Toyota Tacoma Advantages

[WV Mountaineer]

I don’t know about that. Allegedly you can fit a first gen Tundra down four wheeler trails.

I’ve road in plenty of those owned by friends. In the mountains. Don’t kid yourself or let anyone else do the same. It’s a truck. Not an atv or sxs. The difference in performance on atv trails isn’t debatable.

 

[Seeknelk]

S X S are awesome! They can bomb thru sage and climb almost any hill , NO TRAIL needed! Can even bugle right from the seat! Scramble around gates! Also apparently they are now required to get an elk tag here in Montana!
No, seriously, if someone bought me one and delivered it at my camp each fall I'd use it to run up the really rough ,long roads in a fraction of the time as my full size. My dad brought his one year. We kinda forgot how frosty windows are in the morning and it's sorta blows getting all your puffy gear on BEFORE you even start the hunt. But it was still handy for sure.
Tundra or even full size could get where we took it cuz you generally always can here in Montana if we are talking about LEGALLY open roads. But it was so much faster and less concerning, just cold. Especially after glassing till last light in icy wind then hopping on for ride back.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

The Toyota isn’t the most well equipped but everything it’s equipped with will still work 20 years later. I wouldn’t spend the extra coin on the TRD-PRO myself, the TRD-OR is all I need only because it comes with the E-Locker.

Yeah. My side air bag sensors were replaced twice in the first year. My buddies bed literally broke around the bed bolts the 3rd time he loaded his atv in it. Etc…


I have wandered for a long time about the responses these Tacoma threads bring. I’ve concluded that most of the guys that respond in the same light you did don’t truly off road much. Or, haven’t owned many vehicles. Off road isn’t following a road. It’s OFF-ROAD.


They are great little trucks. But, they can’t walk on water. And, around these parts, for every Tacoma you’ll see truly off road, you’ll see way more Suzuki’s, jeeps, and rangers.

I’m not being rude. But, the only cult following bigger than the Tacoma crowd, was the Moonie’s.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

That's Implying tacos and 4runners go to the mountains, would be neat to see. I've only seen them at local paved campsites and Dutch Bros coffee parking lots. Cool RTT, rotopax and laders though.

I've owned 3 tacomas and two 4 runners. You know what else is reliable? A bike...and it nearly as fast and carries about the same payload

all in good fun, btw. Yotas are great, just a bit small for more than just a man and his dog. Full size, double locked truck was my answer, based on family size/needs.

I was at my cabin this summer cutting wood. My adjoining neighbor came up the road after a while in his Toyota. It had a snorkel, a great big winch and bumper, great big tires and a lift. First thing that popped into my head when seeing him was “nice truck”.

He asked me to come down to his place and look at a few trees around his cabin. When turning his truck, the tires scrubbed. I didn’t know what it was and said as much. He replied it was the tires rubbing. I then commented on his aftermarket parts. Saying his truck looked good for taking off road so much. He then told me he had never taken it off road. I just looked at him smiling and said I gotcha. Which prompted a three minute lecture from him of what a Tacoma was capable of

One thing most Tacoma guys will never falter at is telling you how good their truck is for off roading. And, it’s dependability.

Keep on keeping on.

 

[BRTreedogs]

If you hunt for multiple days and like a plush camp mini trucks just don't work well, you at least have to tow some kind of little trailer.
For my wife and I to go for 2 days with an even decently comfortable camp my Yota was loaded to the hilt.
If we have killed something I would of had to pile it on top of the gear and strap it down.

We do longer trips and im not gonna live like a hobo back pack hunter for long periods.

I have the Yota and would much prefer the side by.
That way I could leave the bed of the truck loaded with some things. And just zip in the sxs, I move camp often and the more stuff i can leave loaded the better. Zip the side by on, strap down and move.
No hour of packing camp away in the truck.

A narrow sxs could be a big advantage if you need to pass on a crap road to. I've been ready to poo purple twinkies because I knew if I got sucked in the ditch it was over.

Mini trucks are good for hunting from home, short trips and minimalist guys, if just not enough for me for 10 plus day trips with 2 people.

And there always out of fing gas. Damn small as tanks.

For the sake of argument a truck gets me most everywhere I need to go.
And it nice to loop a road sometimes and come around on pavement or head to town for a quick shower.
But over all for me. There is just not enough room.

 

[J.r. Shinkle]

I guess I'm in the minority .I bought a TRD Pro Tacoma 3 months ago and hate the thing. No power,road noise,transmission can't decide which gear its in.My own fault.Bought into the hype and now I'm kind of stuck with it or take a huge hit by trading.

 

[CorbLand]

I’ve road in plenty of those owned by friends. In the mountains. Don’t kid yourself or let anyone else do the same. It’s a truck. Not an atv or sxs. The difference in performance on atv trails isn’t debatable.

I didn’t say it performed as well as a SxS or atv. Just said it can be done. I have spent a fair amount of time in RZRs, S10s, Tacoma’s, and Tundra’s. All of them have been in places you shouldn’t go.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I guess I'm in the minority .I bought a TRD Pro Tacoma 3 months ago and hate the thing. No power,road noise,transmission can't decide which gear its in.My own fault.Bought into the hype and now I'm kind of stuck with it or take a huge hit by trading.

Put a Ford emblem on the grill. Your mileage will improve, your power will improve, the ride quality will improve, and your dependability will improve. Instantly.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I didn’t say it performed as well as a SxS or atv. Just said it can be done. I have spent a fair amount of time in RZRs, S10s, Tacoma’s, and Tundra’s. All of them have been in places you shouldn’t go.

I know you didn’t. I wasn’t being a wise guy. I was replying to your response. Which held no true meaning except to say it could be done. Which is no different than driving tent stakes with a rock while having a hammer. It works but, smashed fingers are a real possibility.

