Any Taco owners out there?

[monkeylizard]

A friend has a Maverick and loves it. Admittedly he's neither a "truck guy" or a "car guy". To him a vehicle is an appliance. I was quite shocked at how roomy it is inside. I'm 6'4" and the passenger seat is quite comfortable. I didn't sit in the back but his 6'2" son sits there often and has no complaints.

I'd say it can do everything that 90% of today's truck owners need it to do (like go to Home Depot for light bulbs and 2 bags of mulch) and 90% of what that the last 10% need it to do. It won't haul/tow a lot, but for a daily with some added utility, it's a winner.

As for Tacos, I wasn't crazy about the Gen 3 interior (2015-2022). It felt cramped. I haven't tried the new ones. Some of the bad press about the transmissions in the Tacos and engines in the Tundras isn't confidence-boosting for Toyota's reputation of longevity continuing in the current lineup.

[peejman]

9 minutes ago, monkeylizard said:

A friend has a Maverick and loves it. Admittedly he's neither a "truck guy" or a "car guy". To him a vehicle is an appliance. I was quite shocked at how roomy it is inside. I'm 6'4" and the passenger seat is quite comfortable. I didn't sit in the back but his 6'2" son sits there often and has no complaints.

I'd say it can do everything that 90% of today's truck owners need it to do (like go to Home Depot for light bulbs and 2 bags of mulch) and 90% of what that the last 10% need it to do. It won't haul/tow a lot, but for a daily with some added utility, it's a winner.

As for Tacos, I wasn't crazy about the Gen 3 interior (2015-2022). It felt cramped. I haven't tried the new ones. Some of the bad press about the transmissions in the Tacos and engines in the Tundras isn't confidence-boosting for Toyota's reputation of longevity continuing in the current lineup.

95% of truck owners would be perfectly happy with a Ridgeline, it'll do everything they need quite easily, but their ego won't let them.   

Same with minivans for that matter. They're exquisitely functional for hauling kids around. 4runners border on awful in comparison, but guess what the parking lot at the soccer field is full of?

[monkeylizard]

I wouldn't fault ego entirely. The 1st gen Ridgeline was uglier than the last girl at the bar during Fleet Week.

I kind of like the looks of the current model, but they start north of $40k. That's a lot for a car-based "truck" when a Mav starts at about 1/2 that and a "real" truck Ranger/Colorado starts $8k less or can be very nicely equipped for a similar $40K.

Edited yesterday at 04:33 AM by monkeylizard

[Johnny Rotten]

When you pass your buddy, then realize what your driving..

 

[leroy]

9 hours ago, peejman said:

95% of truck owners would be perfectly happy with a Ridgeline, it'll do everything they need quite easily...

I like the Ridgeline alot.  Been looking at em some.  They are pretty sensibly priced and Honda is legendary for reliability n mileage, right up there with the best of the best.  Lotsa my Ole buddies would drive Civics in the " old days " for that exact reason.  The only downside i see to a Ridgeline is that they are unibody machines; but the truth of the matter is it don't matter for over the road driving.  One of the toughest SUVs ever made, the Jeep Cherokee, is a unibody machine as well.. The Ridgeline is a great idea.

leroy...

[gregintenn]

I wonder how well a front wheel drive truck would pull a boat out of a steep, wet boat ramp. In my mind, it doesn’t seem like a great combination.

[Alleycat72]

On a funny note: I had been seeing a black 4runner at the gym every time I was leaving. Everything was black. I mean light could not escape its gravity black. Really good looking Toyota. One day an attractive lady is walking out of the gym in font of me. She walks over and opens the door. I was going to tell her I liked her truck and almost said it. 

It is not a good idea to tell a woman in yoga pants that she has a good looking taco. 

I call my Wife and told her of my neer faux pas. I got halfway through the story and she was cracking up. Asked me if I need bail money. 

[tacops]

I have had a 1976 2wd Hi Lux, 1981 2wd, 1982 2wd, 1985 SR5 4wd, 1986 4wd, (2) 1992 2wd, (3) 1994 2wd,  Currently driving a 2011 TRD Sport 4wd with 107K on it.  I may have left a Tacoma or two off the list.  I also had multiple Chev Square body trucks, blazers and two full size Broncos mixed in the lot along the way.  Also I had a 2004 Ranger Edge 2wd that had leather bucket seats and full console from the factory. The ranger was an awesome truck. Some of you in the Knoxville might have seen it. It was a Black 94 Ranger Edge with silver flames. It was driven by the Manager of "Biker Rags" as a company vehicle. I did remove the flames and logo. I also had two 1972 Ford F100 Rangers.  You will notice that Nissan is absent from my list, for a reason.

