I have been driving a 2008 Chevy Silverado Z71 4X4, 4 door since I bought it new. It has been a very reliable truck. I don't tow anything or haul much other than bicycles. I am kind of tired of the large truck and have been considering a new TRD Pro Tacoma. Has anyone else went from a full size truck to a Tacoma? Any regrets? Any input will be appreciated.
From Full-Size Domestic Truck to a Tacoma Anyone?
- Thread starter RBishop
- Start date
Tacovendor
Explorer
I have both, a few questions to ask are, why do you want the Tacoma? Mileage is not much different between the 4.0 and the Tundra's V8. Price, almost the same. If you plan on lots of narrow two track then the taco is a better choice. Are you going to put a shell out pop up on it? There's lots of members with Tacomas on here, so you have a great resource to get your info. Just one clarification, my Tacoma has a 2.7L, the FJ Cruiser I recently sold, had the V6.
ADVW/Liam
Adventurer
I went from a 97 Cummins to a 2010 DC Tacoma 4x4. I DO miss the power of the Cummins. That thing never downshifted going up any hill (no trailer of course), and it routinely got about 18mpg, regardless of the speed I travelled (again, no trailer). My only regret is tha I bought the TRD Sport package, and heres why: I have completely replaced the stock suspension with an Old Man Emu kit, and Icon UCAs. I highly recommend changing the UCAs if you do any kind of lift to the vehicle. The only reason I bought the Sport is because it was the only 4x4 in the area, and I did not want to wait for a TRD Offroad. At the time, I didnt think I would get into offroading as much as I am now, and it would be nice to have the locking rear dif. If I did it again, I'd buy a non TRD 4x4 because the TRD suspension is sitting in my garage, and I plan on regearing and locking the front and rear anyway. The TRD skidplates are pretty thin, and mine have deformed from a few off road trips.
The bonus is that I have an excuse to buy air lockers front and rear, and while I'm in there, I'm going to regear to 4.55. If you go up on tire size from the stock 29-30 inch to a 31-33, you should regear. If you go to a 35, I believe that a regear is a must due to the low power, and the plummiting MPG numbers. My truck has 31x10.5x17 BFG All Terrains, ARB bull bar and winch, OME suspension kit, and a Bestop Supertop. I do carry all my recovery gear to include 3 snatchblocks, 4 shackles, 3 different tow ropes, a hi lift jack, and small shovel. I am lucky to get 17 mpg, and routinely get 16-16.5 mpg on the highway. I can get better around town (believe it or not) and usually do not get over about 55 mph due to travelling "surface roads" and not the highway. Before I went to town on changing the suspension, and bumper, I could get 19 no problem.
Even though it's not powerful (compaired to the old 12v Cummins), drinks gas, and I get "hate stares" from EVERYONE who drives a Jeep Wrangler, I still love my Tacoma, and would not trade it. It only has about 65,000 miles on it, and it is still running as strong as day one. I plan on passing it down to my son when he turns 16. That'll be 12 years from now.
The TRD Tacoma is perfectly capable off road from the factory. Dont think that becuase I changed a bunch of stuff that I was not happy with the off road performance. I just like the way it looks with the small lift, and I wanted a winch to get me out of trouble. That was how I justified the ARB Bull Bar. I justified the bigger tires because it looked silly with a 29-30 inch tire with a 2 inch (approximate) lift. Then the recovery gear kind of got outta hand....
The bonus is that I have an excuse to buy air lockers front and rear, and while I'm in there, I'm going to regear to 4.55. If you go up on tire size from the stock 29-30 inch to a 31-33, you should regear. If you go to a 35, I believe that a regear is a must due to the low power, and the plummiting MPG numbers. My truck has 31x10.5x17 BFG All Terrains, ARB bull bar and winch, OME suspension kit, and a Bestop Supertop. I do carry all my recovery gear to include 3 snatchblocks, 4 shackles, 3 different tow ropes, a hi lift jack, and small shovel. I am lucky to get 17 mpg, and routinely get 16-16.5 mpg on the highway. I can get better around town (believe it or not) and usually do not get over about 55 mph due to travelling "surface roads" and not the highway. Before I went to town on changing the suspension, and bumper, I could get 19 no problem.
Even though it's not powerful (compaired to the old 12v Cummins), drinks gas, and I get "hate stares" from EVERYONE who drives a Jeep Wrangler, I still love my Tacoma, and would not trade it. It only has about 65,000 miles on it, and it is still running as strong as day one. I plan on passing it down to my son when he turns 16. That'll be 12 years from now.
