Which Taco to choose? Offroad, Sport, 4x2, 4x4???

Nice... I wish we had euro style plates... they're so much moar awesome.

 

Buy the Tacoma you can afford.

 

I'm in the same boat. Literally...lol I have a 17,000# MH that pulls my boat fine and it is only 2x drive. But it weighs 17,000# and gets 5.9 MPG when towing.

I like the Kinda squishy ride of the TRD OR 4x4. I too would buy the Tacoma 2x in a minute if I thought it would be able to pull out my Totally Laden, 5700# Mastercraft out of the steep and sometimes slippery ramps...Especially now when Lake Hogan in California, is 80% low. Kinda muddy at the bottom of the ramp.

I mean how will i know if a 2x Tacoma will do it unless I try it, and what dealer will let me try it...lol

31' Dolphin and 26' trailer


Oh and hers my old M5 bMW sheeesh...

 

6 months ago, I bought a NEW 09 TRD Off Road Dub Cab 4x4 and live in So Cal. I don't have a boat, or anything to tow around. Most of the time I'm cruising on city streets or stuck in rush hour traffic on the 101 fwy. A lot of my friends and even the dealership kept telling me to buy a Prerunner since it was about $2000 cheaper. But I told them that I know that one day I will need the 4WD during a snowstorm, a mudslide, or some scenario. Then they tried telling me to buy the Sport model, but I like the chrome and the smaller wheels on the Off Road, and only the 4x4 MGM color they had was the one I bought. I didn't even do any research on the differences between Off Road and Sport, but now after joining TW, I'm stoked I chose the Off Road model.

A week after I bought the truck, my friends and I rolled up in my Tacoma to Mammoth and it snowed 20 inches through the weekend! It was insane! We saw a bunch of 2WD trucks slipping and sliding on the roads... and many more putting on chains. I then clicked on the 4WD and cruised past all the people who had to put on chains or cables at 10*F temp with snow dumping.

At that moment, I realized the extra $2000 for the 4WD was worth it. I figure that I will own this truck for 10 years or more (God willing). So that comes out to an extra $200 per year for the comfort of not gettin out my truck to put on some chains. I also see myself hittin up the dunes at Pismo, go mudding at local spots, go on some local off road trails sometime in the future. As for mpg, I've been gettin about 18 mpg on 87 octane mixed driving. On my road trip to Mammoth from Simi Valley, I got about 22 mpg cruisin at 55mph (with 4 people (including me), 4 snowboards and a loaded bed).

I think you should buy a 4x4 Tacoma Off Road or Sport. 'Cuz you'll never know when you'll need the 4WD. And as for someone that mods rides, you should know that doing it right the first time will prevent sorrow and wasting money. Don't be one of those people that say "I wish I had a 4x4".

 

+1

traded in my 350 for a truck..i knew i wanted a tacoma and only a tacoma..lol.i figured if i was going to get a truck i might as well get a double cab..just in case i have some kids in the future..might as well get a 4x4 because you never know...better to be safe than sorry

 

This is an old post you already bought the truck.. didn't you?

I bought a sr5 Prerunner the first time around, and then loved it so much.. I went back and bought the fully loaded trd offroad 4x4.. LOVE IT! Just do it.. if you cant, figure out how you can.. just do it.

 

For me the only off roading that i do is drive by the bad roads in my town so get what you really need and have fun wiyh your truck....i know i am!!!!!

 

call me crazy, but I always wonder when people say "I do mostly highway/onroad driving" and someone else says something to the order of "well in that case you don't need 4x4, all terrain tires or anything else offroad oriented". seriously, aside from the few trailored or dedicated hard core off road rigs and around, how many people can honestly say their truck doesn't do mostly on road driving? you drive it around town, you put more miles on it getting to an offroad park. if its a daily driver and you wheel it every sunday, chances are the vast bulk of the life of the truck is still on road......

 

Well, to be fair, there's a huge difference between 'mostly highway/onroad' and 'all highway/onroad'... I think people are saying that if you live where it doesn't snow, and you never ever intend to take it offroad, there's little purpose in spending extra money to make your onroad driving _worse_ (poorer mpg of 4x4, poorer handling, etc of MT's or AT's on-road, etc, etc, etc)

 

Here's my bmw......


































Eater

 

and throw some 22's on it.

 

Dope...

 

I would seriously consider getting the 4x4 if the ramps you launch from are at all sketchy. You didn't say how heavy the boat was but if you need the tow package to be within capacity then it will be nice to have the extra traction and Low range for really tough ramps. A locker won't do much good if your back wheels are over the slick part of the ramp. Otherwise, a Prerunner would be nice too.

 

4x4 Offroad. It's a truck innit? Get the tow package too.

 

go with the 4x4...4x4 isnt just for off road, you said you will be towing your boat with it correct? so i would assume that you will be using a boat ramp at some time..i tow boats in my job ALL THE TIME and granted its a 9450lb boat including trailer, the 4x4 is what gets it out of the water, you dont wannna be sittin there at the boat ramp squealin tires tryin to pull your boat out of the water...

 

Well... Gotta pile on with our BMWs too:




Wife and I passing through Deals Gap (courtesy of Killboy) on our way to the National Rally on July. And when we can't ride, this is one of our other vehicles:


My last truck was 4x4 and I hardly used it. This time around, I went with a 2WD and plans to get snow tires for winter. It also came with the locker which should help to get us out of the occasional tight spot. In fact, it has the trailer package too. It's a TRD Off Road SR5. It would meet your requirements, but falls a bit beyond your desired price point. But if you look long enough, ou can probably find a better deal. SWMBO didn't want the double cab, but I did and got her to go along. That was on Saturday. By Sunday she was glad that we went that way. I'd speculate that the DC could be a better tow vehicle because the weight is not as forward biased as a standard cab (I think.) But it's also going to be the most expensive. I suggest choosing between the Access cab and double cab for the extra interior space. Either way, good luck finding your truck!

-hank

 

4x4

 

TRD 4x4 OFF ROAD got everything you can expect from TACO.

 

4x4 duuuuuuuuuuuuude.

 

It depends on what your gonna do. I have a prerunner and do my share of offroading and im always asked if its 4x4. But i have to admit 4x4 tacomas are monstersss