Looking at buying a 3rd Gen Tundra advice!!!

Hello I made my account on this site like 3 minutes ago to specifically ask all of you awesome people about the Tundra. I came from TacomaWorld. I currently have a 3rd gen Tacoma that is pissing me off due to a bunch of problems I'm sure you have all heard about.

Questions I have are:

True gas mileage for you guys/driving habits?

Off-roading?

4x4 worth having?

Overall reviews potentially?

Thanks for the help!

 

5mpg, 7mpg downhill with a wind. 9mpg with my front axles removed and front driveshaft disconnected.

offroad yes if you have the coin, tacomas are demonstrably better in every single facet offroad though. Suspension on the tundra needs upgrading.

yes 4x4, you'll regret not having it later

Potentially if you put a supercharger and long travel on it you'll be the happiest person on the planet

And welcome!

 

15-18 mpg combined. I dont drive it like I stole it though and mines a 4.6L 2wd. I do have a 3/1 lift and 275/70's.

If you have the $$$ keep the Tacoma. They're much better for off-roading. If not, get a lift and upgrade suspensions.

I love my tundra but I do wish I had gotten the 5.7L 4x4. Mine's plenty truck for me with what I use it for though. Nary a problem and I take care of it, expecting it to last a good while!

Definitely get a 4x4. I've needed it before and I don't do much off-roading. Just a few trails to and from the hunting and fishing camps.

Welcome from TN! Good luck on your search!!

 

Thanks for the feedback man! The Tacoma has not been filling all of my needs lately. I found a 2014 platinum 4X4 with 65XXX miles on it for 39000 sticker locally. Aparently also on the same note I found a white 1794 edition 2014 with 36XXX on it that was around 43000 with some discounts. What do you think of those prices?

 

Those seem like the going rate, you could probably haggle them down a little more or have them include some goodies.

 

Those aren't bad prices at all.
Me personally, I would get an Sr5 and have enough money to mod it the way I want. Dealers choice though!!

 

A ton of us are former Tacoma owners and members of TW. Welcome to the forum.

1. I have a stock 5.7 4x4. I drive with a light foot. Not to save fuel, that's just how I drive. That being said, I get 18-19 on the highway without trying at all, 16-17 combined.

2. I'm stationed in the desert. I go "off road" almost daily, but mostly just desert trails and it does perfectly. The Tacoma being smaller and nimbler is a better off-roader.

3. Yes, for me 4x4 is worth it and is over half the reason I even own a truck. My first Taco was a 2 wheel drive and there is nothing more frustrating than needing 4wd and not having it. Being from north Idaho where it snows several feet at a time and being stationed in the desert, 4x4 is a necessity to me.

4. The Tundra is behind in almost every measurable stat compared to the big 3, but I strongly believe is the best all around truck there is. It is a proven platform with a really powerful bulletproof drivetrain. It is heavier (more beefy) and much higher off the ground (better off road) than the competition. There honestly is no "wiz bang" tech or features that everyone else has, but to me that is a VERY good thing because I know that my truck will last because it is proven.

Give one a test drive. Tacos are great, but Tundras are a different beast. Once you experience the space, power, capability, power, acceleration and power it has, you'll never want anything else.

Welcome to the big boys club. Make sure you post a pic if you go through with the purchase.

 

I'm going to gun for that 1794 cause it is 4X4 also. I forgot to mention that.... Yea anyways I was impressed considering the mileage and the niceness of that truck. Maybe I could even resell it to someone willing to pay higher who knows haha

 

Just don't expect good mileage if you do what I did and add a supercharger, tune the motor, long travel suspension and 37 inch tires....If you don't do that you'll be happy with it!

 

I'll try not to! I am looking forward to hearing from both dealers on Monday and seeing if they can pull my business. Thank you all for the awesome reviews! Keep them coming if you wish!

 

tell them you want a supercharger thrown in and under warranty.....just saying

 

What I find really crazy is that my Tacoma is barely squeezing by 20 mpgs with grandma driving styles. I think it is because the highway driving I do for some reason the truck can't maintain 65 without shifting every five seconds. It's horrible. I'm tired of it. The Tundra is fanfreakintastic on the highway. I just hope I can do minimally like 19 mpg so I don't feel like I am getting screwed on gas lol

 

Some of the guys on here boast of 20 + mpg highway. I've never seen the computer display more than 15.5 with the 5.7 (2014 Platinum 4x2, 2016 SR5 4x4) my newbe only has 2k miles so it will be awhile before the good numbers reveal BUT, I made my first long run last week and the computer is up to 14 already I will say I'm much happier with the bigger fuel tank. Texarkana to Baton Rouge and I still had just under a half a tank left

The 1794 sounds awesome but I'd hit em for a better price. Look for any blemish and work on em. I bet they took on a trade and paid a lot less. Have fun!

 

I came from a 2002 Tacoma which I liked to a 2016 Tundra and could not be more pleased.

My 2016 Tundra was purchased new Oct 2015 for $33,000 ( list was $35,500). SR5, 4x4, 4.6 L engine. With 26,000 miles on it average mileage is 18.3. I average 50-55 mph when not at a light. I do not take truck off road and most miles are my commute.

I have no off road exprience so no opinion here.

Go with the 4x4 no matter where you live. Much easier to sell later on and nice to have when you need it.

4.6L is great engine for on road travel and has great low end pickup. If you are planning on heavy hauling or trailoring, go for the 5.7L. Similar driving to mine should net about 2 mpg less. For more mpg info, check out fully.com which has lots of info on all brands & types.

