suv vs p'up ?

[frobuster]

We are a new family of three. I am a 100% p/u guy. I have an 07 access and love it, but realize that A. it's large, and B. it can not fit more than two people. Unquestionably, the pre 05 dbl cab addresses both of those issues and is the ultimate overlander. If you get a flip-pac, then even the six footer can sleep in it, with extra room for gear, dog, heater, etc...

But...after reading this thread, and recently adding a rav4 to our fleet, even I may be having second thoughts. If a real six footer can really sleep in a runner, I think I am sold. I can say this too; a seven hundred dollar trailer (lifetime @ Costco) is twice the size (5x10) and can easily carry twice the payload that the Taco can.

Also one other thing that may have brought me over to the SUV side, is that we have a very large dog, that loves camping, but cannot handle any real trails. If we take the baby and the dog, we are not going to be wheeling, therefore can afford the extra tonnage of a trailer to either stow tent/stuff in, or a full camp trailer to sleep in.

Thank you all for a very informative and objective thread.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Keep in mind, I'm not saying the 4runner is better than the Taco, it is just better for my needs.

The problem with the DC, IMO, is that the bed is too short to be useful. The 2nd gen Taco's cured that problem with the DC that has a full 6' bed, but then you have a vehicle that has about the same size profile as a full sized truck - IOW, you're sort of building yourself back into the box you just got out of.

I can't figure out why nobody has thought to use the Chevy Avalanche disappearing midgate idea in a compact sized vehicle. Think about something like a shortbed DC taco, but with the Avalanche's disappearing midgate: You could then accomodate 4 passengers comfortably, and at the same time, have a bed length in excess of 6', and all in a package that is just slightly larger than a 4runner. Throw in a removable hardtop for the back and you'd have the ultimate "convertible" truck/SUV. Need to move a refrigerator? No problem, just take off the top, put in the mid-gate and go. Need an SUV? Remove the midgate, put the topper on and you have it. Want a 2 person camper? Remove the midgate, fold the back seats down, now you have ~7' of uninterrupted space under the hard topper. Need to haul passengers and a load of manure? Remove the topper, reinstall the midgate, flip the seats up.

The concept is similar to what the military has with the M998 HMMWV. The soft top hummer can be a 4 passenger pickup with an open bed; a 4 passenger SUV with an enclosed cargo area; a two person pickup with an open bed; or a two person pickup with an oversized rear cargo compartment fitted with troop seats.

Of course, the military versions are all soft tops, and they don't have luxuries like AC or stereos, but the concept seems viable.

 

[Cackalak Han]

The problem with the DC, IMO, is that the bed is too short to be useful.

I'm going to disagree here. The bed is shorter by a foot, but that in no way makes it not useful. Dirt bikes with the tail gate down, 189 skis (diagonal in bed), 4x8' sheetrock, beds and furniture, etc. were hauled without much fuss. Sure, it's always nicer to have more bed space when hauling, but saying a bed is no longer useful due to 12" in difference is ridiculous. I'll speak for myself, but I got a ton of utility from that itty-bitty 5' bed.

Either way, an open truck bed is 10x more useful than an SUV.

 

[laxtoy]

I'm going to disagree here. The bed is shorter by a foot, but that in no way makes it not useful. Dirt bikes with the tail gate down, 189 skis (diagonal in bed), 4x8' sheetrock, beds and furniture, etc. were hauled without much fuss. Sure, it's always nicer to have more bed space when hauling, but saying a bed is no longer useful due to 12" in difference is ridiculous. I'll speak for myself, but I got a ton of utility from that itty-bitty 5' bed.

