Increasing Tacoma's GVWR

[DaveInDenver]

I think it's more of a question of logistics than anything else. If they can get their parts catalog to overlap enough, and get them produced & delivered where needed cheaply enough, maybe it'll happen. I just don't think they'll be in a position to do that mid-product cycle.

Mid-cycle for which? The current Hilux was introduced in 2015 and the Tacoma in 2016 so they are essentially already product cycle sync'd. I think the 3rd gen Tacoma was a rushed product not terribly different than the new U.S. Ranger, sort of space fillers until a significant generational revision.

I will say I like the looks of the Tacoma much better than the Hilux.

I agree that the 7th gen (your top photo, 2004-2015) is a little to cartoonish but the 8th gen (your bottom photo, 2015+) Hilux I think looks fine. I like the 2nd gen Tacoma except for the wheel wells but really don't care for the high hood and huge grill of the 3rd gen Tacoma. They both have a lot of chin and space ahead of the engine and radiator, I assume to be "pedestrian-friendly." So a 4th gen Tacoma/9th gen Hilux that keeps a bit of both could I think work.

 

[shade]

Mid-cycle for which? The current Hilux was introduced in 2015 and the Tacoma in 2016 so they are essentially already product cycle sync'd. I think the 3rd gen Tacoma was a rushed product not terribly different than the new U.S. Ranger, sort of space fillers until a significant generational revision.

Mid-cycle for trucks that have a history of long product cycles. I doubt Toyota will roll out a 4th gen Tacoma or 9th gen Hilux in the next year or two, but it doesn't hurt that there's some competition for a change, so maybe sooner than later.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Mid-cycle for trucks that have a history of long product cycles. I doubt Toyota will roll out a 4th gen Tacoma or 9th gen Hilux in the next year or two, but it doesn't hurt that there's some competition for a change, so maybe sooner than later.

The shortest Hilux life span was 4 years (1984-1988) and the longest 11 years (2004-2015), so I don't think any conclusion can really be gleaned. The last couple of generations have been about a decade and the Prado/4Runner/GX/150 platform started in 2009 so *probably* the next revision will be to them. But if some or all trucks are to converge on a shared TNGA a 7 or 8 year generation for both Tacoma and Hilux (being introduced a year or two behind Prado/4Runner) wouldn't be historically all that unusual. Not sure if a new Tundra would be before or after a new Tacoma, though. Toyota also mixes in facelifts midway to push out a generation, which just happened in 2020 with the Tacoma, right? So that sort of hints at a new Tacoma in or around 2022 or 2023. Plus the 3rd gen was more like a 2.5 gen since the chassis (frame & suspension anyway) was carried over with a different engine and new sheet metal.

 

[shade]

The shortest Hilux life span was 4 years (1984-1988) and the longest 11 years (2004-2015), so I don't think any conclusion can really be gleaned. The last couple of generations have been about a decade and the Prado/4Runner/GX/150 platform started in 2009 so *probably* the next revision will be to them. But if some or all trucks are to converge on a shared TNGA a 7 or 8 year generation for both Tacoma and Hilux (being introduced a year or two behind Prado/4Runner) wouldn't be historically all that unusual. Not sure if a new Tundra would be before or after a new Tacoma, though. Toyota also mixes in facelifts midway to push out a generation, which just happened in 2020 with the Tacoma, right? So that sort of hints at a new Tacoma in or around 2022 or 2023. Plus the 3rd gen was more like a 2.5 gen since the chassis (frame & suspension anyway) was carried over with a different engine and new sheet metal.

I'm pretty excited about the 4th gen Tacoma. I think they'll make more of an effort to set it apart from the field, now that they've seen the competition. Ideally, the 5th gen will be as solid as the 1st gen, since that's probably in line with my replacement cycle.

 

[phsycle]

Hilux just looks boring to me is all. Wish they modeled it after the 70-series. ie. more utilitarian look.

 

[roving1]

I like the 2nd gen Tacoma except for the wheel wells but really don't care for the high hood and huge grill of the 3rd gen Tacoma. They both have a lot of chin and space ahead of the engine and radiator, I assume to be "pedestrian-friendly." So a 4th gen Tacoma/9th gen Hilux that keeps a bit of both could I think work.

Styling for me is not that important. I mainly want the styling to not piss me off. Man does the front end of the current crop fail in that regard. I am convinced you could take a giant bandsaw and cut 10-12"s off of the front of these trucks and not hit a vital component. There is just so much crap cantilevered over the the front wheel center line of these things I can't make peace with it in my head,

 

[DaveInDenver]

I'm pretty excited about the 4th gen Tacoma. I think they'll make more of an effort to set it apart from the field, now that they've seen the competition. Ideally, the 5th gen will be as solid as the 1st gen, since that's probably in line with my replacement cycle.

