Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Tacoma vs Tundra

My truck is getting older and I am thinking someday I will replace it. I have a F150 with the 4.6 liter V8 and 5 speed manual.
It is pretty weak when towing a trailer but I rarely do that.
How do I decide between a Tundra or a Tacoma?
whelennut

I'm not sure if they still allow this or not, but back in the day, the dealerships would allow a person to drive both vehicles before paying money. In those days, this was referred to as a "test" drive. It may be worth inquiring as to whether this is still an option.

Depends on what you use it for. Depends on money. For offroad, and commuting I would pick Tacoma. For hauling and towing I would pick Tundra. I am deciding myself. I am leaning to the Tacoma because it is cheaper to own as a commuter.

Have a 2012 Tundra.. I will probably get a 2016 this spring.. I have had Tundras since they first hit the market and usually traded every couple years.. Before that I had Tacomas.. Loved them too.. I keep with the Tundras now because I tow my travel trailer from spring though fall.
If it were not for that, I would probably go Tacoma..

LOL!



I am curios what the new 2016 Tacoma drives like compared to the 2015 (3.5 v6/6 speed auto vs. 4.0 v6/5 speed auto).

I do like the looks of both the Tacoma & Tundra. The Tacoma is going to be a lot more pleasant to drive daily especially when it comes to get into/out of parking spots. The Tacoma is also going to be a lot more nimble off road if that matters. If you only tow a handful of times a year and it's in the 4k lb or less range a Tacoma probably makes more sense.

I traded an 02 F-150 with that engine for a 4X4 07 Tacoma DC. On paper the F-150 was rated to tow 300 lbs more. But the Tacoma engine had only 10 less HP but weighed 1500 lbs less, same gear ratio, 3.73's. My Tacoma easily out towed the F-150. Unless you tow 5000lbs or more on a regular basis the Tacoma will easily meet your needs. Lots more power etc. and about 3-4 mpg better city mileage, about 2-3 better hwy than the F-150 with that engine.

At least in 2007, It is too early to say about the new Tacoma engine. And newer 1/2 tons are coming close to Tacoma fuel mileage. The one downside to Tundra is that they get slightly worse fuel mileage than the big 3.

The cab is smaller and if you want room for 4 adults the ones in the back will be cramped on long trips. Front seats are fine for even taller people.

But it is still a close call. I love my Tacoma,but at times miss the room of a 1/2 ton. At least until I start parking at Walmart. Once you get used to the smaller vehicle a bigger truck seems huge.

I'm gonna be over 200,000 miles in another year or 2 and will have to start looking myself. If I had to buy one today I'd look hard at the Tundra, but still think I'd go with the Tacoma.

You might want to go to www.tacomaworld.com and see how people there feel about the new 3rd gen Tacoma.

Do you know the MPG, and 4.7 or 5.7? I drive 25K+ miles a year and 16mpg would be a game changer. I have an Outback now and get close to 30MPG. If I got a tundra I would probably have to keep the Subaru. Two depreciating assets is not a good game plan. That plus insurance and inspections, make the Tacoma look viable. I had trucks all my life, and I have been truckless for 3 years. Seems to work, so I think I don't need a big truck.

I have a 2015 TRD Sport and test drove a 2016 TRD Off Road.

The 4.0 of the '15 has more bottom end power and doesn't need to rev as high. The 3.5 of the '16 was running about 1k RPMs higher for the same style driving and felt more like a car motor than a truck motor. For example most driving in mine is between 1700-2300 while the '16 was 2500-3500 RPMs. The '16 feels a little smoother and quieter overall.

And driving my lady's Xterra it is more than obvious it has more power than both. Too bad the Frontier is so ugly, but think there's a new one coming out.

I went from driving full sized GMC's to a Tacoma in 2012. The Tacoma is a great vehicle and I chose it over the Tundra at the time thinking I'd be smart and spend less money. After almost 4 years, I wished I had gone to the Tundra and that will be my next vehicle. I commute and the cab/seats on the Tundra are way more comfortable for me. I know I will spend more but I am used to that I suppose.

Yes, the dealers still allow you to test drive... take a shower and wear your teeth, shouldn't be a problem.

I've had both, if you don't haul a trailer then the taco dual cab long bed is the way to go.

Spot

Spot,

How so? Any reliability problems with the Tundras?
I've been asking around and I haven't heard anything negative about Tundras.
My Tacoma is the dual cab long bed.

Ever carry an ATV? Hard to fit a full size utility (most 350cc 4x4s or bigger) in the bed of a Tacoma. You'll have to trailer it.

Its just basic mid-size vs full-size:
Cost - Tacoma (barely!)
Parking, Maneuverability/nimbleness - Tacoma
Hauling, towing, payload - Tundra
Comfort - Tundra

I'm on my second Tundra (2005 double cab, 2013 double cab). A Tacoma would probably work for me, but I like the Tundra and don't have to go into city traffic/parking very often. Driving position in Tacoma was not comfortable for me (yes - found one of those places that allows "test drives")

You forgot gas mileage 🤓

Taco winds there too

Gas mileage difference isn't enough for me when it comes to comfort and power. I spend way too much time in my vehicle.

Payload on Tundra 1,550 (cc 4x4)
Payload on Tacoma 1,120 (cc 4x4)

Both figures are inflated as they assume a 150 pound driver and nothing else in the truck. If you haul lots of weight or a moderate amount of weight and 4 passengers, both trucks are low on payload but you will really feel it with the taco. 4 225 pound occupants puts the remaining payload of the taco at 220 pounds, which isn't enough. Of course, if you don't haul anything or go on trips with a family...

The engines of both of them are old and out of date. I keep waiting for Toyota to make it's way into the 21st Century. I will stick to my Silverado until they re engine both lines. The Tundra needs a lot more than a minor facelift and move a couple of dash buttons around.
JMHOFWIW

Toyota is usually slow to update things, they tend to stick with the tried and true. That pays dividends when it comes to longevity, those out of date engines will be purring along long after newer ones from the big 3 are in the boneyard.

I drive a 2002 Toyota Tundra SR5 8 Cyl 4.7L.At the time it was the big Toyota.Well it's nearing it's 14th year and has 186,000 virtually trouble free miles except for a maint.timing belt change,fluid changes,spark plugs,shocks,struts,front pads once,02 sensor,and a radiator replacement that I did myself this year for a $118.00.I think it is a little bigger than the Tacoma they make these days,mine has a 7 foot bed that I like much better than the 6 foot.I selected it over the Tacoma at the time because it had the factory towing package with the transmission cooler too.Side by side comparison on the specs it was the winner as being much heavier duty and built to last,and it has.It is by far the best vehicle I have ever owned and my bank account is much happier too from not having a vehicle payment for many years.So this being said,compare the specs of all the models,choose one that has a slight edge as a heavy duty rating and it will probably last you a while too.

"Old and out of date Toyota engines"? Two of the Big three still use prehistoric pushrod engines. If anyone is slow to make changes it is some of our American companies. Even GM's almighty flagship Corvette still comes with a pushrod engine (dating from 1953). Slow to change......

I went from full size trucks to a short box double cab taco, a 2012. Size wise I really like it much better as a daily driver, parking, etc. The 2016s have the long box in the off road model which if I go taco again I would get the longer box. My only gripe I guess with the taco is the seats, they're just ok and manual. For the price you'd think they would at least give the driver a nicer power seat and unfortunately the 2016s are the same. I don't tow much weight and only on rare occasions but I also spend a good amount of time in my vehicle 22-25K per year, so next time around I may go for a full size for the comfort factor and not sure about that smaller engine in the 16s.