Deciding between Tacoma or 4Runner

[conleybfow]

Signed up to this forum looking for a little guidance. My job will have me moving across the country shortly into a region that gets its fair share of snow. In addition to this I will likely be starting a family soon and will need a little extra space than what my current vehicle can offer. I've settled on Toyotas because they are a perfect blend of reliability, affordability and efficiency. They aren't too hard on the eyes, either.

I am drawn to both 4Runners and Tacomas equally but I see a few pros/cons with each. 4Runners I enjoy because I simply like the SUV body style, it would likely fair better in the snow (doesn't have an ass end with no weight in it to go flying all over the place) and offers more seating capacity. On the end other Tacomas seem a bit more versatile, have a bed I can throw the dog/work gear/camping gear/etc into and seem like they would do better in off-road conditions, although I don't see myself doing any crazy wilderness trekking.

Please share with me your thoughts/experiences/suggestions/criticisms and point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance.

 

[j_shoe99]

What is your previous vehicle?

I was getting rid of a 2010 outback. I went to the dealer planning to get a Tundra Crewmax. I wanted something larger, that would tow our pop-up camper better than my 4cyl outback. Anyway, wife thought it was too big, and put her fist down on the Tundra. :doh:

My advice is to TEST DRIVE both the 4Runner and Tacoma. Then start with your pro's/con's, and determine whats most important to you. I did.

I realized the interior of Tacoma was actually SMALLER than my Outback. I was surprised how SMALL the interior was, or at least 'felt'. I have a baby coming May 1st, and I wanted a larger interior.

The 4Runner's interior capacity seemed much larger than the Tacoma, and we immediately fell in love with it! Not to mention everything else about it. :yo:

Disclaimer: you are on a 4RUNNER FORUM, so you'll most likely get more opinions telling you to come to the dark side, instead of a Taco.

 

[KidVermicious]

The Taco has a leaf sprung rear end, which is a little more rugged than the 4Runner's linked rear. For mild offroading and general gallivanting I doubt very much it'll matter though. I don't think the Taco has an available center diff, and a 4Runner with an unlocked center is a pretty mean snow-storm eating machine, so there's that on the flip side.

My personal choice between a new 4Runner or Tacoma would actually be a DC Taco, just because with a bed and four doors I can have my cake and eat it too, and I'm not a big fan of all the center-diff and traction control whizbangery. But I don't think you can go horribly wrong with either, they're both great trucks and it probably comes down to personal preference. If you like the 4Runner body style, get some nice dog-resistant mats for the rear and call it a day.

 

[lezavw90]

You mentioned starting a family. How many kids do you want? I ask because the Tacoma works great for one kid. We started our Toyota journey with an 09 doublecab. When you end up with 2 kids the seats don't go into the truck really well side by side so you end up with them behind the drivers and passenger seat. I'm 5'10" and with a car seat behind the driver seat I had to ,ove the drivers seat forward till it was really uncomfortable, thus we ended up with the 4runner in dec 2011.

Both vehicles have their pros and cons, and I've thought about going back to the Tacoma when the kids are in booster seats. But everything about the 4runner is a little more upscale. But you can't beat throwing junk in the back of a truck.

 

[SigSense]

Still own my '02 DBL Cab Taco and admit that if there's a dirty/slimy/muddy cargo job to be accomplished, nothing beats a truck. My T4R is a more refined 4X4 and people mover. This past hunting season I hit a deer and didn't hesitate to throw its bloody carcass in the bed of the Taco. Would I have done that with my T4R? No.

 

[mform]

Even though I've owned a T4R for 20 yrs, the 2013 was a close race betw that and a Tacoma. Like the toss the deer in back idea above, but popping a carrier into the receiver out back solves that issue and has worked well over many archery seasons.

The other consideration is where you are parking this thing. A DC Taco will fit in my garage by about one RCH (this is a unit of measurement for those unfamiliar) due to length. Much too close to feel comfortable. 2013 T4R is quite a bit larger than my old '97 Gen 3, but something like 22" shorter than the truck (going by memory).

 

[diverscale]

I'm coming from having a 2009 tacoma 4cyl SR5 (4X4), and a 2011 Tacoma TRD off-road. Now have a 2013 4Runner limited.

My two main reasons for changing up to the 4Runner, is the total lack of options (convenience), for the price you pay, in the tacoma, and I wanted a weatherproof cargo area.

Tacoma is a great truck, it looks good, it rides very well, and is a beast off-road if you compare stock-to-stock, but really, for the mpg you get, and the amount of option available for the price you pay, you are probably better off with a F150, sad to say.

If they updated the interior/options to our modern era, (it's still the same interior since 2005, except minor changes), and gave it the dual VVTI, it would be a fair match between it and the 4Runner, but for now, just get the 4runner + a trailer.

 

[Flip-er]

hada 08 tacoma double cab sr5 4x4.
loved it, but wanted something different, ow have a 2012 sr5 4x4 4runner and love it even more then the tacoma.
both are nice, both hold value, so its all in what you want.
do you need a truck and use it for a truck?
i have always owned trucks, even tho they were the family car.

 

[Semi-Hex]

I have to say that I don't see us having one of these if we had kids, especially with our lifestyle. I work part time with the forest service, so we are always out on backwood roads, we backpack a lot and I couldn't begin to see how we could fit all of our stuff as well as kids stuff in there.
We teach at camp schools and pull our trailer almost everywhere we go, but I have to say with our back seats out and everything lashed down, we just can't fit much more stuff in there. Yes, I could use the roof rack or the top of the trailer (we have a jumping jack tent trail) but that means all this stiff would have to be secured (locked) when ever we leave the rig.

 

[tacobill]

I've had both......a carrier like mform suggested is the ticket for trash etc. Nice to have a place to put stuff when you don't want it outside. Plus the 4R is bigger.

 

[Ttn333]

[No message]

 

[WV runner]

[No message]

 

[94hokie]

Traded my '03 Yukon on a '12 Tacoma, thinking the DCSB had enough room for us and wanted a truck again. Fast forward a year and I traded the Tacoma on a '13 SR5 4Runner. The ride quality is far better (as mentioned above the suspension is different between the two), and the extra interior room was a must for me. You can't go wrong with either one, but I am loving my 4Runner.