 

[J.r. Shinkle]

Put a Ford emblem on the grill. Your mileage will improve, your power will improve, the ride quality will improve, and your dependability will improve. Instantly.

I traded an F150 eco boost in on it. Ride quality yes dependability no.

 

[CorbLand]

I know you didn’t. I wasn’t being a wise guy. I was replying to your response. Which held no true meaning except to say it could be done. Which is no different than driving tent stakes with a rock while having a hammer. It works but, smashed fingers are a real possibility.

You gotta live life on the edge sometimes.

 

[Coveyleader]

I’ve had my Tacoma on “roads” here in CO that should only be driven with atvs and side by sides, I have the the dented rocker panels and skid plates as a reminder. The crawl control on them is something to be seen in order to understand the capabilities of the Tacomas. They are monsters!


That being said, every day I went up, I wished I had an ATV or SS. Going 1-2 miles an hour up a 1 hour long road is a pain, especially coming down.



Same truck on narrow smooth CO roads, any other truck will be eating dust,

 

[Coldtrail]

Funny how every vehicle thread turns into "I drive a blah blah blah & its the most capable vehicle on the market, I'd never waste my money on a blah blah blah..." Pretty safe to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the "off road" capability has much to do with the driver as the rig. I can recall as a kid bouncing down muddy roads in 4x4 trucks back to hunting camp and sitting around having lunch and some old timer from town would show up in a mud covered sedan just to see how things were going & we would be wondering how in the heck he got there, or you would see the occasional lion hunter running the mountain roads in a 2wd pickup with chains. If a person has the passion. you can make anything work to achieve it.

One of the great benefits of living in the USA is that 99% of vehicle owners talk themselves into purchasing and accesorizing much more vehicle than they need because they feel their needs are so much more than the next guy. I think the same goes for the SxS craze.....I forsee many hunting areas will start to have two trailheads, one to unload your machine and another a few miles in to park it before you step out to hunt.

To get back on track, if your "needs" require a large trailer of gear I don't think you will like the Tacoma, if you are more minimalist and can fit everything into a pickup, the Tacoma is a pretty solid choice and will give you a slight edge over many of the full size trucks when it comes to reasonable rough road travel. To date none of my hunting pursuits has required me to install a snorkel or giant tires..........

 

[Dos Perros]

Second generations I think carry the reputation well. The thirds have been a let down. If you have a third gen and are poo pooing the Tacoma, that's not how they used to make them.

 

[southLA]

Second generations I think carry the reputation well. The thirds have been a let down. If you have a third gen and are poo pooing the Tacoma, that's not how they used to make them.

Yeah I have a second gen extended cab and have considered getting a 3rd gen mainly so I can upgrade to a crew cab, but the reports haven't all been the best on 3rd gen.

 

[Coveyleader]

I had a second gen for a long time. I sold it as it needed all kinds of repairs that I didn’t want to fix. Loved that truck.

I Picked up a third gen, and for awhile the gear shifting bugged me when driving on the highways in the foothills and passes, but having it for over five years now, I really like it, and all my trucks are not driven lightly.

They are pretty snappy for around town, and mountain trails/roads, but don’t have gearing the second did for steady long mountain pass roads.


It’s a perfect truck for me, and I can honestly say it’s better than the 2nd gen at this stage.

 

[darcytribe]

I've owned several 1st gen tacos. Bulit-proof vehicles IMHO. That said, I find they are extremely uncomfortable to travel long distances in. I end up putting four-runner seats in them but it's only a slight improvement. As a mid-westerner who travels to the west to hunt, it's becoming more of an issue the older I get. You all who have owned first-gens but now drive newer generations of Tacos- Has the comfort level improved? If so, would you describe them as "comfortable" to travel long distances in? I'm especially interested in opinions from folks over 50 yrs. old

 

[IdahoElk]

I guess I'm in the minority .I bought a TRD Pro Tacoma 3 months ago and hate the thing. No power,road noise,transmission can't decide which gear its in.My own fault.Bought into the hype and now I'm kind of stuck with it or take a huge hit by trading.

What year did you get and what were you driving before?

 

[bojangles808]

I guess I'm in the minority .I bought a TRD Pro Tacoma 3 months ago and hate the thing. No power,road noise,transmission can't decide which gear its in.My own fault.Bought into the hype and now I'm kind of stuck with it or take a huge hit by trading.

no 2 years ago I had a 2021 TRD OR DC LB I traded in after a week for exactly the same reasons. Felt like a civic with a trunk, I went back to a fullsize. luckily tacomas are worth more than a mercedes in hawaii and i got just about all of my money back

 

[roosiebull]

I went from a Tacoma to a rzr and used it part of 1 hunting season in Idaho. After that I decided to go back to a Tacoma. It's pretty much as capable except on narrower trails and it has all the creature comforts you could want. I am past the years of denting up my trucks to get just a little further but don't shy away from scratches. I have no problem loading up all my gear and crossing multiple states to hunt and get back into where I need to go. You can't do that in a SxS without a trailer and tow rig. Add up all the extra cost and even a brand new Tacoma is probably cheaper than a reliable tow rig a trailer and the SXS.

It’s nice to keep things simple, rather than a full size and trailer, you can pretty much camp anywhere, parking lots are easy, if you need to pick up and go somewhere else it’s a lot easier, when you get there, finding a spot to park is easy.

If you end up in a spot you don’t need a side by side, it’s less to worry about leaving all of that stuff alone, people breaking into your stuff to steal your side by side or contents of your trailer.

There are a lot of things that make a small pickup easy vs a full size pickup and trailer. The downside is storage, and some people just aren’t comfortable in a small pickup, I prefer them.