2020 Toyota Tacoma debut at Chicago auto show

[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

Admittedly most people on this forum are a little biased but I tend to agree with what is being said. Couldn't bring myself to buy a Tacoma, and the 2020 doesn't really address the things I disliked the most about it. I am also not a fan of the crowd that buys Tacomas here in the PNW, a lot of road queen bros. Hopefully that is not the case elsewhere, at the end of the day they are still nice trucks.

 

[rangerdanger]

Admittedly most people on this forum are a little biased but I tend to agree with what is being said. Couldn't bring myself to buy a Tacoma, and the 2020 doesn't really address the things I disliked the most about it. I am also not a fan of the crowd that buys Tacomas here in the PNW, a lot of road queen bros. Hopefully that is not the case elsewhere, at the end of the day they are still nice trucks.

CA & Hawaii are the land of Tacos, agree with overly modified pavement princesses.

 

[RedlandRanger]

Admittedly most people on this forum are a little biased but I tend to agree with what is being said. Couldn't bring myself to buy a Tacoma, and the 2020 doesn't really address the things I disliked the most about it. I am also not a fan of the crowd that buys Tacomas here in the PNW, a lot of road queen bros. Hopefully that is not the case elsewhere, at the end of the day they are still nice trucks.

I will admit I like Fords, but when I test drove the Tacoma I really wanted to like it. The specs looked good and it has some neat features that the Ranger does not have. Quite honestly, if it had a decent engine/tranny combo I probably would have purchased one. But it doesn't so I didn't. I'm kind of glad too, because after I finally got to test drive the Ranger, I'm really happy about my decision to go with the Ranger. It drove SO much better. And the ride was SO much better.

 

[smlford]

Having rear drum brakes in this day and age is just stupid...that went out in the 70’s...

 

[jcardona1]

Having rear drum brakes in this day and age is just stupid...that went out in the 70’s...

I really don't get it. Toyota can say all they want regarding sand and debris in rotors. It's just a bullsh1t excuse for cost cutting. Gotta love how the Tacoma fanboys justify their rear drums on the forums too. I love Toyota but I'm trying to take a neutral stance before I drop $45k+ on either brand.

 

[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

I will admit I like Fords, but when I test drove the Tacoma I really wanted to like it. The specs looked good and it has some neat features that the Ranger does not have. Quite honestly, if it had a decent engine/tranny combo I probably would have purchased one. But it doesn't so I didn't. I'm kind of glad too, because after I finally got to test drive the Ranger, I'm really happy about my decision to go with the Ranger. It drove SO much better. And the ride was SO much better.

This was the deciding factor for me too. As much as I don't like to admit it 98% of the driving I will be doing in this truck is back and forth to work, so it is basically a commuter that is capable of weekend adventures. Comfort and good driving characteristics are a must. When I test drove the Tacoma I could tell the clunky shifting would get to me quickly because my route involves a lot of stop and go traffic plus tons of hills. The Ranger isn't perfect but it is something that I know I will be happy driving every day.

 

[Beef_Stew]

Having rear drum brakes in this day and age is just stupid...that went out in the 70’s...

Yes exactly. I think the last generation ranger went to rear disks back in 2009 or 2010...and that truck was dated. The Tacoma is just too disappointing for me.

 

[Bubbabiker]

I really don't get it. Toyota can say all they want regarding sand and debris in rotors. It's just a bullsh1t excuse for cost cutting. Gotta love how the Tacoma fanboys justify their rear drums on the forums too. I love Toyota but I'm trying to take a neutral stance before I drop $45k+ on either brand.

Yeah, that's BS. Toyota's much vaunted Landcruiser series has rear disks, 4Runner's have rear disks, Tundra's have rear disks......

 

[flatus]

Having owned a 2016 Tacoma, I can't believe they didn't update the power train. The 3.5 is a gutless motor. No low end torque. I personally think the engine is completely to blame. It just doesn't have the torque for the transmission to maintain 5th and 6th gears.

