I want to start camping again. (The unintentional build)

I disagree with the so called “awful” driving dynamic of the Taco. As mentioned, the son’s ‘21 Taco drives great and has pep. Also sounds good as well with the overland exhaust. Granted, we do absolutely zero towing with it so i have no input on that. We use the Tundra for all towing.

I’ve looked at the new Frontier since the Nissan dealer is next door to the local Toyota dealer. As you said, it’s the shiny new toy but it is defiantly not a Tacoma and especially not a TRD Pro. I thought the fit and finish was inferior. I did not drive it so no comment there.

 

Ah, good info. As for the driving with the lift, bigger tires, rack, and bumper, does it feel slower? Is your son wanting to get a tune or regear?

 

Good info, and thank you for sharing. I didn't know that any had shipped with low tranny fluid either. Crazy!

As for other options, I really wanted a midsize when I got my Tundra to start with, so it's a bit of a nagging want surging up after coming to terms with the fact that I'll never get the fun car I always wanted. Actual needs would exclude the Maverick as a solo vehicle. It has an appeal, and I like it, but it won't do the off-roading that I know I'll be doing. I'd rather avoid a turbo 4 banger anyway, so that drops the Ranger. GM's forever on my shit list. This leaves me with Taco and Frontier in the midsize.

Both have good histories/reputations, but as I'm seeing it may not be so simple. If I don't get good vibes about either I'll stay where I am, but I wouldn't be sad in a midsize. I can count on one hand the number of times anyone has ever ridden in the back seat of the Tundra in 3 years, don't ever want a large trailer, thinking about going to a motorcycle instead of the RZR, and just need to haul my RTT, kayak, and whatever I have in the toy category (SxS or bike) and I'm all set. I think either of them could handle my needs perfectly well. Reliability is the major concern.

 

On his truck, the tires, rack and bumper has had zero affect on driving. However, this was by selection. The Tacoma does not give a lot of room for larger tires before needing a chop, so I put one size larger tires on his. Also, the Cooper Rugged Trek’s are LT rated and not E rated so the weight was lower than E’s. The bumper is aluminum and came in at 62lbs so no issue there.

I don’t doubt what @Squatting Pigeon reported for he’s a straight up guy but we have not experienced any of that with the son’s truck. Maybe we got lucky, I don’t know, but this truck has performed quite well.

 

Everyone's individual experiences have merit. I am delving into both to see what is right for me.

How many miles are on your son's truck?

 

So, this is a little interesting bit that popped up with some googling. https://lemberglaw.com/2022-toyota-tacoma-problems-complaints-lemon/

It's from a law firm that works to sue companies for issues. They have an obvious bias toward the vehicle being problematic because it puts bread on their table. You can practically hear them salivating as they talk about airbag recalls and they really push that "airbag issues cannot be take lightly."

With that predatory mindset, look at the issues they reported. They have a few, but a couple sound like possible idiot drivers (look at the collision avoidance ones), and others don't seem to add up to anything widespread when you take into account 250,000+ Tacomas built in 2021. Even if there were 1000 Taco's that had problems the overall success/reliability rate is huge. Combine that with the fact that under the heading of the 2022 Taco problems most of what I can find is "previous model year issues" that you should watch for. There appear to be fewer issues as the generation ages.

The 3rd gen appears to have had some serious growing pains (3rd gen Tundra is going through similar), but most of what I can find is the earlier years of the generation. By 2020 there had been numerous updates and recalls that seem to have addressed actual problems. Now, this doesn't change how the vehicle drives/feels, it is still a Taco, but the failures look like they've dwindled over the 6 model year span. The 2023 will be the 7th, and maybe it'll be lucky number 7?

 

He has about 20k on it now.

 

Hmm. The Ranger is actually rated pretty high in reliability. So, @Cpl_Punishment should I get a Ford?

 

Sounds like a good question for @Terndrerrr

Here are two articles that say opposite things, presumably based on similar data sources.

 

Bear in mind that the Dodge Dakota hasn't existed for many years and the GMC Sierra isn't a midsize.

 

I love data. I would need to see what they actually mean by reliable. How do they define it? What metrics do they use to judge it? I'm at the point now where I don't care at all what CR or JDP say. They want us all to trade in vehicles like we trade in iPhones.

It's hard with new vehicles to judge them mechanically on reliability because pretty much everything is made to at least get through the warranty period. At that point, design issues, tolerances, acceptable failure rates for various parts all come in to play.

The only one I really like is Dashboard Light, but even then, it is based only on drivetrain issues, and those don't tend to show up for a few years, so I take the above average ratings for vehicles that are ~5 years old or newer with a grain of salt. Especially when the same models that have been around a while are shown to have issues.

 

Valid points!

The one thing the Taco has going for it that no other midsize matches is resale. Especially in TRD Pro skin. It's the lowest risk, because even if you hate it after a year you can take a minimal loss and swap it out.

 

So what makes the Maverick better than the Ranger in your mind?

 

Manual

Not white

 

My cousin traded his Duramax Colorado on a Ridgeline for his work truck due to transmission problems. He kept his PowerStroke for a personal truck, though.

@GODZILLA I can't remember, is a 4R an option you're open to?

 

Yeah, I can't stand the cheap feel of the Chevy interior. The buttons are made out of horrible plastic and I've never seen a vehicles interior door panels just fall off.... except for the silverado's. They do all the time.

Not really interested in a 4 Runner. I've ridden and drive one enough to know that I like it, but I like the Tundra more if I'm going to drive a land barge. Still love my Tundra, too. I want to get some wheel time in a Taco and see if I really wanna do it, and even if I do they have to get me a killer deal. The most likely scenario is I'll want it, they won't make the deal, and I'll keep the Tundra.

 

@LarryDangerfield @Squatting Pigeon @BayRunner Any of you guys do maintenance on the 3rd gen? Easy as the Tundra?

 

Good to know. It's a smaller filter housing cap, though, isn't it? That'll make me sad. I love the Jowett one.

 

Part numbers are damn close and I was hoping they might have just been different because of the filter support. If I could transfer that to the Taco I'd be super happy.

 

Yup, what @LarryDangerfield and @Squatting Pigeon said, jist as easy as the Tundra.

 

I have the stock one (two actually) and I'll have to see if a dealership will let me look at the stock Taco one. If it's just the filter tube....

 

Ooooooh! Digging around I found that the aluminum housing that people swap onto the tundra is the one from the Venza. The Venza has had a few engines, and one of them is the same 3.5 that the current Taco has. There is hope!

 

Aaaaand the fumoto is the same.