Thoughts on the DC long bed vs short bed

Guys - I test drove a V6 DC TRD off road this weekend. I loved it. What a nice ride. It was great. The dealer only had 2 models in stock and no 4 banger that I wanted to test, so I just tried the Off Road. The only reason I didnt drive off the lot with the car was I suddenly had second thoughts about the short bed. I never really gave it much thought. I am not one for aesthetics, but I did not like the look of the long bed at all in the past (pretty industrial, a bit overboard, and the vehicle would be difficult to navigate in the city etc).

However, I realized that with my growing family comes a growing need for space, the short bed is pretty limited at ~5 feet (camping and ski vacations - where would I put all our stuff?). I'd really like to get your thoughts on pros vs cons on the SB vs the LB, and why you picked one or the other. Thanks.

 

Depends on end use

SB is better / more nimble offroad , LB is just better for everything else

 

You answered your own question right there. Growing family, equals more crap to potentially haul. I think OZ put it best. Off road the SB is a bit better. I personally like the LB look better on a double cab, where as others like the SB better on the DC. Go with the LB, you'll be happy with it. Also, the dudes that say the LB is more difficult to navigate in residential settings are off base, we are only talking a ft here!

 

What they said^^
And a double cab long bed only has a foot more it's not harder to navigate in town at all...imo

TRD offroad comes only in access cab and double cab short bed
TRD sport comes in access cab, double cab short/& long bed

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/12674-short-box-vs-long-box.html

 

The long bed costs $1500 more and only comes with the SR5 package, not the TRD Offroad. However, would the long bed hold its own on a beach and in the snow, if Im not doing any hard core off road?

 

Wow thanks for this. Pretty dead even 50/50 split with 4000+ votes. There is no right answer here haha! Thanks.

 

I think OZ will tell you its long bed FTW!

 

It is in my case , 5' bed isn't going to cut it for what I use my truck to do

 

I was wrestling with this same decision and opted for the 5 foot bed. I have a dirt bike and would like to have the extra space, however I live in Chicago (proper Chicago, not the burbs) and that extra foot would have made a huge difference in parking (especially in my garage, which is the lower level of my apartment building and hard to maneuver). I'm glad I made that decision - the bike still fits and my truck fits in the garage... barely!

 

Get whatever truck you need , I really don't care

 

I used to think the shortbed TRDs were awesome, then I got a long bed and now I think the short boxes on a double cab look goofy.

Was already limiting myself to 6, didn't want to go 5 for my first truck lol

 

It doesn't come in the TRD offroad, but comes with the TRD sport. Defintely depends on your use. I couldn't go without the long bed.

 

i chose the long bed for space reasons you mentioned but my family isnt growing lol its for all my crap when camping fishing etc etc. yea it takes a bit o time to get used to parking it in tight places but in the end its been a good choice for me...good luck on your choice

 

If you are going to use your truck for hauling things, especially in a home improvement role, you are going to NEED that long bed. I agree with some of the others. The shortbed limits the functionality too much.

 

Since my bed spends more time empty, than full, and I prefer the DCSB, that's what I went with. I can always find a way to pack stuff better to get more in, but I didn't want to live with the longer wheel base daily. But, I also have multiple options (other 4x4's) to go with if I need more room than the taco can provide. If the taco isn't going to cut it, I didn't think an extra foot of bed length was going to make much difference.

 

I've owned both...'06 TRD Off Road SB, and currently a '13 Sport LB.

The 5' bed was a foot short almost every time, I loved the truck but I needed another foot. I now have a 6' bed which I love, but the truck does look longer, it's trickier to park but not a big deal, I only have 5K on it so I'm sure I'll get used to the length.

Off road, 5' would be better, not to mention that the Off Road has the electric rear diff locker + E TRAC control, the 6' bed is only available in a Sport (except fleet models) comes with E TRAC control only, which I'm not a huge fan of so far. But the Sport comes with a cool non-functioning, make it go faster hood scoop...LOL

I had serious problems with my 5' Off Road bottoming out and I had new TSB springs installed and later added Ride Rite air bags. So far my new truck has not bottomed out even once. My old truck bottomed out with 4 adults and no payload the first week I owned it. One would think that the longer truck would bottom easier, but so far so good.

 

I like my short bed. just didn't want that big a truck and haven't really needed the extra foot. I can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood without a problem.

 

I had the same dilemma, but just knew I'd regret it if I got the short bed, so long bed is what I bought and I've been happy so far (13k) ....though I wish they offered the long bed on the offroad....

 

I was all set to get the DCSB OR until I stood in the bed. I felt like I could sit in the middle and touch all four sides. Then I saw the LB next to the SB, and it was over. I own a 14 DCLB TRD sport.