Tundra to Tacoma

I have an 18 double cab. An 8 and 6 year old
In booster seats. Compared to my wife’s 13 highlander, kids are kind of crammed. Keep in mind, the leg room is near the floor board and boosters/car seats raise the kids up about 6 inches bringing their knees closer to the recline of the front seat.
For this reason, we use the highlander on road trips. I’m 5’8” she’s 5’5”

 

yeah something isn't right with those mpg's and your truck isn't even lifted on heavy mud tires. I haul ass and still average 14.5 combined

 

Also remember, the payload in the Tacoma and Tundra are both the same. For 4-door trims, they're both around 1k lbs.

 

tundra payload is 1560 for crewmax sr5 4x4 whereas a tacoma is 1175lbs with a trd offroad 4x4 double cab shortbed. While the tundra payload is pretty weak for a half-ton, they definitely don't have the same payload

 

Good luck!

 

I had a crewmax SR5 Tundra 4x4 and my sticker said 1200 lbs payload. My Tacoma TRD OR sticker shows 1,000 lbs payload. Check your door jamb for your specific payload ratings.

 

did you have the 4.6L or something? My payload sticker says 1460 i believe

 

Can you verify that? I've never seen a CrewMax with a payload that high. And so we're all clear, it's the sticker in the driver's side door jamb.

 

A quick chime in: I went from 2 consecutive full-size 1/2 ton pickups (Nissan Titan, Ford F-150) and I continually go back and forth on LOVING my taco but also missing the space and comfort of the full size pickup. I tried to find a middle ground with a DCLB (Double Cab Long Bed) Tacoma which is a pretty good happy medium. I'm a regular guy who works in IT but I have used every square inch of the long bed literally a dozen times since just recently getting the truck.
I have a 16 month old daughter and every rear facing seat is a challenge, the back seats are quite small. I would never, and I mean never have a Tacoma with 2 kids that are car seat age. I think I'll go back to a full-size 1/2 ton pickup within the next 2-3 years for towing toys we hope to get in the future; likely another F-150 w/ the 3.5L Ecoboost...good power and good gas mileage.

 

I was thinking of my old f150 payload and not my current tundra apparently. It's only 1270lbs minus the yellow sticker subtracting another 45lbs for a grand total of 1225lb payload. Talk about pathetic

 

Id get a Tundra if they came with a manual gearbox.

 

Two kids in car seats isn't bad. Three--that's a no-go for me.

Also remember kids grow out of car seats. I can fit two kids in boosters and a rear facing in the middle. Tight, but not bad. F150 would certainly be MUCH more comfortable, but then again, you're left driving a gargantuan truck the rest of the time.

 

another reason i may be looking at something full size other then toyota...

i have a yellow sticker saying my payload was decreased 45 pounds.. not sure if it got there when they put the new rear springs in or it was always there..

tacoma tows our 5000 pound travel trailer pretty well but damn man a couple things in the bed and its sagging.. don't like that.

 

I would go with either the Chevy 2500 or Ford F-250 with the gas engines. Plenty of payload/towing capacity and very reliable

 

You are a better man than I then I couldn't get 2 kids and all associated diaper bags, toys etc to fit in the cab.
I got used to full size trucks(Crew Cab short beds) and again; I occasionally regret going smaller. I do like the ease of parking and getting around small/crowded area but in hind site the full size want that bad. The fuel economy is certainly negligible/the same when talking about turbo V6 F-150's.

 

probably gonna lean towards the gmc. not a fan of the fords alumn body.

 

4Runner

 

Most of the time, we're in the wife's minivan with the kids, so it's not bad. Kid stuff, all goes in the bed, in the yellow Costco tubs if we're going somewhere. And remember, kid cargo shrinks, too, as they age.

 

If mileage is your main concern, did you ever think of uninstalling the leveling kit and getting reasonable size tires? Just saying. You will miss the room in that Tundra. Your mileage will drastically improve with no leveling kit or a lift.
Just a thought.

 

The Tacoma is not a great vehicle for car seats. The backseat just is not that big. There’s plenty of vertical room, but it will be a tight fit otherwise. The middle back seat especially is very narrow. One of my friends drives a Corolla, and my Tacoma’s backseat reminds me of a Corolla backseat with more head space.

Mileage will be much better, especially if you don’t lift the truck. I routinely get 23 mpg on my commute.