Best Toyota for expedition/world travel. Tacoma, Tundra, 4runner or FJ?

[Derek24]

Tundra it is! With today's market everyone wanting a Prius, and the Tacoma being the best mid size selling pickup, you can find Tundras fairly cheap. Good luck!

 

[Richietherocket]

Hey Cntryislandboy,
How old are your kids? I have a 5YO (booster seat) and 18month old (rear facing car sear) and we have an FJ. Is it tight getting the 18 month old in, kinda. We just do the airplane thing with him and tell him to duck his head and he loves it. The 5YO climbs in and out without issue. Will be turning around the car seat at the begining of the year to face forward and wont have any issues at all.

The FJ has alot of room to put stuff. We camped for a week straight and never had to use the roof rack to cary anything, including gallons of water.

Just one dad's opinion...but we love our FJ

 

[bigwapitijohnny]

Another vote for Tundra...

I had a 3rd generation 4runner for a few years previously. It was in our family for over 10 years...I decided to go with the CrewMax Tundra due to the room and power. Agreed, this truck is not a rock crawler, however, it is fine for what my family needs are ~ big comfort + abilitiy to go off the beaten path if need be.

I looked into a 4 door Taco, however, I felt as though the mid-size was still a bit cramped for loading the family and gear...

Hope this helps.

Regards,

BWJ

 

[cntryislandboy]

my kids are still young, one just turned 3 and the other is yet to be born, but soon i hope. so we still have a few years in the car seats left.

that is one nice looking tundra, i defiantly wont' be doing any rock krawling, mainly trail driving and national/state park driving. i just finished a youtube series about a couple guys that took a tacoma from prescott az up to Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories, if your not sure where that is it's up in the arctic circle, one of the furthest most places north you can get, now that looks like a fun but cold trip.

just curious about something, i know i can go overboard, but that's not what i'm aiming for. what would be a good dollar amount to have set aside to put into the truck when i get it. i'm thinking enough for front bumper, winch and onboard air. then after that i'll just save my pennies and do some more moding once the warranty runs out. what do ya'll think

 

[zidaro]

$3k give or take based on your tastes!

I have an Exp1 front bumper and a Warn 9.5XP hanging on the front of mine, a Powertank behind the seat.

 

[spd33]

I'd throw the 1st Gen Sequoia in to consideration as well. They are generally more reasonable than equivalent Taco/4runners and offer far better interior dimensions and cargo capabilities. They are big enough that you can sleep in them if the weather gets gnarly too.

I still long for a 4th Gen V6 4runner w/ the 3rd row but my sequoia is far better for us logistically.

 

[cntryislandboy]

that more or less what i was thinking, i don't want to do alot at first but just get a couple basics then after a few trips figure out which direction i want to go

 

[Howard70]

Cargo In Cabin or Separate Cargo Bed

We have 2 4runners (87 and 2000) and a 2004 DC 4x4 Tacoma. The 2000 4runner is the most comfortable, the 87 4runner is the quaintest, but the 2004 Tacoma is the truck we use for all extended trips.

One consideration I haven't seen mentioned in the previous posts is accident safety. All of the vehicles you've mentioned have airbags, etc. and would appear equally safe. However, the 4runners and Sequoias combine cargo and passenger space while the Tacomas and Tundras separate cargo and passengers.

My wife had a serious rollover accident in our previous Tacoma (tailended by a drunk driver) while carrying a lot of heavy gear. Some of the gear busted the fiberglass shell as it flew around in the 60+mph rolls, but the passenger compartment wasn't affected and she walked (well, woobled) away from the wreck. We're both convinced that had the gear been inside the passenger area, she would have been seriously injured. I don't think we can confidently restrain heay gear enough to prevent injury in a serious accident so I prefer to have the cargo and passenger areas separated when carrying expedition gear for a long trip. We don't have children, but if we did I'd be more concerned.

Howard Snell

 

[Robert B]

After considering everything from a Tacoma to an LR4, I just "downsized" from a F150 Super Crew FX4 to a current 4Runner Trail Edition with KDSS and am very happy with it. It handles very well on- and off-road. Off-road, stock, it blows away the F150 stock and comes very close to the F150 equipped King Racing Shocks and 35" tires. It is far more manueverable than the F150 -- I mention this because while the Tundra has a 4' smaller turning radius than the F150, it may get tiresome if you do much city driving, which is why I ditched my F150. I passed on the Tacoma because its back seat gives up a fair amount of leg room to the 4Runner. A down side of the 4Runner is the lack of a bed and the loading flexibility it brings. I can address the lack of interior load space with a roof top carrier and, on those very rare occasions when I will need to carry something that will not fit in the back with the seats folded, I can rent a truck or open trailer. Three weeks into ownership, I am very pleased with the 4Runner. As others have mentioned related to the FJ, and mentioned to me when I was looking, load the vehicles you are considering with your family to see how they work for you. Good luck

 

[JCMatthews]

Somewhere on here is a thread where we discussed the size of a first gen. DC Tundra, and the current DC long bed Tacoma. They are within inches of being the same size. The price on a nice low mile '05-'06 Tundra would only be in the high teens. My family and I love our '05. I have three kids 10, 8, and 6. They fit great in the back seat even with one still in a booster. The 4.7 may not be the monster the 5.7 is but we can pull or haul whatever we want. It is nice to be able to put our gear in the bed seperated from passenger compartment. The aftermarket is not on board yet with the 1st gen Tundras, however if you can't find it, it can be fabbed. I Moved into the Tundra from a lifted Jeep Cherokee. I was used to the small nimble Jeep, but have adapted and love the Tundra. Not to big, but big enough.

I have attached a couple pictures showing how I like to use the bed, how the kids fit in the back, and where I can take it with only Bilstien 5100s up front to level it.

Don't know why the one attachment is so big, I made them all the same size before I attached them.

 

[Derek24]

I wish there were more aftermarket support for our 1st gen Tundra's, they really are the perfect size and combination truck without breaking the bank!

 

[Elbee]

Is the one you have paid off and in your garage.

 

[Ramjet]

I've had an FJ going on 5 years and purchased before our son was even a thought. I will have to so, that everyone that talks bad about the back seat has probably never owned or put a car seat in the back. It's not that bad at all. I actually find it easier because it sits up higher than my wife's Mini. I hate having to bend down and strap the little man in. Plus, my son absolutely loves being in the FJ. Good luck. And buy what YOU want. Not what others tell you.

 

[SWITAWI]

I'm a little late to this party but, as a single-guy-with-no-kids-who-owns-an-FJC, I can honestly say I love my FJ but I'd own a 4Runner or DC Taco if I was married with kids... or at least my imaginary supermodel wife would. Nothing wrong with the backseat of the FJ (my fullsize friends ride back there all the time) but I'd take the little bit of easier access a bigger door can afford you if it came to taking care of kiddos. The one upside of the FJC is that you don't even have to worry about rear door child locks because they can't be opened at all while the front doors are closed.

Definitely look at every vehicle in person and get a feel for what works best for you. Everyone has different needs and tastes.

 

[2025 deleted member]

???

Is the one you have paid off and in your garage.