Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Tacoma 4x4

Am considering a new Tacoma 4x4.
Coupla questions for past/present owners please--

What are your likes and dislikes?
What can be expected for gsa mileage in town and on road?
How would you describe the ride on highway?
The general comfort?
Thanks
Terry
My current truck is a 98 Z71

I have an '06 Tacoma 4x4 with the V6 SRS package.

Mostly likes so far, but a few dislikes. Interior plastic trim could be a lot better and there have been quite a few recalls for assorted problem areas. All done promptly and with a minimum of fuss by the dealer. YMMV there, dealers are dealers...

I get around 18 mpg with mine, however I'm not an aggressive driver. I'm the guy in the right hand lane going 1 mph over the speed limit with the cruise control on

Ride is a little bouncy, to be expected from a 4x4. Not nearly as bad as my last 4x4, a Dodge Dakota.

Plenty of interior room for bigger guys, (I'm 6-1, 230) and comfortable seats.

No regrets here, I'm satisfied with my purchase. Most of these guys are, too:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/

What are your likes and dislikes? - Off-road capability, auto tranny, ability to lock the rear differential, gas mileage (compared to my last two F-150's), narrower stance and shorter whellbase (I have the extended cab, not the crew cab)
What can be expected for gsa mileage in town and on road? - 15 town, 25 highway
How would you describe the ride on highway? - Firm
The general comfort? -Great - good seats, but the ride is firm, prolly firmer than your Chev.

Terry,
Get the auto transmission. I drove both before I bought. The auto actually gets better mileage because the standard is geared lower at the top end, and it's actually better off-road than a manual (you can manually put it into any gear anyway, and your left foot is free so that you can have one on the gas and one on the brake to slowly crawl over rocks, etc.). The truck is rugged as hell, and is a favorite of the off-roaders, after the Jeep and the FJ Cruiser. You can't go wrong.

Got a 97 with 176,667 on it.

Reg cab, 4x4, auto.

I also have a 4 inch lift, stainless header (4cyl) and a K&N FIPK II.

I get 17 in the winter (mostly city driving) and 20/21 in the summer - same driving.

Likes - unstoppable, can't get em stuck, hauls everything I need without a spotter to turn the thing around. Fun to drive - lets be honest - it's a giant 4wd go-kart, much like a Jeep.

Dislikes - rough ride - the lift is a puck system which IIRC, raises the spring rate so it shouldn't be all that bad. Lack of room.

Looking at new ones - I'd go V6 with the 4 door. Problem is, that's more expensive than a new F150 with the same mileage. Rather have the Ford's size - particularly in the bed.

I drive a 2008 double cab 4x4. V6 auto tranny. I get about 21 mpg on the hwy and 16-18 mpg around town. Rugged little truck with no complaints from me so far. I plan to put at least 300,000 miles on it. (only 245,000 more to go).

The ride is stiffer than the Chevy that I had.

That's what I didn't like about mine because when driving on two-track roads one side was in the rut and the other on the edge of the hump.

I got the off road package - rear locker is a good deal.

Mines a 2007 dual cab

Anti-lock breaks are good
VSC I could have done withoud

Go through Costco auto program to get the best price, especially on factory add ons.

I got stainless steel tube style running boards - good.

The only sucky thing is the mud flaps,

Spot

Had a '99 4x4 Regular Cab I-4 Auto and an '04 Ext. Cab V-6 Auto.

Likes: Smaller size easier to turn on logging roads; Mileage; Reliability; Build Quality; Lockable Rear Axel; Resale Value;

Dislikes: Mileage; Seats too low to floor;

With the I-4 I got 20 mpg City / 24 mpg Hwy at 65mph or lower anything above 65mph and mileage tanked;

With the V-6 I got 20 mpg no matter where I drove it. V-6 definitely had more power but the Regular Cab was much more nimble off road.

Thanks for to replys
I have been driving 4x4's for a long time, had Jeeps, Fords and Chevys.
Don't do much rough 4x4 stuff anymore.
The Tacoma is expensive, but hell, all trucks are.
I just can't see supporting Obama motors.

I have a 2005 X-tra cab SR5 that just turned 170K. It has been a reliable truck with no warranty or abnormal problems. It does not have either a limited slip or a locking rear differential, but it is the first 4x4 that I have never stuck--and I have put it through a lot of rock crawling here in SW New Mexico and SE Arizona, as well as some really nasty mud in Colorado and Wyoming.

