SUV vs Truck or 4Runner vs Taco again

Kazrajas

Kazrajas

New member
Guys,
did a 2016 Taco fullcab testdrive yesterday and got a really tough choise feeling.

I do hunt once per while and need to get off track and a somehow to keep my trunk clean. So I tested a Tacoma truck just like this

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Tacoma webpage

Dark gray and a 4dr cab.
And it feels dumber a little and smaller inside. But it got this unbelivable new car feeling :-)

My lady isn't into an off-road, so she thinks of changing our cars to a new Honda pilot, but this is totally different story.

I've read and watched a lot of info video like this
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/31fHq_FyS-8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

or compares and reviews

So, who has the experience with Taco off-roading compared to 4runner? We've got a lot of snow here usually.

I mean, videos are fine but i'dd like to hear a word from a real life user. Thx
 
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The Tacoma is gonna be a little bit longer in that configuration I think, but in the end they are just about the same vehicle. Both very capable vehicles off road. The 4Runner is just about the only "Off-Road" SUV left now, and the Tacoma is kinda too. You see way more 4Runners and Tacomas done up for off-roading than you do Frontiers or any GM product.
 
Got a family?

4Runner

No family?

Tacoma

However, 4Runner interior is quite a bit nicer. More refined and finished. I can't speak to the off-road capabilities yet with my 4Runner. 4Runner is slightly shorter, but interior feels quite a bit larger. Also feels quite a bit more top-heavy, but that might be part suspension, as well.
 
Can't speak to the current models but I had a 98 taco and sold it for a 01 runner due to family needs. Should have bought the 4runner in the first place. It has all the cargo space the taco had when I need it, 4 door for family comfort when I don't. And my taco was an xcab. I've honestly never seen the point of a four four taco. The short bed seems useless to me. That said, if you're a hunter and need to haul a carcass around then hose the back out later, that is the advantage of the taco.

My 3rd gen is 13 inches shorter than my taco was and doesn't hog the garage like the taco did. Again, I can't say if any of that's valid with the new models though.
 
Unless you're hunting elephants, a rear-hitch-mounted open carrier, or a small utility trailer from Uhaul would be better than a truck, and more comfy in a 4runner.

Sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, whatever: 4runner + rear hitch/trailer
 
Or, if you need a truck just for the occasional hunting trip / home project, find an older model that's reasonably priced and in good shape to keep as an extra vehicle. It will also double as a spare if something happens to your primary ride (accident or breakdown).

You won't get the new car smell, but you won't have to give up the 4Runner either.
 
New car smell, is very temporary. Fart in there for a week and it will smell completely different, but the large car payment won't fade.

I had a 2015 Tacoma this year, given the choice with equal payment's, I'd rather have either my 98 Tacoma or 99 4runner. The newer vehicles are not built as well IMO. Everything I touched on that truck, even the castle nut doing the Bilstein 5100 fronts, had to be replaced.

The metals they use for hardware are CHEAP. The clips that held the interior paneling on, were incredibly flimsy, and every single time broke at least 1 of the 3. This was just a small portion of the crap I didn't like after shelling out 34k for a new truck.

I was a huge car whore for years. This year I finally grew out of it in my late 20's. I will never again buy a "new car". Nothing but a good way to piss away money, and there is more efforts put into engineering shit to wear out and be a marketing scam then have longevity behind it anymore.

Even the 2014 Corolla Sport I had/have in our family still. 38 mpg, sporty, oooh fancy! Nope, the 1998 Civic I bought for 3k, yeah, it get's the same mileage. Except I can go to the junkyard and find 50 of them if I need something. Apples to oranges, but there is a whole different feel to driving these "older" vehicles. Personally, I think it's just the lack of surprise rape that makes me feel better.
 
I currently own a 2006 4Runner Sport 4x4.

I owned and sold a 2007 Tacoma 4 door TRD Off Road 4x4.

This is purely my opinion based on my driving experience and light off road experience... To me the Tacoma was a much "tougher" vehicle. I drove both on forest service roads and some trails (hunting and dirt biking). I really miss the Tacoma. The full back seat was plenty sufficient for one or two little ones. I had a roll up bed cover and locking tailgate which functioned very well allowing for plenty of secure bed storage.