 

[LightningBlue]

Thought I'd get out the defibrillator to revive this thread lol.

My experience with the current Tacoma:

Went to a local Toyota dealer in January to look at, sit in, test drive and get an all around feel for the truck. Everyone has one. I see them all over the place, so I figured they've got to be good, right?

Walking onto the lot I could see probably nearly 60 Tacomas, before I could even get close to one I hear "Yo, what's up boss?!" That should've been my cue to just leave lol. I'm browsing around trying to find the most similarly equipped truck to match the Ranger that I have been building online over the previous months. I couldn't find one, so got as close as I could and test drove a TRD 4x4 with all the bells and whistles.

A few things that surprised me:

No seat height adjustment, I honestly thought this was just a joke to poke fun at the truck. My fiancé couldn't even drive it. Embarrassing.

Clunky unsure transmission. I mean, this thing felt like it had 200,000 miles on it.
Accelerating at low rpm was comical.
Accelerating at high rpm was comical.
Interior appeared to be from 2006.
Steering is hard to describe; almost loose, yet, still too firm. Just strange.
Lack of Apple Car play/ Android auto. I thought this was pretty standard for 2019.

I could go on I'm sure but the best part of my Tacoma test drive was the Salesman. When we were looking at the TRD 4x4 I was asking him some questions:

Me: "Does it have a locker?"
Him: "Uh, yeah the tailgate locks, you just have to use the key."

Me: "What's the towing capacity with this particular configuration?"
Him looking on his phone: "Uh, between 3,500-6,800 lbs."

Me: "Does it have wireless charging?"
Him: "Yes, for Samsung phones."

I think you guys get the picture. I was incredibly turned off by my experience and left that dealer knowing I wouldn't regret the Ranger.

 

[MotorCityBolt]

My work partner has had Tacoma's forever. They are not comfortable at all. Like sitting on a crate with legs almost straight out. Hate riding in one...

 

[HighFivenWhiteGuy]

Ha ha WHATS UP BROOOOOO that sales guy knew the Tacoma target demographic!

 

[joeb427]

The Tacoma is a solid truck but the design is old and boring.

 

[SubVet]

The Tacoma is a solid truck but the design is old and boring.

Im not sure how solid it is anymore after buying a new 2016 Tacoma

 

[Oregon Comrade]

The seating position was the biggest turnoff for me, I didn't even need to drive one. I've had a couple Toyotas over the years, a 78 FJ40 and a 2001 Tacoma. Loved the Tacoma for what it was and it's all I knew at the time. Everybody says the seating position is similar between the older and newer Tacos, but there is something that seriously disagrees with me with the newer ones. Visibility is poor too, combo of a high hood and low roof, don't like it at all - but that is of course subjective.

The damn things are EVERYWHERE, fake beadlocks - check, tube bed rack - check, roof top tent - check, 33" tires - check.

Lots of guys have bought these based on "reliability" and "Its just broken in at 50,000 miles...", I think the jury is still out to be honest, it's not a proven platform as of yet. My understanding is they also can't be super charged or turbo'd due to the Atkinson technology in the engines, so besides a basic tune, your are stuck.

The Ranger, IMO, based on what we know, floats my boat a lot more. Seating position, driving experience and looks, which of course are subjective, are much better than the Taco IMO. Reliability, time will tell, but the Ranger is based on proven technology, it's not like it's a TRUE 1st year model. The engine, just like the Taco, is a derivative of technology that has been in play for a while. The chassis / body is a global design that has held up well. Rear axle is robust unit used on Jeep Rubicon. Trans is the same one Ford has used in the F150 for years. I *THINK* based on what we know, it stands a good chance of being reliable long term.

This doesn't get into the performance aspect of being able to tune, which is very enticing. Toyota used to offer OEM superchargers for the 3.4 and 4.0, but that doesn't exist anymore. Obviously no OEM solutions (YET!) for the Ranger, but with the warranty's available with aftermarket tunes, not sure it's needed...