2017 Toyota Tacoma - Chasing mediocracy...
Negative post here... (it happens)
I kind of hate my Tacoma (again)... and I thought I would document why. Partially to help justify, to myself, why taking a 5 or $6k loss to get out of this vehicle is worth it.
To be clear... it's a 2017. 22 years after the model was released and the 3rd generation of the model as well. The 2017 happens to be the 2nd year of the 3rd-gen. This... is an important bit of data.
Once upon a time, the Tacoma competed against the likes of a Ford Ranger, Chevy S10?, Nissan Something-or-other... Dodge Dakota (I suppose)... and for a while, the Tacoma had a definite edge on the competition. It did reasonably better with fuel economy, reliability was seemingly WAY better than the others... and you paid a slight premium to own a Toyota, but.. it seemed worth it.
Over time.. the other manufacturers all seemed to abandon that segment of trucks, or neglect them at least. I believe there is no longer a Dakota nor a Ranger (in the US anyhow). But.. for the folks that stuck in there - Nissan and Chevy... they have some contenders in the segment. Which leads me to why I think Toyota kind of sucks.
Driving Experience:
This really grinds my gears - pun... absolutely intended. If I am going a particular speed... and want to accelerate.... or even better.. want to continue going the same velocity but can't because the truck is now going up hill...
depress the throttle a bit more.. nothing..
... depress the throttle a bit more.. nothing..
Engine and Transmission:
While other manufactures have looked in to technology like cylinder deactivation, turbo... diesel... Toyota opted for a tech called Atkinson Cycle - which, on paper... or in a Lexus.. is probably great. However, in the Tacoma, it sucks. The truck is seemingly efficient in a very limited way... cruising on flat ground, with no wind... going 55mph. Do anything else, and the truck performs worse.
On a trip across South Dakota, I was pleased that the speed limit was 80 mph. Until I attempted to actually drive 80 mph. The vehicle did not have enough power to sustain that speed without downshifting to 4th gear... and HOLDING it there. Well, I know what to do - I'll use the manual shift option. Pop the shifter over to manual and slap it up a gear... Nothing... slap it again.. nothing. What the hell is the point of manual shifting, if it doesn't actually shift?
Seating:
Leather... nope. Power... nope. Height adjustment... nope. Seriously? (At least they are heated)
Exterior Leaks in to the cab:
Apparently the 3rd-brake light fixture leaks. Great. My truck, however... leaked from the roof rack mounts... which are factory parts.... added at the dealer. Ugh. Nothing like water leaking on to your seat belt and becoming musty. (and isn't that a potential safety issue - degradation of the seat belt?)
Appearance:
I'm not sure who got paid off to put those tires on this "off-road" truck.. but they look horrible... and are horrible in snow. Probably an attempt to meet the EPA MPG ratings.
So.. I believe anyone that says they are "in love" with the current Tacoma and that "it's the best truck out there" is either delusional, stupid, or just trying to pretend they did not make a huge mistake buying this truck. (Or... they're 70 years-old and drive around town, or 55 mph on the freeway). And I am not expecting anything unreasonable from my truck - I have not installed a lift, swapped tires, modified the bumpers, etc... any of the things that should make the truck perform less.
I kind of hate my Tacoma (again)... and I thought I would document why. Partially to help justify, to myself, why taking a 5 or $6k loss to get out of this vehicle is worth it.
To be clear... it's a 2017. 22 years after the model was released and the 3rd generation of the model as well. The 2017 happens to be the 2nd year of the 3rd-gen. This... is an important bit of data.
Once upon a time, the Tacoma competed against the likes of a Ford Ranger, Chevy S10?, Nissan Something-or-other... Dodge Dakota (I suppose)... and for a while, the Tacoma had a definite edge on the competition. It did reasonably better with fuel economy, reliability was seemingly WAY better than the others... and you paid a slight premium to own a Toyota, but.. it seemed worth it.
Over time.. the other manufacturers all seemed to abandon that segment of trucks, or neglect them at least. I believe there is no longer a Dakota nor a Ranger (in the US anyhow). But.. for the folks that stuck in there - Nissan and Chevy... they have some contenders in the segment. Which leads me to why I think Toyota kind of sucks.
Driving Experience:
This really grinds my gears - pun... absolutely intended. If I am going a particular speed... and want to accelerate.... or even better.. want to continue going the same velocity but can't because the truck is now going up hill...
depress the throttle a bit more.. nothing..
... depress the throttle a bit more.. nothing..
... ... depress the throttle a bit more.. nothing.. (seriously? come on...)
... ... ... WHAM... it downshifts 2 gears and revs to over 4k RPM. Seriously?
Engine and Transmission:
While other manufactures have looked in to technology like cylinder deactivation, turbo... diesel... Toyota opted for a tech called Atkinson Cycle - which, on paper... or in a Lexus.. is probably great. However, in the Tacoma, it sucks. The truck is seemingly efficient in a very limited way... cruising on flat ground, with no wind... going 55mph. Do anything else, and the truck performs worse.
On a trip across South Dakota, I was pleased that the speed limit was 80 mph. Until I attempted to actually drive 80 mph. The vehicle did not have enough power to sustain that speed without downshifting to 4th gear... and HOLDING it there. Well, I know what to do - I'll use the manual shift option. Pop the shifter over to manual and slap it up a gear... Nothing... slap it again.. nothing. What the hell is the point of manual shifting, if it doesn't actually shift?
Seating:
Leather... nope. Power... nope. Height adjustment... nope. Seriously? (At least they are heated)
Exterior Leaks in to the cab:
Apparently the 3rd-brake light fixture leaks. Great. My truck, however... leaked from the roof rack mounts... which are factory parts.... added at the dealer. Ugh. Nothing like water leaking on to your seat belt and becoming musty. (and isn't that a potential safety issue - degradation of the seat belt?)
Appearance:
I'm not sure who got paid off to put those tires on this "off-road" truck.. but they look horrible... and are horrible in snow. Probably an attempt to meet the EPA MPG ratings.
So.. I believe anyone that says they are "in love" with the current Tacoma and that "it's the best truck out there" is either delusional, stupid, or just trying to pretend they did not make a huge mistake buying this truck. (Or... they're 70 years-old and drive around town, or 55 mph on the freeway). And I am not expecting anything unreasonable from my truck - I have not installed a lift, swapped tires, modified the bumpers, etc... any of the things that should make the truck perform less.
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