Hi all,
Been lurking around on the forum for years now. I have found Expo to be a great resource to me in that time so I thought I would toss up a post and share some info.
Let me introduce you to Bruce the Truck
Bruce is a 2012 Toyota Tacoma, Regular Cab, 2.7 I4, 5 Speed, 4x4 Truck. Base package, bench seat, crank windows the whole nine yards.
I picked up Bruce in July 2012 with 5 miles on the clock when after longing for a tacoma for years, I decided to pull the trigger. It is now April 2017 and just the other day on the way home from work Bruce rolled 100k. I am posing up this review to share my experiences with you. Mostly, I found when I was shopping for Tacoma there was a pretty big void in solid reviews with detailed non-biased info out there on the interwebs. Add to the fact that it is a regular cab and that cuts things down even more.
First, some context.
Before I bought Bruce I had a pretty nice, mostly paid off 2010 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport wagon. Awesome car, lots of fun to drive, but it was just not fitting my need at the time. ( or so I told my self ) On top of that, I can recall wanting a tacoma from way back in the days of child hood when I would walk all over campgrounds and look at trucks as a kid. The final factor for me was that I was switching things up in life. It was spring 2012 I was moving from Park City Utah into my Subaru/ to Lander Wyoming for the season before joining my long term partner and now wife in Idaho 4 months down the road. This meant that I needed to get rid or or put into storage a bunch of crap. When I was done what was left and what I needed to go work a season in Wyoming was in the Subaru or the rocket box on back. Oh, and I just had to bring my Motorcycle with me so the Subaru was also hooked up to the crappy harbor freight trailer ( that is still sitting in my driveway) and on top of that hunk of crap sat my 650 BMW " funduro" on road/off road bike. Total trailer package was probally 1200-1500 pounds. The car was packed to the gills.
As I set off into the dusk I quickly came to understand that while the 2.5 boxer mated to the 5 speed manual was an awesome car in the snow, on the mountain roads, and in general a blast to drive, it was well out of its depth doing what I wanted it do climbing passes between Park City and Lander. After driving through the night running on coffee and pure spite ( spending most of the time in 3ed gear) I was crossing south pass ( big steep windy ) at six am and thought to my self, well, this is it. This thing is either gonna blow up or blow off the road on one of these monster down hills. In that moment I decided to get a truck. The Subaru had a low 40k on it with me only owning it two years from new.
Fast forward a few weeks and I had some time off from my job in Dubois Wy I had just put a brand new set of tires on the subaru a few days before and was headed to Lander for my 45 k service ( 400 bucks)
I had been driving past Freemont Toyota in Lander for work duties for the last two weeks and noticed the had a used Colorado on the lot and that there was also a just off the truck Tacoma sitting out back. ( keep in mind this is dodge country and if you did have a toyota it was a crew cab) I decided to take the colorado for a test drive the dealer said I could have it for a few hours and to come back when I was ready. I prompty drive it around for 20 or 30 miles including finding the nearest dirt mountain road and testing the 4x4
The truck sucked. Plain as that. I took it back with in an hour and said the price to miles ratio was off and that I really did not like the truck to start with. I informed them I needed to get some work done on the Subaru but that I would be back later in the day to look at the Taco they had out back. Long story short. I traded in the Subaru that day after some haggling and ended up with Bruce.
I wanted a truck because I needed something I could sleep in the back of, explore the back roads of the west in, and hopefully soon start my quasi homestead life style. The Subaru just was not cutting it. While I would have liked the extended cab, I have really always liked the regular cab trucks. On top of that, I just did not have the cash coming in to feel like the extra 5-10 k for the bigger cab/ motor was worth it. I walked out the door with the keys for 22 K. The truck was right at 20 and I bought the extended covereage for another 2 k. They gave me 15k trade in and I got them to toss in a free trailer hitch and wiring.
Bruce the Truck came with Tube steps and the sliding rear window. As add ons. I miss the heated seats/wipers/ mirrors of the Subaru but other then that I have been very pleased with the simple nature of the truck.
First impressions.
Tires. They suck. I lived in the mountains several miles up a dirt road that if you wanted to save rubber on, you locked in 4x4 to avoid spinning. I knew that I would need to replace the Dunlops by winter.
Out side of the truck. Small, clean, simple. 2012 they changed the front lights to a bigger more agressive package ( damn are they bright ) Other then that It looked like a regular cab tacoma.
