Any 3rd gen 2016+ Tacoma owners?

Other than the crazy truck market, any reason not to consider a 3rd gen Tacoma? I’ve had a 2002 1st gen for about 17 years, it’s been great, been enough truck for me 95% of the time, but it’s time to put the old boy out to pasture. The frame is rusted, I missed the warranty extension, and there are a handful of other issues creeping up that aren’t worth fixing along with the frame.

Any reason not to continue with the Tacoma? Anything you don’t like about the truck? Wish you had something different?

I’m thinking ‘20-ish TRD Off Road, double cab, auto. I think I’d like the 6’ bed but there are a lot more 5’ bed trucks out there.

I guess the 4th gen is coming in like ‘24, but rumor is it will be a hybrid. Not interested in that or waiting 2-3 more years.

 

I had 2016 4x4 with a 6spd manual. It was a pretty nice truck. I still miss it sometimes, but it ended up being too small for me.

A lot of people complained about the lack of torque from the 3.5 V6 especially the automatic owners. You really have to keep the revs up to have any power. Not an issue with the manual trans, but it was pretty low on grunt for a truck. My biggest complaint was I'm pretty sure the truck I had would have went 50 mph in reverse. Sucked ass trying to back a trailer up my steep driveway.

 

IIRC, '20 is when Toyota finally started including the bells and whistles that come on other brands. Adaptive cruise, climate control, CarPlay, etc. So you are finally good there.

The pandemic may have actually made the Tacoma tax more palatable. Unfortunately, it's because all the trucks are more expensive now. Buying used only seems viable if you literally can't get a new one - the prices are too close.

 

I’ve had a 18’ TRD Sport crew cab since brand new in automatic. Unless you have the trans in tow mode it shifts very early for fuel economy which can be a plus or minus depending on how you use it. 95mph at 2,400 rpm is hilarious. Adaptive cruise was standard on TRD’s and climate control was optional. I’m not a big entertainment in the truck guy so CarPlay wasn’t for me anyway. The poly bed is awesome unless hauling a shit ton but you’d have the wrong truck then. I have 42k on mine and it’s now worth $6k more than when I drove it off the showroom floor.

 

I have a 2016 V6 crew cab & auto trans with around 100K miles. No problems to date.

Get the eprom software mod from Orange Virus Tuning & you can adjust the engine & trans management.

Pre-made tunes are plentiful & it really perk things up, especially for towing. Obviously a small gasser V6 isn’t going to compete with an 8 or diesel, but every bit helps.

 

I have an early '16 TRD double cab. Like everything about the truck except the tranny, which sucks balls.

 

I wanted one until I test drove one. The motor was gutless (in both manual and auto) and the trans really sucked. The seating position was awful for me, at 6'1" with long legs, it still has drum brakes (!), the payload is pretty low compared to other competitors, the rear locking diff can only be used in 4Lo, not 4Hi or 2Hi, the terrain management features are the same (they only work in 4Lo), and there's no front locking diff. I really wanted to like it before I test drove it. I was only doing the test drive as a formality, I told myself. So glad I did. No way I'd spend $40K+ on the TuRD Off Road or Pro I was looking at.

 

Someone sits down To pee.
Jk

they are good for what they are. No good features in my opinion I want keyless entry and remote start at a minimum.

 

have a 2019 tacoma sport double cab, other than the overshifting auto trans, it is a great truck. even with orange virus custom tune from Paparee on tacoma world (was one of his beta testers), the shifting isnt much better. in cruise control, it is even worse. the cruise is too sensitive to mph changes. one or 2 mph up or down, and it will shift, up or down to hold the chosen speed, no coasting down hills.

If I were to do it again, I would buy a tacoma but, it would be a manual transmission. for the record, when I was looking in 2019 we test drove, the colorado, canyon... but, on recommendation here on the BEEB, I went and drove a tacoma. glad we bought the tacoma. Ski

 

Except for not being able to predict or understand the trans shifting, my '17 has been a solid truck, gets OK mileage. The seating position stock isn't great but a co-worker told me about Desert Does It Seat Jackers. They lift the front of the seat to give more leg support.

