Who’s switched from Tacoma to Tundra?

That'd put me at 4 vehicles if I kept the Taco, the garage is getting a tad full at this point and the Taco will never be driven if there's a Tundra sitting there smiling at me.

 

Hmmm....this thread has my attention

 

Doooooo it.

 

Should.. have.. bought.. the Tundra. UGHHH

 

Here's my Tundra experience from today. First, I like my Tacoma. Not like I loved my 1992 Toyota pickup, but all good things must come to an end. So, I've owned my Tacoma since November 19, and I've found no surprises. I knew about it's strengths and weaknesses. The problem is that the family doesn't like to ride in it. Its ride lets you know its a truck. The front seats are low, always have been. The rear seat has regional jet legroom. The result is that because I have a work car, it can sit a week without being driven. Meanwhile, miles are racking up on our other cars.

I found a 2019 Platinum with only 5K on it. Test drove it this morning. Front seats sit higher, the rear seat is the size of a studio apartment, it drives great on the highway with some punch. MPG? We all know about that. I really wanted to love it, but a lot of little things really bug me. The bed. I have a 6' bed, and the Tundra is only 5.5." The Tacoma's bed is composite, and it has an outlet. The Tundra's bed is metal, and in this case it Line-Xed. No outlet. No wireless iPhone charging. Barely more storage than the Tacoma. Some pretty big blind spots on the highway. Sounds like I'm being picky, but when your'e about to take a loss on the trade-in, you want to be really comfortable with what you are buying. I'm not at this point.

 

Ithe struggle is real. I've been trying to decide for 4 years. I know. I have issues.

 

Trying to decide at this moment whether to return for another test drive today. If only the best of both had been combined into a Tacomdra.

 

Both great options.

 

I did the opposite. I started with a 2014 Tundra CrewMax. I had two boys in high school at the time and the cab room was phenomenal. Went on several 12 hr long road trips and had plenty of room with gear in the back under my Diamondback cover.

I just bought a Tacoma. I have one kid in college now and another that will be going in the fall, so 90%+ it is just me by myself or with my wife in the truck. I also live in a bigger city with tighter parking downtown and a smaller garage that my Tundra wouldn’t have fit in.

If I still had kids at home that I needed to haul around I would 100% have a Tundra. As an almost empty nester in a more urban area, I am 100% happy that I have a Tacoma now.

 

Did not buy. Stayed with my Tacoma. If I can’t have my 92 back, it’s the closest thing. The Tundra was a great ride, but it had been averaging 10 mpg with the previous owner. I don’t want to take out a home equity loan to fill it up.

 

Must of had a heavy foot. Tundra's worse than the Taco for sure, but I drive ~1000 miles a month and my gas bill has gone up a whole 20-30/mo with the Tundra. My Taco was a MT tho, so YMMV.

 

A handful of my pilot friends have the latest gen 5.7 Tundras and the range is between 13.5-16mpg between them, and that's with us all living in the mountains.. I hear "the gas mileage is terrible" anytime I mention the T-word to anyone, drives me crazy. I'm aware, I do not give a shit. I can afford it. You'll either pay for it now buying a Toyota that guzzles gas or pay for it later buying another brand with reliability issues.
The other is the complaints about how big the trucks are. I regularly drove an F350 with a 34' trailer in the military and have a 2017 silverado for work thats about the same size as the Tundra.. I'm used to it and have no issues squeezing through the middle of the city of Portland during rush hour on the narrow side streets (granted doing it in a compact car would be a tad less stressful but you yell some expletives and get through it). They're bigger than the older gens for sure, but your definition of 'big truck' is not mine. Duct tape some plow stakes to the front and back corners and do some tight-quarter practice, you'll figure it out.

 

Drop the 5.7 into your Taco, she'll be fine LOL. First stomp on the gas pedal and your driveshaft will be inside the cab with you

 

Agreed. I admittedly get a little frustrated with Tacoma owners rebuttal about how the economy sucks on the Tundra. Having owned an FJ, 4runner, Taco and Tundra, I dont care. They all suck, Toyota doesnt care either. You're dead on with "You'll either pay for it now buying a Toyota that guzzles gas or pay for it later buying another brand with reliability issues." Toyota hasnt done a thing to correct it really, like really correct it. Ford went to boosted motors and now their dealing with increased warranty claims.

Someone telling me that 14-16 mpg sucks, while their getting 16-20 is the pot calling the kettle black. I did myself a favor with the Tundra. I had forgotten what it was like to truly have something I loved about what I was driving. I loved my s2000 because it was pure joy, I loved the FJ because it was just cool and felt like a tank. Then I bought the 4runner and Tacoma and neither had anything truly special for me. I got used to the mediocre power, and cramped interior and told myself I liked it, even though I was always thinking back to my past vehicles. I told myself the Tundra was too big and left it at that. Until I finally test drove it and told myself to not even think about the size.