I started shopping around for a shell right away. Finding a used shell to fit a tacoma in the west is no easy task but I knew I wanted one for camping/ over landing/ storage.
That was just in the first few days of having the truck. Below you will find a list of Pros, Cons, work done to the truck and my short limited list of changes I have made, and the list of things I hope to do for a build out now that I know Just what is a want vs a need on this truck.
2012 Tacoma work log.
( outside or normal preventive work )
5 k New tires all the way around. Blew out two of the DungFlops in less then a week once in a dirt parking lot, once on a flat dirt road. Replaced with 10ply Hankook Dana Pro ATMs
10 K In stall color matched ARE MX mid rise topper with load bars, carpet kit, and inside light
15 K notice a shimmy in truck ( right after the service) like a wheel is out of balance. It is in and out of Toyota Dealer ship in CDA ID ( we had moved to Sandpoint Idaho by this point )
After three or four visits of me convincing them that the problem was not my tires the finally discover that my drive shaft was out of balance and that it appeared to be that way from the factory. Problem solved and fixed under warranty coverage
30k Request Peterson Toyota in Boise Idaho tighten one of the bolts holding the bed down as it had come loose causing the plastic bed to rattle on dirt roads.
35,900 Bring truck in for srvice right before bumper to bumper coverage ends request they tighten the bot again because it had come loose and was rattling.
Toyota states that when they had tightened it the last time it would appear they had damage the hole it passed through a bit. I suggested a new bolt and a bigger washer.
Toyota Suggested a new plastic inner bed and covered it so no out of pocket cost for me.
60 K Front diff, Transfer case, Transmission, Rear diff flushed and replaced.
100k All drive line oils flushed and replaced again Serpentine belt replaced.
Thats it. Brakes, clutch etc all seem to be in excellent shape. Read the objective part of the review below to see what I think thats impressive.
General Impressions and thoughts.
This is an awesome truck. I think that the 4 banger Tacoma is highly under rated and so is the regular cab. I love the truck and it does everything I ask of it and then some. I bought a truck because I needed to do things that a Car and SUV just were not going to do. This truck has hauled and collected 30 cords of fire word out of the mountains since I got it new. Out of the 100 k miles over 10k of them have been off road. I live in the mountains at 5 thousand feet and we get 300 inches of snow a year. The truck spends 6 months of the year driving through snow in a part of the world where they do not even get the plows out of the barn for anything thats not a highway unless it has snowed at least 4 inches. I haul boats, Snowmobiles and dirt bikes. Some years I drive 30 k a year. This truck has been across the country from west to east and east to west. It has been from the border of north Idaho to south Ca. It has driven passes at 10 thousand feet. I have slept in the back of Bruce well over a hundred nights in the last few years and have been some amazing place. Bruce has pulled countless people out of ditches in the winter, carried lumber, fencing, or half a yard of top soil more times then I can count. Has never not started and its below 0 for a lot of the winter at night here. Bruce has had one -30 degree start, and runs just as well in 100 degree Utah summer heat. Bruce gets 21 Combined MPG in the winter, 23 combined in the summer. I had one tank at 26 MPG with the topper off, a good tail wind, and no stops for the entire tank of gas. I had one Tank at 25 MPG that was all below 50 non stop highway driving. Bruce gets 18 MPG if the snow is deep and he is spending a lot of time in 4x4 when it is cold and the gras is that crap winter blend. I got 15 MPG towing 3,500 lbs ( the limit) from Salt Lake city to Sanpoint Idaho at 65 MPH. This, is an awesome truck. I have been stuck three times, all of them in snow, all because of me being a knuckle head. Bruce seems to float over everything else, that or he has a pretty good driver. There is plenty of pin striping at this point on the paint. Evidence that when I mean I have only been stuck three times, I mean that coming from a place of extensive off pavement use. Everything from Logging roads to two track. I dont do mud bogs, stream crossings for fun or rock crawling, but Bruce has been through all of those situations when I manage to get my self into a place where backing out wont fly and turning around is not an option. I have had to borrow another truck only one time because Bruce was not up to the task.
That involved moving a 10,000 Tractor and trailer combo. I have also borrowed another truck when I wanted to move more then a cord of fire wood at a time. AKA big towing is not really what the truck was meant to do.
