Totally torn on short or long bed...

I am going to pull the trigger in a few months on a Tacoma after we turn in a leased Mercedes Benz. I have been without a truck for almost 10 years and want one again. I have motorcycles as well as vintage snowmobiles but would not have a problem just buying a trailer to haul them if I needed to. In a pinch I could just use the truck.

Narrowed it down to a Pro or an OR. The only deciding factor to me is bed length and I am completely torn.

Pros and cons of each? For reference my last truck was a full size RAM.

 

I'm assuming you'll be getting a double cab on either bed size. With a short bed it will have a better turning radius, so parking and tight situations will be easier. It will also be better off road because of turning and shorter wheel base. I have a short bed and don't mind the length. I haul by dirt bike around and camp in it all the time, no problems. I noticed even with a long bed my dirt bike would not fit with the tailgate up unless I had it diagonal in the bed.

Long bed you'll obviously get more room back there if you need it for hauling things, and when camping in it you could potentially sleep there with the gate closed.

 

OR DCLB I believe will be your best bet.

 

When I bought my '13 they didn't offer a DC OR LB or I would have bought one, but having moved to the city I can say I am way better off with the short bed. I wouldn't fit anywhere with a long bed. Unless you know you need a long bed, or you live in Texas and know you won't be moving, just get the short bed.

 

If you need the room get a long bed. Pro model imho not worth the extra money. OR long bed with the extra money from not buying a pro make upgrades. Take note half the pro owners sell suspension.

 

Only in Toyota Land (or is it Millennial Land) is an itty-bitty 72 inch bed length considered "long" but I digress...

If you could still pass the driving test you took in a 20 ft long Buick you should have no problem "handling" the huge long bed Taco. If you regularly use the "touch/sound" parking method then the micro-sized bed might be better for you.

If you live in an older home like I do (Circa 1960) then the garage was built for full sized Pontiac wagons and Chrysler Imperials and parking a *cough Long bed in it should be no problem if that is a consideration.

Pretty soon you might need a CDL to buy a Ram Crew Long bed since driving/parking skills are apparently subject to atrophy ;-)

Measure twice and purchase once.

EDIT: If the last truck you had was 10 years ago you might be a bit disappointed in the limitations of a Taco. Do your due diligence before signing if you haven't already.

 

Dont know if you can get a pro in a long bed

 

Long Bed.

I’ve had full sized pickups with five foot, six foot, and eight foot beds. Bigger is always better (that’s what she said!). I purchased a bed extender to carry larger items in the short beds but there were times that the extender was back in the garage but I had to haul longer items.

I traded an F250 extended cab with a six foot bed for my 2019 Off Road long bed. My off road is still shorter than the F250.

 

You can’t, otherwise I would have.

 

Long bed for the win!

 

Are you carrying more than one passenger whatsoever? DCSB since you’re not opposed to a trailer or DCLB and have the best of both worlds. It also comes down to if you want auto or manual, since you can’t get a manual DCLB.

ACLB if it’s just you and another person most of the time.

I can make my bikes fit in my DCSB but the rear wheel sits on the tailgate. I’m fine with it and have an aluminum skin on mine and a couple D rings that bolt to the frame so the bike is secure. But my buddy with a long bed has the rear wheel sitting near the end of the bed. Still can’t close the tailgate but I’d prefer that than having the wheel sit on the tailgate.

Pic dump:

 

Only reason to get a short bed is for the manual trans!!! If not for that Ide have a long bed!!! If your getting auto anyways go with the long bed

 

Has anyone ever said, "damn, I wish my bed was a foot shorter"?

 

If access cab will work for you (and you are buying an auto), I'd say go that route with the long bed in OR trim.

If you need the double cab, I'd go short bed. IMO the proportions of the double cab + long bed just don't look as good plus the wheelbase is pretty long if u plan to take it anywhere with rough terrain/tight trails. I don't hardcore off-road but I do get relatively off the grid camping and such and shorter wheelbase has come in handy.. turning radius already isn't very good with the double cab short bed either.

