2013 Tacoma Help Needed
- Thread starter Nick B
- Start date
2025 deleted member
Well-known member
Do you have future plans for the truck, like suspension mods? If so don't waste your money on the TRD. I almost bought a 2012 but I just couldn't get over the low seating position. I am 6'2" and it just felt like I was driving a car. So I ended up with a FJC instead.
I bought a '12 Tacoma TRD Off-Road last year and love my truck so far. I've put on a 3" Old Man Emu lift kit, sliders, bigger tires and a camper shell. Very happy I bought the TRD Off-Road. The locker, better seats (over the sr-5), ATRAC system made it worth it for me to get the off-road.
I have had or used three 2nd gen tacos in the past few years, all were V6s.
2010 TRD extended cab with a 6 speed manual - The locking diff is nice on the TRD package but that's most of what your paying for. I am not a fan of the rugged terrain BFG tires that it comes with. The 6 ft bed is the best one for camping but you will never have passengers that arn't kid sized in the back seats. Averaged 17mpg w regular gas.
212 double cab SR5 automatic - it had everything I wanted in options, fog lights, cruise control, tow hitch and I got one with rubber mats. I put too much weight on it with skids plates , CES 42 gallon gas tank, roof rack and topper and tools. The stock suspension should have been replaced with a OME suspension and the 17" FJ steel wheels and E rated 245 75 R17 tires weighed way too much. Averaged 16.5 -18 mpg.
2013 double cab SR5 with a 6 speed manual - Mirror image of the 2012 except for a stick shift. I am also using a stock sized BFG TA (245 75 R16) on stock alloys to save on some weight. THe stock shocks are getting thrown away next week and replaced with bilstien 5100s. I am also upgrading the brakes, adding a topper, roof rack and bed slide. getting 16-21 mpg
The stick shift does get old in traffic but it really puts the power where you want it. I was very skeptical of Toyota's 100k mile automatic transmission fluid changes (I would recommend 30k fluid changes).
Overall these trucks are really solid you can buy one and just drive it and have a blast. if you are going to be off-road a lot they do need some "finishing" and a real suspension installed in them. Tall/fat tires look cool but will hurt your gas mileage.
Good luck with your rig!
2010 TRD extended cab with a 6 speed manual - The locking diff is nice on the TRD package but that's most of what your paying for. I am not a fan of the rugged terrain BFG tires that it comes with. The 6 ft bed is the best one for camping but you will never have passengers that arn't kid sized in the back seats. Averaged 17mpg w regular gas.
212 double cab SR5 automatic - it had everything I wanted in options, fog lights, cruise control, tow hitch and I got one with rubber mats. I put too much weight on it with skids plates , CES 42 gallon gas tank, roof rack and topper and tools. The stock suspension should have been replaced with a OME suspension and the 17" FJ steel wheels and E rated 245 75 R17 tires weighed way too much. Averaged 16.5 -18 mpg.
2013 double cab SR5 with a 6 speed manual - Mirror image of the 2012 except for a stick shift. I am also using a stock sized BFG TA (245 75 R16) on stock alloys to save on some weight. THe stock shocks are getting thrown away next week and replaced with bilstien 5100s. I am also upgrading the brakes, adding a topper, roof rack and bed slide. getting 16-21 mpg
The stick shift does get old in traffic but it really puts the power where you want it. I was very skeptical of Toyota's 100k mile automatic transmission fluid changes (I would recommend 30k fluid changes).
Overall these trucks are really solid you can buy one and just drive it and have a blast. if you are going to be off-road a lot they do need some "finishing" and a real suspension installed in them. Tall/fat tires look cool but will hurt your gas mileage.
Good luck with your rig!
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
You don't know squat about them but you're thinking of buying one? Why?
2025 deleted member
Well-known member
You might look at the Nissan frontier as well. The only problems I found with the frontier was the lower hanging frame, and a smaller more upright back seating position. But they are priced a lot better when new than a Toyota.
1 Bored Clerk
Explorer
I just bought a 2013 AC, TRD OR, Auto. It's a great truck. These new trucks seem so low, though. Maybe because they are also wider and longer than the previous gen tacomas. Anyway, the Off-road package comes with a lot of stuff I wanted: Locking rear diff (obviously), DAC (downhill assist control - Auto only), A-TRAC, Tow package (with trans cooler), prewired for a trailer brake controller, rear bed power outlet (used the one in my FJ a grand total of once), and all the interior nonsense you could want (backup camera and outside temp guage is sweet). I used to have a 2007 FJ Cruiser that I bought new. It was a nice truck and I had a lot of fun with it, but autos suck when going down a really steep hill. They just take off...no hold back. Plus, the electric assist brakes with their own 'brain' makes smooth braking VERY difficult. So, I was pumped to see DAC on the Tacoma. Haven't had the truck long enough to go test it out but I have high hopes. It could suck, but I figure it has to be better than not having it.