Other than normal maintenance, I replaced the center CV joint in the rear drive shaft at 150K. It did not fail, but was getting a bit loose. Still have the original brake pads. Mileage was not as good as I hoped to get, but runs 19-20 mpg at 75 mph on the interstate and 20-22 mph on the secondary roads at 65 mph or less. I don't pull heavy trailers with it, but do pull a 12 ft double axle trailer with a Polaris Ranger (or loads of lumber) with no problems.

That said, I probably will go with a Ford F-150 of some persuasion when I replace it next year. Looks like I can get a bit better mileage and have more torque for trailering.

Don't kow about the new F 150, but for a few years I drove an 04 f-150 with the 5.4 and could never even get 15 on the hiway, 14.7 was the best.
Hopefully the new ones are better

just got new 5.7 tundra 4x4. looks like 16 is avg, great ride with lots of room and zero financing%/ Just get a couple of dealer quotes and can easily get 5 off sticker

My brother and I are big fans of anything Toyota and the Tacoma is certainly a great truck offroad unfortunately it falls short in 3 areas.

Ride Comfort...most ride especially stiff and with the TRD package it is unacceptable. I think the seats are a poor design and sit too low to the floor, they are borrowed from the Camry

Fuel Economy...My Silverado gets better gas mileage then my Brothers Tacoma V6 automatic city or highway. If you want 20+ get the 4 cyl and a stick.

Dealer Pricing...this past year I looked at a nicely loaded 4 door Tacoma v6 auto for myself. The Dealer was talking high 20's . I ended up buying a used Silverado but I could have bought a new Silverado within the Toyotas price range.

I drove full size trucks for 30 years before downsizing to the Tacoma double cab 4X4 3.5 years ago. I'm very pleased. The smaller size works for me now that he kids are grown and out of the house. It is so much easier to drive around town and park at the mall.

The 4.0 has plenty of power for the size of the vehicle. I gave up 10 hp and 300 lbs of towing capacity over the F-150 I traded in. But it is also 1500 lbs lighter so it accelerates much faster and tows the same loads better.

Fuel mileage is about 20-21 on the road around 18 in town. My F-150 was getting 17-18 on the road but only 12-13 in town where most of the miles are put on the truck. I figure that in the 73,000 miles I've put on the truck I've burned about 1,500 gallons less gas. @ 2.75/gal that is over $4000.

It is the most capable off road truck I've owned.

The cab is a little small and took some time to get used to. I'm 5'10" and have no real problems. If you are a big guy this could be a problem. The back seat is a little on the small side for adults. I would not have bought this size truck when my kids were still teenagers and living at home. That is why I had the 4 door F-150 prior to the Tacoma.

Compared to a full size truck the suspension is a little stiff. I'd compare it to driving a sports car vs the luxury car ride on most full size trucks. But I don't realy consider that a negative. The truck is so much quicker and nimble than a full size it is almost like driving a sports car after 30 years of full size trucks.

So far I've put new front brakes on it, 1 set of tires and changed the oil.

The rear window did develop a leak and rain water leaked into my truck. I was 10,000 miles out of warranty, but my local dealer gave me a loaner car for a couple of days while they replaced the rear window, and detailed the truck inside and out at no cost.

I have the 2006 Tacoma Access V6 4x4 SR5 model. This is my second Toyota truck, first truck was prior to Tacoma and a 1986 truck. Both trucks I had nary a problem except for performing maintenance. My truck now has 80k miles on it.

My '06 truck is not a TRD-Sport or TRD-Off Road. I tested out a new TRD-Off Road and felt they rode too stiff and this is becuase they used suspension (and locker) for off road purposes. I do no rock crawling so did not want the stiffer rode. From what I've heard both TRD-Sport and Off Road suspension are the cheaper Bilstein shocks and will eventually wear out. I got the standard SR% suspension and figured if I truly need a tough suspension or locker...I could buy the after market Old Man Emu suspension and ARB locker.

My truck rides plushy for lack of better term. It rides good but is more bumpy/jumpy on concrete roads but on black top it rides smooth. I change the oil on a regular basis that is the only think I've done to it. My wife likes riding in my truck and my now 9-year old girl and 7-year old boy rather ride in a car like our Honda Accord. But in a 3 hour ride its doable. I really got this for myself and know my kids will not ride in this Tacoma much anyway. My wife has the Accord and will eventually get a CR-V.

