Wrangler or Tacoma?

Here's my driveway (well, alleyway, but whatever):


The jeep is a toy, the Tacoma is a toy AND a work horse. The Tacoma can go 95% of places the jeep can and you'll get there in MUCH more comfort.

The jeep also isn't better at ALL offroading. We just did a trip to ocotillo (posted a separate thread about TredPros on that trip) and the two tacomas and 4runner pro with us were FLYING through trails, easily going 50-60mph+ through the dry riverbeds and soft sand.... we had to keep pulling over and waiting for the jeep to catch up. Obviously on technical slow trails the jeep is unrivaled, but at higher speed runs the jeep is absolutely horrible, with solid front axle you just can't get the stability you have in the Tacoma's. That's why you won't see jeeps winning any Baja races. So the jeep isn't even necessarily all out superior for offroad it just depends what kind of offroading you're doing. Also in the snow/ice, the wrangler is a mess. I spend about 1 month a year in Mammoth during the winter and all 4 of my Tacomas have handled ice with predictability, the jeep is kinda scary to drive on ice, the smallest of pot holes disrupts your traction and throws you all over the place.

The jeep is also miserable to drive anyone who says its "fun" to drive is lying its fucking horrible, BUT its really cool in the sense that you can rip the doors off and drive it around naked... I live right next to the beach in San Diego and its definitely an attention getter. Driving around the beach with the doors off I'll get random girls just jumping in for a ride usually making a "this is the coolest uber EVAH!" joke... that won't ever happen in the Tacoma so there's that....

 

On that same note you wouldn't be able to keep up with my Toyota crew when we do our San Felipe backroads run or getting to our "secret" surf spot outside of cuatro casas.... Any offroading over 20mph and the wrangler is fucked. You'll certainly go everywhere we can.... we'll just get there 6 hours before you

 

Ive owned both, 2 JKs and 4 Tacomas.I must say all these answers are true.Good job guys!

 

I've had both. 2000 regular cab 4-cyl 5-spd bare bones 4X4 Taco, which was incredible off road. Mind you, I'm not a serious off roader - I was using mine to haul building materials for construction of wilderness cabins, hauling a thousand pounds of drillers / gear to wind farms on top of mountains, etc - but that truck did everything I ever asked it to without flinching. I cried a lot the day Toyota bought it back for the frame rot recall. Bought a 2010 SR5 Access Cab V6 to replace it, and hated it so much it was gone in under 5,000 miles.

I also had a 2004 TJ Rubicon 5-spd, completely stock. That Jeep would also go absolutely anywhere, and was infinitely more maneuverable off road than my Tacos (of course it was, short wheelbase). But like everyone else has said, I had to choose between kids or cargo in the back. Even with no rear seat, it was no fun putting a mitre saw & stand plus a day's worth of tools in the back. That being said, I'll never forget driving around on summer nights with no top/doors, watching stars above while Iggy Pop's "The Passenger" played on the stereo...

But here I am in my early 40's, and I have two kids, two houses, and sh*t I need to move around. The TJ just got to the point where it was too damn impractical. And 15 mpg sucks, too. So the Jeep went to a new home with a younger guy who will love it, and I have a 2017 DC TRD Off-Road MT on order that should be here within the week.

 

Lots of pros and cons to both.

I don't have either, but am looking to get one of the two at some point in the next few months for a new daily driver. I feel like I'm a Jeep guy at heart, having owned a first gen Grand Cherokee for years, but the rational reasons point to the Taco (Double Cab OR).

Jeep seems like it would be cooler and more fun, Taco perhaps more practical and economical. Though, I don't actually do truck stuff, so the enclosed hardtop 4 door Jeep probably suits my needs better. I also like the idea of modding on a budget, so the JK wins hands down. I probably wouldn't mod the Taco much beyond painting the chrome grille.

I'm very leery of the Tacos engine/transmission combo, owners I've talked to have not had a lot of good things to say about it. I guess I need to spend some quality time behind the wheel of both.

 

I sold this -


To buy this


the comparison is weak, more of an apples and oranges kind of thing.

• The truck is dead reliable.
• The Jeep always had something wrong with it.
• The truck can blast down the freeway at 90 mph all day, then turn down a dirt track and completely stock go 90% of the places I ever went with the Jeep.
• The heavily modified jeep could go anywhere you wanted off road, but was complete garbage on the freeway.
  
