Two toyota trucks parked side by side. Look at the size difference both regular cab four cylinders

This is what happens with every line of small trucks. Ford Ranger. Chevy S-10. Whatever. They just bloat out. It's ridiculous. Toyota has Tundra. Chevy has whatever. Ford has F-150. Why not just leave the small trucks alone? Gah!

 

Aight coo

 

The camera is closer to the newer Taco, exaggerating its size further. One is classified as a compact; the other a medium size.

 

Amazing how much bigger the trucks have become over the decades.

 

Put a 3rd Gen(no regular cab available though) next to a 1st Gen. Like a full-size next to a hardbody

 

Ah a real truck. Plus it's missing the V6 emblem on the grille so it has a 22re. The good ol days.

No one is going to miss a Tacoma in 20 years.

 

Nope, because they will still be on the road. I have a healthy respect for the 22r engine. It was a tractor motor that wouldn’t die and I love the looks of the classic yotas, especially the late 70s through 80s. But there is no way I would trade a 2nd gen tacoma for one because our 4.0 is far more powerful and our trucks ride so much better.

 

I'd like to see a 1971 Hilux next to a 2020 Tacoma.

 

Are there still 3 sizes of pick-ups? yrs. past small was Datsun & Toyota Hilux, Mazda, even a VW, medium was Dodge Dakota & Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10, & full sized was Ford F-150, Chevy Scottsdale & Dodge Ram 1500 or 2500. The Toyota Tundra is advertised as a full sized, but it's more the size of a Dakota or Ranger, no way near the size of the old Chevy Scottsdale of the mid 70"s, Heck even the new Chevy Silverado's aren't as big as the old Chevy's of the mid 70's. SUV's yes, Rav4, Highlander, 4Runner, but are the trucks still in 3 sizes?

 

And another thing to add is all trucks boxes are getting out of hand in height! You need to be 7' tall to actually reach into some of them! The chevy Colorado's are a good example as the back end of them are really jacked up for some reason?!

 

I do love my regular cab I wish Toyota would bring back the regular cab like ford ,Chevy and Dodge Toyota is saying they don't sell enough to make it worth while but the big three still offer the regular cab come on Toyota take care of your customers not your bottom line.

 

Shoot, I just remembered they all had 3 sizes. Ford had Currier=(Mazda), Ranger, & F-150......Chevy had Luv=(Isuzu), S-10, & Scottsdale...... Dodge had Ram50=(Mitsubishi), Dakota, & Ram1500. Yep, for me it's Reg. cab or nothing !!!

 

I had a 72 Chevy Luv back in the day, when the engine puked I dropped a Buick V6 turbo in it and fitted an 350 automatic to a Jeep transfer case and axles. Thing was a great 4 wheeler beat it to death eventually being a teenager at the time. Still got pics of it somewhere.

 

I had a HiLux for my landscape business. Only truck I could afford. I think from Rose Toyota(1st Toyota dealer in US?).
Previous truck was a base 1990 pickup. I think the term at the time was "mini truck". The bed size is about the same, but my current Tacoma is much larger. Hard to beat the reliability and cost of ownership of the 1990 and 22RE.

 

Downside these days to a 22re is the electronics for the engine like igniters and vane meters are expensive and aftermarket parts suck. Plus the wire harnesses are getting pretty crusty.

But hands down that engine would go forever with some valve adjustements and one or two exhaust manifolds.

I'm sorry but the 4.0 is mediocre at best. Power output is non-existent until way up in the revs and it has a fair share of Uber expensive emission components.

The older 2 and 3rz's, non drive by wire 3.4s, and I'll even say 4.7 if you can get away from the suck factor of working on it in a Tundra are way better. The 4.7 has expensive emission parts but at least it has power in a good part of the rev range. Plus it sounds good unlike the groany 4.0

I think if you had to piece one together it would be an 85' truck with a 3rz. Best truck you could ever build that would only want oil changes for a quarter million miles. Well maybe some ball grease too.

 

Only an old straight axle Toyota you can sink a few grand and some 37's on, drive it down the highway at 70mph while getting 20mpg, then go smash it in the woods, and still get home in one piece. Can also be fixed with a picket knife and duct tape. Yet to be replicated in America...

 

its all about crash safety. Getting the front passengers farther back away from the windshield, beefier frame design at the A and B pillars, more room for airbags to deploy and insulate around the passengers, etc

 

Those trucks were small, but they were well built and tough. I didn't get rid of my 1990 pickup, I was rear ended by a forty ton semi doing 50mph.



Lost my truck and just about everything in it, but stumbled away from this accident with my life.

 

model evolution, happens to pretty much all cars and trucks

despite anecdotes, newer vehicles are far safer, more capable, more comfortable, more efficient, and better built. Tradeoff being more weight and complexity.

nature of the beast