The 4th gen is a bellwether to me since that's likely the Tacoma I'll be looking at to replace mine. If the Ranger didn't come back I'd be in the same situation, though, buying a Toyota because that's just what I do. But it did and from what I see the design assumptions better suit me. The question is whether the quality is close enough to a Toyota. I still think generally Tacomas are built better, just not head-and-shoulders anymore.

Hilux just looks boring to me is all. Wish they modeled it after the 70-series. ie. more utilitarian look.

I think the current Hilux looks fine. I don't care for highly stylized trucks anyway and I think it looks like it came from the utility 200 series family line. I like the 78/79 series but it's the modernization of the 40 and I'll always see that in it. I do not like the pulled back headlight on the Hilux, though. It's like a news anchor with a bad face lift. But most cars look like that now.

 

[shade]

Styling for me is not that important. I mainly want the styling to not piss me off. Man does the front end of the current crop fail in that regard. I am convinced you could take a giant bandsaw and cut 10-12"s off of the front of these trucks and not hit a vital component. There is just so much crap cantilevered over the the front wheel center line of these things I can't make peace with it in my head,

I'm not a fan of the giant billboards found on the front of most (all?) late model trucks.

 

[phsycle]

The 4th gen is a bellwether to me since that's likely the Tacoma I'll be looking at to replace mine. If the Ranger didn't come back I'd be in the same situation, though, buying a Toyota because that's just what I do. But it did and from what I see the design assumptions better suit me. The question is whether the quality is close enough to a Toyota. I still think generally Tacomas are built better, just not head-and-shoulders anymore.

Yeah, but the deal killer for you is the lack of a stick and a pedal. Your only option is now between a Tacoma and Gladiator.

No, no one cares about a Frontier. (kidding. Half).

 

[rruff]

I think there's a more than zero chance the 4th gen Tacoma merges with the Hilux in some non-trivial ways. There's been talk of moving all Tacoma production to Mexico and Toyota likes when factories can build models for multiple markets.

That doesn't square with Toyota's plans to build Tundras and Tacomas on a similar platform so they can be more easily built in the same (US) factory and assembly line. In other words they are merging their domestic models, not merging the Tacoma with Hilux.

 

[Todd780]

There's been talk of moving all Tacoma production to Mexico

I believe it's already happening:

Toyota shifts Tacoma pickup production from Texas to Mexico; continues $13 billion US investment

Toyota Motor will shift all production of the Tacoma midsize pickup from Texas to Mexico as it restructures its North American footprint and invests $13 billion in U.S. manufacturing operations through next year.

www.cnbc.com

 

[DaveInDenver]

That doesn't square with Toyota's plans to build Tundras and Tacomas on a similar platform so they can be more easily built in the same (US) factory and assembly line. In other words they are merging their domestic models, not merging the Tacoma with Hilux.

None of it makes sense. The Tundra is already loosely based on the 200 series Cruiser, at least they share parts. So I don't see how moving the Tacoma up from the Prado/GX/4Runner and Hilux/IMV association or moving the Tundra down can end up with much shared between the two. Maybe it would be similar to the T100 and 1st gen Tundra that shared some parts with Hilux and Tacoma just on a larger frame/chassis. But what's the point of even having both if the only real difference is the physical envelope? Anyway, that seems like the problem Toyota has is the Tundra isn't full size enough and/or the Tacoma is expected to be midsize+ to too many people. They need to make the two distinct and it seems to me offering the Tundra properly in 3/4 and maybe 1 ton would make more sense than confusing the two more by putting them on the same platform. God knows the Tundra is physically big enough already for that.

 

[DaveInDenver]

You know, the clearly simple answer here is just to sell the Hilux and 70 series here, too. Duh. One is a lifestyle truck, the other is a work truck.

 

[rruff]

None of it makes sense.

The best example I can think of is the Frontier and Titan which are on the same "platform", even though they share very little. It just means that the assembly line steps and flow are the same for each, so they can be built on the same assembly line. But I guess that assembly line could be in Mexico.

The lastest rumors are that the Tundra redesign (in 2022) will have a 3.5l turbo, with a hybrid option... which may also be integrated into the Tacoma (just the hybrid part, not the turbos), so they'd sharing more drivetrain parts than currently. Also, I read that the 10spd transmission in the F150 is the same one the Ranger uses? Maybe the Tacoma and Tundra will also share a new transmission.

A payload upgrade for the Tundra would certainly be nice, but I doubt it will happen.

 

[DaveInDenver]

The Tundra and Tacoma are already assembled on the same line in San Antonio. So if that's the intention they already have done that. Although Toyota still considers them two platforms at the moment.

PHOTOS: Inside Toyota Texas to see how the Tundra and Tacoma are made

At its Texas Motor Manufacturing facility just outside of San Antonio, Toyota manufactures both the Tacoma and Tundra pickups. The 4.2 million-square-foot facility’s 7,200 employees build an incredible 40 pickup models across the two platforms. For comparison, the Camry, Toyota’s best-seller and...

www.equipmentworld.com