Performance and drivability
Bruce will do 80 MPH on the highway ( the speed limit out here) all day long and still have plenty of pep to get a heavy foot and make bad choices to north of 90. The sweet spot for MPG on this truck seems to be 70 MPH and 2500 RPM in 5th gear. 80 is sitting right at 3 k. I find the acceleration to be fine. Plan your passes, and down shift on the big hills. Other then that because it is the five speed I find there to be little difference in real world acceleration from 0-60 vs the many toyota 4.0s I have driven. This little motor will do everything you want it to if you are willing to rev it a bit in 3 and 4th gear. 4 gear is Magic. it will do 30 mph -80 MPH when it is reved up to 4 k. 1st year is sorta funky. Part of this is the Clutching on that Taco. It could be a bit stiffer and it has a strange friction zone. AKA it needs to be a bit lower and then once engaged there is a gap between 1 and 2. 1 goes up to about 10 MPG, but two really isnt happy unless you are above 15 on anything other then flat pavement. Stock ride sucks. Thats not news to any one. However, I will say that while the ride sucks ( bouncy saggy rough ) That I did not help matters by running a 10 ply tire. Where I drive ( lots of dirt time, lots of rocks ) I thought it would be worth the extra plys. With that being said, the truck handles what you throw at it and just keeps going. At this point, the suspension is tired. I do truck stuff with my truck and it was meant to carry a bag of dog food from the factory ( at at least thats what it feels like they were thinking when they put that suspension on ) The truck is rated to carry about 1,300 lbs and tow 3500. I have put every bit of that 1,300 and then some into the truck dozens of times over the years with no problems. The brakes more then handle the task but I also down shift to meet speed with those loads. Fire wood and Dirt have been carried the most. with a max load the truck has a heavy squat but will not hit the bump stops unless you say hit the bump before and after a bridge at 50 MPH. The trailer hitch is rated for 500 LBS down ward pressure. This also creates a squat but will not bottom out the truck. The cap I have on year round weights about 200-250 LBS and it leaves the truck fairly level.
Towing is no problem. I do lots of short trips, these days I put most of my wood in a trailer vs the back of the truck. I have pulled 3000-4000 LBS ( including the trailer) out of the woods many a time from some gnarly FS roads. Fully loaded on dirt I find 4x4 to be a good idea to help with handling. Often times I will use 4x4 Low to come down off the mountains think super steep. Truck has never over heated or had any problems with the load. I have done several 1000 + mile hauls and the truck will keep highway speed. It will pull 3,500 LBS at 80 on the flats. However, With no trailer brakes I feel this to be a poor idea and so 65 is more of a happy zone. Wider loads make it struggle a bit more Think boats, or trailers wider then the truck. The wind drag can kill your power and MPG. One Motorcycle or one Snowmobile on that same hunk of crap Harbor freight trailer aka about a thousand LBS is barely noticed in the power department unless you are going up hills or leaving a stop light. Bruce will cruise all day long no problem. at 2,000 LBS the handling of the truck changes and you have to start planning stops and hills. at 3 k and up everything is a bit slower. On hill prepare to wind it up to 4 K and above rpm but it will still hold 45-55 going up most hills.
Snow and Off road driving.
I travel extensively for work year round and live in the rocky mountain west. We get lots of snow, and I love getting my self off pavement to see the pretty side of things as often as possible. I needed a Go anywhere go anytime rig. The tacoma is a solid over all rig for this. It does so with decent MPG.
Snow driving. the 4x4 system is pretty solid. Bruce came with open Diffs front and back so you know in the deep stuff when you are struggling. Bruce is also a pretty light truck in the rear end. A set of studded ties the topper on back nd three hundred bounds aka about 500 LBS total make for a pretty solid winter rig. Because it is so light in the heavy wet rutted out snow the truck gets tossed around a bit. On road and snow driving most of the time presents no real problems. I do find at times when I need some wheel spin the traction control is a bit over conservative. Prior to running snow tires I would say that the ABS system is also a bit touchy in the snow. You have to really work to lose control unless you are at high speed or on glaze ice. The truck does a fairly good job of keeping its self on track. Off road I have had the truck in well over 20 inches of snow that was light. There was many a day on road where I was blowing through well over 10 inches early in the morning when I worked at a ski resort. The truck with weight in the back is fairly well planted. In short toss in the right snow tires and if you can not get through it while on pavement, the road is most likely shut down anyway. For prospective my driveway is about 1/8 a mile long and a 12 degree incline. There was only a handful of times the truck could not make it up this winter.