Either way, an open truck bed is 10x more useful than an SUV.

now i won't disagree with you, the bed is still functional, but there is no way i would fit all this in the bed

some would have to go in the back seat on a double cab. i could however fit it in the same configuration in a 4 runner, but then i had to deal with sawdust all over, and i was always worried if i got in a wreck, unsecured tools would be flying around in the passenger compartment. now that is a good argument for a truck! there are pros and cons for sure with both. i like a secure space to store stuff, have to have a top to have that with my truck, 4runner comes standard once you fill up the storage space on a 4runner, there is no more room for anything or anyone else. i had the problem that when i had to carry sheets of ply or drywall in my 4runner, there went all room for tools. now i also know these issues simply don't apply to most, most on here aren't concerned with the same things, i mean how often are people buying a 4runner going to need to carry plywood and tools, or dirt bikes? at that point, i agree, it's time for a truck, or a trailer.

 

[Desert Dan]

The SUV body style provides slightly more security than a camper shell and it keeps all your gear better protected from dust etc.

In cold weather it is also nice to have all your stuff inside the rig with HVAC. You can also set up your sleeping bag ahead of time so if you arrive at camp at night or in bad weather you can just climb into the back and be snoring in minutes.

I have had camper shells before and the visiblity with the extra glass and reflections at night can be bad. Also with an SUV most have a rear window wiper and defroster.

With the fold flat seat in the 4-Runner you can carry people and dogs and also carrry pretty large items with teh seats folded down.

I debated about a double cab Taco with a short bed and camper shell and decided of a 4-Runner for the reasons above.

The width of teh cargo opening in my 4 -Runner is a little over 4 feet wide so you could carry sheet of plywood with the door open.

 

[xjaugie]

SUV done now getting truck

Several years ago I purchased a SUV (XJ) as my hunting and fishing vehicle, and after seven years of hard use, I'm in the market for a Xcab Toyota.

What I found was, that while I liked having my "stuff" inside the car and not in the back of the truck for multiple reasons, the carrying of camping gear, treestands, decoys and other rough stuff really beat up the inside of the XJ.

My next project vehicle will be a pick up for that reason. Like it has been said in other posts, a SUV has comparable carrying capacity, the interior does take a beating, and the rasing and lowering of the back seat to take the kids somewhere is also a pain.

 

[7echo]

frobuster wrote-
"Unquestionably, the pre 05 dbl cab addresses both of those issues and is the ultimate overlander."

What makes the pre 05 dbl cab Tacos great for over landing?

The comments so far have been very interesting, lots of pros and cons, thanks!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Also with an SUV most have a rear window wiper and defroster.

Ah, yes, I forgot about that! Having the wiper/defroster on the back is nice.

Back around 2001 - 2002, ARE sold some versions of one of their top-of-the-line fiberglass caps with an available rear window washer/defroster. It was an option and I don't know how many people actually bought it. Last time I checked the ARE web site (a few years ago when I got my Taco) I noticed that the rear window wiper/defroster was no longer available.

EDITED TO ADD: One more nice thing about the 4runner is the ability to crack the back window for ventilation or open it entirely with a push of a button on the remote.

 

[frobuster]

I kind of answered that earlier; my 07 taco is too big, and still does not seat four. If you had a Flip pac topper on a pre 05 dbl cab, you can camp, sleep, and stand up inside of the same vehicle. I love that generation because it is smaller.

 

[Howard70]

Passengers Sharing Load Space

Hello:

We have two 4runners (1987 & 2000) and a 2004 DC Tacoma. The Tacoma is the expedition rig and the 2000 4 runner is the daily driver. For us it boils down to safety. In the Tacoma passengers and gear are in separate spaces in the event of an accident. In the 4runner passengers and gear and together. Our first DC Tacoma was totaled when a drunk hit my wife from behind at about 100 mph. Lost the truck, but she walked away. She had a rear differential, two front axles, and two sets of ring and pinion gears in the bed of the Taco under a shell. If that load had been inside a 4runner in the same accident I don't think she'd be around. While we don't carry that sort of stuff on a camping trip, the gear that we do carry would also fly around the inside of 4runner in a serious accident. If I was camping in the 4runner, I'd use a cargo barrier.

Howard L. Snell