Why does the Tacoma get more love from Toyota?

I was with my buddy today who has a 2017 Tacoma TRD 4x4. That thing had auto up/down on both front windows, a sunroof, power slide rear window, rear window defrost, a leather wrapped steering wheel, push button start, turn signals on the side mirrors, and the door lock things where you can just grab the outside door handle with the key in your pocket. Not to mention all the crawl control gadget stuff. My question is... what the hell Toyota? Lol. I want all of those things. And the Tacoma wasn't even a "platinum" type trim... it still had cloth seats just like my SR5. I know these things can be had on a Tundra with a higher trim level, but it seems like they come on the Tacoma even on the SR5 equivalent. Don't get me wrong, I love the truck, and his Tacoma is nice too, but come on man! Give us some more love over here, Toyota. Lol. At least I had the 5.7 to rub in his face.

 

Big market for the smaller trucks and keeping up with competitors.

 

What has more sales around the world?

 

Ah, yes. Makes senses, all valid answers. But if they would just put that amount of money and attention into the Tundra like they do the Tacoma, wouldn't it then make it more competitive, which would in turn make it sell more?

I guess I'm not really saying anything that hasn't already been said

 

Tacoma is the best selling small truck also

 

4th gen will have all the goodies ...with the price tag...

 

Yup! Exactly what I was thinking. The Tacoma costs about the same as a tundra at the moment. Just wait until the tundra has all those fun do dads, it’ll be comparable in price to the Tacoma. but since the tundra is larger it will be a larger price tag!

 

They put it on the Taco first, then when it's refined and all the bugs worked out, it can go on the Tundra...

 

I actually figured the gap between the two would be bigger. I see lots of Tacomas but Tundras are a bit rarer. I know there are huge amounts of brand loyalty with full size trucks from the "big 3" and it must be difficult for Toyota to break into that with the Tundra.

 

Me too, would have thought tacoma sales were 2-3x more than the tundra.

 

I don’t know what is available in the tundras currently. I have a 2013 trd or. I recently bought a 2018 trd OR tacoma and I was blown away with how much more ‘convenient’ the options were. As you said auto roll up windows. The smart key and push button start. These things are nice for the casual driver but for someone who drives all day for work and making anywhere from 20-30 stops each day all the extra seconds saves from any mundane little activity such as fumbling for keys in my pocket or holding a window up button for 20 seconds really adds up when you have to do it so many times in a day. I absolutely love my tacoma, but once I get in my tundra and go for a ride I absolutely love it as well for other reasons...

Toyota really needs an option for SC on the tacoma and locker on the tundra imo. I know it will never happen.

 

I had a 2016 TRD Sport Tacoma prior to my Tundra, and the amenities were nice, but the options on the Tundra are similar enough that I don't miss anything form the Taco. Really that was a great looking truck, I could just never warm up to the transmission. I'm glad, though, as it led me to my Tundra, which is damn near perfect.

 

Hopefully they don't fuck up and cut useable power in the "new' Tundra like they did in the Taco. Drove me to the Tundra when I was looking in 16. Never looked back.

 

I had a 2016 Tacoma Off Road and can NOT tell you how disappointed I was with that Acheson Cycle engine transmission combo. That thing was the dog of dogs in all but wide open throttle. Toyota worked overtime on it to maximize mpg. The resale is the best in the industry but I’d think long and hard about purchasing another and that’s coming from a guy that’s owned 4 Tacoma and 4 Tundra. Maybe the 6 speed manual is the way to go????

 

The only thing I wish my tundra had that the Tacoma has is the locking rear diff. Everything else you’ve mentioned I can deal without, but......everyone’s different

 

Personally, I like not having all of the latest wizbang gizmos. It's just one more thing that can break or another expense when it does break. Matter of fact I kind of wish my Tundra had manual hubs and a shifter for the transfer case instead of a switch.
Dont get me wrong, a lot of the new gizmos are cool, though. I do play with all of the knobs and switches in my wifes 4Runner.

 

That was a part of the reason why I bought now. Though I am under the impression the Tundra will be the same in 2019, I keep hearing rumblings of a redesign, perhaps for 2020. After my experience with the Tacoma I became incredibly wary of Toyota redesigns.

 

Resale on my 2016 Tacoma was good, but I have a friend with a 2015 who has similar miles on it and his was fetching over $2000 more on trade in. That a Gen 2 has a higher resale tells me the cat is starting to come out of the bag on the Gen 3 Tacoma. Time will tell. The dealer put mine on the lot and had it priced almost $6K higher than what they gave me (and what they gave me was flat blue book) and appears to have sold it already.

 

And honestly the mpgs weren’t that impressive.

 

6 speed manual made no difference for me on my tacoma, I had a 16 manaul trd sport and a 2017 trd pro before my 2018 tundra and both had super high rpms on the highway compared to my tundra that does it with ease. I did love the tacomas for the size and how easy it is to drive, but you cant beat that 5.7 under the hood of the tundra

 

The only thing I'm miss from owning Tacoma's is the manual transmission. I had a 2016 M/T Taco and my 14 Tundra at the same time. I loved driving the manual, but the new 3.5 has no low end. It sucks compared to the 5.7 big time. I'd love to have the Tundra in a M/T though. CarMax gladly took the Taco off my hands and I was happy with the offer since the Taco's hold there value so well.

 

Idk man I get ~22mpg at 70mph with 10ply tires on my third gen taco and have no problem keeping up with flow of traffic and overtaking other vehicles. I do use ECT PWR all the time tho.

I mean it certainly doesn’t giddyup like the 5.7 but dog of all dogs is a bit extreme. Not sure if you have ever driven a truly ‘underpowered’ vehicle.

I had an FJ and I recently testdrove a new t4r and to me all of them had a similar feel. Strong, solid, heavy not exactly ‘peppy’... but I wouldn’t call them slow either...

 

I opened 4 because my rear axle would lock up after they replaced my transmission... but of course I got the "we couldn't replicate it so theres nothing wrong". and of course I always got my truck back dirty inside and out.

 

Gotcha. Wasn’t sure if it was you but saw someone said the mpgs weren’t that good. I can see what you mean. I have put it in sequential mode or whatever but honestly it will still downshift when I don’t want it to sometimes.

Idk. Now I am probably going to pay a bunch more attention to it and it will bug the crap out of me. Thx. Lol