The TRD Tacoma is perfectly capable off road from the factory. Dont think that becuase I changed a bunch of stuff that I was not happy with the off road performance. I just like the way it looks with the small lift, and I wanted a winch to get me out of trouble. That was how I justified the ARB Bull Bar. I justified the bigger tires because it looked silly with a 29-30 inch tire with a 2 inch (approximate) lift. Then the recovery gear kind of got outta hand....
I was considering the Tacoma over the Tundra primarily because the Tundra doesn't seem to be much of a departure from the full size truck I have now. I have been debating between the Tacoma and a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I like the idea of a smaller vehicle, yet still have the ability to haul bikes and home maintenance stuff. I don't pull campers or boats and don't plan to. I don't plan any major suspension mods. I do Ironman races and would probably put a bed shell cover on it for bikes and gear. My wife drives a '10 4Runner, which has been a very good vehicle to this point.
ADVW/Liam
Adventurer
Yeah, the Tundra is big. I'm glad I did not get one becuase I have no use for a full size truck, and it will not fit down the "Jeep trails". That's why I got rid of the Dodge, although I do miss it. Sounds like the Tacoma or something that size is probably the right truck for you. I believe there is a new Tacoma coming out for the new model year. It'd be interesting to see what changes if any thay make in the drive train department.
duckhunter71
Adventurer
I'm in the same boat as you. I've got a 2010 Silverado Crew LTZ Z71 that I'm planning on trading in the coming months. My previous truck was a 2007 Frontier Crew Nismo 4x4 which I really enjoyed. At the time I thought I was planning on purchasing a camper and doing that thing, but I ended up changing jobs and moving (and now building a house), so the camper plans were pushed to the wayside. I'm absolutely torn between another fullsize (most likely a 2015 Sierra SLT Z71) or a midsize (2015 Canyon or 2016 Tacoma). If you don't tow much or haul much, the smaller truck will be fine for you. The biggest difference will be the interior space. I do like how the Tacoma Double Cab rear seat folds down to create a flat space for gear, but overall there's still a big tradeoff in interior space. Is your current truck the extended or crew cab?
2008 Tacoma owner here, so my thoughts are biased. Some of the questions you should consider are ones like what's the primary use case of the truck? How many passengers do you plan to take? What kind of gear are you planning to haul? What kind of modifications do you want to do? Allow me to expand on each question a bit...
What do you plan to do with the truck? If you plan to haul a boat or an RV, obviously, the Tacoma isn't for you. If you plan to pull an adventure trailer on your trips, now you're in the ballpark. While the Tacoma has a better-than-average towing capacity, I personally wouldn't use it to pull large things. My truck came with the towing package and I have yet to ever remove the little plastic cap covering the receiver. My towing package exists as a recovery point, that's it.
How many passengers do you plan to take? This will determine whether you want say the access cab (AC) or the double cab (DC). If you know that you will never take more than say 1 extra person, forget the DC and just get an AC. I have an AC and even have a family with small children. I know that I won't be taking my children on trips until they're older and can ride in the front seat so I have no desire to get a DC truck. So get the AC.
The cab size also determines your bed size. In the AC, you only get the 6' bed. You might be able to order the shorter bed but that's a poor choice. But if you get the double cab, you can get the 5' or 6' bed. In the DC, you want the shorter bed otherwise the truck is just too long and your departure angles are wacky and you will scrape on all types of rock and terrain you will traverse. I'm very, very happy with my choice of the AC and 6' bed - especially since I'm not 6' tall and can sleep very comfortably in the bed!
What kind of gear do you plan to haul? This plays into the bed size choice, but we're covered that already.
What kind of modifications do you want to do? I say this because I'm going to throw this out there: Save your money and don't buy the TRD Pro Tacoma. Yes, it's an amazing truck from the factory but you can buy an SR5 and build it to exactly your specifications, with better parts, for cheaper. Yes, the TRD Pro Tacoma is a very capable truck from the factory, but it ain't no 78 series Land Cruiser from the factory. It's built for the American truck market, which is waaay different than the Australian, utilitarian truck market. But, this is all erased if you don't really want to modify your truck and want it ready from the factory. In that case, I would suggest the plain access cab with the TRD Off-Road package - the Pro is just too much overkill when the TRD OR is perfectly capable from the factory.