I find that Bruce is good in most off road situations in stock form with a decent set of AT tires. Mud presents problems if it is thick and deep due to the open diffs. Big rocks or other obstacles are best gone around in stick form. Class 1 and two roads are no problem and class three can be obtained with careful line picking. Long range is solid on this truck with the 5 speed and will get you up and over some impressive things. Toss in the short wheel base and narrow body and you have a truck that can take you 99 percent of the places you might want to go. Would I take it down the Rubicon ? No. But If you were willing to live with some trail scars I bet you could do it. I love the short wheel base. It allows me to turn around in the middle of most trails that are not much wider then the truck via a multi point turn.
Cons, qualms and nit picking.
Out side the truck.
It would be nice if the truck had fog lights.
The head lights are intense. I get flashed on a regular bases. ( 2 or three times a night) because people think I have my high beams on.
The high means are awesome, but angled a bit high so on twisty roads they can some times leave a bit to be desired.
The Mud flaps are crap. They Hang too low and are too stiff. I am down to one stock mud flap. They easily break off road, and also hold a lot of snow and ice in the winter time.
Wheels seem to collect minor surface rust a bit too quickly for my taste. It is purely cosmetic. I have two sets of the stock steelies one winter, one summer.
antenna seems to easily rattle lose on dirt/ bumpy roads
Surface rust under the body starts with in a few months. Again purely cosmetic, but I feel like all of the nuts and bolts etc should have better coatings.
Front skid plate is very light duty. Its taken a few rocks over the years. Any major blow would bend it in half.
Exhaust. The manner in which it is hung on the rubber hangers allows it to ( upon hitting a big bump) come up and hit the under side of the truck. AKA the hangers rotate 90 degrees after a big bump. You know it has happened because when you go to take off in first it rattles metal on metal. A simple fix is a good tug downwards on the pipe and the hangers pop back into their original place. This has only happened twice.
In side the truck
Its loud. Lots of road noise and wind noise if you are driving into a head wind.
Stock radio is not bad but it does not have much range.
NOT EQUIPPED with intermit wipers. This is my biggest complaint about the whole truck.
no cruise control. Second biggest complaint.
Both of these can in theory be fixed with some add on parts from toyota
Bench seat. Took some getting used to. it moves forward and back but there is no recline. Having put a lot of 14 and 18 hour drive days on the truck that wears you down after a while.
No arm rest. The best 25 bucks I have spent was going to auto zone and getting a little center arm rest/ center counseal for the truck.
Classic squeaking plastics and gash
Clutch pedal start chirping and making noises when you depress it after about two years. This problem is solved by oiling the area. You can hear this out side the truck and it is apparently fairly common on the 5 speed.
Plans for the truck moving forward.
I think in general, Toyota nailed it with this truck. This is the truck that has been making a name for Toyota since day one in the states. When I bought it, it was the cheapest brand new production off the lot 4x4 truck in the states. It is a shame they no longer make the regular cab because for what you get at the 20 price point it really is an amazing rig.
With that being said.
I plan at some point to add some lighting up front, either bumper or stock fog location
Add cruise and intermit wipers
Replace suspension. I am not looking for lift. I would be happy with stock height but better function. I may just replace everything with quality parts and keep stock height. At the most I would level the truck out or do a 1-2 inch lift. I firmly think the reason these trucks are as good as they are is because of the decades of re working them. I do not want to mess with the extensive planning that went in to the truck in terms of adjusting tire size, gearing or lift. On these light small truck that can quickly turn into a multi thousand dollar rabbit hole when you start messing with drive line systems and ride height. For what? three or four extra inches? A careful line will most likely get you there.
Platform and organization for the back. When I think about how many nights I have spent in the back of this truck over the last five years, it blows my mind I have not done it yet.
I MAY put a rear locker in the truck. I would most likely do a hitch mounted winch that I could move front or back before doing a locker.
Finally, I need to fab up or buy a mount for my high lift jack.
Ultimately, I am a big fan of keep it simple
That is just what this truck is. Less to go wrong, less to break in a package that was affordable. I would wager this little yota has gone more places and done more work then most peoples trucks out there and it does it with such ease. Thats the impressive part. Would I like a full size for hauling wood ? Sure but by the time I fell cut and stack a cord in my truck/ trailer I find im pretty tired anyways so being able to move more wood seems like a mute point.
Would I like a lifted and locked yota ? Sure, but I cant tell you how many times I have gotten to some amazing back country location in the middle of nowhere and see a honda CRV sitting there.
Do I feel like Toyota cheapened out on a few basic things? yep. But show me a rig with the same number of miles and I bet it has a few rattles as well.
This truck keeps it simple and I would recommend it to anyone.
