Gas mileage even going from 15 in a Tundra to 18 in a Tacoma is fairly significant. Often people only say well it’s just 3 extra miles per gallon, well while that’s true the % difference provides a different perspective.
If one drives 15,000 miles per year in a Tundra that’s 1,000 gallons and at $3.75/gallon that’s $3,750 per year.
A Tacoma gets 17% better mileage so the cost to go the same distance is $3,112 so a savings of $638 per year. So over 10 years that’s $6,380 difference. So one can weigh for themselves if the benefits of a full size over comes the extra cost just in mileage.