I had a chance to compare DC backseats on 3rd gen vs 2.5

On a recent trip, there was a 22 with DC option, nearly unusable back there except for storage or little kids. Was also in a gen 2.5 DC and while it was cozy, it was reasonable ( I wouldn’t want to take long road trip back there, but occasional small trip would be fine) very much glad we got the Cmax for our truck. So they got the 6.5 bed which has its pluses- with a rear seat delete that would make a great work truck for locked tool storage. Anyway, it’s was pretty interesting being able to compare them side by side.

 

Thanks, the fishing was pretty good also

 

After seeing in the flesh, yep, or just made it storage with some fold down jumper seats.

 

New Tundra DC backseat space look the same as the current Tacoma DC.

 

On paper, the 2.5 DC has 1.4" more rear legroom than the Gen 3.

As for the "trucks aren't people haulers" comment, welcome to 2015 - pickups are everything-haulers. I propose that anything other than crew cabs shouldn't exist.

 

Yeah, why does Toyota hate drywallers?! Lol. Seriously though, I do agree that a regular cab long bed should exist.

As far as the crewmax goes, I think of it as the jack-of-all-trades master-of-none.

• I can haul an actual yard of mulch in the bed and my family of 5 plus a 60lb dog in the cab at the same time.
• I take my kids to school, and I've taken all 6 of us across the country to ride Imogene Pass.
• I can fit the huge amount of gear I use for work in my backseat, as it needs to be climate controlled.
• I've hauled 12' lumber and 960 lb of quikcrete (12 x 80 lb), all 5 of our bikes, etc, our entire dispersed camping rig under a retractable bed cover, etc.

Only a crewcab shortbed truck sits at the intersection of all those tasks. If I didn't use the bed very often, I'd be in a Land Cruiser, and I'd use a utility trailer when needed. Wish I could talk my wife into a Sienna. It would save me some fuel costs. She's in her own 200 series, lol

 

I'm going to have to 100% disagree with you there. I love my DC and wouldn't trade it for a single cab or a Crewmax. It fits my use case perfectly. I want a standard bed (6.5') because of the flexibility of that length. 6.5' closed or 8' with the tailgate down. It's the way trucks were meant to be (IMO).

Having owned single cab trucks, I don't think would ever go back to one. I like using the rear seat area for in-cab storage (yes...even with my bed cap) and the ease of access to that additional storage via the rear doors. To be honest, I wish truck makers would offer a factory rear delete setup as an option for the DCs. Something similar to the functionality of what Shawnee Hills Offroad or Mule Expedition offers.

I agree that DC trucks aren't people haulers. I'm fine with that. I think Toyota leaned slightly more into that idea with the 3rd Gen by reducing the legroom of the DC. I'm sure they figured that most buyers who want to haul people will get a CrewMax. While my sample size is small, I've known a several other Double Cab/Extended Cab/Access Cab owners of various trucks (Toyos, Fords, Chevys, etc). Very few of seemed to ever care or worry about people sitting back there. They bought them for the additional in-cab storage.

My view of the use cases is like this:

• DCs are for truck people who do truck stuff and place their priority on hauling of things vs people.
• CMs are for families who want to supplement/replace a SUV and place their priority on people vs hauling things.
• CMs + 6.5’ are for truck people who also have families and want the best of both worlds.
• DCs with the long bed are for the tradesmen of the world and are the only people keeping the 8' bed platforms alive. I thank them for keeping it alive, even if I don't think I'll ever own an 8' bed.

 

DC owner here, too. I chose this configuration twice now, because I want the bed space. 80% of my driving is me solo. 19% my wife is riding along, and maybe 1% of the time my kids (both driving their own vehicles now) might go somewhere with me.
The 2.5 gen double cab can still easily haul 2 adults in the back. Long trips wouldn't be amazing, but 2 hours or so isn't bad. I'm 6'2, my wife is 6ft, and both my kids are well over 6ft and still growing.
It also has plenty of room to put cargo in the cab.
If I ever wanted to throw a shell on the back and sleep in it, I could. All with out having to sleep at an angle.
Dirt bikes, not a problem.
I just could never see myself with out a fullsize bed anymore.

 

Woah! Is that 16’? I’m not comfortable with more than 12’. Built custom shutters for my house out of these cedar 12 footers. They were sticking out less than 5’ with the tailgate down:


Did you ever do the rear window down, towel on the dash and another in place of the middle headrest trick and put loooong boards in the truck out the back window? It’s a good time. I don’t have any pics of that.

 

As far as my use goes, my post above details it. I fill the cab with people or gear that needs to be climate controlled, and I fill the bed with camping gear, mulch, rock, concrete, lumber, dead deer, bikes, etc. I need the big cab, and I need the bed, but I really value the way my best-in-class turn radius truck maneuvers, in the city where I commute/park for work and out on the trails where we camp dispersed. I call it our stealth camping rig because everything fits under the retractable bed cover. Our camping gear is basically three Plano trunks and a Dometic running on a house battery in the bed.

It’s nice that Toyota listened to their customers and started offering the CM6.5, but it would not work nearly as well for my use (daily driver, jack of all trades, nimble off-roader). The CM6.5 has all the maneuverability of an HD truck with like 1/4 the payload.

The one thing I wish Toyota would learn from Ford is offering a high payload package like the F150, especially since they don’t offer anything to compete in the HD segment.

 

360 degree type camera systems tricking down from luxury cars to trucks in recent years has me feeling very comfortable in crew cab 6 foot bed half tons now. I no longer see the need for bed vs cab space to be an either/or proposition.

 

Would you consider the Crewmax and 6.5 foot bed?

I guess its all relative to one’s needs. I daily my Daughter and her Car Seat with my Wife.

We have a 22 Sienna and her 2016 4runner. So we have the option. My wife loves the Tundra and prefers to be in it. She drives the 4runner literally anytime I have the Tundra. The Sienna never moves lol.

For us, its having the option. Crew Max or no Tundra at all was the option. On the other hand Crew Max with 6.5 foot bed is pretty dang long.