• The truck can do real work, haul useful amounts of stuff, and seat 4 all at the same time.
• The Jeep can ride like a farm cart and cause real physical damage to any adult brave enough to sit in the back seat.
• People go "oh you've got a Jeep? I love Jeeps!"
• "What a great pickup truck" said no one ever.
• And lastly, the only thing better than riding in a Jeep with its top and doors off on a nice spring day is riding sport bike on a mountain road.

I miss my Jeep in the spring for the top/door off ride. The rest of the year I love my truck. Maybe I should buy a sport bike again

 

Whatever you say!

All the people saying my tacoma goes 90% of the places my jeep or my buddy’s jeep went have apparently never been to Fordyce .

Honestly though. If you ( the op) don’t plan to do any serious wheeling then go with the Tacoma. It’s comfortable, looks good and is practical. That’s why I’ll buy another one. They are awesome trucks. And plenty capable

 

I agree. Fordyce, dusy, JV are no place for a IFS Taco. To say a Taco goes 90% of the places a Jeep goes is not accurate. I’m about to join the Gen 3crowd and coming from an 80series land cruiser and have no illusions the Taco would go the places I’ve been in the 80...they’re just not built for heavy granite and to me that’s ok.

 

Can I ask what was so great about the regular cab (2000) vs the access (2010)?

 

I had posted this on the wrangler forum as well and got a surprising amount of fair statements regarding the Tacoma and most people commenting on this thread have given advice that I had prior to posting not thought about. Every forum has those type of people but normally they end up getting banned within the first year or two.

 

Sorry, guys, those trails make up maybe, what, 2-3% of the trails out there? If that. So, to me, even 90% is being generous. Jeeps do go a lot of places--hard trails, sure, but also cruising white rim, pony express, etc.

 

You got the link to that Jeep thread? I'm bored at work and I think the read would be entertaining.

 

I’ve never been into brand rilvalry. I daily a Taco, my wife drives a JK, and I have a K30 that I daily drove for almost 2 years before I got the Taco. They’re all badass.

 

There's a reason Jeep and most cuss words are both 4 letter words lol

Sorry op, I've only ever had tjs so I can't speak for the newer jeeps. My mom was a mail carrier though that had an 08 with the 3.8 that used a quart and half in between oil changes (normal according to Chrysler)

I'd get the Tacoma if it was me

 

I went from this

to this


Because I needed a more rounded vehicle that could do everything I need it to do. 4 years 95k no issues on the Baja and I have hauled 2500lbs plus in the back a few times.
Loved the jeep, esp when my daughter was young and had the top down.
Jeeps are fun, just a little impractical for me at this stage...

 

http://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/wrangler-vs-tacoma.1147/

Take a gander at this if interested. Their strongest argument is "America". but considering where a majority of these tacos are made, You could generally qualify the Taco as an American Truck. nonetheless the fan boys are pushing that the jeep is just as reliable but still haven't figured out why they think that. . Im looking for a 4 door vehicle that I can take offroad with a little bit of pavement time in between.

 

If anyone cares.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/auto...ler-released/ar-AAuil67?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=ientp

 

On the same offroad trails I have driven my 16' Rubicon Unlimited and 17' Taco OR. The Jeep absolutely murders the Tacoma in crawl-ability and overall capability. Also in the JK, with the seats down and glass open its basically a truck bed (if you have the unlimited) Ultimately the ride quality on washboards and highway driving up to the ski hills got old with a solid front axle and 35's. It was so capable but felt too purpose built and while I liked it, I like the Tacoma more.

 

Maybe wait a bit and see what happens with the next gen Wrangler and Wrangler pickup?

I was deciding between the two a year ago and went with the Taco because it was more refined on road, which is where I spend 99% of my time.

 

lol even a stock rubicon can't make it up Fordyce you need to be running at least 35s and in the winter you need a full on rock crawler. Nice try though, and why wouldn't you reason that single trail would be part of the 10% I was talking about?? Its not like I've owned multiple jeeps they aren't magical they're actually pretty poorly constructed just purpose built. If the build quality of the 3rd gen was as horrible as the jeep people on here would have their heads explode and you know it.