Tundra to Tacoma

I came from a 2009 Rock Warrior 5.7L CrewMax cab. I LOVED that truck and if I could do it all over again, I would have just kept it and not purchased the Tacoma. But that's all in the past and I get to love on my Taco now. It had significantly more power, zero gear hunting, 80 down the highway in overdrive with no problems, tons of space in the cab, lots of storage, great for towing with the brake controller I had in it (pulled 9,800 lbs of tractor and trailer every once in a while or hay bales), good visibility and so on and so forth. The downsides were that it didn't fit in the garage at my new place and I had a back window busted out in a storm last year, I averaged about 14 MPG and I now get around 17-18 MPG in the Tacoma, and I always parked in the middle of nowhere due to it's size, but I still do that anyway.

Only reason I moved on was because I had hit 100K miles and wanted something fresh that would fit in the garage and be more of a smaller "me truck" if you will. Just a single guy, no family etc. Size wasn't needed and I no longer pull things like I used to.

Here's a shot of her a couple years back:



The main reason I can live with a V6 Tacoma now is because I now own a Camaro to go along with it. I had a hard time giving up that V8 power and sound (Tundra had a custom true dual exhaust put on it).

 

Trading my Tundra in this afternooon for a Tacoma so I'll have some thoughts soon...

Tundra is a 2008 double cab supercharged, pretty heavily modded riding on Kings and 33's. I'm looking forward to averaging better than 14mpg and having all sorts of new tech features and creature comforts. I'm definitely going to miss the power and space, but I simply don't need it any more.

Even with all the power of the Tundra, it does hunt for gears at 80mph going through the hills. So I see that as a design element of any vehicle with less than great aerodynamics. Compare that to the BMW 330 I just sold which could sit in 6th gear all day through the mountains and maintain highway speeds.

Tacomas also have much better aftermarket support in terms of suspension, overlanding gear, and armor which is important to me.

 

I can't stand the crew max tundra. Looks like a sumo wrestler. Huge in the front, itty bitty bed, for the size of the trunk. The double cab has much better proportions

 

That's a sweet looking Tundra! Love the Rock Warrior package. I agree that the Tundra power train is just so sweet and the exhaust note is addicting! Both trucks have their merits for sure!

 

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts!

 

Not a Tundra. But in 2007 I made the switch from a full size F-150 Supercrew 4X4 to a comparable Tacoma. In 2007 it was the right thing for ME at that time. My youngest had just moved out and I no longer needed the size. The Tacoma gets about 3-4 MPG better than the old Ford and that really helped during all those times when gas was $3-$4/gal. I can honestly say it has been the best truck I've ever owned. But prior to 2007 it would have simply been too small no matter how good it was. It really comes down to the size difference and can you make a smaller truck work for you. If you can, I think Tacoma is the better truck.

But that was 10 years ago, my needs have changed again. Last spring I researched full size trucks and very seriously considered Tundra. Instead of trading the Tacoma on a new truck I decided to keep it and for about the same out of pocket money buy used. I ended up with a 2014 Ford and kept the Tacoma. Based on my positive experience with the Tacoma I'd have probably bought Tundra if I'd gone with a new truck. But there were simply no 2013 or 2014 Tundras available that had the features I wanted. I had dozens of used Fords that met my criteria to choose from.

 

I came from a 2014 tundra to a 2017 tacoma and I'm very pleased with the transition. Love the mpg definitely increased from about 12 to 18.

 

How do you compare the Double cabs rear space, seat angle of the Tundra to the Tacomas rear seats etc?

 

You have to specify which Tundra... I had a 2000 4.7L access cab and it's not actually "downsizing" to move to the '17 Tacoma. It's the same size, roughly the same power, weight and towing capacity. THe bed is a little shorter. Ride is a little nicer. THe frame hasn't rusted in half yet.

Now, if it's the new Tundra - well, I can't help you with the differences are pretty obvious.

 

I'd say the tundra's rear seating has slightly more leg room then the double cab tacoma depending on the drivers height, but not by much. But me being single I really have no use for my back seat just storage for gym bag hunting rifle and so on.

