Tacoma DCLB vs. Tundra DCLB and Flippac for growing family with bikes and dog

[JCMatthews]

Here is my question: Will a family of 3-4 with a dog really need the extra space of the 8' Tundra LB? Now that I write all this, I can't see how we could get away with anything smaller than the Tundra LB but it would sure be nice to drive the smaller vehicle if any of you can talk me in to it. What are your experiences? Does working with a smaller space solve other problems I'm not thinking of?

Do you need a new truck? If not look for a first generation DC Tundra. Mine has the 6.5 ft. bed. I have three kids, and we do great. I'd love to have a flip pac as well, but we sleep under the shell, and on the ground. We have taken it on a few rough roads, and it performs well. We just got back from a trip in Canyonlands where we camped at The Dollhouse. We were with three Tacomas. When we finally made it to camp, they all stated that they wished they had a Tundra, because they were amazed at how well it had done, how much more comfortable it appeared, and how much more it could carry (after a short discussion they decided that is was just the grass is always greener syndrome). I see high teens in my mileage w/285s, and love the V8 power. My kids love the big back seat.

 

[fowldarr]

I have the 2012 crewmax, bench seat up front, family of six, two dogs, fits all of us fine. However, in your position, I would go with JC. An 06 dc (4 real doors), 6.5 ft bed. Seems to be the perfect compromise for what you are looking for.

 

[austintaco]

I think its been discussed before, but the previous generation of Tundra is very close in size to the current Tacoma, but with V8 power. I think it gets overlooked by people thinking that it's not a full size, but that's what makes it unique. Nice truck,


If you decide to go the Tundra route, this popped up on CL

https://wyoming.craigslist.org/cto/4367395277.html

 

[RK-WAR]

I think the fully kitted Tacomas are dead sexy and make for great expedition rigs for solo travellers or two up. No doubt you can fit more, but space is at a premium. I absolutely love my 2013 Crewmax Rock Warror Tundra. It eats up the highway miles in comfort (I've done 1200 mile trips with no complaints from the wife and kiddo) and is pretty capable off road. The interior is damn near cavernous. Only downside is that you lose 1' of bed space from the Double Cab, but the bed size is more than sufficient 95% of the time. Buying a LB Tundra is probably overkill for your needs.

 

[GR8ADV]

Maybe every so often the size difference between these two would come into play as a problem or inconvenience, maybe. I enjoy more useable space every time I am out.

 

[character zero]

austintaco nailed it (hey, 512 here too!) - I really searched for the right platform after 1. My 05 Frontier Crew died and 2. the 4Runner was too....nice for what I wanted.
I went and drove all the major brands, the new Tundras and then some old ones. I looked at interior space and I knew from having the 4runner that I wanted something about that size...which got me more towards the tundra and not the Taco. With a family of 4 (me/wifey/7yo/5yo), I knew that space disappears quickly, expecially once I throw in all our mtn bike gear!
My 4runner ended up with racks all over the place...now I have a an NSR-4 for the Tundra, a shell over the bed and more space than I need. If you can find a nice used 1st gen, they're a bulletproof option and price has taken a hit (at least here in TX) with the 2014s rolling out.

And the v8 is really that much better than the 6. I know the 6 gets the job done, but there is no comparison.

Good luck with the search.

 

[JCMatthews]

I thought that I would clear up any questions about the differences in a first generation DC Tundra and a second generation Tacoma DC. For the purposes of the comparison I used an '05 Tundra, and a '10 Tacoma in both Short bed and Long bed' I chose the '10 Taco because I assumed most gen 2 Tacos are very close. I chose the 1st gen Tundra, because I am not really a fan of the 2nd Gen Tundras and the gen 1 Tundras are closer in size to the 2nd gen Tacos. Where there is not data for the long bed Taco it is the same as the short bed. All of his information and more may be found @ cars.com.

EDIT: This had nice easy to read columns until I posted it. Hope that it is clear enough.


...............................................,,‘05 DC Tundra...............'10 DC Tacoma SB.........................'10 Taco Long Bed
Engine /Displacement l./ in3..........4.7 V8 285.6...........................4.0 V6 241
Horse Power/Torque.....................282 / 325...............................236 / 266
Fuel Economy City/Hwy.................15 / 18...................................14 / 18
Fuel Capacity...............................26.4 gal...................................21.0 gal.
Curb Weight Lbs.........................4,965......................................4,035......................................4,100
Payload Lbs.............................1,635......................................1,415......................................1,350
Towing Lbs.............................4,700......................................3,500
Exterior Length In.......................230.1......................................208.1.......................................221.3
Width In.............................79.7........................................74.6
Height In.............................74.4........................................70.1
Wheelbase In.............................140.5......................................127.8.......................................140.9
Approach Angle Degrees.....................26...........................................35
Departure Angle Degrees....................23...........................................26............................................25
Ground Clearance In...........................11.9.........................................9.4

The power and torque is in the Tundra's favor. The fuel economy is almost identical slightly favoring the Tundra in the city. However, mileage between fill ups would be in favor of the Tundra due to its larger fuel tank (out in BFE this would be very important). Payload and towing goes to the Tundra. The size differences between the two trucks are just a few inches in all directions. However the size differences translate to the Tundra having a larger more comfortable interior and larger bed. While the Tacoma short bed would be more nimble in town and off-road, the long bed will have a worse breakover angle than the Tundra because of its lower ground clearance and almost identical wheelbase. These are the reasons why I chose a 1st. gen. Tundra DC. The numbers are even better for my needs when compared to a 1st gen. Tacoma DC which is what I really really wanted.

 

[JCMatthews]

This thread has been quiet for a while, so I thought I'd bring it back. I wish I had taken pictures the other night, but when I was in rescue mod I forgot my camera and my phone died. However one more plug for the Tundra, I had a friend call me who had broken down, and need help. I ended up borrowing a Big Tex car hauler, loading His '03 Honda Odyssey mini van on it and hauling it 80 miles. We traveled up Price Canyon and through Spanish Fork Canyon which has a step climb with an elevation gain of almost 1500 ft. My truck surprised me with how well it handled the load. It was almost effortless. This would have been doable with a Taco, but much more sketchy.