Having the V8, the noise, punch and torque. Having my legs in a truly ergonomic position again. Having a more supple ride. Having what for me, was a better vehicle all around made me remember what it felt like to have those things again and not to settle.

These things are my opinions and for me their truths, so they wont apply to everyone, so try not to take offense. For me, the Tacoma and 4runner are good vehicles, that had flaws that I got used to, and based off the common posts on here, so do a lot of people. I made the trade, fuel economy for all that I listed above. Its all win for me, I only wish I had given the Tundra a chance when I bought the 4runner or Tacoma, it would have saved me some time and some cash. Oh well, they all hold their value.

 

Preach it! I love my Tacoma, don't get me wrong but.. I should've got the Tundra like my husband said. Although if I hadn't experienced the Tacoma I would have a Tundra right now going "I wonder if I should've got the Tacoma".
I'm stuck with my Taco, bunch of low balling tire kickers looking at it. Closest to my asking was $27,500 and demanding that I drive the vehicle to him and deliver it or let him leave with MY PLATES. No dude.

 

There isn’t anything particularly awful about the Tundra’s fuel economy. I drove a 2007 for a year as my work truck and I averaged pretty decent fuel economy. I wasn’t bashful getting up to highway speeds and it would cruise at 75 mph all day long, and get 17-18 mpg doing so. My driving took place from central Texas all the way out to the hill country, and it would have been difficult to make mileage drop below 14-15 mpg. And that isn’t bad for a 1/2 ton truck.

A coworker has a brand new Ford F-150, and his truck has the 2.7L EcoBoost V6. He gets 18 mpg at 75-80 mph. An improvement over the Tundra, but at what cost? Will his truck outlast the Tundra? My old work truck now has 485,000 miles, and the company mechanic has never done anything outside of routine maintenance — spark plugs, brakes, draining and refilling all fluids/filters, batteries, and tires. That’s it. Anecdotal, sure. But that Tundra isn’t a unicorn; there are others like it.

My guess is that my coworker’s shiny new F150 won’t be as inexpensive to keep running to 485,000. And every mile the Tundra drives forward, without major repair, it becomes cheaper still.

And, for reference, here is my 2007 Tacoma, Regular Cab, I4, 4X4, 5 speed. I get 15-17 mpg, haha. (Maybe now the Tundra’s mileage looks a little better?)

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacundra-5-7l-3urfe-swapped-2nd-gen-project.587386/
Here's some interesting literature lol

 

hey folks I have been driving a Tacoma for a long time. Love the truck. I now have a 2017 OR and love the gas mileage however I have been thinking about trading her in for a tundra. I fell in love with the room inside of the tundra. What concerns me is the gas mileage. I work from home now which means I don’t have to travel in town Washington DC everyday. I have heard other Tacoma folks say that the tundra burns too much gas. Does the tundra use 87 octane. I do a lot of traveling up and down the east coast. My Tacoma is almost paid for and I keep getting calls from dealerships about wanting to buy my truck and of course they want me to buy one of there new trucks. I do a lot of construction on homes as well and so far my Tacoma can handle the load. It is just that when I drive people around adults they feel cramped in my truck. Any way at this point I feel torn on what to do. Does anyone know when and if there are plans to make the tundra a hybrid gas and electric truck

 

Tundra uses 87 octane. Gas mileage is as expected in a full size truck. 13-14 city and maybe 17-18 highway. Obviously all depends on driving habits. I switched from a 14 Taco to a 20 Tundra and will never look back. I don't complain about the gas mileage because i knew what i was getting into with it.

I wouldn't necessarily buy a Tundra just because of having adults in the back seat. Just my opinion.

There's no per se "electric truck". There will be a twin turbo V6 similar to fords Ecoboost and with a hybrid option (some type of battery). This is expected to sky rocket the towing capability in the version with the hybrid assist way beyond other MFG's. Fuel mileage is also supposed to be in the high 20's. Keep in mind, nothing has been fully released so real numbers are not available yet and just speculation at the moment. I've heard from a source that it will be late 2020 release date. not availability but release. Then i've also heard not until 2022 release date.

If you're concerned about MPG's, hold out on your soon to be paid off Tacoma until the 4th Gen Tundra is released.

Ultimately no matter what you do, just make sure it's the right decision for you and enjoy whichever Toyota you're in!

 

Personally, I'd be hesitant to buy another Toyota that just had a refresh. I jumped on my Tundra when I could because I was concerned that the 2021s might go to a 6 cyl. I didnt have the best luck with 2 third gen Tacos. So far at 5k on the Tundra and all good. My last Taco started with the wonderful clutch groan at 7k.