Tundra or Tacoma?

I went to the dealer last Saturday to take a look at Tacoma and Tundra, because I was thinking about trading in my Jeep Gladiator for one, to get better gas mileage. I kinda fell in love with the whole Tacoma scene from Last Line of Defense on YouTube.

And I saw a video where he got a new 2024 Tundra..

When I got to the dealership I test drove a Tacoma TRD Off-Road and a lifted 2024 Tundra Limited, and a stock Tundra TRD Pro.

Just standing there and looking at the trucks.. I immediately felt like... I want the Tundra.. I love the size.. Big truck.. And in terms of Overlanding full size truck = full size camper when I eventually put a camper on it. Where as mid-size truck, the camper would be a bit smaller.

Once I drove the Tundra TRD Pro .. I completely and totally fell in love with the way it drives and I was like THIS IS THE ONE!

But I've been trying to see if I can find info on the limits and what it can/can't do.. Seems that size is really the only con in terms of off-road capability.. It's too big for tight trails, you will get pinstriping on the sides etc.

But I know from getting the Rubicon, and then realizing.. it was overkill for my needs.. that maybe for what I want to do the Tundra will work out just fine..

But the Tundra (esp the TRD Pro) is really expensive. In this market.. I want to buy my forever truck. Last thing I need is to have a $70,000 loan and some crazy stuff happens to the market and then I'm underwater forever and can't trade in for a Tacoma.

So I wanna make sure I make the right choice.

The one thing I do realize is the Tundra doesn't have electronic swaybar disconnect as an option.

I'm posting this in the Tundra forum coz I want Tundra owners to chime in on their experience if they use their truck for vehicle camping.

Also how is it in the desert / sand? I've heard some people say it's not a desert runner but I don't see how it couldn't be. I think maybe they might be saying the suspension isn't soft enough.

For me the suspension in the TRD Pro is why I love it. My Rubicon has a very soft suspension and it feels like I'm suspended on bungie cords and getting yanked and then sling shotted and bouncing around every time I hit the least little bump.

Thanks guys.

 

The Tundra pro is way too much money. They’re almost 80k new. Limited trim with off-road package is probably the best bang for your buck. And if you get a camper, you’ll eventually be redoing the Pro suspension anyways because it won’t handle that stock. I got an 2023 SR5 with 13k miles, it’s been great for me.

It is a BIG truck. It’s great if you have kids. But parking sucks compared to a midsize Tacoma/Gladiator. Gas mileage is about the same. I miss my 2017 Tacoma because size really. It also has much more power than any midsize (besides raptor ranger).

Also not relevant but I sat in a gladiator last week… My god the interior is terrible.

 

The lifted truck I drove was a limited. I really love the TRD Pro. The salesman told me that the TRD Pro Tacoma would be an equivalent driving experience to the TRD Pro Tundra.

The Limited Tundra I drove it's like a Chevy or Ford or like the modern cars with the very loose steering wheel is like it's spinning on ice. The TRD Pro drives like a sports car.. and that is my jam right there.

So much so that if I do get a Tacoma it's gonna be the TRD Pro.. screw the Trailhunter.. Actually the TRD Off-Road drove similarly to the TRD Pro. It wasn't a hybrid so it wasn't as powerful. But the driving experience was very similar.

I also love the steering wheel of the TRD Pro and the red stitching and the other thing about the Tundra I didn't have in my original post.. The storage in the center console compared to the Tacoma .... OMG.

The Tacoma doesn't have much storage. And I do know the Tundra's expensive. But if it makes you smile and you can manage to pay for it, does it really matter?

And I love the Tacoma TRD Pro has "inertial dampers" lmao. So it's almost like Star Trek type shit.

Yeah the thing with Jeep is they nickel and dime you for everything. I think the Jeep interior's ok, but a lot of people don't like it. But I guess if you're used to the big boy trucks like F-150 and stuff yeah the Jeep's interior is gonna be primitive compared to that.

 

The 3.5 Tundra has been out long enough to have most of the bugs worked out.
The Tacoma is (2024+) not so much.

