Tundra downsize to Tacoma??

Was checking out videos of the 2022 Tundra double cabs and damn, they cut space a lot in the rear. The guy was only 5'11 and his knees made a 3" divet in the back of the front seats.

 

Drove a new double cab Tundra while Toyota was checking my frame for rust....My gosh those things got big in the 16 years I had mine. It was like driving a house and I couldn't get it in my garage.....but it was nice!

 

well, I should have said too small for my camping trip. Once a year I take my two daughters camping. Tents, coolers, grill and clothes etc…the dbl cab Tundra with 6.5’ bed just barely fit everything we needed and it was a game of Tetris to get packed up. The dbl cab Tacoma with 5’ bed (which is also a more shallow bed) never stood a chance of carrying everything needed. I ended up renting a uhaul enclosed trailer for this years trip. I’m not an avid enough camper to look into bed pop up tent options either. The other issue is that we took along a friend this year, so with four of us crammed in the cab for a 2 hour ride things got cramped quickly.

 

Yea they're huge. And alot of the trails i want to do around here I can't even attempt because the tundra has no shot. And my tundra has seen my garage once, only had about an inch to spare lol

 

I went from a '16 Pro Tundy to an '18 Tacoma, and never looked back...I do miss that V8 sometimes, though

 

I got my Tacoma when I traded in my 05 Tundra. It's hard for me to compare, because my 21 v6 Taco has more power than the 05 v8 tundra. Overall, I'm pretty happy with switching. Maybe if my Tundra had been a gen3 it would be different, but I don't think so. Taco is the truck I always wanted, Tundra was the one that was available at the time. I actually get off trail more with the Taco than I ever did with the Tundra.

 

I've heard some mixed things about taco transmissions.... auto mainly. What can yall tell me about that? If I get one it will have at least 33s for reference

 

I did not like the way my 2021 SR5 DC AT shifted when I bought it. Hunted for gears all the time, especially when I was merging onto a highway. The downshifts made the whole truck shudder and it idled like shit. All of that was alleviated with a tune from KDMax, which cost me $300. Still the best bang for the buck mod I've done to my truck since I've gotten it. It's not ideal to have to tune a brand new truck for sure, but once it was done it was like a whole different truck and a pleasure to drive.

 

Going to go test drive a 2021 trd dc 6 speed right now. I'll let yall know what I think

 

Have you considered an older Taco? Some of the complaints mentioned won't apply to them.

 

I went from a 2020 5.3 Sierra to a Tacoma. You will notice its smaller, but all I can say is test drive, test drive, test drive. I like the feeling. Some don't. I have yet to find a place my tacoma won't go. These things are mountain goats. Combined with a tune and I spin 33s in first. I also tow upwards of 4500 regularly and it doesn't feel strained. Doesn't have that big v8 power but doesn't feel slow.

 

I went from a 2012 tundra to a 2021 Tacoma. I've heard a lot of things about the Tacoma transmission, but I haven't experienced it in my vehicle. As far as the room is concerned, driving that Tacoma around town has been beautiful as compared to my tundra. Fitting it in the garage is a big key. I love the V8 in my tundra, but the v6 in the Tacoma has been more than enough on most days around town. The problem I foresee is when I go on vacation in November. I was used to packing a crap ton of whatever I wanted to take with us. Looking at the bed and the Tacoma not only in length but also height I think we are going to have some problems. At the very least it'll be an adjustment. I only have a 13-year-old son, and he fits in the backseat just as well as he fits in the backseat in the tundra. It's about the same amount of room in each vehicle as that I had the double cab tundra. I think you'd enjoy either way you went with this decision. If off-roading and zipping around town is your thing, the Tacoma will be more than enough. But if room is the key and you need the strength of the V8, you probably should stick with the tundra in my opinion. However, I'm just happy to be able to easily Park in my garage instead of shoehorning the tundra inside. Also since I lived in metro Atlanta, it's so much easier driving in the Tacoma and getting in and out of tight situations that my tundra had no chance.

 

Ok so drove a trd DC auto sr5. Actually not near as small as I thought it would be drove really nice. Did not like the cloth interior. Felt very corolla-ish. Are the premium package with leather better? Also engine power seemed fine , only thing I noticed was it didn't have the passing power on the freeway I'm used to but other than that totally acceptable. Do you lose significant power stepping up to say 285s?

 

I would keep the Tundra and add an older Wrangler for playing.

 

I just bought an old Canadian Forces jeep called an Iltis, and a matching trailer. Together, cost me the equivalent of around US$5000.

(I am thinking of getting the new Tundra - so much tech! Backs the trailer up in a straight line automagically! Centre console storage is so big there must be an echo if you shout into it!)

 

The brown leather seats in my Limited sold me on the limited trim actually. They look nice, feel durable and are heated. As for passing power, mine seems to take off like a rocket when floored (after a one second delay).
I would test drive more than once and more than one trim level. I fell in love on the first drive with an SR5, then the limited blew me away, but after living with one everyday the quirks show themselves. If you do buy one I recommend driving it for a full year before making full judgement on it. It took mine some time to grow on me.

 

Yes I've scheduled a few different ones to drive. Haven't found a limited yet. The one I'm driving tmw is a stick

 

Though I’ve never owned a half ton truck, I came to the Tacoma after 4 3/4ton and 1 ton trucks. The Tacoma hands down is a better choice if you live in an urban environment where parking is tight and you only need a truck bed to move things around or use as a light work vehicle. That being said, it’s midsize truck still, won’t win any fuel efficiency awards and it’s a dog when towing. I use my Cummins to move equipment around and my taco hauls tools. With a regear (5.29) the truck is much happier moving the additional weight of a cap and tools, especially living in a hilly area. Fuel economy in town with 255/85r16s got better, highway mileage slightly worse. Trucks are tools, my recommendation would be to think long and hard about what you WANT and what you NEED, then test drive the vehicles you think will fit the mold. My other piece of advice would be if you don’t need a vehicle right now, wait. There is a lot of innovative tech coming out in the next few years, the new phev ranger sounds intriguing for a daily driver.

 

I drive a tundra CLEARLY I'm not worried about the latest tech lmao

But I get what you're saying lol

 

The Tacoma’s comparatively Spartan interior is part of what drew me to it. I liked the fact you could still change the head unit out, etc. All the assisted driving tech and laziness facilitators I could care less about in newer vehicles, by innovative tech I was more referencing the power they’re able to squeeze out some of these hybrids now.