The Tacoma when compared to my 4th gen 4Runner sat higher probably similar to the 5th Gen height. Tacoma got worse gas mileage probably negated by new engine in 2016+. Both are nice.

My wive primarily drives my 4runner now. She wants to get a highlander next... Not good. She would not want to drive a Tacoma as her daily driver. She does not mind the 4runner. The Tacoma is longer and more difficult to park/back up etc...

I would love to buy another Tacoma and eventually will. Having the bed is invaluable. A hitch mount rack does not compare to the ease of a pickup bed. Even with the short bed I had in the 07, I was able to put a Suzuki DR650 in the back with the tailgate down no problem. Having the bed to throw a deer, hog, or turkey in after a hunt was also really nice.

Once you have a truck bed, you'll miss it if you lose it...

Have you thought about buying used? You could buy a used Tacoma 4 door 2006-2010 with 100k-150k miles for $15,000-$20,000... Thats what I am currently looking at doing... Being it will be an "extra" vehicle and be lightly used. I would probably drive it less than 5,000 miles a year... Just a thought.
 
ben550 said:
Once you have a truck bed, you'll miss it if you lose it...

Have you thought about buying used? You could buy a used Tacoma 4 door 2006-2010 with 100k-150k miles for $15,000-$20,000... Thats what I am currently looking at doing... Being it will be an "extra" vehicle and be lightly used. I would probably drive it less than 5,000 miles a year... Just a thought.
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I disagree on the truck bed. I've had a pickup for the last 15 years and this is my first suv and I don't miss the bed at all. I actually prefer the suv since it's easier to secure and keep stuff dry and I don't have jackasses using my bed as a trash can.

And the price on a used tacoma is the reason I don't have one. It's absolutely idiotic what people want for one. And I do mean idiotic. Kudos to those who get that for them but for crying out loud. Folks seem to think these things are like some gold dust farting unicorn or something.
 
Jernik said:
They are. But you have to buy one to get the "secret code" to make them fart the gold dust! :madgrin: :laugh:
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4Runners and Toyota trucks are maybe only one of a few vehicles that are cheaper to buy in Canada than it is in the states.

No, keep your filthy paws off my local trucks. I'm building a wall to keep ya'll out.
lPPZqvN.gif~original
 
-dustin said:
Got a family?

4Runner

No family?

Tacoma

However, 4Runner interior is quite a bit nicer. More refined and finished. I can't speak to the off-road capabilities yet with my 4Runner. 4Runner is slightly shorter, but interior feels quite a bit larger. Also feels quite a bit more top-heavy, but that might be part suspension, as well.
Click to expand...

Funny - that's exactly what happened to me. I had to sell my taco for room in the back. I loved it, but, it was the old (pre-2005) smaller model. Maybe one day...
 
-dustin said:
Got a family?

4Runner

No family?

Tacoma

However, 4Runner interior is quite a bit nicer. More refined and finished. I can't speak to the off-road capabilities yet with my 4Runner. 4Runner is slightly shorter, but interior feels quite a bit larger. Also feels quite a bit more top-heavy, but that might be part suspension, as well.
Click to expand...

I second this
 
I'd maybe hold off on the Tacoma if you just want it for that "new car" feeling. That 2GR-FKS and 6spd is very new and I am not entirely convinced it won't have issues yet. I'd give it a year or two and see what recalls, CSPs, and TSBs pop up with it first.

Don't get me wrong I like the 3rd Gen Tacomas and I have to strongly remind myself I do not need a 2nd vehicle at the moment, but I'm also a bit wary of "first year" models.
 
BlackWorksInc said:
I'd maybe hold off on the Tacoma if you just want it for that "new car" feeling. That 2GR-FKS and 6spd is very new and I am not entirely convinced it won't have issues yet. I'd give it a year or two and see what recalls, CSPs, and TSBs pop up with it first.

Don't get me wrong I like the 3rd Gen Tacomas and I have to strongly remind myself I do not need a 2nd vehicle at the moment, but I'm also a bit wary of "first year" models.
Click to expand...

Like when the PT Cruiser came out, LOL...... :offtopic:
 
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