2015/2016 New 3rd gen Tacoma Debut in Detriot

[DaveInDenver]

He might as well have said that the Tacoma shares a common frame design with the Hino Class-5 truck. They aren't selling us a version of the IMV/Fortuner in the Tacoma, it's not like the 4Runner/GX470 being modified versions of the LC150/Prado.

 

[p nut]

So Mr. Sweers just verified that the Tacoma is a mall crawler and the Hilux is a truck.

Why? Because it has some creature comforts? What's the new Tacoma got that your Grand Cherokee doesn't? (amenities wise). Yet, people wheel GC's all over the place. Doesn't make it any less of a truck. He's absolutely right that a "world truck" wouldn't work here. Why is the Ranger not being sold here if Ford thinks they can make a good return on it?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Why? Because it has some creature comforts? What's the new Tacoma got that your Grand Cherokee doesn't? (amenities wise). Yet, people wheel GC's all over the place. Doesn't make it any less of a truck. He's absolutely right that a "world truck" wouldn't work here. Why is the Ranger not being sold here if Ford thinks they can make a good return on it?

Ford saw the Ranger eating into the F150 sales, that's why we don't get them here anymore. The Ranger didn't sell enough to justify the CAFE hit, probably. Maybe a world truck wouldn't work here, but the 1979-1995 was a world truck and those sold pretty well and cemented their reputation here. I dunno.

 

[Clutch]

Maybe a world truck wouldn't work here, but the 1979-1995 was a world truck and those sold pretty well and cemented their reputation here. I dunno.

Frame is really the only major difference (and yeah the diesel engine)...I can see the Tacoma and the HiLux sharing the same frame and just spec the Tacoma with softer suspension to appease the soft handed 'Muricans... however, since the HiLux is rated as a 1 Ton, if you did the same with the Tacoma, it then would compete with the US 1 tons...I can see the Big 3 having a field day with that. You "could" spec it on paper as lower capacity vehicle. US truck manufactures do it all the time. You can have two identical trucks but specced different on paper, Larry sees it all the time in his line of work.

So, I would keep marketing the Tacoma as what it is, a lifestyle vehicle. I didn't buy one to do any hard core work with it. I bought it as daily driver, and a weekend warrior rig.

So Mr. Sweers just verified that the Tacoma is a mall crawler and the Hilux is a truck.

Why? Because it has some creature comforts? What's the new Tacoma got that your Grand Cherokee doesn't? (amenities wise). Yet, people wheel GC's all over the place. Doesn't make it any less of a truck. He's absolutely right that a "world truck" wouldn't work here. Why is the Ranger not being sold here if Ford thinks they can make a good return on it?

I consider the Tacoma more of a recreation vehicle more than a work vehicle. Sure it will do light duty work...but all and all it is a lifestyle vehicle as Sweer stated. Which is why I own one, I no longer work construction, don't really need a fullsize...and even those were too small for our business, for any "real" work even a 3/4-1 Ton pickups are fairly useless, unless you pull a trailer. You run out of room real quick even with a 8' bed. Why the rest of the world uses medium to heavy duty forward control flatbeds. Real trucks compared to our 'Murican pick-em-ups. FC's have slowly caught on here, much better use of wheelbase and space.

 

[SSF556]

Why? Because it has some creature comforts? What's the new Tacoma got that your Grand Cherokee doesn't? (amenities wise). Yet, people wheel GC's all over the place. Doesn't make it any less of a truck. He's absolutely right that a "world truck" wouldn't work here. Why is the Ranger not being sold here if Ford thinks they can make a good return on it?

Lighten up....the lead engineer at Toyota verified this I am just passing along his statements....My GC does not have a world version that Jeep refuses to bring to NAFTA. Pretty obvious that Americans want luxury....ie Tacoma, Grand Cherokee, and F150.

 

[Xrunner]

It seems Toyota understands the market pretty well and plans to stay at the 60% market share.

As much as I would like to say I'm not in the "recreation vehicle" truck market with the easy ride and creature comforts that would be a lie... I'm a 1 vehicle person who drives paved roads to work daily, shuttles the occasional client around town, and makes it to the mountains a couple times a month. Even getting to the mountains is usually 50-100 miles of high speed paved to get a few miles of dirt.

 

[Clutch]

The Tacoma has become the modern version of the play truck, not unlike the Short Bed trucks of the 70's. Kinda useless as a truck...but ok to go out the the boonies to go screw around in.

 

[4x4x4doors]

On the 1 ton HiLux vs. Tacoma, some local jurisdictions (and maybe some states, too) limit "trucks" on certain streets. In some cases, the 3/4 ton is seen as the dividing line for trucks, in other cases, they use GVW. Registration requirements vary also by local jurisdictions.

Some "planned communities" also restrict on-street parking to exclude "trucks" based on weight ratings.

 

[DaveInDenver]

On the 1 ton HiLux vs. Tacoma, some local jurisdictions (and maybe some states, too) limit "trucks" on certain streets. In some cases, the 3/4 ton is seen as the dividing line for trucks, in other cases, they use GVW. Registration requirements vary also by local jurisdictions.