Been lurking around on the forum for years now. I have found Expo to be a great resource to me in that time so I thought I would toss up a post and share some info.
Let me introduce you to Bruce the Truck
Bruce is a 2012 Toyota Tacoma, Regular Cab, 2.7 I4, 5 Speed, 4x4 Truck. Base package, bench seat, crank windows the whole nine yards.
I picked up Bruce in July 2012 with 5 miles on the clock when after longing for a tacoma for years, I decided to pull the trigger. It is now April 2017 and just the other day on the way home from work Bruce rolled 100k. I am posing up this review to share my experiences with you. Mostly, I found when I was shopping for Tacoma there was a pretty big void in solid reviews with detailed non-biased info out there on the interwebs. Add to the fact that it is a regular cab and that cuts things down even more.
First, some context.
Before I bought Bruce I had a pretty nice, mostly paid off 2010 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport wagon. Awesome car, lots of fun to drive, but it was just not fitting my need at the time. ( or so I told my self ) On top of that, I can recall wanting a tacoma from way back in the days of child hood when I would walk all over campgrounds and look at trucks as a kid. The final factor for me was that I was switching things up in life. It was spring 2012 I was moving from Park City Utah into my Subaru/ to Lander Wyoming for the season before joining my long term partner and now wife in Idaho 4 months down the road. This meant that I needed to get rid or or put into storage a bunch of crap. When I was done what was left and what I needed to go work a season in Wyoming was in the Subaru or the rocket box on back. Oh, and I just had to bring my Motorcycle with me so the Subaru was also hooked up to the crappy harbor freight trailer ( that is still sitting in my driveway) and on top of that hunk of crap sat my 650 BMW " funduro" on road/off road bike. Total trailer package was probally 1200-1500 pounds. The car was packed to the gills.
As I set off into the dusk I quickly came to understand that while the 2.5 boxer mated to the 5 speed manual was an awesome car in the snow, on the mountain roads, and in general a blast to drive, it was well out of its depth doing what I wanted it do climbing passes between Park City and Lander. After driving through the night running on coffee and pure spite ( spending most of the time in 3ed gear) I was crossing south pass ( big steep windy ) at six am and thought to my self, well, this is it. This thing is either gonna blow up or blow off the road on one of these monster down hills. In that moment I decided to get a truck. The Subaru had a low 40k on it with me only owning it two years from new.
Fast forward a few weeks and I had some time off from my job in Dubois Wy I had just put a brand new set of tires on the subaru a few days before and was headed to Lander for my 45 k service ( 400 bucks)
I had been driving past Freemont Toyota in Lander for work duties for the last two weeks and noticed the had a used Colorado on the lot and that there was also a just off the truck Tacoma sitting out back. ( keep in mind this is dodge country and if you did have a toyota it was a crew cab) I decided to take the colorado for a test drive the dealer said I could have it for a few hours and to come back when I was ready. I prompty drive it around for 20 or 30 miles including finding the nearest dirt mountain road and testing the 4x4
The truck sucked. Plain as that. I took it back with in an hour and said the price to miles ratio was off and that I really did not like the truck to start with. I informed them I needed to get some work done on the Subaru but that I would be back later in the day to look at the Taco they had out back. Long story short. I traded in the Subaru that day after some haggling and ended up with Bruce.
I wanted a truck because I needed something I could sleep in the back of, explore the back roads of the west in, and hopefully soon start my quasi homestead life style. The Subaru just was not cutting it. While I would have liked the extended cab, I have really always liked the regular cab trucks. On top of that, I just did not have the cash coming in to feel like the extra 5-10 k for the bigger cab/ motor was worth it. I walked out the door with the keys for 22 K. The truck was right at 20 and I bought the extended covereage for another 2 k. They gave me 15k trade in and I got them to toss in a free trailer hitch and wiring.
Bruce the Truck came with Tube steps and the sliding rear window. As add ons. I miss the heated seats/wipers/ mirrors of the Subaru but other then that I have been very pleased with the simple nature of the truck.
First impressions.
Tires. They suck. I lived in the mountains several miles up a dirt road that if you wanted to save rubber on, you locked in 4x4 to avoid spinning. I knew that I would need to replace the Dunlops by winter.
Out side of the truck. Small, clean, simple. 2012 they changed the front lights to a bigger more agressive package ( damn are they bright ) Other then that It looked like a regular cab tacoma.
I started shopping around for a shell right away. Finding a used shell to fit a tacoma in the west is no easy task but I knew I wanted one for camping/ over landing/ storage.
