I'm the Guinea pig...  Wife just got a 2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road.  Only 700 miles so far so it hasn't had a chance to break yet.

The 3rd Gen Tacoma automatic is a mess for 75% of driving. The adaptive cruise is NOT smooth or consistent or safe from my experiences with multiple Tacomas over a few years.

Frontier is a solid option. Toyota has been coasting on their well deserved reputation of the pre-tacoma trucks.

How many people would endorse buying a new generation vehicle with a new, possibly unproven engine system?

Is the turbo four cylinder in it something that has been around a decade and is near bulletproof?

It is something related to wrestling.

I wouldn't use 193k miles as a reliability number. I drive a 21 year old Audi and have had about the same repair record. Clutch master, PCV. Pretty much it. Did loose the underbody plastic plates when they got ripped off driving in deep wet snow. My fault, not the car.

My 40 year old Nissan is about the same record.

No TSBs worth mentioning on either. Truck had a tire pressure sticker that has never been done and the car has one that says the fuel pump might fail of the tank is regularly run low. Takes 15 minutes to swap the pump out.


Every make has good and bad.

I’m with you on that point. I’m definitely glad to have the proven and established old 3.5 V6 in mine. Unfortunately it seems like all brands are trending to new small turbo engines now so if you want just about any new vehicle, you’re gonna be rolling the dice.

I don’t regret for one second having bought an F150 with the 5.0 instead of an Ecoboost, either. It has its own problems but not like the issues most of the Ecoboost engines have.

wouldn't that be a Datsun?

or are we really that old?

Absolutely love the Gladiator I traded my Tacoma for. They need 35s+ to look right IMO.  Depends on what you are after.  The Gladiator is a Jeep that is also a truck.  The Tacoma is a Truck that can off road.  If you never plan on offroading, or harder off roading, then I'm not sure the Gladiator is what you want.  It drives like a Jeep for sure.

Sorry, but that's wrong information. The Taco trans WAS a mess because of shitty programming. Sometime around late 2018/2019 they released a software update that fixed it. Your dealer should have told you to bring the car in. If anyone didn't, they should inquire about it now. From my understanding it takes all of 5 minutes and requires no parts, labor, etc.

Did absolutely nothing for mine.  Could not tell any difference at all.  It needs deeper gearing.

I just saw on Caredge.com youtube that a 2023 F-150 has 0% interest.  Unknown details

And the Tacoma is the only vehicle on that list that isn’t flaming pile of crap.

I have 2022 TRD and its a decent pick up with it's pro's and con's.

Things I would like to be better about it.

Sitting position - Not horrible but could be better
Steering wheel - not telescopic
Transmission - it's odd at times
Control locations - not the best and new model looks better
MPG - crappy
Headroom - a bit low , but new model fixed that a bit
Backseat is small


Other than that it has been solid performer for what it is , a small truck. If you can live within it's design , then consider it.

I keep my vehicles for 200k ish , so the Toyota in my experience was the better buy.

Thinking about a  2024 base Tacoma SR5 4x4 or a Model 3.

Waiting to see if the tax credit pans out on the Model 3.

It is mystifying to me how the mild 4.0L V-6 gets such awful gas mileage, and also why Toyota didn't upgrade the Tacoma to the 4Runner V-6 HP level at some point. But I suppose being venerable and bulletproof is worth more than a little.

I would loved to see Toyota adapt something along the lines of BMW's 4.4 L DOHC or a SOHC V-8 to the Tacoma. The next evolution of that engine is absolute monster in 4.0L TT form, overkill for the Tacoma, but the NA would've been perfect.

Plus, the JT is the only convertible truck. And the doors come off on purpose, not like a Boeing jet.

Even though I'm not a tall guy, I didn't like the fit of the Tacoma. I would probably only drive it if I had to.

The only drawbacks to the JT is lack of power (I'd like another 50hp) and uncomfortable seats. I had go through a few seat pads to be comfortable for long road trips.

If it can't tow 87,000lb and go 800 miles on one tank, you don't have a truck.

Seriously though...these new "trucks" with a six foot bed are nice, but is it really usable for hauling stuff?  No they are not.

If you have to fold the tailgate down to carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood...