All Tacomas, even the 2024+, don't get "good" fuel milage.

I will not be buying another Tacoma. I'll be going full-size on the next truck I buy.
They priced the Tacoma right up there in the bottom of the full-size price range.
And I fell like you get a lot more in a full-size. Better towing and more room.

 

If you want a pro, get a pro. But you mentioned them IG influencers… They are smart enough to not buy a pro (LLOD, talon sei, maxxpowell).

Buy a cheaper trim and mod it up. Get a pro if you want to keep it stock.

 

Mid or fullsize an aftermarket set of stiffer shocks will have truck handling like a sports car. You can push through the corners like you're in a GTI.

 

I have owned both so I will chime in. It depends on your needs and wants. For 70k you could build imo a way more bad ass tundra than the pro starting with a cheaper model. Granted I didn't own a 3rd gen tundra , mine was a 2017 , but I had a full dobinsons suspension 36s rock sliders camper shell fuel wheels, eaton rear locker , winch bumper 12k winch , you get the idea , and I didn't pay truck+ mods the equivalent of a comparable pro (for my year model) and it was much more capable and built specifically for what i used it for not mass produced with some other goal in mind. As far as offroad ability I can't speak to the 3rd gen tundra but my 2.5 gen was only limited by trail width. It was a beast. Imo it's the better offroader compared to my 2nd gen taco. I live in utah so no shortage of offroad and it did everything I asked , even questionable rock crawling trails rated a 7 in moab.

As far as size if you're going to be hauling alot of people , or towing super heavy ( large rv , big ass boat etc) I'd get the tundra. For me , my truck is just a to b transportation when I'm home (cdl) occasional offroading but much more subdued than what I did in my tundra , home projects and towing a small bass boat. For family stuff we use my wife's gx460. For me it works great and I have no regrets. I like the smaller truck as since I've gotten older(40) my knees hurt getting in and out of the tundra and it was just a pain to use the truck for anything other than offroading once I had all built up. all I have owned up to this point had been fullsize trucks with the exception of a ford ranger in high school.

Neither the new tundra or the new taco have been selling real well (right now anyway) as there are tons of both on all the lots I see. You might ask over on tundras.com as well. They will probably have more info for you over there on how the new tundras been getting along . I'm on that board as well lots of knowledgeable friendly people over there. Some of the same mods too lol

Edit for pics

 

This other guy said that I can change out the shocks and get stiffer shocks and all that is good. But it doesn't change the steering wheel.. maybe even how it steers? I dunno. Maybe the shocks control the stiffness of the wheel? Even if all that can be built the aesthetic of the interior, steering wheel, trim panels, red stitching the shifter with the red stitching.

Because of how difficult it is to find exactly the car you want, I used to buy like say, I bought a 2008 Mustang.. It had a gray interior. I wanted black interior. So I bought it, and I figured well I'm going to change the car's interior to black.. And I did the same no a 1996 VW Passat.. It had tan interior and it was like EW. It was just the one that I found available and I needed a car, and did same back then..

Both required not only new trim panels, but also new carpet, new headliner, and completely replacement the entire dash which required disassembly of the entire dash. In the case of the 2008 Mustang, I needed to get an entire NEW dash. And then the dash had to come out through the front windshield. There was no way to take it out. Thank goodness I needed a windshield replacement so when SafeLite took out my windshield, I installed the new dash while they were getting the new windshield.

Then after that I realized to replace the headliner I had to remove one of the glass either windshield or rear glass. Long story short I said fuck it.

And so now I just don't want to build what I want I want to buy it the way I want. So with stuff like shocks and stuff, I guess I could build that.. But LLOD bought a Platinum Tundra, because he said you could get almost everything he wanted with the Limited but not quite.

And every time I build a lower trim with everything I want it's always like maybe $3000-$5000 less than what the next trim up starts at.

