Debating downsizing to taco

If I were in your shoes I'd rather have a dedicated camping/off road vehicle. 4th gen 4runners used to be a really good deal because they look like a minivan unless you build it.

I'd rather have a second vehicle to beat on and not worry if I mess something up in Moab that I have to drive it work all week before I can fix it up on the weekend.

 

Tacoma feels like you're sitting on the floor. That's just my opinion anyway.

 

Yeah my knees were halfway up the steering wheel. Didn’t realize how cramped it was till I bought the tundra. But I’m on the tall side

 

I think I have determined to stay with the tundra for now. Think I'm going to ditch the fuel 20s, get some trd 18s and 35x12.50s with spacers and some sliders and a locker. Should be good enough and I'll just stay off the narrow stuff. Extra vehicle not an option, as I already have my wife's vehicle , my dad's 84 c10, and a 72 c10 project truck for my son plus my tundra and my daughter's buick.....

 

Which TRD wheels are you looking for?

 

I fully did this and it wasn't for me. I had a crew cab Tacoma with the 6ft bed. The gas mileage was a huge disappointment. The cabin space was a huge disappointment. The backseat space was a huge disappointment. And the engine was a huge disappointment. It was my fault for going with a 6ft bed but that made it nearly as long as my old Tundra. So for me, I lost cabin space, made it more cramped for my kids and left me wanting when I pushed on the gas. I thought I was getting a more nimble truck with better gas mileage. Now obviously, the Taco is a quality truck. I got used to the engine and it is smaller to maneuver. But for my life style, I regretted the change and am loving being back in a Tundra.

 

Just the basic trd or wheels or old trd pros, something I won't be upset about banging up lol

 

What he said. 4Runner

 

we went from a 2016 tacoma sport to 2018 tundra platinum.

1. seating width is 1-2 orders of magnitude wider in the tundra.
2. tundra elbow room (see #1)
3. tundra back seat room width and length is 1-2 orders of magnitude more
4. if you travel with adults or older teenagers in the backseat, the tundra give enough space that you could literally fit another person in the same seat and still have room. the tacoma barely fits 1 older teenager in the same seat
5. drove the tundra 1700 miles 1-way with me, wife, daughter and son (kids in the 20's) and the space for junk and room was un rivaled in the tundra. the tacoma there is no room for anything but a person in the back seat.
6. tacoma driver seat no vertical adjustment, no comfort compared to the tundra seats
7. god forbid you adjust the tacoma driver seat backwards, the rear passenger will be kicking your kidneys from the back
8. any recline in the tacoma driver seat while driving somewhat impedes outward visibility compared to the tundra
9. tacoma engine finicky until it learns how you drive (especially after ecu reflash or battery disconnect)

1. tacoma great at parking, heck of a lot easier than parking the tundra
2. back woods trails a tad difficult to traverse in a tundra since they always seen to be the width of mid size trucks
3. tacoma mpg better for us in city than tundra (15mpg vs 11mpg)
4. tacoma better selection of off road gear than tundra
5. tacoma easier to park in a garage than tundra
6. jbl system heck of a lot better than the 2nd gen tundra



thats what we noticed going from the tacoma to tundra

 

Negative ghost rider, sticking with Tundra all the way...Room, comfort, payload and all the cool kids are driving them. Good luck

 

Just keep the tundra---the tacoma isn't anywhere near what the tundra is.
I have had 3 tacomas, the latest gen is what made me switch to the tundra.

 

4Runner and small trailer for when he needs a truck is the answer.

 

also to add

2014 4runner limited is my daily driver, the wife drives the 18 tundra platinum and the 16 tacoma when we had it

1. 4R better width, elbow room and adjustment than a 2016 tacoma
2. all your gear is dry inside a 4R
3. comparable off road gear to the tacoma
4. easy to modify rear of 4R for a single bed on 1 side and cooking/storage on other side
5. add a decked storage area in the back 4R, slide out trays and #4 on top the trays
6. get 16mpg city and 19-21mpg highway in my 4R Limited, better than the tacoma did
7. lots of room for a dog in the rear while traveling with seats down or removed

 

Then the tacoma is perfect for you. I haven't been 5'8" since the 4th grade lol.

 

My wife is 5'2. she said tacoma is too small. so we got a Tundra. we wants all the room in the back lol Interior is even bigger than our crewcab F250

 

I have a first gen Tacoma and a second gen Tundra. My Tacoma is a fun little truck but it doesn't fit the whole family, and with 33's it feels gutless, especially driving through the mountains. I much prefer the Tundra when it comes to doing truck stuff. The full size cab lets me take the whole family when we go out, and the long box means I can do any truck stuff I want without any issues. The long wheelbase is also much nicer than on the Tacoma.

If a Tacoma is good enough for what you need, go for it. You'll save on gas and might have an easier time parking. Personally I'd rather have the Tundra, at least until the price of gas goes up again.

 

new taco coming 2023 tho

 

where did you get that?

 

https://youtu.be/OTqnxoMxxw0

 

that's a tundra double cab...

 

They may use same frame, watch the video

 

sent you a pm

 

I have a ‘21 Taco and a Tundra. The Taco is supposed to be for my son but I drive it more than the Tundra.,much easier to navigate it and it drives great. The complaining about the engine is silly for it drives just fine. Not as spacious as the Tundra but again it’s just fine. My 6’3” Son has no problem at all. This is also without a sunroof which does add a couple of inches of headroom.

 

Would check out a Chevy Colorado ZR2 if was in the market to downsize from a Tundra to a midsize if off-road capability is part of your deciding factor as mentioned in your original post. Front and rear locking diff, solid suspension setup, nicer interior, all come with this package; they are really nice mid-sized trucks. I love my Tundra, but would seriously be cross-shopping a Tacoma TRD Pro with the ZR2 if I was looking for a smaller 4x4 truck…I know some will see this as sacrilege to say on a Toyota forum

 

I understand the wanting to downsize as we were getting rid of our 2500HD and were looking for something smaller. I had the Colorado ZR2 Bison AEV with the Duramax at the top of my list, that was until I drove one. Wasn't really satisfied with the little diesel, sure it felt like it could pull a house, but it wasn't very responsive. The V6 was better, but still not what I'd hoped. Ergonomics was another thing, just never felt comfortable in the vehicle. The biggest problem was the way the non-functional hood scoop blocked the frontal view. I'm 6'1" and would not feel comfortable taking that thing off road. I could more easily see over and across the hood of my 2500HD than I could the ZR2. Next up was the Tacoma. Was planning on getting an Off Road with the 6' bed, and had some concerns with the towing in the mountains, but what really sunk it was the ride. Around town the Tacoma seemed fine, once I took it out on some rough roads things got unattractive. Wasn't going to spend that kind of money for that rough a ride. So much for downsizing, the Tundra is a little smaller than the 2500HD, but not that much.

 

Had both. Really loved the Taco, but rear leg room was a problem for growing family sooved to Tundra. Moved from Tundra to HD truck for payload reasons, buta that another story.

 

4Runner is just a wildly better overall vehicle than the Tacoma. Especially if it’s just you and your dog camping / daily driving.

signed,
Previous owner of two Tacomas