trading full size truck for smaller

Not sure about the V6 but the 4cyl does not like the freeway. 70+ drops you into the 19-20mpg range. Keep it around 60 and drive sensibly and you are rewarded w/ about 24.

As well, toss a pair of bikes in back and find some hills - you'll know they're back there for sure.

But even though it isn't as great as I thought it would be, I don't see a truck on the market that I would drive instead. Toyota needs to get their shit together and bring the D4D

+1

I know a guy that did this a few years ago, traded his Chevy 1500 on a Tacoma and is back in a Chevy. He didn't gain any fuel mileage and when he loaded it up any little hill was rev the hell out of it to maintain speed and sucked down the gas.

His main gripe was in side winds got a lot of air and noise blown into the cab.

thanks for the replies. maybe i'll stop in at the local gm dealer after a visit to a toyota dealer. i really need to try both before making my mind up fully. it's a shame my gmc sonoma i had some years back that would get 25 highway and high teens towing a trailer with 2 dirt bikes on it.

You will not bet the Taco for resale Good Luck

I've got an 03 Taco prerunner, with the TuRD package.
It's got 60k miles
We recored every fill-up and the mileage.
Unloaded or loaded with a bike on mixed So Cal driving, It get's 15-17 mpg depending on how the driving was weighted.
On the freeway out of CA (where the gas is better) it will get closer to 20, add the campershell and drive the freeway only it will just touch 21mpg.

We've had it since new
It has a rusty but not perfed frame (So Cal truck remember)
It's had the rear axle seals replaced three times
The Steering pump once
The Starter once
The Airbag light is lit (clock spring in the steering column, expensive part and lots of time to fix)
The bank 1 cat converter imploded, bank 2 was stolen and replaced.

The seats are uncomfortable
We didn't get the wind noise fixed while the car was under warrenty so we live with it.

Overall we are pretty happy with the truck. we got it as a loss leader and they hold their value well.
We most likely will replace it with a full size fan.

This generation of Toyota's are really small inside. We have a very hard time fitting two adults, one kid and dog inside.

Every time I've done the math on full-size vs. small truck I ended up with a full-size. The only thing I can see that would push you to buy a small truck is if you live in the city and/or your garage is too short.

HVAC system stopped working properly. I called GM before I took it to a dealer because I was hoping to get them to help pay for it since it's a low mileage truck that's 2 months out of warranty. They make like they're willing to chip in, but won't say how much. Anyways- the dealer said it's 8 hours to get everything apart to figure out what parts it needs. Then throw parts at it, then put it back together. Yes, I'm annoyed. I will be a lot less annoyed if GM helps out.

Yep- it's definitely a Friday truck. I have several coworkers with similar trucks and most have had better luck, although my boss has had horrible problems with GMCs but keeps trading them in every 60,000 miles.

Mine has also developed a pretty awful rear end howl.

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Definitely a tough choice on what to get. Tacomas are pretty sweet for getting around town and running errands, but they have some limitations. They've also gotten crazy expensive. Another thing to consider for us in NH is that we pay registration based on vehicle value. A new F-150 will cost a fortune to register. Also another $10,000 over the Taco.

I've become quite cynical toward new vehicles- I think they're all junk for what they cost- and I have a hard time parting with my money if it's for depreciating junk.

I upgraded from an '06 base model Tacoma est cab 4x4 to a '12 2500 Ram with a Cummins. The Cummins gets equal (if not slightly better) mileage in town and gets much better mileage on the open hwy (standard caveats apply: lightly loaded, cruise set at barely over posted limit).

Shortly after the warranty ran out on the Taco it yielded a $2000 repair bill. Some Tacos have ticking engines - mine was one of 'em (confirmed by two mechanics at the dealer where I bought it new). At the time of diagnosis there was no fix for it...

The power of the Cummins is addictive...I've never looked back.

So I bought a 12 Tacoma reg cab 4x4 4cyl 5spd. Nice little truck and does everything pretty well. Not a gas saver here-like 17 and 20mpg. Got a fiberglass top and picked up a little mileage on the hiway. My point here is I have a 98 f150 I bought new with 112k on it, 4.6v8 and 4 sp auto-best truck I ever owned. This old truck still gets23 mpg on the hiway. Just wish any Ecoboost didnt cost 40k. O well just ranting.

You could always check out the Nissan frontier. I hear quite a few people are getting 20-22 on the highway with the 6 speed manual transmission and the v6.

here's some of my experience with 3 different Toyotas and Fuel Economy.

Toyota #1: 1997 3.4 V6 Ext Cab 4x4 w/5spd transmission 18 MPG Hwy
Toyota #2: 2000 2.7 I-4 PreRunner single cab 2wd Auto Trans 19 MPG Hwy
Toyota #3: 2004 4.0 V6 4runner 2wd Automatic 20 MPG Hwy

Compared to my Current "truck" a 2004 Grand Cherokee with a 4.7 V8 and All Wheel drive gets 18.5 MPG in mixed driving including climing 2000ft of vert daily. I'm sure I could easily get 20 MPG on a flat hwy.

My Dad has been really pleased with the fuel economy of his last two 1/2 ton 4x4s fuel economy. The first one he had was a 90s GMC 1500 W/T with the 4.3 that could get over 20 MPG on the hwy (but was otherwise a Piece of Shit), and his current truck is a 2011 F150 4x4 with the 3.7 V6 and it gets 21 MPG

I've like all my Toyotas and if you don't need the full size 8' bed they're great trucks, easy to park in the city and live with as a daily driver. But don't think you have to sacrifice bed space to gain fuel economy.

thank you all very much for your responses. your real world experiences answered my questions just right. i wasn't looking to create a pissing contest just get some good feed back. buying a new truck is a big issue since i need it to be dependable and decent on gas. when i bought my 2002 silverado new i didn't do any research at all and have been blessed with a very good truck. i do agree that some of these new trucks out there are overpriced junk that depreciate very quickly.

Yep. My titan gets better mileage than my frontier v6 and the titan is a beast in comparison.

really i thought titans got terrible mileage like 11mpg roughly

I have an '11 Tacoma four door, TRD 4x4 with the auto and V6 and it gets between 18-20 mpg and never any better. It is otherwise a great truck and does everything well but if you are making the switch only for MPG I wouldn't do it. I like the truck for the maneuverability in parking lots and off road but often miss the interior and bed room of a full size. It has 40k miles and has never had any type of issue.

thanks MTN roads. i see your point and many others about the mpg. the way my thinking is at this point is to drive my current truck as long as i can. i think i'm getting somewhere around 16 combined and close to 20 hwy. i drive a few over the speed limit and when i know i'm getting close to a stop light or sign i let go of the gas which helps a lot on gas.

I have a frontier auto v6 and it gets 15-17 tops. The ride is rough and it doesn't have much power on the bottom end. It looks nice and the size is just right for my needs but that's about all I can say for it. I've had several rangers and they were oddly enough more refined but just a little on the small side. I would have just gone full size but I put tools in the back frequently and the 4x4s are just too darned tall, I need a step ladder to get up there. Really hoping the Mahindras were coming but doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

Chevrolet and GMC are slated to introduce their new Mid size trucks later this year. Supposed to be all new, based on the world version introduced last year. Rumor is that there will be a diesel option.

I intend to wait and see. The big ones are getting too big and the "compacts" are a little small. http://www.trucktrend.com/features/...319_2014_chevrolet_colorado_diesel/index.html

i think when i'm actually ready the 2014's will be in stock. i'm thinking late fall or late spring next year.