I like the look of the exterior on the Nissans much better than the Tacoma but the Nissan interior just doesn't do it for me...since I see the interior more than the exterior, I'll take my Tacoma.
I like the look of the exterior on the Nissans much better than the Tacoma but the Nissan interior just doesn't do it for me...since I see the interior more than the exterior, I'll take my Tacoma.
There's always a negative one in every crowd . Maybe I should of said I don't know much about the Tacoma's current build quality and ride . I haven't owned one.
But I have owned:
3 Chevy 4x4 trucks
3 Jeeps,last one a Rubicon
1 Ford Raptor
Currently own a 4Runner Trail Edition. ( love it )
XTerra Off Road. Nice but the gas mileage sucks
So now I want to add a truck to the fleet . I miss having one . Other than changing the tires it will probably remain stock . No hills or rocks here, just trails in the state and national forests .
Some have said the seating in the new Tacoma's is not very good . Being someone with a back injury I'm interested in any 6 footers who can comment on this .
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Not negative, just curious. You said you didn't know squat about them but were thinking of buying one.
"I don't know anything about this product but I'm thinking of throwing down 30 grand to buy one."
That sounds odd, doesn't it? Hence my curiosity.
Other than using it as a 'daily driver' you didn't give us much to go on.
But now that you've elaborated, the question makes a bit more sense.
So would the Taco replace the 4runner? I miss having a truck bed sometimes, although I've found that a small utility trailer can be a good substitute.
Coming from a 4runner I can say you would probably consider the Taco to be a little bit "stripped down' seeing as how the 4runners are generally loaded up with a lot of features. That could be good or bad depending on your preferences.
Thanks for clearing up your earlier post . No the 4Runner is staying .We love it . I just miss having a truck so I'm going to let the Xterra go . The fit and finish on the 4Runner is so nice I'm hoping the same thing for the Tacoma .
You said you didn't know squat about them but were thinking of buying one.
"I don't know anything about this product but I'm thinking of throwing down 30 grand to buy one."
That sounds odd, doesn't it? Hence my curiosity.
Other than using it as a 'daily driver' you didn't give us much to go on.
But now that you've elaborated, the question makes a bit more sense.
So would the Taco replace the 4runner? I miss having a truck bed sometimes, although I've found that a small utility trailer can be a good substitute.
Coming from a 4runner I can say you would probably consider the Taco to be a little bit "stripped down' seeing as how the 4runners are generally loaded up with a lot of features. That could be good or bad depending on your preferences.
ReadyForAdventure
Observer
I own a 2012 TRD Sport DCLB, the only issue I have with it is the stiffer 'sport' suspension (not sure if it's any different with the TRD Off Road). I have Load Range E tires with the stock suspension and if I hit a bump too hard I can really feel it up my back. It's only temporary though, I plan to upgrade the suspension at the end of this summer. Also, I wish there was a built-in mpg reader in the nav or console or something along those lines.
-RFA
-RFA
I just picked up a 2013 Double Cab TRD OR last month. I love the truck so far, but it doesn't even compare to our 5th gen 4Runner. There are a lot of things I would love to have in the Tacoma that the 4Runner has.....Shiftable auto, trip computer, power seats, moon roof, just to name a few. But I also wouldn't want to pay 40K for a midsize truck either, which the Tacoma would cost with all these features. Just like someone mentioned before, the Tacoma does feel stripped down compared to the 4Runner. But they are different vehicles for different purposes. The salesperson pointed out that the 4Runner is more of a passenger car hence all the extra goodies.
Big_Geek
Drop Bear
I'm 6'2" tall and have a 2013 Taco DC TRD OR. I love the truck. I optioned it out with basically everything except heated seats. For a tall person (most of my height is in my back as opposed to my legs), the only thing I wish I could change (and I may figure out a way to do it at some point) is the seat height. I wish I could lower the seat a few inches. Other than that, this has been the perfect truck for me.
I took this truck, bone stock, on the test trail that I used to run my heavily-modified Jeep Cherokee to test new component installs and it performed much better than I expected. It easily conquered moderate terrain and mud in much more comfort than I am used to. Performance off-road with the OME lift kit and Dakar rear leafs is superb, especially when carrying a load.
Aftermarket support is nowhere near as prevalent as in the Jeep world, but I think what is available is generally of high quality and better-suited to overland travel than extreme offroad driving.
I took this truck, bone stock, on the test trail that I used to run my heavily-modified Jeep Cherokee to test new component installs and it performed much better than I expected. It easily conquered moderate terrain and mud in much more comfort than I am used to. Performance off-road with the OME lift kit and Dakar rear leafs is superb, especially when carrying a load.
Aftermarket support is nowhere near as prevalent as in the Jeep world, but I think what is available is generally of high quality and better-suited to overland travel than extreme offroad driving.