2014 Tacoma or 2014 Jeep wrangler unlimited

[cgnjeep]

I love both my 2011 JK and 2013 Tacoma DCLB. I've only wheeled the Jeep so I can't speak from the Taco offroad but I can definetly say the JK is more nimble, but then again I have a 2dr.
I have experience towing with both, I pulled a fully loaded 5'x8' uhaul from Montreal to Calgary via the northern states with the Jeep, it got scary in North Dakota with the wind blowing me around. As soon as I hit the hills in Montana the JK had a very very hard time going uphill.
With the Tacoma I pulled a fully loaded 6'x12' uhaul trailer through the Rockies from Calgary to Kamloops BC, the bed was also full. I barely felt like I was towing anything even going up some pretty steep mountain passes.
The Tacoma has a much smoother ride but i'm one of the weird people who feels more comfortable in the JK for long trips. The Tacoma has a compact car/sedan seating position as opposed to the more upstraight "truck" seating of the Jeep, which I like better.
What it comes down too is what fits your needs the best. I own a Tacoma because I need a truck bed and towing capability, and the Taco is my favorite truck. If I didn't need to tow and have a bed, my wife and I would probably have our JK and a JKU as our second vehicle.

 

[Yuccahead]

I faced this same quandary last summer.

In my search, I drove DC Taco's, Frontiers and JKUs. My local Nissan dealer didn't have any new 4WD Frontiers on his lot. Based on conversations with the sales force, I had the impression they didn't sell many -- this told me something. So I drove a used 2010 model. It had the nicest engine of the bunch but I thought everything else was not comparable to the other two. That could be because it was the only used truck I drove. The Frontier also looks dated to me and doesn't sit as high at the Taco or the Jeep.

I liked the Tacoma's that I drove. The dealer had plenty of 4x4s in stock and I tested 3 of them. My first issue with the Tacoma was the overall length -- about 2' longer than a JKU. All the extra work involved in parking the Tacoma back in its space on the crowded lot -- 3 different times -- wore me out. If you're used to or just want trucks, this isn't a big deal. It bugged me though since this was going to be a DD. However ,if you going to be towing a trailer, the longer the wheelbase, the better. The other thing that bugged me was that the cab seem cramped. I have a friend or two that are much larger than me and love their Tacoma's. It's not that you can't fit anyone in a Tacoma, it just feels smaller. I also thought the rear seat was smaller than a JKU's but that didn't matter that much to me.

Ultimately, I ended up getting an Unlimited Rubicon. When I test drove a few Jeeps, I thought the new engine was fine, with maybe slightly less polish than the Tacoma's. The pavement ride was better but body lean in corners was worse. I like the Jeep interior (on a Rubicon) a bit better than the Tacoma's which reminded me of toy robots -- lots of plastic that was supposed to look like brushed steel but didn't. Actually, I didn't like either interior that much. Both were bad (and the Frontier was worst of all) but after a month of owning the Rubicon, I didn't notice anymore. The Tacomas that I looked at all had rear view cameras in the mirror. Jeep didn't offer this and I think it would be useful with my over-sized rear tire.

Since I have had the Jeep, my main grump with it is the lack of cargo space for carrying things any truck would easily carry. I've had to postpone the purchase of 2 tables because they wouldn't fit in my Jeep. I also had to have the water pump replaced after 3 months (my dealer was great even if the service tech had never seen red coolant before and had to call Chrysler tech support.)

So why did I pick the Jeep? For me, I thought I would have to do less to it to get it to where I wanted* and familiarity. I knew where to get Jeep aftermarket items and that a Dana 44 was tougher than a 33. On the other hand, I knew nothing about who made good Tacoma suspension upgrades or what types of axles one might find on a Tacoma. Other factors were the dry cargo space mentioned above (i.e. cargo security), better trail capability especially because of the shorter length and the ability to get a stock front locker. My memory is a little fuzzy since it was 18 months ago but I also couldn't test drive the Tacoma I wanted (with a rear locker?). I also opted for an AEV suspension which seems much better then the stock Jeep stuff.

Hope these thoughts help.

David

*The irony is that I ended up sending my Jeep to AEV for suspension, bumpers, hood, etc.... The turnkey nature of AEV's mods appealed to me. I could get what I wanted without sending the truck out for upgrades piecemeal.

 

[BuffaloFunk]

I was recently in the same boat. I wanted something with some off road appeal, yet I could drive to work every day. I also preferred a manual, but it wasn't real high. I test drove a stick-shift of everything, all with the bigger engines when applicable.

Tacoma Double Cab: The interior was nice, and it's a sharp looking truck. The ride was very bouncy over expansion joints, and it was pretty expensive once I got the options I wanted. It did have nifty features like a 110v in the bed. Best stick of the bunch.

Frontier Crew Cab and Xterra: I had to drive a used one (2008) because I wanted to drive a stick. It was a nice truck with what I thought was the best engine. The interior wasn't quite as nice looking/feeling as the Tacoma, but it was solid and well put together. I really really liked this truck. Good transmission, but far reaching clutch pedal. Most features for a great price.

FJ Cruiser: Hard to see out of and hard to get in and out of the back seats. Otherwise I thought it was kinda "mehhh". Nothing great, nothing bad. Pretty good price.

Jeep JKU: I really liked this. The transmission was the worst of the bunch. That isn't saying it is bad, just I liked the others better. It rode quite nicely and handled roads pretty well. A bit more beefy off road that what I needed, so it's ride was a big detractor. Also, very expensive once I put the options I wanted.

4Runner: Nice, but massive rear wheel hopping over things like rail road tracks. I actually took one on a a long business trip while I was looking for cars. I liked it a lot. Nice interior, good features, no manual. But, just getting 4WD meant you are at 36k... I'll pass.

So it really was between the Frontier and Xterra. I thought they were the best handling of the bunch, had the best engine, a decent transmission, a decent interior, and I could get the Pro-4X which was loaded with features for less than I could get any other the others. I ultimately chose the Xterra due to the dry storage. I might have been a bit happier with the Frontier, but I'm not really sure. No complaints, and I like the features like the wet-locker up on the roof that I couldn't get with the Frontier.