That was just in the first few days of having the truck. Below you will find a list of Pros, Cons, work done to the truck and my short limited list of changes I have made, and the list of things I hope to do for a build out now that I know Just what is a want vs a need on this truck.
2012 Tacoma work log.
( outside or normal preventive work )
5 k New tires all the way around. Blew out two of the DungFlops in less then a week once in a dirt parking lot, once on a flat dirt road. Replaced with 10ply Hankook Dana Pro ATMs
10 K In stall color matched ARE MX mid rise topper with load bars, carpet kit, and inside light
15 K notice a shimmy in truck ( right after the service) like a wheel is out of balance. It is in and out of Toyota Dealer ship in CDA ID ( we had moved to Sandpoint Idaho by this point )
After three or four visits of me convincing them that the problem was not my tires the finally discover that my drive shaft was out of balance and that it appeared to be that way from the factory. Problem solved and fixed under warranty coverage
30k Request Peterson Toyota in Boise Idaho tighten one of the bolts holding the bed down as it had come loose causing the plastic bed to rattle on dirt roads.
35,900 Bring truck in for srvice right before bumper to bumper coverage ends request they tighten the bot again because it had come loose and was rattling.
Toyota states that when they had tightened it the last time it would appear they had damage the hole it passed through a bit. I suggested a new bolt and a bigger washer.
Toyota Suggested a new plastic inner bed and covered it so no out of pocket cost for me.
60 K Front diff, Transfer case, Transmission, Rear diff flushed and replaced.
100k All drive line oils flushed and replaced again Serpentine belt replaced.
Thats it. Brakes, clutch etc all seem to be in excellent shape. Read the objective part of the review below to see what I think thats impressive.
General Impressions and thoughts.
This is an awesome truck. I think that the 4 banger Tacoma is highly under rated and so is the regular cab. I love the truck and it does everything I ask of it and then some. I bought a truck because I needed to do things that a Car and SUV just were not going to do. This truck has hauled and collected 30 cords of fire word out of the mountains since I got it new. Out of the 100 k miles over 10k of them have been off road. I live in the mountains at 5 thousand feet and we get 300 inches of snow a year. The truck spends 6 months of the year driving through snow in a part of the world where they do not even get the plows out of the barn for anything thats not a highway unless it has snowed at least 4 inches. I haul boats, Snowmobiles and dirt bikes. Some years I drive 30 k a year. This truck has been across the country from west to east and east to west. It has been from the border of north Idaho to south Ca. It has driven passes at 10 thousand feet. I have slept in the back of Bruce well over a hundred nights in the last few years and have been some amazing place. Bruce has pulled countless people out of ditches in the winter, carried lumber, fencing, or half a yard of top soil more times then I can count. Has never not started and its below 0 for a lot of the winter at night here. Bruce has had one -30 degree start, and runs just as well in 100 degree Utah summer heat. Bruce gets 21 Combined MPG in the winter, 23 combined in the summer. I had one tank at 26 MPG with the topper off, a good tail wind, and no stops for the entire tank of gas. I had one Tank at 25 MPG that was all below 50 non stop highway driving. Bruce gets 18 MPG if the snow is deep and he is spending a lot of time in 4x4 when it is cold and the gras is that crap winter blend. I got 15 MPG towing 3,500 lbs ( the limit) from Salt Lake city to Sanpoint Idaho at 65 MPH. This, is an awesome truck. I have been stuck three times, all of them in snow, all because of me being a knuckle head. Bruce seems to float over everything else, that or he has a pretty good driver. There is plenty of pin striping at this point on the paint. Evidence that when I mean I have only been stuck three times, I mean that coming from a place of extensive off pavement use. Everything from Logging roads to two track. I dont do mud bogs, stream crossings for fun or rock crawling, but Bruce has been through all of those situations when I manage to get my self into a place where backing out wont fly and turning around is not an option. I have had to borrow another truck only one time because Bruce was not up to the task.
That involved moving a 10,000 Tractor and trailer combo. I have also borrowed another truck when I wanted to move more then a cord of fire wood at a time. AKA big towing is not really what the truck was meant to do.
