves a lot to be desired. I feel it would probably drive better with a 4 speed auto and a lower final drive ratio. The cruise control will piss you off with the 6AT. Still, it’s capable of accelerating at the rates I normally drive at and I’m not worried about being the guy who spent the most time at the next red light. The fact tacomas are so much smaller hasn’t bothered me yet. We’re not large and in town maneuvering is great with this thing as parking spaces continually get smaller. Won’t be the vehicle we take on long trips, but looking forward to seeing how one goes with it.

 

Have you considered a Rivian R1T?

No gas ever again

More hosepower, torque, & speed

Tows more

Smaller foot print than a Ram

More interior space than a Tacoma

Cavemen drive manuals

EVs are the future

Your kids college friends will be enamoured with the latest and greates automotive technology in wich you yield.

 

Hmmm, a few comments (all in fun of course):

• Rivian is more fugly than the hind end of a moose taking a dump.
• Infrastructure and technology aren't there yet to take an EV on a cross country trip.
• Metrosexuals drive Automatics/CVTs/Electrics.
• Manual Transmission technology still rules for control and pleasure of the driving experience.

 

What he said.
I just had a similar decision to make. Bought the ACLB and instantly had some regrets. But I knew what I was getting into. For me, no one truck does it. I got the Tacoma for what it excels at and at some point will be adding a 3/4 or 1 ton.
The Tacoma is really starting to grow on me though.
If you don't need to tow over 4,000lbs you'll be fine with the Taco.

Keep in mind that all of the exterior components are light weight and flimsy, though it seems most new vehicles are like this.

Check out the link in my profile for my current experience with this vehicle. It may help you make a decision. The next video is about loading an atv in the bed and overall construction of the truck. Good luck.

 

Actual MPG depends on how & where you drive, but 18-20 is the general range, except when really enjoying the manual, towing, or if you add big, heavy tires.

Regarding the lower mpg with a stick, the 4.30 diff and granny 1st that improve the grunt are less fuel-efficient than the auto. Additionally, 6th is so close to 5th that many just do a 4-6 shift.

 

Plus there’s not enough lithium in the world to meet the EV needs to replace combustion. Especially with the battery replacement after the 10 year fall off on EVs.

 

I thought the opposite. Reminds me of an old piper cherokee. Sparsely equipped, noisy, not the most comfortable, but reliably gets it done.

 

Tough decision guys and gals. Thanks for all the info, really appreciate it! I’ve got a dealer looking for one of my unicorns. If he finds one guess I’ll go out and test it out and make a decision.

Pros
6 speed manual (fun factor)
Smaller more maneuverable truck
Toyota reliability
Resale value

Cons
Same gas mileage/crappier range for a huge compromise in space and power
Power
Space
Comfort

Decisions, decisions.
Thanks again

 

Rams suck, Cummins is the only thing