Some "planned communities" also restrict on-street parking to exclude "trucks" based on weight ratings.

It was never a problem with the 79-95 Pickup because despite being built on the Hilux 1-ton chassis Toyota rated them 1/2 ton. Their GVWR and tare weight never suggested to any road authority that they were in any way a commercial vehicle. But the reason I liked them is that their 1-ton-ish nature meant they could take a beating. This manifests in little ways that add up over time. Wheel bearings last longer, u-joints last longer, steering lasts longer. And when something did eventually wear out, it was fixable. The Tacoma is a reflection of our superficial, throw-away mentality, barely sufficient to meet the demand and nothing more. Since the demand seems mostly to be grocery getter and carting around realtors, it's less and less meeting my "lifestyle". I do some of that stuff but that's not it's sole or even primary duty. I commute across town 6 miles and in the period of a year most of the time that's done on bicycle or motorcycle. That's why my truck only has 265,000 miles on it but those are 265,000 hard miles, a lot of which were in 4WD and/or heavily laden. I seriously doubt my 2008 will go 250,000 of the miles I put on trucks. It's intricate and fiddly, needlessly complex IMHO and scrimps in critical areas.

 

[Clutch]

It was never a problem with the 79-95 Pickup because despite being built on the Hilux 1-ton chassis Toyota rated them 1/2 ton. Their GVWR and tare weight never suggested to any road authority that they were in any way a commercial vehicle. But the reason I liked them is that their 1-ton-ish nature meant they could take a beating. This manifests in little ways that add up over time. Wheel bearings last longer, u-joints last longer, steering lasts longer. And when something did eventually wear out, it was fixable. The Tacoma is a reflection of our superficial, throw-away mentality, barely sufficient to meet the demand and nothing more.

Tacoma and the current Hilux, share a lot of the same components now.

http://overlandexpo.squarespace.com...2/11/16/forbidden-fruit-the-toyota-hilux.html

HiLux on the left

 

[DaveInDenver]

Tacoma and the current Hilux, share a lot of the same components now.

http://overlandexpo.squarespace.com...2/11/16/forbidden-fruit-the-toyota-hilux.html

HiLux on the left

You can see the difference in that photo. The lower ball joint mounts are different, for example. The Hilux does it like the old torsion bar IFS. The spindles might also be different (I understood the Hilux still had individual bearings and races instead of cartridges). It's hard to know without having them actually side-by-side. The Tacoma is slightly wider and rides a little lower than the Hilux, so there are differences. I'll have to look into it more later, but if the parts are the same then I'll respectfully yield my position.

 

[p nut]

Lighten up....the lead engineer at Toyota verified this I am just passing along his statements....My GC does not have a world version that Jeep refuses to bring to NAFTA. Pretty obvious that Americans want luxury....ie Tacoma, Grand Cherokee, and F150.

Ironic I've got to tell a real-truck-advocate tough-guy to grow some thicker skin. If my post had a cornered-cat vibe, I apologize.

Let's all be clear--no one's talking about "work trucks." No matter what your romanticized thoughts are, a "truck" doesn't HAVE to be spartan, fully boxed, single-cab, manual everything, stick shift with the rear bumper hanging half way. Tacoma will be what it currently is--play truck with good off-road capabilities and reliabiltiy (QDR). I dont think there was any intension of the truck being otherwise.

Seats a family - Check
4wd - Check
Bed to haul Saturday projects - Check
Amenities to keep the passengers happy - Check

That's your 99% of the market. Fortunately, we still get enough off-road capabilities for people to go pretty much anywhere they want. I really can't see the Hilux adding any more value, even to us enthusiasts.

And don't kid yourself, a Hilux can be had as a plush "mall crawler" as well.

 

[p nut]

I consider the Tacoma more of a recreation vehicle more than a work vehicle. Sure it will do light duty work...but all and all it is a lifestyle vehicle as Sweer stated.

Yup, definitely a "play truck" than "work truck." If I'm hauling heavy loads day in and day out, Tacoma would not be the truck for me. Although I've seen people use it that way and abuse the crap out of them.

 

[Clutch]

You can see the difference in that photo. The lower ball joint mounts are different, for example. The Hilux does it like the old torsion bar IFS. The spindles might also be different (I understood the Hilux still had individual bearings and races instead of cartridges). It's hard to know without having them actually side-by-side. The Tacoma is slightly wider and rides a little lower than the Hilux, so there are differences. I'll have to look into it more later, but if the parts are the same then I'll respectfully yield my position.

Looks exactly the same to me, other than the angle of the photo.

Comparing part numbers, might reveal if there are any differences. Not sure if overseas part numbers are written differently than the US version.

 

[Clutch]

Yup, definitely a "play truck" than "work truck." If I'm hauling heavy loads day in and day out, Tacoma would not be the truck for me. Although I've seen people use it that way and abuse the crap out of them.

Yep...if I needed a heavy load hauler. I wouldn't own a Taco.

It does have a tow rating of 6500 lbs, so with a...say a 5X8' one ton trailer...could be your "full size pickup bed" for a day if needed. That is what I do...it is like having a full-size truck part time with out having to deal with a full-size truck on a daily basis.