 

If the double cab tundra rear is bigger than Tacoma

I can't imagine how huge interior is for crewmax

 

The rear leg room is pretty substantial on the crewmax. The front cabin is same .

 

The Double cab Tundra definitely has more room than the rear of the double cab tacoma. I can put my legs right in front of me in the Tundra but I couldn't in the Tacoma and have to straddle the front seat when it's adjusted for me driving.

 

I went from a 2012 Tundra 5.7 to a 2016 Tacoma. I had the Tundra for 4 years and never really enjoyed driving it. Don't get me wrong, it was an awesome truck, but I had a 99 4-runner for 12 years before that, and I prefer the smaller size. I can get to my camping and hunting areas with my Tacoma that I just couldn't get to with the Tundra. Just my two cents.

 

Love the double cab tundras

Don't see a reason for crewmax unless you are 7'3 " or all your passengers are 500lb each

 

Before I traded for a 12' Tundra, I had an 05' SR5 AC 4.7L Tundra. Actually of the 4 Toyota built trucks I have owned (3 Tundras and my current Tacoma), the 05' was far and away the best Toyota truck "for me". Great size, good power, so-so mileage, good cabin room and good ride. I agree with "walter" in that my DCSB Tacoma is not all that small compared to the 00'-06' Tundras. Hum....now if they would only put the 4.6L in the Tacoma....

 

That be awesome if they put a 4.6 in the tacoma

 

I don't know if my answer will help as I didn't own a Tundra but I did own an F-250 (technically still do).

I did switch from a Ford F-250 to the Tacoma. I definitely don't regret it. The only capability my Ford had over the Tacoma was towing and I no longer tow anything. Anything that I would need to tow now can still be accomplished by the Tacoma.

I decided to move to a compact truck because of size primarily. Full-size truck is difficult to park on streets in the city, can't take it into parking garages, can't park in my own garage and struggle offroad in certain areas. The Tacoma was a "jack of all trades" for me which is why I chose a TRD OR DCSB. I can still haul sheetrock and plywood (though I wish they would make the wheel well width 48") with the bed cross beams. The other bonus is that there is significantly more aftermarket support for the Tacoma in the offroad industry than the Ford (can't speak about Tundra).

The only thing I do not like about the Tacoma is the composite bed. I say that because the very first thing I loaded into my truck was a metal cabinet and while sliding it in the corner hit the wheel well and scraped a chunk of it off. At the time, I had no idea Toyota used a composite bed, I thought I just gashed a plastic bed insert, nope. I'll be getting a spray bedliner shortly. My Ford had one as well anyway but with a steel bed it wasn't needed.

 

I did, went from a 2nd gen 2008 Tundra to a 2016 Tacoma. I'll be into it a year this January.

Was I happy, yes at first, but all shinny new things are better then old dirty ones. New pussy vs old. New always taste better but it always gets old.

Then about a week into it I was a little bummed, yes this forum bummed me out due to the fact my Tundra was hooked up by my friend that owns Camburg. I told myself I would never mod a car again. Then I found this forum and mods just happened, nothing like the Tundra. I did put a Fox lift on with KO2s on powder coated off OEM road wheels and tinted. That was it, but more then I wanted to initially.

All of that is nothing in the long run.

What ended up being a factor was down sizing. Not outside, because parking is simple in the Tacoma, but internal space, from bed size to the space under the back seats.

10 months into it and a baby on the way, I don't miss my Tundra at all anymore and when, years from now, I don't think I would go full size in a truck again.

 

Went from 2010 Tundra DC Lim to 2013 DC Prerunner to now 2017 DCSB OR. Definitely a change in size, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can now drive around cities in the PNW and am able to find parking spots or go into a parking garage. With my Tundra that was just not possible. Now the 7" BDS lift and 37's didn't help, but hey it was a monster. I haven't really done any off roading yet in the Tacoma, but I feel like it will be able to do more trails simply because it is smaller with a better turning radius. The Tundra was great for mudding in the south, but for doing overland which is what I am looking to now the Tacoma is definitely the better option. The tacoma definitely feels like driving a car versus a truck when coming from the Tundra. In the end it is what do you want to do with the truck. Best of luck, you don't lose either way.