Liking what I'm reading on the tunes but can't find anyone within a 10hr drive...

 

I wanted one until I drove one, way too gutless even with a tune. Plus for me there was no headroom at all.

 

The one thing I’m very fortunate is my wife works for a major performance shock manufacturer so I get amazing deals on way better shocks you can get even with the pro. Currently my Jeep has 3” bypass shocks with in cab comp and rebound damping. They also have custom valving set up to my liking. I use the remote adjust way more than I thought I ever would, that being said I doubt I’d spend the $1000 or whatever it costs to actually pay full retail for it.

 

I have both the front and rear seat jackers. gives you more support, and room under your legs. Ski

 

You can do easily upload one of the many pre-made tunes directly into the truck yourself - it takes about 10 minutes. There are even YouTube videos on it...

I use an early PapaRe tunes focused on towing that he made for me when he was just experimenting - well before he started selling them and then I had it fine tuned by someone else specifically for my AGM battery. I have no issues with the engine/tranny management although other people might find the throttle a bit 'brisk' in my set-up.

Many people create their own tunes with the OVT software. I bought the software early on, before they opened the features to self-tune, but I did buy the upgrade option when it was available ($75.00 IIRC). I simply don't have the time or patience to build my own or tweek the base tunes OVT provides. There are plenty of hobbyists (like PapaRa) who are addicted to building tunes and are now offering them for sale.

I am happy with the current set-up as it readily meets my needs as a daily driver and occasional tower.

I would definitely buy another Tacoma as I like the size, resale value, and reliability... but of course, given a choice, a V6 twin turbo or a V8 would be nice option.

The new Tundra is also worth a look, but simply too big for my general needs. If that Rivian can get adequate range while towing and isn't too crazy expensive, I'd even try the EV just to see what all the fuss is about...

 

All this talk of "gutless", would it be worth it considering a supercharger kit? I mean, TRD even offered it.

 

Ditto on the ergonomics made for dwarfs. Also, you might look into the cost of a quality lift kit compared to the upcharge for the TRD package. The TRD suspension is nothing to write home about.

 

The TRD Off Road suspension is really a joke. The Bilsteins are nothing special at all and are pretty spindly.
The TRD Pro is also nothing special. Low grade Fox shocks.
It would be nice to see Toyota put out a much more serious package, but they know they could put a Tacoma decal on a refrigerator box and diehard fanboys would buy everyone and shout from the rooftops it’s the greatest. Most Tacoma owners, except for you guys of course, are a “special breed” of blind brand loyalty.

 

lets talk about Voodoo Blue then...lol

 

I got a 2018 TRD OR with a manual when it was new. Since then, it's not really depreciated minus whatever wear and tear I've put on it in the 35,000 miles I've driven it. I'm glad I bought it when I did, because stuff got expensive really quickly. I got it because the mix of the things it is and it isn't. I wanted a simple, straightforward platform that I can daily drive when needed, haul bikes/stuff, and drive to rough enough terrain to get away from the endless sea of Subarus and CUVs. I didn't want a ton of gadgets or a premium interior. I did what deathwagon alluded to. Bought the OR for the rear locker and off-road modes, and then replaced the suspension/armor with aftermarket stuff. It's lived up to the billing so far. I would expect a little more out of the motor. Either power or economy. However, if Toyota maintains the reliability, I'd be OK with it.

 

My current Taco has about 68k on the clock (2017), my 2nd Gen had just short of 200k when it was replaced. What I particularly notice with them is they don't rust like a GM or Ram (the new Ranger is too new to judge). In WI, a 5 yo GM or Ram is already showing rust. It used to be that a 5 yo Toyota was so rusty that the box was falling off already. These days, Tacos are everywhere, rust-free.