Good luck on whatever you buy. Tundra is one all around great vehicle.

 

To me, getting 20 mpg but having the transmission shift like crazy is not worth the 1-2 mpg increase.
A 400 mile trip without and erratic transmission at 18 mpg is only like a 6 dollar difference in gas compared to what you are getting in your stressed out taco. If you throw anything in the back of the Taco or tow anything with it, that small mpg advantage disappears. Is around 6 bucks per fill up worth the stress and headache of the truck downshifting every few seconds and revving to ludicrous speed? To me, no way.

 

Well then... That pretty much sells me on the Tundra haha. What do you think, although it may be bias, about competitor trucks? IE GM, Ford, Nissan all full size obviously. I'm talking strictly about same class trucks.

 

Honestly, there are no bad full sized trucks. I chose the Tundra for the reasons I posted above. As for fuel economy, the devil is in the details compared to the big 3. Yeah, SOME of their models get pretty good mileage, but it's usually the 2WD V6 models. Go to any Chevy forum and search for AFM (active fuel management) problems. Go to any Ford forum and search for ecoboost problems or even real world ecoboost mileage. Go to any Ram site and search for cam gear slippage on their ecodiesels.

The Tundra is nothing special, which makes it unique in today's truck market. If you like cutting edge tech, then this is not the truck for you. If you want a powerful and honestly reliable truck, then the Tundra is a perfect choice.

Go ahead and research though. It's your money. You probably don't want to go through any buyers regret by not doing enough research prior to purchase. I researched for over a year and the Tundra was the best choice for what I wanted so I may be a little biased. Feel free to ask any other questions. We all love talking about these trucks.

 

Tacoma and 4runner owner here as well, now DD-ing a 2014 Tundra for the last 2 years and still very happy. Overall the room and capability is worth it to me. I tend to average about 12mpg in my 5.7 Crewmax 4x4 with 3" lift and 35's. Thats 10 mile commute each way daily about 1/2 and 1/2 city around 35mph and some 50-60mph sections, and then daily around town errands often hauling 200-500 pound in the back or sometimes towing my trailer (about 3500-4500lbs behind the truck).
I added a larger 46 gallon transfer flow fuel tank as the 26 gallon on the 15 and earlier trucks goes by pretty quick. With my 46 gallon tank I go 2 weeks of normal driving on a tank, and can go over 600 miles highway cruising or over 300 towing my 4runner across the states.
I've owned an 03, and 07 Tacoma, as well as 98, 05(v8) and now the wife DDs a '16 4runner. The Tundra Crewmax has proven to be a great rig for highway trips to visit the family with lots of interior room for a truck, and the ability to toss stuff in the back as necessary plus still use it for weekly work and DD duties. Just dont expect better than window sticker MPGs (13/18) on the 5.7

 

You can probably buy a reasonable loaded new 2016 SR5 with 4x4 and 38gal out the door for about 37k-39k and as Law323 stated have money left over to mod.

 

2 weeks ago I was a proud owner of 2012 Tacoma DCLB TRD Sport (4x2), owned it for 4 years with 68000 miles..loved it, never had any issues beside these engine pings, noise, and small. I was average 18-19 mpg EVERY tank on 265/70/17 wheels...I need more interior rooms so I traded it in for a '16 CM Limited 4x4. Just went thought the FIRST tank of dealer gas (532 miles on the ODO) and the computer said 15.3 mpg....LOVE the 38 gal tank. It's hardly broken in and I drive the same way as I drive my Taco (except the exhaust noise makes it very tempting to floor it) I'm sure I can get 16 mpg once it hits 5000 miles or so.

I used to pump once a week and now once every 2 weeks...it will cost me about $10 more for 2 weeks ($250 more a year).....Good luck.

 

Yes. this is very doable. I paid about $40,500 for a 4x4 Limited CM with Navi, JBL, and 5 years maintain plan.

 

And the raptor can fit 4.0 coil overs.....

 

'16 CM 1794 4x4
$44876 or there abouts (from $50930)
Averaged 18.7 (hand calculated/app) over 7k miles

Much different than my 15 Taco TRD Sport. Doesn't corner as well. Can feel the extra weight when braking. But it is smoother and quieter. Lots of power.

I chose it because the F150s I was looking at were about $4k more after discounts. I get worse mileage but lets assume the 3.5 Ecoboost gets 4mpg better than the Tundra.

At 18000 miles a year (est) I'll burn 182 gallons more a year (18 vs 22 mpg), or $419 @ $2.30 a gallon. At that rate the difference in price vs milage will take 9.5 years to equal out.

9.5 years down the road the Tundra WILL be worth more and I'm betting will cost less in repairs. Is just the better choice.

 

Saw a 2016 limited with the 38 gallon tanks & it slightly sticks out. How far does the 46 gallon stick out & anything else more noticeable?

 

Hangs down a tad, but with my factory tube steps I cant even see the tank unless I go looking for it.

 

No CAI, no exhaust, no topper, don't floor it all the time, get a tonneau cover. I was getting close to 20/21 for my round trip. Added the aforementioned "no's", and it's a 17-18 mpg truck like the sticker says.

 

So along the same lines as what the OP asked. How many miles are y'all traveling between fill ups? Hit me with truck set ups to so know what I'm looking at. Looking into a '16 DC 5.7 4x4.

 

Just local driving, got about 540 miles for my first tank....computer said 15.3 mpg....