Performance and drivability
Bruce will do 80 MPH on the highway ( the speed limit out here) all day long and still have plenty of pep to get a heavy foot and make bad choices to north of 90. The sweet spot for MPG on this truck seems to be 70 MPH and 2500 RPM in 5th gear. 80 is sitting right at 3 k. I find the acceleration to be fine. Plan your passes, and down shift on the big hills. Other then that because it is the five speed I find there to be little difference in real world acceleration from 0-60 vs the many toyota 4.0s I have driven. This little motor will do everything you want it to if you are willing to rev it a bit in 3 and 4th gear. 4 gear is Magic. it will do 30 mph -80 MPH when it is reved up to 4 k. 1st year is sorta funky. Part of this is the Clutching on that Taco. It could be a bit stiffer and it has a strange friction zone. AKA it needs to be a bit lower and then once engaged there is a gap between 1 and 2. 1 goes up to about 10 MPG, but two really isnt happy unless you are above 15 on anything other then flat pavement. Stock ride sucks. Thats not news to any one. However, I will say that while the ride sucks ( bouncy saggy rough ) That I did not help matters by running a 10 ply tire. Where I drive ( lots of dirt time, lots of rocks ) I thought it would be worth the extra plys. With that being said, the truck handles what you throw at it and just keeps going. At this point, the suspension is tired. I do truck stuff with my truck and it was meant to carry a bag of dog food from the factory ( at at least thats what it feels like they were thinking when they put that suspension on ) The truck is rated to carry about 1,300 lbs and tow 3500. I have put every bit of that 1,300 and then some into the truck dozens of times over the years with no problems. The brakes more then handle the task but I also down shift to meet speed with those loads. Fire wood and Dirt have been carried the most. with a max load the truck has a heavy squat but will not hit the bump stops unless you say hit the bump before and after a bridge at 50 MPH. The trailer hitch is rated for 500 LBS down ward pressure. This also creates a squat but will not bottom out the truck. The cap I have on year round weights about 200-250 LBS and it leaves the truck fairly level.
Towing is no problem. I do lots of short trips, these days I put most of my wood in a trailer vs the back of the truck. I have pulled 3000-4000 LBS ( including the trailer) out of the woods many a time from some gnarly FS roads. Fully loaded on dirt I find 4x4 to be a good idea to help with handling. Often times I will use 4x4 Low to come down off the mountains think super steep. Truck has never over heated or had any problems with the load. I have done several 1000 + mile hauls and the truck will keep highway speed. It will pull 3,500 LBS at 80 on the flats. However, With no trailer brakes I feel this to be a poor idea and so 65 is more of a happy zone. Wider loads make it struggle a bit more Think boats, or trailers wider then the truck. The wind drag can kill your power and MPG. One Motorcycle or one Snowmobile on that same hunk of crap Harbor freight trailer aka about a thousand LBS is barely noticed in the power department unless you are going up hills or leaving a stop light. Bruce will cruise all day long no problem. at 2,000 LBS the handling of the truck changes and you have to start planning stops and hills. at 3 k and up everything is a bit slower. On hill prepare to wind it up to 4 K and above rpm but it will still hold 45-55 going up most hills.
Snow and Off road driving.
I travel extensively for work year round and live in the rocky mountain west. We get lots of snow, and I love getting my self off pavement to see the pretty side of things as often as possible. I needed a Go anywhere go anytime rig. The tacoma is a solid over all rig for this. It does so with decent MPG.
Snow driving. the 4x4 system is pretty solid. Bruce came with open Diffs front and back so you know in the deep stuff when you are struggling. Bruce is also a pretty light truck in the rear end. A set of studded ties the topper on back nd three hundred bounds aka about 500 LBS total make for a pretty solid winter rig. Because it is so light in the heavy wet rutted out snow the truck gets tossed around a bit. On road and snow driving most of the time presents no real problems. I do find at times when I need some wheel spin the traction control is a bit over conservative. Prior to running snow tires I would say that the ABS system is also a bit touchy in the snow. You have to really work to lose control unless you are at high speed or on glaze ice. The truck does a fairly good job of keeping its self on track. Off road I have had the truck in well over 20 inches of snow that was light. There was many a day on road where I was blowing through well over 10 inches early in the morning when I worked at a ski resort. The truck with weight in the back is fairly well planted. In short toss in the right snow tires and if you can not get through it while on pavement, the road is most likely shut down anyway. For prospective my driveway is about 1/8 a mile long and a 12 degree incline. There was only a handful of times the truck could not make it up this winter.