I build a 2024 Tacoma TRD Off Road on the builder exactly how I want it, and it ends up being $59k. So then why not just pay a few thousand more get the Trailhunter that has EVERYTHING already on it (or the TRD Pro).. It doesn't make sense not to. And like I said I really like the TRD Pro aesthetic. It's not about the "TRD Pro" but it's about the interior design.

But that is a major consideration. The Tundra is A LOT. That's why I'm trying to figure out exactly what will suit me best and make sure I know I will have whichever truck I get forever.

Nice. Does that also affect the stiffness of the steering?

Yeah the only thing is, I really like the aesthetic of the interior and the steering wheel. Read my reply to the first quy in this message above as he said pretty much the same thing and I explained why I would rather just buy it the way I like it..

Now sure stuff that I can easily change out like shocks.. to put the shocks that are on the TRD Pro on the lesser trim, but that's like $5000-$6000 .. The vehicle's already expensive as hell and then I'm throwing 5-6gs a pop for upgrades that are included on models that are a fraction of the cost higher than what the upgraded parts would cost.

I want to have to put as little cash as possible into the truck after. No trim comes with Diamondback cover, rack and a tent.. So I know I will need to buy those, and they are $$$. So the less I have to buy the better.

Now Taco has TRD Pro as well BUT the TRD Off-Road does drive almost nearly as good, and it had good steering too. But again as I told TexasTacoma above. The TRD Off-Road the way I like it is $59k.. May as well buy a TRD Pro for $63k.

Now it would be a whole different story if the TRD Off-Road built just right for me was like $45k or even $49k.

 

Yea I mean if the interior specifically is what does it for you I get that, that's hard to change. Steering in a pro vs other models is no different , all have electric power assist. The suspension and tires are probably the difference you feel. Heavier tires affect steering feel.

 

When in doubt, don't.

IF your Jeep is healthy and does what you want it to do, trading it for a few MPG will take years for ROI to hit.

 

I have noticed two types of steering in my life.. A steering where the steering wheel takes absolutely no effort to turn, and in every sports car I've ever driven (and the Passat as well) the steering wheel is stiffer and you have to actually put effort into turning it, and it also feels like it's more responsive and there's less overall motion.

With the first type of steering which seems to be the standard on most economy cars and sedans it feels like the steering wheel has to be turned more to turn the same amount as a stiffer performance car's steering wheel.

The exceptions to this that I've seen are BMWs I've driven and the Passat.

Don't get me wrong I don't mind the steering on the Limited. It's much better than some of the other ones that are just way too loose, but it's not as good as the TRD Pro. when I drove that I was like HOLY SHIT I want THIS.

 

Not if I can't use it at all because I can't afford the gas costs. So right now I'm in a tight situation but that will change. Everywhere I go is always like a half hour away or more.

I used to go to Jiu Jitsu 2-3x a week 30 mins away. I'd have to put $40 in the tank 1-2x a week. When I do a road trip I'm putting that much in every 2 hours.

And then I am deathly afraid to put mods on it .. tires.. steel bumper.. rack.. tent coz I'm afraid of the MPG getting even worse.

And like I said things won't always be like this. but it's just a waste of money in gas. Like I am wanting to travel around and do road trips and go on trips and stuff.

I dunno how YouTubers like Brad from Trailrecon can justify a 392 that gets 5mpg towing and then drive all over the country multiple times a year.. But I just am frozen in terror at the thought of that... even if I have the money to do it. And it's more like 10 MPG not a few.. I get 12mpg combined in my Rubicon.. 12/13.. Long highway drives (4+ hours) will take it to 16.

And my Jeep payment is $1200, so I'm already paying a high car payment.

But what I really don't like about the Jeep is they made so many boneheaded decisions. They got rid of the Diesel WITHOUT putting a strong engine in its place. They talked about the inline 6 turbo .. Never happened.. They bring out the 4xe Wrangler, but then say it's gonna be 4 years before the Gladiator sees it.. and even then the range is horrible. Brad from Trailrecon had all kinds of problems when he bought his.

For me Jeep is for when money is no object and I can own multiple cars.