So, in conclusion, here's my recommendation: V6 Access Cab + TRD Off-Road package if you plan to wrench on your truck yourself, don't get the TRD and just get plain SR5 and add the mods yourself.
What do you plan to do with the truck? If you plan to haul a boat or an RV, obviously, the Tacoma isn't for you. If you plan to pull an adventure trailer on your trips, now you're in the ballpark. While the Tacoma has a better-than-average towing capacity, I personally wouldn't use it to pull large things. My truck came with the towing package and I have yet to ever remove the little plastic cap covering the receiver. My towing package exists as a recovery point, that's it.
How many passengers do you plan to take? This will determine whether you want say the access cab (AC) or the double cab (DC). If you know that you will never take more than say 1 extra person, forget the DC and just get an AC. I have an AC and even have a family with small children. I know that I won't be taking my children on trips until they're older and can ride in the front seat so I have no desire to get a DC truck. So get the AC.
The cab size also determines your bed size. In the AC, you only get the 6' bed. You might be able to order the shorter bed but that's a poor choice. But if you get the double cab, you can get the 5' or 6' bed. In the DC, you want the shorter bed otherwise the truck is just too long and your departure angles are wacky and you will scrape on all types of rock and terrain you will traverse. I'm very, very happy with my choice of the AC and 6' bed - especially since I'm not 6' tall and can sleep very comfortably in the bed!
What kind of gear do you plan to haul? This plays into the bed size choice, but we're covered that already.
What kind of modifications do you want to do? I say this because I'm going to throw this out there: Save your money and don't buy the TRD Pro Tacoma. Yes, it's an amazing truck from the factory but you can buy an SR5 and build it to exactly your specifications, with better parts, for cheaper. Yes, the TRD Pro Tacoma is a very capable truck from the factory, but it ain't no 78 series Land Cruiser from the factory. It's built for the American truck market, which is waaay different than the Australian, utilitarian truck market. But, this is all erased if you don't really want to modify your truck and want it ready from the factory. In that case, I would suggest the plain access cab with the TRD Off-Road package - the Pro is just too much overkill when the TRD OR is perfectly capable from the factory.
So, in conclusion, here's my recommendation: V6 Access Cab + TRD Off-Road package if you plan to wrench on your truck yourself, don't get the TRD and just get plain SR5 and add the mods yourself.
Clutch
<---Pass
I went from a Fullsize to Toyotas roughly 25 years ago. They are great for light use, hauling bicycles and such. I used to work construction, and towed heavy equipment, anyhting from "small" F250/350's up to Tri-Axle Macks, wanted to downsize. Love the smaller Toyotas for personal use...great for whipping around town and on the trail. We raced mountain bikes, my ex-wife was a Tri-Geek, perfect for hauling all the gear.
If you go with a topper I would suggest to get a high rise model, so you don't have to lower the seats. I used fork mounts on the floor of the bed, liked the bicycles locked up inside for added security.
You'll be happier with a 6' bed I think...despite what the others have said...I would get the Pro...nice to have a turn key truck. Plus it will be all under warranty. You may
want to wait and see what the 2016's bring...they might be getting better fuel economy.
Not my Tacomas, but you get the idea of a taller topper.
If you go with a topper I would suggest to get a high rise model, so you don't have to lower the seats. I used fork mounts on the floor of the bed, liked the bicycles locked up inside for added security.
You'll be happier with a 6' bed I think...despite what the others have said...I would get the Pro...nice to have a turn key truck. Plus it will be all under warranty. You may
want to wait and see what the 2016's bring...they might be getting better fuel economy.
Not my Tacomas, but you get the idea of a taller topper.
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I recently went from a Ranger, to a 6.0 PS F250 extended cab with 6' bed, to a Gen2 DCSB Taco. Bought the F250 for a great deal with the anticipation that I might plow with it, but after 8 years of plowing decided that I had had enough. I was lucky enough to sell the F250 for more than I had into it, so no loss. I also frequently drive Chevy 1500s and F350s.
I could have kept the F250 for my DD, but did not. Operating costs on diesels are high and not worth it unless you are doing some serious hauling. Mileage was similar to the Taco, but oil changes, turbos, coolant flushes, EGRs, oil coolers, HPOPs etc are all very expensive. All the room was nice, but after a few days hunting driving around on FS roads to access trailheads I got pretty tired of scraping the sides, the stiff ride, and making 10 point turns. My wife also hated the seats because they were too deep for her legs. I must says I miss the turbo diesel when going over passes and when passing, but 99% of the time all that torque and power was excessive and the Taco has sufficient power for every situation I need it for.