I had a 2017 Taco SR5 4x4 and kept it until October 2020. Traded it with 36k on the clock. My impressions were that in that model, Toyota designed it around the tallest possible driver being 5'8". I'm 6'0" and was on the edge of being uncomfortable. The front shocks were shot by 36k, and that was with no "off road" and only a little dirt road driving. The rear was undersprung and would bottom out on little potholes on said dirt road with nothing in the bed. I added airbags to level the rear when towing the camper I had.

As far as the transmission, mine had no issues. It didn't "hunt", and it took me about 3 minutes of driving to figure out what it likes to do. And that is "shift to the highest gear possible as soon as possible". The only time that ever gave me issues that I couldn't easily fix with the skinny pedal was going uphill on freeways. So, it's a 6 speed trans, with 5th and 6th gear being overdrives, meaning you'll get bupkis for torque in 5th or 6th. Start going uphill at freeway speeds without CC engaged and you'd start losing speed. You add some throttle to compensate, and it'll downshift to 5th, but you'll still be losing speed, so you add a little more throttle until it shifts to 4th, and without adding any more throttle, you're now accelerating uphill. But you don't want to, so you back off of the throttle and it shifts to 5th or 6th, and now you're decelerating again. Repeat. With CC, it didn't do that. So when I was not using CC and encountered a hill, I just moved the shifter over to S, and it drops to 4th, then I can manage the hill, and once off the hill, pop it back over to D.

That's it. That's the only time I had issues with the transmission.

Towing a 2800# trailer wasn't a problem. It had plenty of power to pass on the freeway at 75+MPH, though it did have to downshift to get to the power.

I traded it on a Ridgeline because it had gotten too uncomfortable to me, and I was not thrilled at having to replace suspension components at just 36k miles. The RL was way more comfortable, way roomier and had a much better driver situation. It was a lot nicer as a DD, and could do everything I needed it to do. I didn't keep the travel trailer, so I didn't need it to tow. The AWD system in it was amazing, though I never got to use it much. I'd rate it as better than traditional 4x4 for everything except serious rock crawling and muddin'. On dirt roads, ice, snow, anything with "adverse traction", it was awesome.





I had a "truck" for 6 years and never had need to haul a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The two trucks I had hauled everything I needed them to. Imagine that! They were useful for hauling stuff!

YMMV, and your yardstick may be different from everyone else's. That doesn't mean you get to define "truck". Maybe your "truck" just wasn't enough "truck" for you? There are always bigger ones you can get if you've got the $$.

id take a gladiator all day any day over a tacoma

How long do we wait for "new unproven" engines to be proven? The 1GR had about 3-4 years of head gasket issues before the part supersession. 3-4 years?

The T24A made its debut in fall of '21 in the MY '22 NX. The 8AR debuted in 2015 (after an inordinately long dev period) - it's been pretty solid with plenty of 250k examples. The T24 has some commonality with A25 but really not enough to make QRD predictions there.

FWIW when the 2UZ 4.7 V8 showed, all the Straight Six LC guys wailed and gnashed teeth. It worked out ok. It's funny how Americans pine for Toyota Turbo Diesels, but complain when a petrol shows up.

New Tacoma or Tundra

I have 2 Tacomas. A 2020 and a 23. I also have a 2023 Frontier that I'm driving today for work.
That Frontier has power and road manners all over the Tacos. It's more comfortable driving for me also. Better gas milage with a lot more power.
The Nissan is an ok truck. I find it pretty nice and more truck than most would need.

However, I mentioned I have now 2 Tacos. Why? Because despite of their quirks and shitty transmissions that can't make up their mind as to what gear they want to be in half the time (I had the "Drivability Concerns" TBS done where they reprogram the computer to hold the gears longer and it made it much better, but in no way near perfect), they fit a specific purpose. My OR is for just that. Our camping and outdoor adventures. The thing is a very capable (but thirsty) mountain goat that will get you there and back. I have had it all over the US and the thing just goes. I like the retro little truck feel of the Tacoma too.

As far as towing, the Tacoma, despite every owner on Tacomaworld hauling 20 foot trailers fully loaded with boulders just for fun and using up a dried riverbed as a driveway that ascends several hundred feet multiple times a day will tell you they tow great and still get 24mpg doing it.
Truth is......I haul an off road teardrop that weighs 1200lbs. I rate the trucks performance as marginal at best. I would not want to haul another pound with it.

So happy with them both, but for different reasons.

lol at 6’ bed. I bet most trucks have an even shorter bed. Seems like almost all the midsize and most of the half tons I see have the super short beds.