Also, I heard that dealers are about to drop the prices of Jeeps on the lot by quite a lot because they aren't selling. I want to GTFO before I'm left holding the bag.

AND I also heard Toyota may be doing the same so.. Works out well for me.

 

And you think that 2-3 MPG bump is a money saver? Yes at the pump, no with the payment/depreciation hit. Google TCO and ROI, practice those math skills

I don't know how people are so swayed by Tubers.

And are you also upside down in the Jeep? You don't have to answer us, just consider if you are. That is a very stiff payment. And they only way a payment will be better with a new Tacoma/Tundra is if they stretch the term, which multiplies the TCO.

As dear ole dad used to advise, when you are at the bottom of a hole, quit digging.

Best of luck in your decision making!

 

$1200 a month for a Gladiator?? You should be in a 392 for that payment. With Jeep discounting the Gladiator now, you may already be left holding the bag.

 

The steering components are all the same. From the lowest SR trim to the Pro… They all have terrible turning radius too, worst in class.

The suspension is easy to change. I’ve changed mine 3 times already.

 

I PROMISE a tundra is not going to be good mpg! lol if that's the reason you're buying geeezuzzzz do not do it. Most guys see 15-17 mpg on the new ones with normal driving. When I still had my tundra and the new ones came out the buzz was that the new ones didn't really improve on the 2.5 gen mpg . With all my mods , I got 11.5 . Stock I got 15

 

It's not 2-3 MPG. You're telling me to figure out math. I get 12mpg ... The new 2024 Hybrid trucks (both Taco and Tundra) are rated at 21/22 city. 21 - 12 = 10 MPG bump (read whole thing before replying you'll see)

Are you saying that I'm swayed by him? I mean I guess maybe .. to a HELL NO on a 392.

Used to be, by a small amount. I should be able to sell now privately to get rid of it.

No coz I'm going to sell it ASAP .. I'm getting it washed then I'll take pictures and I am going to put it up for sale.

As for the 392 payment comment I dunno what that's based on coz people refer to the 2024 Tundra TRD Pro (70k) as a $1500 monthly payment.. and sounds about right since mine is $1197 something. 392 is $100k at this point. but it doesn't really matter.

I will get a much better loan when I am below 30% credit utilization.

Yeah this is precisely why I made this post and I'm asking coz that's what happened with the Jeep. So I spent 5 years from 2018-Nov2022 watched all manner of Jeep videos, pricing everything from 2012-2020 Wranglers, all year model Gladiators, JKs, TJs, YJs, (so lower than 2012 even) just to get a gauge for the used market and if maybe I should buy used, and I watched so much Gladiator content I knew more about them than the dealer did.

But everything I saw for 4 years, everyone is like "Oh yeah I get 16mpg city" "I get decent mileage" .. Some people saying they 18, 19 and even 20 on the highway. When I get mine? Nope. It's 12 in the city and 16 in the highway.

Also very important are you talking about the non-hybrid Tundra or the hybrid? coz I know the non-hybrid is rated at 18 city I was like ughhhhhh no. But the hybrid is at 22 or at least 20 in the city.. I think both Tacoma and Tundra hybrid are very similar. What's on paper isn't always what you get..

If you're correct that most guys get 15-17 on the HYBRID then that's pretty much a done deal for the Tundra. Tacoma all the way.

 

2023 SR5 crewmax 4wd
Stock mpg was 20’ish

15 mpg mixed city and highway.
C4 front and rear bumpers, RCI full skids, decked system, Dobinsons 3/1” lift, 35” duratracs, 18” method wheels

 

Bro just go back in at the end of the month and trade in that ugly jeep and get yourself a yota.

0% on Tundras right now and big rebates/discounts.

TRD lift is garbage also btw. Get yourself a Dobinsons kit.

 

Confused.. is this Tacoma or Tundra?

Oh btw, I forgot this! I was really satisfied with the 2023 TRD Pro Tundra .. it wasn't a 2024 .. it was $67k, but I think this started in 2022 ? So I could probably get a 2022 Tundra TRD Pro iForce Max.

I trust Toyota's reliability.