Also, this truck's power train is simply better with a manual transmission and short bed double cab is the only option with the OR or Pro if you want that.

I might get roasted for this lol but this is just my .02 - I don't get the appeal of the pro for the money... You can add the fox suspension or something similar to the OR for around $2k and basically have the same truck without a silly fake hood scoop. If you wait until October (year end/truck month) you can probably score an offroad for around $32k with 0.9% - I've never seen a pro anywhere near that ballpark.

 

Millennial land? you sound salty as fuck. When has anything longer than 6' bed been offered on a midsized truck? There are two options, one is longer than the other hence the term long bed. Even on an f150 you can't get anything longer than a 6.5' bed if you get the supercrew cab. Need an 8' bed? get a fullsize regular cab, otherwise take a look at how "itty bitty" your truck is in general and realize the bed length is long relative to the vehicle size.

To answer OP, I can't imagine getting anything other than a long bed if you truly are getting a truck because you need a truck. Only time it's a headache is if I head deeper into brooklyn or manhattan and I'll just have to spend a little extra time to find a longer parking spot. If you plan to offroad, that's the only real advantage to having a short bed.

 

IMO, the "long" bed isn't long enough to make it worth wringing your hands over. They should have called them mini and short.

Get the trailer if storage isn't a problem. It's so much more versatile and gives you a lot more capacity than the few extra inches the "long" bed will.

If you really do need an actual long bed, get a full size truck.

 

I went the ACLB route. Kids are out of the house so it's just me and the wife. She has a SUV for when there's more than just us.

I have used the longer bed way more often than I have ever had anyone sit in the back. I use it weekly and have only had someone back there twice. Pluse, I have never run out of storage room in the cab.

Easy decision for me but there's a reason why the are more DCs than ACs.

 

My 1985 S-10 had an 8ft (well 7' and some change) bed. I remember When all trucks were either a std bed 6ft or LB 8ft. no matter if it were a min/midsized or a full size truck there was none of this 4 door grocery getter stuff. Hell it's sad that even the full size 3/4 ton and up crew cab trucks bed isn't even 6ft and they are meant to do work. What he was getting at is that there are lots of people these days that just buy trucks to buy them and the manufacturers are following the yuppie I haul a boat in my jacked up huge offset wheeled grocery getter that doesn't ever do any real work. Trucks use to be made for doing work now they are made for appeasing the soccer dad to make him look more manly.

 

The biggest advantage of owning a Tacoma is the small size. They are easier to maneuver and park. The biggest disadvantage of a Tacoma is the small size. You get a cramped uncomfortable interior with reduced payload and towing capacity.

If you go with a DCLB you get a truck with virtually the same overall length and wheelbase as a 1/2 ton truck. In other words all of the disadvantages of a Tacoma, with none of the advantages. If considering a DCLB Tacoma just buy a 1/2 ton DCSB. It isn't any bigger or harder to park, or drive off road. But the cab and ride are immensely better. Fuel mileage is within 1 mpg of a Tacoma and while the bed splits the difference at 5 1/2' long it is wider and deeper. Plus the payload is much greater. These little trucks don't have enough payload to carry anything much in the bed regardless of length. For any serious hauling you need a trailer.

If you're going to buy a small truck, then buy a small truck. Only way I'd buy a 6' bed on a Tacoma is with the Access cab or regular cab.

 

Not as salty as a crying Millennial with "hurt feelings"...

J/K

Millennial reference was a reference to a cohort of people that have experienced (in their short adult life) a shrinking truck bed. Back in the old days, a long bed was 8' and a short bed was 6 1/2 feet. You didn't even need a special license to drive one and other adults didn't have to ask anyone the pros or cons of each. They could figure those complex problems out themselves!!!

Hint: about 18" in length ;-)

You can look all this up on the InterWeb.....