Same situation for me, although the TRD OR is gone and I have the Pro 4X.  This post is solid fact through and through.

A '24 Pro 4X will end up 10k under a similarly optioned TRD OR.

If you were towing and not concerned with bed capacity, why not opt for shorter?

I've got a '14 Tacoma that technically *can* do what I want, but will eventually want a 3/4 or 1 ton with 4 doors and a long bed.  Won't want to give up the Tacoma for it's small size though.  Do run out of bed space occasionally, even at 6 ft.  Heck, depending on what I do, I may get a utility flatbed sized so I can stick two large square bales on the back as well as what goes on the trailer since if I'm running out of space/capacity, it's usually because I'm getting hay.

Can you really use something as a truck when it is really just posing as a truck?

yes, the Tacoma is king, if anything but for the resale value.

No, a little truck can never be “king”.

Gen 3 Frontier is really nice.

I can usually do what I need with a short bed and it keeps the truck nimble.  Even if they offered an 8ft bed, there is zero chance I'd take it.  I can haul all the gear I need for weeks in the back country, I can haul dead animals, I can haul a full sheet of ply with the tail gate down. I have a trailer for those rare times that I want some 16ft 2x4s or 2k lbs of gravel.  Being short, I can still run trails and rocks, which I do frequently.  I don't see many long bed full size trucks on the trails.  Honestly the truck I don't need is the 1/2 ton.  You just don't get enough more.  I'd like to add a 3/4 or 1 ton for towing a big trailer, but for now, I am happy with the Gladiator.

I would get another Frontier. unlike the Tacos with their Little Tykes plastic bed, the Frontier's is more solid. For me, each has its role between the Nissan and the Toyotas. And those roles are very different. a Taco (the OR) for fun, one (access cab) for work and a Frontier for work and personal use.
All my small trucks have the 6' bed on them. I don't miss any payload or capacity. I also own a Ram with an 8' bed and two F-150's with smaller beds than the "smaller" trucks.
I find the 5.5' beds useless, but everyone has different needs.

The composite bed on my Taco has lasted longer and is in better shape than the shitty aluminum one on my 2010 F150

I find aluminum Ford beds to fare way better with mounted equipment in them than the Tacoma. The wear on the Taco bed where the equipment gets bolted down is way more severe than the 2 older Fords.
The rest of the plastic Toyota bed has held up well for real world use.
It just depends on one's actual utility of the bed.

FC150 4-wheel drive 5 window Willys Jeep cab over pickup

I just really like the ability to throw something like a motorcycle in the back. My Excursion can fit more than most trucks but it’s limited in height and I’ve run into numerous things I couldn’t move.

1.9% for a new Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L is tempting.

Never buy a first year anything.

I have a constant 300-400 pounds bolted to my plastic Taco bed. No issues, but I did install bed supports.
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I've hauled my Harley Street Bob in my Taco.

I'll keep my 2.7 4 cylinder  2020 Tacoma.

I have At the helm bed stiffeners in mine. I hauled a few bikes in mine too.
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Been burned bad by too many Ford trucks, many friends burned by them, I say never, ever again.

I know nothing about current production GM.

Nissan, outsources a lot to Ford, makes me leery, but their reputation is good, so maybe.

Honda, would be fine for "I need a truck for pavement and  gravel road use", not really built for actual off roading.  

Toyota, I am a believer.  With the insane resale value, are really a bargain over the long haul.   I could sell my 7 year old 4runner with 75k miles for what I paid for it brand new.  My 1999 Tacoma when I bought it used, was almost what it sold for new, and I sold it 10 years an 120,000 miles later for almost what I paid for it.    So almost free to drive, not counting consumables.   But, the new Tacoma is a new model, so that's my only reservation there.

Dodge, only experience there is a older Cummins diesel - I will have that till I die.   No clue about current models.

On paper, it is an improvement over the old Tacoma. The Ranger is pretty nice as well and somewhat proven.

Reg cab F150 w/ 5.0 and a wipple supercharger…

Mine are Rago Fabrication.

Yup. Get a 4Runner. If you absolutely need a truck…the Ford Ranger is a better option than the Tacoma. This coming from someone who owned a Tacoma, Ranger, and still has the 4Runner.

21 mojave- solid truck

The 720 which ended in 1986 could be found with Datsun tags. In 1986.5 the D21 Hardbody was released. I have a D21 so 38 years. I rounded.