I find that Bruce is good in most off road situations in stock form with a decent set of AT tires. Mud presents problems if it is thick and deep due to the open diffs. Big rocks or other obstacles are best gone around in stick form. Class 1 and two roads are no problem and class three can be obtained with careful line picking. Long range is solid on this truck with the 5 speed and will get you up and over some impressive things. Toss in the short wheel base and narrow body and you have a truck that can take you 99 percent of the places you might want to go. Would I take it down the Rubicon ? No. But If you were willing to live with some trail scars I bet you could do it. I love the short wheel base. It allows me to turn around in the middle of most trails that are not much wider then the truck via a multi point turn.
Cons, qualms and nit picking.
Out side the truck.
It would be nice if the truck had fog lights.
The head lights are intense. I get flashed on a regular bases. ( 2 or three times a night) because people think I have my high beams on.
The high means are awesome, but angled a bit high so on twisty roads they can some times leave a bit to be desired.
The Mud flaps are crap. They Hang too low and are too stiff. I am down to one stock mud flap. They easily break off road, and also hold a lot of snow and ice in the winter time.
Wheels seem to collect minor surface rust a bit too quickly for my taste. It is purely cosmetic. I have two sets of the stock steelies one winter, one summer.
antenna seems to easily rattle lose on dirt/ bumpy roads
Surface rust under the body starts with in a few months. Again purely cosmetic, but I feel like all of the nuts and bolts etc should have better coatings.
Front skid plate is very light duty. Its taken a few rocks over the years. Any major blow would bend it in half.
Exhaust. The manner in which it is hung on the rubber hangers allows it to ( upon hitting a big bump) come up and hit the under side of the truck. AKA the hangers rotate 90 degrees after a big bump. You know it has happened because when you go to take off in first it rattles metal on metal. A simple fix is a good tug downwards on the pipe and the hangers pop back into their original place. This has only happened twice.
In side the truck
Its loud. Lots of road noise and wind noise if you are driving into a head wind.
Stock radio is not bad but it does not have much range.
NOT EQUIPPED with intermit wipers. This is my biggest complaint about the whole truck.
no cruise control. Second biggest complaint.
Both of these can in theory be fixed with some add on parts from toyota
Bench seat. Took some getting used to. it moves forward and back but there is no recline. Having put a lot of 14 and 18 hour drive days on the truck that wears you down after a while.
No arm rest. The best 25 bucks I have spent was going to auto zone and getting a little center arm rest/ center counseal for the truck.
Classic squeaking plastics and gash
Clutch pedal start chirping and making noises when you depress it after about two years. This problem is solved by oiling the area. You can hear this out side the truck and it is apparently fairly common on the 5 speed.
Plans for the truck moving forward.
I think in general, Toyota nailed it with this truck. This is the truck that has been making a name for Toyota since day one in the states. When I bought it, it was the cheapest brand new production off the lot 4x4 truck in the states. It is a shame they no longer make the regular cab because for what you get at the 20 price point it really is an amazing rig.
With that being said.
I plan at some point to add some lighting up front, either bumper or stock fog location
Add cruise and intermit wipers
Replace suspension. I am not looking for lift. I would be happy with stock height but better function. I may just replace everything with quality parts and keep stock height. At the most I would level the truck out or do a 1-2 inch lift. I firmly think the reason these trucks are as good as they are is because of the decades of re working them. I do not want to mess with the extensive planning that went in to the truck in terms of adjusting tire size, gearing or lift. On these light small truck that can quickly turn into a multi thousand dollar rabbit hole when you start messing with drive line systems and ride height. For what? three or four extra inches? A careful line will most likely get you there.
Platform and organization for the back. When I think about how many nights I have spent in the back of this truck over the last five years, it blows my mind I have not done it yet.
I MAY put a rear locker in the truck. I would most likely do a hitch mounted winch that I could move front or back before doing a locker.
Finally, I need to fab up or buy a mount for my high lift jack.
Ultimately, I am a big fan of keep it simple
That is just what this truck is. Less to go wrong, less to break in a package that was affordable. I would wager this little yota has gone more places and done more work then most peoples trucks out there and it does it with such ease. Thats the impressive part. Would I like a full size for hauling wood ? Sure but by the time I fell cut and stack a cord in my truck/ trailer I find im pretty tired anyways so being able to move more wood seems like a mute point.
Would I like a lifted and locked yota ? Sure, but I cant tell you how many times I have gotten to some amazing back country location in the middle of nowhere and see a honda CRV sitting there.
Do I feel like Toyota cheapened out on a few basic things? yep. But show me a rig with the same number of miles and I bet it has a few rattles as well.
This truck keeps it simple and I would recommend it to anyone.
