Toyota Tacoma

I have a 19 Tacoma…it's still a 3rd gen. TRD Pro.

3rd gens are 16' (late 15s) to 2023 (2024 will have a full release of the 4th gen.) so to cover the 2023-2024 question…the TRDS aren't out till March next year, and there is no EPA release….yet…

As far as the 3rd gens…I get worst gas milage, because I got larger, heavier tires, roof rack, skids, sliders etc. I get about 17 in town and maybe 21 on highway. It gets worst at altitude, as these are direct injection naturally aspirated, hence why you hear the ticking in the engine.

It's been a good truck. I like it. I like the fox shocks. That said, I'll probably go waste money on the new trail hunter coming out when the 4th gens are fully released. They will be a non plug in hybrid (like a Prius, so driving is what charges the hybrid battery) with over 400 lb ft of torque.
 

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2021 four door TRD (4WD). My driving is half highway half city, 19 mpg. In hilly areas at highway speeds the transmission goes back and forth from 4-6th gears. I prefer my wife's 4Runner, it gets slightly better mpg, has more interior room and the ride is better. But, no other complaints.
 
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Third generation Tacomas are under geared, under powered, and too conservative overall. They will run forever stock, but the MPG rating is a house of cards that starts to fall apart the moment you change tires or stick anything on the roof. If you are seriously looking at them I would wait until the fourth generation comes out with the smaller displacement turbo or hybrid.
 
brcfo_outdoors said:
Third generation Tacomas are under geared, under powered, and too conservative overall. They will run forever stock, but the MPG rating is a house of cards that starts to fall apart the moment you change tires or stick anything on the roof. If you are seriously looking at them I would wait until the fourth generation comes out with the smaller displacement turbo or hybrid.
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I agree they could have more power, but I still believe that there's no replacement for displacement. Toyota needs to go back to offering superchargers from dealerships and that would solve the power issue. I hate that due to govt mpg standards, engines are getting smaller and smaller. Who wants a 1-2 liter turbo charged truck? Not me.

BTW, which Tacomas have you owned? Not that you have to own one to know that, just wondering where you learned of those problem areas.
 
Does not matter what year it is buy it. They have been getting 20mpg for the last 15 years, and they continue to rule the resale market because they flat work, dont break down, sized perfect for off road, and well its a Toyota.
 
I have always had a truck, since I was 16 with a 79 Toyota Pickup. Then an 85 Toyota Xtra Cab, 85 4Runner, 87 4Runner, another 87 4Runner. Then got a 92 Chevy 1500 (***), 87 Ramcharger, 99 Ram 1500, 02 F250, 07 F250 (still have). Finally got back into Toyota when I got a 17 Tundra for work, got my daughter an 08 Tacoma TRD (still have) then a 17 4Runner TRD (25 Anniversary for my wife, still have), 18 Ram 2500 (work), 2020 Ram (work), and now a 2020 Tacoma TRD (had it a year now). I think my next work truck is going to be a Tacoma too (no more towing for work, and more mountaintop sites).

Toyotas are the ultimate hunting vehicles. Quiet, light, narrow, nimble.
 
Mrvmax said:
I agree they could have more power, but I still believe that there's no replacement for displacement. Toyota needs to go back to offering superchargers from dealerships and that would solve the power issue. I hate that due to govt mpg standards, engines are getting smaller and smaller. Who wants a 1-2 liter turbo charged truck? Not me.

BTW, which Tacomas have you owned? Not that you have to own one to know that, just wondering where you learned of those problem areas.
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Its unfortunately a double edged sword, as gas prices go up and technology improves engines get smaller. The other side of that is the current trend of putting twin turbo V6's for example (F150 and now Tundra) perform better than their V8 predecessors. Not to say a well done V8 won't out perform a V6, but if you are trying to save gas then smaller seems to be the way of the future.

I had a 2016 TRD Off Road which I bought at the end of 2015 right when they came out with the new generation. I sold it at the beginning of 2022 and bought an F150 Tremor. For me it solved the power problem, gearing problem, space problem and gives me around 18mpg on the highway where my Tacoma was giving me about 18.6 at the end. It was a good truck, but I feel that I outgrew it.

20210125_151408.jpg
 
brcfo_outdoors said:
….For me it solved the power problem, gearing problem, space problem and gives me

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It's not a gearing problem per se…I mean, the manual is nice with more appropriate gears if we are talking about personal opinion, but when talking about actual gearing… the issue is the transmission and how they did the PCM software.

Which will be solved on the next gen.

The specifics is they used that AI software in the PCM, where it "learns your driving habits" for fuel economy. That's where all the gear hunting comes from. It works good in the Camry but not a 6 speed Taco.

They redid the software in 19' and it was way better but still… disconnecting the battery will reset it but driving for a little bit it will eventually hold the wrong gear too long, switch and go back.
 

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