Thinking about moving from Turd Gen Tacoma..

Went from taco to tundra.
Love the V8 growl, more space, more towing capacity.
MPG really not that much different: 15 vs 13.

 

Went To the dealership planning on downsizing from my 07 tundra to a double cab Tacoma and ended up with a 2020 crewmax tundra. Absolutely no regrets!!!!!!!!!!

 

Cool.

 

I had a bad feeling about the 3rd gen Taco. Moved from a 2015 Taco and have no regrets whatsoever, the gas bill isn't as bad as you might think unless you're riding +35" tires without re-gear, the 4.0L is as thirsty as the 5.7L so I was already used to it.
Size is of course a factor, it's unfriendly in tight spaces, but TBH, the Tundy doesn't feel as big as it is, the turning raidus is great for a truck as long as it is. CrewMax is a limo, your passengers will love you for it.
Don't cheap out and get good shocks! OEM's are easy to overload yet bouncy when unloaded.

the only bad thing I can say about the 5.7 is the cartridge fuel filter. They're messy.

 

I went from a 2.7 4 banger 2nd gen to a 5.7. As I stated, I only regret when the gas is $6…lol

 

I thought I was in the clear, early adopter, had a 01, 08, 11, 15 Tacoma bought a 2016 in September of 2015 thinking why not, traded eventually for the 2020 but was lucky to never be out of warranty or over 40k miles on any of my turd gens except this one. I used to do fluids, plugs, oil changes, suspension all the goodies on my 2nd gens, sure it was archaic but I loved the simplicity and reliability. Im starting to get some unsettling feelings with the 3rd gens as I see them creep up in mileage, I do like the cool little gizmos but I can do without too. I told my wife, you like all that stuff till you cant fix it yourself and the dealer is charging you $800 for a part and $300 to calibrate it and $167 to diagnose it.

My family lives in IL still and we do family vacations to IL, TX, Disney, SC often, usually we take the wife's hybrid Rav4 but the few times we did the Tacoma it sucked, definitely not a road trip type of vehicle. I wouldnt mind having room for my family and comfort for long drives during the year.

 

Tundra im considering: https://www.toyotaofbowlinggreen.co...1-Toyota-Tundra+4WD-Limited-5TFHY5F15MX006866

My current ride: 2020 TRD Offroad in Cement, fully loaded minus advanced tech, 45k miles original owner

 

Great taste! Here is my old 2020.

 

Right, makes it hard to let her go, I still like looking at her on the regular, plus they don't make Cement anymore!

 

MPGs depend on how you drive. At 65mph my 2016 Tacoma would return about 21mph vs. 17-18 in the Tundra. At 75 they both are at about 17. City the Tacoma is maybe 2 mpg better. The Taco had ATs vs. Ps on my Tundra.

Offroading the Tundra is a joke for me. Just too big. The Tundra is way more comfortable on the highway and in the city the Tacoma wins for parking and maneuvering.

Both tucks were kept close to stock with no lifts, larger tires, etc.

I had an access cab Tacoma which had more bed space and payload than my Tundra. The double cabs are about the same I believe but the Tundra bed is deeper.

 

'16 tacoma sport to '21 tundra pro.

Would never go back.

 

I can attest to this situation as I have a daughter that will be here in 4 months. Just traded my 2019 Tacoma in. (traded my 2015 tacoma in on that) Yes a car seat would have fit but it would not have been ideal. So it gave me a reason to look for a tundra. Managed to find a 2019 with 29k on it. I have had it for 3 days and I wish I had made the switch sooner. My tacoma was lifted 3 inches with 33's. Living in the mountains it made cruise control virtually impossible to use without it hunting for gears or getting stuck at a high rpm. Even with a KBmax tune on it. On a good day, I would get 16 mpg highway out of the Tacoma and that was no cruise control. With cruise control I was lucky to get 14. I can finally enjoy using cruise control again, and on the way home from the dealer I was getting 16.3 mpg. I also tow a 4x8 harbor freight trailer with fishing kayaks on it. With the tacoma, it was very noticeable when the trailer was back there. I highly doubt that will be the case with the tundra. The tundra rides better and has wayyy more space. My humble opinion, send it.

 

Thanks dude! I think my only regret would be getting rid of the Tacoma, do love the old girl, but shes about to need brakes, fluids, and be out of all warranties, etc.

 

Good point on the terrain/geography. I have a couple of tall bridges (over rivers) and a few pretty quick climbs of 75-100 ft elevation, but it is much flatter than the mountains. I don't know where the OP lives. My numbers are from Fuelly. I used to get 15-16 until I changed my driving habits. I realized that I was saving, at most, 1-2 minutes on my commute. At today's gas prices, those are expensive minutes.

 

Im unfortunately in Birmingham, AL...(married an AL girl).

 

LOTS of hills!

 

Up by her folks yes, but we just bought a house in Trussville and I work downtown at VA and Childrens of AL, so pretty flat.

 

@zachmx keep in mind the later 5.7 Tundras had the transmission cooler deleted, so if you plan to tow regularly you will likely want to add one.

Also, the Tundra is a great tow rig for SMALL trailers. If you want slide outs, and more than 22 feet of camper you will be better off looking for an HD truck. Read up on payload.

Have you considered keeping the Taco for a couple years and setting aside the $100 peronth as a repair fund or to purchase an extended warranty?

Not trying to dissuade you. I adore my Tundra. I'm just trying to get you to set aside worries and maybes to really look at this with a clear and honest perspective. Only you know what will be best for your situation, but there's tons of people that upsized to a Tundra and were then disappointed because they didn't actually do any research.

 

Appreciate the insight. We wouldnt be doing any big campers, just a small one no slide outs and hauling my dirt bike every once and awhile. Thats currently where I'm at, invest in the Tacoma ride it out and see where the market goes in a few years and maybe even a newer 3rd gen Tundra or bite the bullet while trade in is good and rates havent skyrocketed yet on a clean low mile 2.5 gen tundra.

 

Good point

 

Have you considering buying a tundra a few years older, maybe higher mileage? These trucks are damn near bulletproof. I bought my 14 platinum with 172k on it, one owner with service records for a hell of a deal (pre covid, Nov 2019) currently has 246k.