Trying to decide b/w Tacoma & 4Runner

I've been going back and forth about this too. Taken 6 & 4yr old in my Taco and the car seats are a tight fit and they tend to kick the back of my seats all the time. Plus recall that my legs/lower back hurt on long trips in my taco. I love my truck but for my growing family it's not greatly suited. Wife's highlander is great for her and the boys but I'm out of luck in the comfort section. I love to get 4runner and keep taco but honestly would be driving it much. Wondering how much I could get for it at carmax or dealer or CL. Been looking at a 4R TRD Premium vs Pro. I can always add on a suspension kit like I did to my taco.

 

Get both Taco and T4R. I did, no regrets.

 

I'd like to keep both but if I save on the cost for a 4runner (sell/trade-in) and not have to pay for insurance for a vehicle that I will drive minimally. The 2nd part of having a vehicle I may not drive much is the difficult part. Kids and long trips are tough with my Taco.

 

As far as insurance, mine barely raised when I added the second vehicle. 4 Runner for myself, wife and kids, and truck for when traveling for work. But, definitely understandable, 2 vehicles can be a pain in the ass.

 

Thanks for feedback. Right now insurance is for old beat up 2001 corolla daily driver to work (aka. Ferrari), my Taco weekend driver and wife's 2013 Highlander. That adds up. Plans are to only keep Highlander and my own daily driver....I really do appreciate the feedback.

 

if you are going to add a suspension upgrade, don't get the pro and stay away from the limited with the xreas setup. also if you wait about until fall of 2020, speculation is the next gen T4R and tundra will be out.

the seats on the tundra are better than the Tacoma by 2 orders of magnitude, and about 1 on the 4runner. the 12 way adjustable on our platinum was great when I did a 1700 mile trip (1-way) in 2 days. and the room in the back for the family was great with all that room to spread out in the crew cab. you just have to see the tundra crew cab back seat space to understand it at all. bring your car seats and be amazed at the distance to read driver seat even pushed all the way back.

 

Tacoma is made in Mexico....4 Runner in Japan...../thread

The 5th gen just seems so much more well sorted out, with the 3rd gen tacos tranny/leaking/noisy diff/ etc. still getting sorted out. I’m seriously considering a 4R Trail with locking rear diff/KDSS. I have two young kids, and the 4R is the perfect all
Utilities rig for city and camping/off roading. With the seats folded down, seems like the cargo space is very comparable.

 

My Tacoma wasn't made in Mexico..../thread

So can I continue to write after ending the thread or was that an "/thread"? Is that like adding ...Period! at the end to make a statement? Maybe I should put it in bold like: Period, or like underlined and bold? I wonder what's for lunch.

 

Or maybe you could attend a sarcasm and hyperbole class....wait, you got something against Mexican Tacos? You must be a riot at the company Christmas party!

 

The 4runner is a much more grown up and refined vehicle. I own both.

Tacoma needs more rear seat room for young families with car seats

 

Here I thought I was plenty sarcastic. Just hackin' on ya!

 

The 4 Runner is an eye sore just can’t do it

 

Had, the same decision too, opted for the taco, mainly d/t the hauling capability, being able to load things like junk, lumber, dirt, etc and not having to worry about putting it in the back of a 4runner. So to sum it up, base it on what you plan on hoping to use the taco/4runner for.

 

What about for people planning on getting a 3500lb boat. Wouldn't the truck bed be more useful for throwing all the boat stuff into? The t4r hitch would be tied up with towing the boat, so you couldnt use a hitch cargo bed on it. Only option would be a roof rack cargo container, but thats a pain to reach, and its bad for mpg.

 

Pulls a boat just fine. Plenty of room to open the hatch and get in when the boat is hooked up.

 

If you have kids , go with the 4Runner. I have both and love both but 4Runner is a lot roomier.

 

The 4runner's cargo space seems too small for the size of the vehicle, but I suppose that's because they used room to make the cabin more comfortable for passengers.

 

Long time bump, but better than new thread clutter... forgive my stream of consciousness, maybe someone can interpret...
Decisions decisions....
Found a great deal on a leftover 2019 tacoPRO, manual, technically leftover but built in 08/19 so not bad
Vs

4R TRD ORP 2020

On one hand I’m the perfect candidate for the taco (a-I’ve coveted one forever, b - unattached guy in mid 30s, 60lb dog owner, with multiple mountain bikes, skis, hockey gear etc.)
On the other hand all my people (and my head) tell me the 4Runner just makes more sense.

I’ve saved for a long while to finally replace an expensively dying 16 year old VW, without having to take on a payment so want to make sure I do it right.

Always consider myself a warrior for the old auto enthusiast, so being able to get a stick in its ever dying age does have some value to me. On the other hand the lock ability (without having to get a topper) is important as well. The no smells, and cabin isolation in the taco does seem kind of great though.

Do like the apple car play and other soft updates in the 2020 4runner, but I’ve always thought get the most vehicle you can afford, and a good deal 19 TacoPro would seem to fit that bill.

I have driven both, and although the taco has bigger dimensions, the driving position and interior make me feel like I’m driving a smaller vehicle, which might be a plus? Or a minus?

I don’t know, just thinking out loud. I feel like I could make great use of a bed, but whether I truly need it is another question, and the 4runner, even without a fam at this time, might just make more rational sense.

Anyways, I have to say I truly appreciate the unbiased takes here. This is good stuff by all!

 

Having owned both, Well you know what they say about 20 20 hindsight, I would go with the 4runner, I don't think you well ever regret it.

 

Reviving an old thread, but just wanted to say how helpful this was.

Really appreciate the insight and discussion.

I've got a 2019 Tacoma TRD Off Road w/ automatic, and I think I'm going to trade it in for a 2020 4Runner Off Road Premium. Getting some whining/noise from the diff. And not crazy about the auto trans/engine combo on the Taco.

Thanks again for all of the insight.