The Taco hit the Goldilocks zone for me. Just big enough to haul what I need since I started using a small trailer when camping, without being so big that it is cumbersome for DD duty and offroad driving. Extended cab with a 6' bed would have been sufficient for our current needs, but chose the DC in anticipation of needing a car seat some day. Went with the short bed because the DCLB was starting to get to close to half ton size. Would have been nice to be able to sleep in the back like we did with the Ranger, but an RTT on the trailer solves that problem and is a lot more comfortable for extended trips. So far the 5' bed with a shell is just big enough for us.
I could have kept the F250 for my DD, but did not. Operating costs on diesels are high and not worth it unless you are doing some serious hauling. Mileage was similar to the Taco, but oil changes, turbos, coolant flushes, EGRs, oil coolers, HPOPs etc are all very expensive. All the room was nice, but after a few days hunting driving around on FS roads to access trailheads I got pretty tired of scraping the sides, the stiff ride, and making 10 point turns. My wife also hated the seats because they were too deep for her legs. I must says I miss the turbo diesel when going over passes and when passing, but 99% of the time all that torque and power was excessive and the Taco has sufficient power for every situation I need it for.
The Taco hit the Goldilocks zone for me. Just big enough to haul what I need since I started using a small trailer when camping, without being so big that it is cumbersome for DD duty and offroad driving. Extended cab with a 6' bed would have been sufficient for our current needs, but chose the DC in anticipation of needing a car seat some day. Went with the short bed because the DCLB was starting to get to close to half ton size. Would have been nice to be able to sleep in the back like we did with the Ranger, but an RTT on the trailer solves that problem and is a lot more comfortable for extended trips. So far the 5' bed with a shell is just big enough for us.
surlydiesel
Adventurer
I have gone back and forth between fullsize and "mini" trucks for 10 years now. It always has depended on where I was in life and what I needed to get done. I would like to be driving a fullsize but I can't afford the gas and in many cases, the upkeep of a fullsized domestic. I have found my 4 cylinder tacoma with a 14foot utility trailer does the same or more hauling than my f350 flatbed ever did. I of course can't tow worth a damn but it's usually large bulky items I need to move, not so much cars on trailers. I can tow a cord of firewood with this truck, slowly but safely with trailer brakes. My wife and I also share a 3rd vehicle, so when I need to haul people I have a vehicle to do so. When it's time to replace my truck, I'm leaning toward another 4 cylinder tacoma. When it's time to replace the 3rd vehicle, it will most likely be a Tundra. I would like more towing ability, the flexibility for my wife to move her boat around without me (she doesn't drive stick) and we want to get a Travel Trailer soon. If we had to downsize to 2 cars. She would have a CRV or Rav4 and I would have a Quad Cab shortbed tacoma with the 6spd. I just don't want to give up driving a manual...if the Tundra came in a manual, I would be driving one tomorrow.
-jorge
-jorge
Dances with Wolves
aka jk240sx
I went from a ex cab Dakota to a Titan when my son was born to handle the car seat. I drove the Titan for 18 months then I drove my sister in law's Tacoma and I was hooked. I spent about 6 months looking for one and purchased in 6/14. Sold the Titan myself since trade in offers were too low. I don't miss the larger truck at all. Tacoma is easier to drive and park. resale value will always be there as well.
shauniscndn
Adventurer
I have owned full size trucks and Jeeps my whole life, sold a 1994 12 Valve to buy a 2014 Access cab, Love it and dont even regret selling the diesel. We bought this new truck for my wife and I will be looking at buying another tacoma (older of course) soon as well. Fullsize trucks have their place if you tow, need the extra bed space but from what I have seen and experienced the Tacoma is a perfect all around truck. Small enough for tighter trails and city driving while still has the benefits of being a truck
JCMatthews
Tour Guide
I love my '05 Tundra. I tow a small camp trailer on multiple day trips a few times a year, am able to tow the large family boat, and this year trailer a friends disabled mini van over a significant mountain pass. However, even though my truck is very comfortable, I miss my Jeep Cherokee in parking lots. If I did not have three kids I would be piloting a 1st gen DC Tacoma.
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