I still see Toyota as the best option out there. This 2017 is the likely candidate, I guess. How would you feel if Toyota fashioned an aluminum front bumper for this truck? Plastic front bumpers on pickup trucks make me feel like I'm wearing a sweater vest to go rock climbing.
I'm about due for a new truck. Maybe. There's nothing wrong with the '05 but I reach a point where worrying about it's age and a potential breakdown starts to occupy my thoughts on the road and that does take away from the enjoyment. I start to hear things. Feel things. But to give up the '05 will take quite an effort. It is a truck almost completely devoid of acronyms, save for ABS. And I like that. I don't want to be a passenger in the driver's seat.
I've been making the rounds at the various manufacturer's websites, building out vehicles, candidates to replace the '05 just in case disaster strikes. I wish I could get away from pickups but I still need the utility and the current crop of hideous vans are out of the question. And in that I do not need or desire a full size pickup, that cuts the candidates down. Way down. This is the major contributing factor to my opening comment.
I, like many have disliked the direction Toyota has gone with their body styling. When I first saw the front end of the current 4 Runner, my mouth hung agape with disillusion. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The Tacoma is not nearly as bad but somewhere along the way Toyota thought multiple bulges and body lines were the answer. I could go on but suffice to say, Toyota has made a complete hash of their styling direction. By the way, did I see a smooth tailgate on this TRD Pro? Nah. Couldn't have been.
On the bright side, I've yet to read much negative news about the build quality of Toyota. And that's what it's all about. Beneath all the plastic body parts and beyond all the buttons, give me a truck that will last me 10+ years.
In closing, the Keep It Simple Stupid model is dead in America. Everything now from TVs to trucks comes with a ton of options and capabilities we did not ask for and pretty much yawned at upon their arrival. How much of this stuff has utility? 80% of it I put in the "meh" category. The older I get, the more I prefer my bicycle.