3rd Gen Tacoma vs F150

Yes "compromise" describes my situation picking between the F150 and Tacoma, not possible or practical for me to have two trucks at one time.

 

I've test-driven both, and can tell you the V-8 is much smoother and quieter than the ecoboost. If that's important to anybody. There is only 2 things keeping me from buying one:
1) It won't fit in my garage
2) Can't get a clutch
So I can safely say that a Tacoma is my next truck.

 

I would get a full size if you have 2 carseats in the back, unless you are 5'6 or under.

 

I own a 2019 TRD offroad (bought it in April) and recently found out i'm having another kid. I'm large 6'2 and have the driver seat all the way back so my concern as well was fitting a second car seat behind me.

Last weekend i went out and test drove the F150 2.7 and 3.5L V6. Overall the f150 with the twin turbos really had some zip and were extremely spacious. I love my Tacoma and this was my dream truck, but when thinking about long term needs for my family in hindsight i would've gotten the f150. Also the gas milage in the f150 is really good for a fullsize truck. I borrowed the F150 for a day and averaged 20+ MPG whereas on average i get 17-18 mpg on my Taco.

Ultimately i decided to stick with my Taco. I love the Taco and we plan to upgrade my wives car to use as the family car for both kids. Also after paying 38k (42k w/ taxes) for my TRD Off Road Crew Cab Premium w/ Tech Package (cement), the dealer originally would only offer me 25k for trade in, and bumped that up to 33k... This is with 1600 miles on it. Ultimately i couldn't justify the uptick in price and the amount i'd lose on trade in.

Plus i figure if i need to upgrade trucks i can do that in a few years and maybe they'll have an updated Tundra at that time.

 

But, however, picture yourself loading up 2 kids into carseats in the rain, snow, wind because the F-150 won't fit in the garage.

 

Funny, because when I test drove, the V8 was LOUDER than the EB. But not much louder. You could definitely hear the V8 rumbling, whereas the EB was very subdued.

Power delivery--different take as well. V8 may be considered smoother, but I preferred the better low end torque of the EB.

Both good engines, though. Can't say which I would choose for sure, but I would lean 3.5.

 

I didn't drive the 3.5. Just the 2.7. And it wasn't even close. The V8 much quieter/smoother.

 

After driving a 2019 TRD OR 4x4 for 6 months and a 2018 F-150 EcoBoost for a year I feel qualified to make some observations;

-The F-150 drives WAY nicer than the Tacoma. The Ford is so smooth and easy to drive. The engineers hit the magic sweet spot and I understand why Ford sells around a million of them a year. For driving ease and comfort the Ford wins hands down.
-The Ford also wins on fuel mileage. I averaged 21.5 MPG in the twin turbo EcoBoost F-150, averaged 18 MPG in the Tacoma.
-The Ford obviously wins on cab comfort. Plenty of room to stretch out, relax and get comfortable behind the wheel.
-Driving in parking lots, backing up, drive thru’s, etc. the Tacoma is the winner for obvious reasons.
-From a safety standpoint I just felt safe in the F-150. The larger size makes the truck stand out in traffic and you rarely get cut off due to the intimidating size of the vehicle.
-if I had a growing family I would not even consider the Tacoma simply due to the compact size and lack of room.
-I have done some minor off roading in both, the Tacoma is easily the winner.

 

The Taco will fit in the garage.

The Ford will get better MPGs

You will get beat up on resale value when you go to sell the Ford.

 

Two car seats in the back is going to be tight.

Honestly get the F150. This Tacoma is so underpowered its painful. I don't care 85% of the time, but the days you cant merge or thread the needle in traffic or get out of your own way is enough to regret buying it. Towing is another feeling in itself.

Combine that with two kids crammed in the back seat while your wife or girlfriend is sitting in the passenger seat with her knee's against the dashboard because the cab is too cramped for a family with child seats ... I think I have painted the picture for you OP

 

Since the wife and I have both the F150 and an 18 tacoma, I would say F150 no question...1000 times more comfortable and roomy for any kind of trip, holds more stuff, and has acceptable power. If the sport and the taco are about the same length/height, wheeling should be about the same. But I have a jeep for any real wheeling, so that wasn't a major consideration when we got the tacoma...

I would have gotten a Raptor, except being in a wheelchair, I couldn't get up into it without some kind of lift etc. The tacoma I can.

 

Reading about the fact that certain F150's have a 5-sec 0-60 made me think I made the wrong decision for a millisecond.

But, the Taco does everything I want it to do, looks cool, can go offroad, and has a manual.

My only Ford experience was with a Windstar back in the 90's, in which the engine actually caught fire and destroyed the car. So maybe not the best Ford customer experience, but I won't hold it against modern Fords.

The Ford is bigger--big disadvantage for me--and, in my configurations, quite a bit more expensive. For instance, the 3.5L Ecoboost adds $2500. Plus extra for aluminum wheels, running boards, several of the anti-collision features, leather seats, etc. etc. I don't think I could price one for under $40K that would be comparable to or better than the Tacoma (for which I paid ~$35,000).

Maybe I'm missing something here, but seems like if you want more power and speed and creature comforts you gotta pay for them.

 

just traded in my supercrew f150 xlt for a taco. I'll tell ya, I was super disappointed in my f150's reliability. It was problem after problem and I am so happy it's gone. I'd stick to a tacoma or tundra personally.

 

Just out of curiosity, what kind of problems were you having? What year, trim?

 

Right but some of the offerings are useless and I find my 2010 Tundra has everything I need and my 2018 Tacoma has more BS going on and I've had to disabled most of it. If I wanted offerings I'd buy a Cadillac. Sure the Tundra doesn't have eco boost and it clearly does not the get the best mpg but there are obviously plenty of us who aren't bothered by poor fuel consumption. I have a hybrid for that. Besides my 2010 Tundra with 102k miles on it probably has a better resale value than a two year old F150. Considering overall value and longevity without service issues the Tundra wins hands down as it has done for years and years.

 

I’m all for the 2010 Tundra. A great truck in its day and likely still good to have around. I just don’t recommend buying a 2019 Tundra that is still a 2010 Tundra. But to each their own. It’s not my money,

 

The current Tundra is getting old and is WELL past its prime. My brother had one and sold it within 2 years. Super dependable vehicle but the “bed shake” video kind of sums it up...


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p1LO6uxy11I

 

I drive my Tacoma into my garage, while the F15o gets towed to the garage!

 

A towed F-150 would still beat the Tacoma to the garage.

Just saying.....

 

I’m 6’ tall and have two car seat in my Tacoma full time. No issues at all for me or my son who sits behind me.