When I first bought this truck (Jan '09 with 64k miles) it had the orig tires and they were 245/75/16 and nearly worn out. I drove it on tank-ful trips and I got 380miles a tank with 2 or 3 gallons left in the tank. I typically got 22.5 MPG in mix driving and long trips. Last Feb I got new Wrangler Silent Armors 265/75/16 and I now avg 20.5 mpg in mix driving. Mix driving to me is daily commute to work but got same mpg when I drov eot Outer Banks NC.

All in all I like this truck but I think with every truck you will have some cons. This Tacoma's con is its not a 350hp truck and is not as cushy of seats but on the other hand it is a 4x4 and has its useful purpose. I like the big boys 4x4 but I fail to see the reason to have a V8 when I do not need that much power. If I really needed a 4x4 400hp I would get the appropriate truck. This Tacoma suits my need well.

I have had a '79 ford Bronco and a 94 Grand Cherokees and both were solid 15mpg. F150/Silverado guys complain on the internet of paying $100 to fill up (ouch) but they got a 35 gal tank. My truck fills up a tad over $50 with 21 gal and I can put 375 miles on a tankful and still have 3 gallons left so for me it works. My truck also works as a commuter.

I would get another Tacoma and if the opportunity arises I would probably consider a 4 door Tacoma but will sacrifice about 1 ft bed length. I often times think of the small commuter cars like '06 Honda Accord (I avg 34mpg weekly and have gotten 40mpg long trips) and my wife's '05 Corolla which got 38mpg commuting to work (both of us in mix traffic) but she sold her car and took my Honda so I now drive the Tacoma. Took a bit of getting used to the 20mpg but its better than 15mpg LOL.

I like the V6 very much. Pretty good power for a 235hp motor and I can/have hauled alot of [bleep] in that bed. For me it comes down to what will I used the truck for 75% of the time?

Forgot to mention that my '06 Tacoma has the 3.73 rear gears instead of the 4.10. I think that is why they seem a bit preppy when you drive around town.

I have no experience with a modern Toyota, so can't give an exactly honest answer. I did however have a big part of putting 300,000 miles on an '88 Toyota that dad bought new, and then I used all through high school and college before giving back to him.

After graduation in 2003 I bought a new 1/2 ton GMC Z-71.

The interior room as well as bed room was not even close between the two. The GMC is just so much more comfortable to be in.

The fuel mileage between a 4x4 Taco and my Z71 is minimal, at best just a few miles per gallon better.

The cost difference between almost equally equipped is minimal.

Those three are what made my decisions for me. I still have that 2003. It now has 190,000 miles on it, and the repairs I've done are two catalytic converters and a water pump. The Toyota at that mileage was a rebuilt carb and two starters.

Cheesy sounds like you got good service out of your truck, most of the people I know that take care of their GM trucks get extremely good service out of them and combined with the size,comfort and fuel economy are tough to beat.

Let me just say that if I were to buy an offroad truck only it would be a Toyota and a old beater truck at that. I am not about to run a 30k truck and beat the crap out of it.

I think the Toyota trucks built 2003 and prior are better made trucks then what is currently offered.

I have a '96 taco 4 x 4 extended cab. I-4 auto with lockout front hubs. I put a starter and rear springs and shocks in it. Gets 20 around town , and 25 highway. 93,000 still runs strong and uses no oil. After I changed the rear suspention , it rides a whole lot smoother. I am very pleased with this truck , and plan on putting another 100,000 on it. It will go thru anything.

I had a 06, drove it for a year before I totalled it on ice. Went out and bought the exact same truck (07), so no buyer remorse at all. Got the DC LB 4x4 TRD Sport. Downsized from a F250 diesel, but didnt need a work truck anymore so its just a commuter, family rig, tows the driftboat, and does all the hunting stuff.

Love the size, power, and reliabilty. Off road its pretty impressive. Dont like that its very expensive for what you get, feature-wise. But its more than plush enough for me, and resale is unbelievable, really. But ill probably drive mine for 10+ years. And still sell it for a good price.

I have a 2" lift and 32" tires. I get 17 mpg city/mixed and 19mpg hwy (summer). It was 2mpg better with stock tires.

Highway ride is fine. I drove a F250 for ten years, the tacoma rides like a camry imo. General comfort is just ok, they dont have a lot of options, the tacomas are pretty basic. I would love having heated side mirrors.