4Runner, Tundra, or Taco??

The Tundra is great for towing, but probably only has 1,200lb cargo capacity. How much does an ATV usually weigh?
Get 16-18 mpg's with a lift and 33" tires for commuting? Not in a Tundra. The 2wd versions might get 16-18, but a lifted 4x4 on 33's will be more like 10-12 mpg's commuting.

Have you considered buying land in the areas you like to visit? You could build up a small cabin with a garage and store your toys there.

 

taco!

 

Decided to just keep the 4Runner, mostly due to the fact that the trails I run on my yearly trip down to Arizona and Mexico just can't be done in a Taco without a bunch of lift and mods due to approach and departure angles.

Plus, I need the greater interior space and can actually sleep in the back with the seats folded flat. Pretty sure with the way the crazy economy is going, I won't be buying an RV anytime soon, so the only advantage to the Taco would be being able to take an ATV into the woods without hooking up my trailer.

Thanks for all the suggestions and the reality of the towing and interior limitations of the Taco really helped in my decision.

Still respect and love the Taco, though. I even thought about just getting the 5' bed model to try and make it fit on the trails I run. Really, really like the looks of the Army Green TRD Off-Road.

But, had new rims installed yesterday, removed the brush guard, and am falling in love with my 4Runner all over again...

 

Those rims look great with the white (or Pearl)

 

as much as I like my tacoma SR and the 4runner was my second choice/dream rig...... sounds like a tundra fits more of your life and style.. the gas mileage is gonna suck but not living how you want to live would suck more...
at first glance I thought this group would steer you to a tacoma but guess not

 

Wife has a4runner and I have a taco.. perfect combo

 

Had a change of heart and went and did some test-driving today.

I went to the Toyota and Jeep dealers and they didn't have anything new. So, I drove a 2019 Tundra TRD Off-Road with 21k miles on it with a price of $49k.

Then drove a 2021 Tacoma TRD Off-Road with 19k miles on it for $44k.

Then I went to the Jeep dealer and drove a used 2020 Gladiator Willys edition with 37k miles on it. All bone stock and looked like new.

I drove the same route through town and then out to the interstate and used the same turn-around point, did the same acceleration test, and tried to maintain similar speeds to get a true comparison.

Gas mileage:

Jeep - 25.1 mpg average for the loop.
Tacoma - 22.5 mpg
Tundra - 14.6 mpg

The jeep also had the most aggressive tires; BFG Mud-Terrains, while the Tundra had the least aggressive Michelins.

The smoothest and most comfortable ride was the Tundra. Hands down. It had the most power and the sweetest sound due to that 5.7 V8.

The Tacoma was similar to my 4Runner, but was just a bit smoother, had a bit more power, but seemed like the transmission was always hunting for a gear. It would be a bit less fatiguing to take on road trips than the 4Runner.

The Jeep was not bad, but not good. The interior was awful. Cramped and the seat needed to go back another 6" for me to be comfortable, but Jeep decided they didn't want to sell the Gladiator to anyone over 6'. Just weird.

But the motor and transmission was way better than either the 4Runner's 4.0 V6 and 5spd auto, or the Tacoma's 3.5 V6 and 6spd auto. Jeep had more and smoother power, firmer shifts, and felt like it was always in the perfect RPM range.

But on the highway, it was "twitchy". Obviously drove like a solid front axle off-road vehicle. It wasn't bad, but couple that constant steering correction with the cramped seating, and it would be exhausting on a road trip.

Plus, on the way back from the turn around spot, the blind spot indicator came on and stayed on. The salesman said it probably had something to do with the rain storm earlier. So technically, the Jeep had a malfunction on the test drive.

Which made me think that the reason that the previous owner would trade it in as soon as the warranty expired was because Jeeps are still piles of crap.

So, the Jeep is rules out. Fun to drive around town, but I'm not rich enough to keep one running.

So, that leaves the Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner. Tundra was great, but I was surprised that the TRD Off-Road edition didn't come with lockers, or crawl control, or more lift, or any of the functional goodies that the Tacoma TRD Off-Road edition did. And although the interior was spacious, it was just way too much plain black plastic. It was less appealing than my SR-5 base 4Runner interior; just much bigger.

And it was obvious that the Tundra was not going to be able to go on ANY of the trails locally or in Arizona that I go on no matter how much I lift it due to it just being so much wider and longer.

So that left just the Taco or the 4Runner.

The Taco has much better technology, sound system, seats, gas mileage, and off-road goodies than the 4Runner. The salesman said they are getting their allotment of new 2023 Tacomas in the next 6 weeks or so. He said he knows they will be getting some TRD Off-Road editions but not sure of the bed size or colors.

My $2000 in wheels and tires will also bolt directly to the Taco. So, I told the salesman to let me know when the Tacos come in and I will put a deposit down over the phone to hold one. Price is $42k, which is about what my 4Runner is worth on trade.

So, time to start removing parts that will work on the Tacoma.

 

The tundra is what you need. I have a 21 LunaRock Tundra Pro. Yes you will use a little more gas about it. I have owned all 3. Bought a 22 Camry this year but looking into trading for a new Tacoma. Either a Sport and mod it myself. Or go another Pro. Decisions.

 

GMC Sierra 2500 AT4, I think those come in green. Might not fit down the trail so well, but will probably do everything else. I think GM has a factory winch, or a winch might fit in the OEM bumper.

 

Just do what I did. But a new 4runner and Tacoma at the same time

In all seriousness, if interior cargo room is your thing stick with the 4runner. The tacoma sucks on that aspect.
Way less space for passengers as well.

If you still want a truck then v8 tundra all day. Best of both worlds.

 

Are you saying your looking to have the tundra and purchase a new Tacoma?

 

^this

2.5 gen tundra. 5.7 and 38 gallon tank. Going to be $30-55k depending on what exactly you want.

it’ll go a lot more places than you think. Ive been all over the west and had less issues than my buddies Tacoma on 33s..

The 5.7 is incredibly reliable. Mpg is fairly close to what my Tacoma got… and I had way more range with 17 extra gallons in the tank

 

Do you really need passenger space? If the seats are down 98% of the time, maybe an access cab would work for you; being a little shorter it should help with approach/departure. I can cram 4 adults in, but most of the time we'd just take someone else's car - more fuel efficient anyways.

 

I occasionally take either my parents, or my girlfriends parents into the mountains for huckleberry picking or mushroom hunting. They are all elderly and would not be able to be crammed into an extra cab vehicle. It's already hard enough for them to get into my lifted 4Runner.

 

The huge width is the limiting factor for most of the trails I go on. Yes, I could get a Tundra in there, but it would be all scratched to hell.




Most of the Arizona trails are challenging due to hill climbs combined with sand and rocks, but there are some trails with steep approach angles that even my 4Runner had the rear mud flaps and hitch hitting on. A double-cab Tacoma on 33's will not be able to go on a few of those, especially with the 6' bed.

 

Yeah plan on keeping the tundra. But looking into maybe getting a Tacoma and trade my Camry.

 

Tundras are just to F-ing big and overkill for most. Cramped (cozy), kinda outdated (idiosyncratic) Tacoma with the 6-ft bed is the way to go.

 

We have both a 20 Tacoma OR and 20 4Runner OR. I love my Tacoma but the 4Runner is better all around. It’s a great daily driving and off road vehicle. Best of both worlds.

 

If you think the Tacoma is cramped, try driving a Jeep Gladiator. I'm 6'2" with a 54" chest and the Jeep salesman was nearly as big. Would have been great if we were dating, but was uncomfortable and annoying.

I felt like...