Edited yesterday at 03:15 PM by tacops

[TNHeavyGunner]

24 minutes ago, tacops said:

I have had a 1976 2wd Hi Lux, 1981 2wd, 1982 2wd, 1985 SR5 4wd, 1986 4wd, (2) 1992 2wd, (3) 1994 2wd,  Currently driving a 2011 TRD Sport 4wd with 107K on it.  I may have left a Tacoma or two off the list.  I also had multiple Chev Square body trucks, blazers and two full size Broncos mixed in the lot along the way.  Also I had a 2004 Ranger Edge 2wd that had leather bucket seats and full console from the factory. The ranger was an awesome truck. Some of you in the Knoxville might have seen it. It was a Black 94 Ranger Edge with silver flames. It was driven by the Manager of "Biker Rags" as a company vehicle. I did remove the flames and logo. I also had two 1972 Ford F100 Rangers.  You will notice that Nissan is absent from my list, for a reason.

Why no Nissan?

[tacops]

Early Nissan Hardbody trucks were comparable to Toyota in reliability with proper maintenance and use.  I am not sure, but I think the new Frontier are fairing well and look very appealing.  The 80s Nissan Maximas and 300Z were great vehicles and I owned them then, but Nissan took a downturn in the late 90s as for customer support. Nissan has a horrible track record for standing behind their products and they have made some real questionable vehicles.  The Constant Velocity Transmissions (CVT) in the Altimas, Maximas, and Muranos among others were huge failures and Nissan refused to address the problems.  They have a habit of such action so I refuse to own Nissan.

Edited yesterday at 04:58 PM by tacops

[deerslayer]

14 hours ago, peejman said:

95% of truck owners would be perfectly happy with a Ridgeline, it'll do everything they need quite easily, but their ego won't let them.   

Same with minivans for that matter. They're exquisitely functional for hauling kids around. 4runners border on awful in comparison, but guess what the parking lot at the soccer field is full of?

I've always liked the Ridgeline and would drive the crap out of one.  I hate that they added VCM that can't be deactivated.  

My 4Runner does well hauling two kids to a soccer tournament.   

[deerslayer]

1 hour ago, tacops said:

Early Nissan Hardbody trucks were comparable to Toyota in reliability with proper maintenance and use.  I am not sure, but I think the new Frontier are fairing well and look very appealing.  The 80s Nissan Maximas and 300Z were great vehicles and I owned them then, but Nissan took a downturn in the late 90s as for customer support. Nissan has a horrible track record for standing behind their products and they have made some real questionable vehicles.  The Constant Velocity Transmissions (CVT) in the Altimas, Maximas, and Muranos among others were huge failures and Nissan refused to address the problems.  They have a habit of such action so I refuse to own Nissan.

A guy at work recently learned the hard way that nobody works on Nissan CVT transmissions; they just replace them.  His economical 2015 Altima work beater suddenly made a lot less sense.  

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, deerslayer said:

A guy at work recently learned the hard way that nobody works on Nissan CVT transmissions; they just replace them.  His economical 2015 Altima work beater suddenly made a lot less sense.  

I have a kid driving an Altima now. It’s been a good car thus far, but thankfully, he avoided the dreaded CVT with a 6 speed manual.

[TNHeavyGunner]

4 hours ago, tacops said:

Early Nissan Hardbody trucks were comparable to Toyota in reliability with proper maintenance and use.  I am not sure, but I think the new Frontier are fairing well and look very appealing.  The 80s Nissan Maximas and 300Z were great vehicles and I owned them then, but Nissan took a downturn in the late 90s as for customer support. Nissan has a horrible track record for standing behind their products and they have made some real questionable vehicles.  The Constant Velocity Transmissions (CVT) in the Altimas, Maximas, and Muranos among others were huge failures and Nissan refused to address the problems.  They have a habit of such action so I refuse to own Nissan.

I got a 2020 Titan XD and it's been great.

[Fishman731]

Bought a 2024 Nissan Frontier Pro x and love it.  6 cylinder engine has been proven for years and they look great too.

[peejman]

10 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I wonder how well a front wheel drive truck would pull a boat out of a steep, wet boat ramp. In my mind, it doesn’t seem like a great combination.

The Ridgeline is AWD, the Maverick has AWD available... so the same as any other 4wd truck, provided we're talking about the typical bass/ski boat and not some cabin cruiser monstrosity. 

[Erich]

I inherited my dad’s 05 Tundra and 17 Tacoma when he passed. The Tacoma was only a few months old at the time. 

It was a loaded off road TRD 4x double cab.  He bought a lifetime warranty that transferred to me. It looked great, was reasonably comfortable and cold be parked in places more like a car, especially compared to a full size truck (bonus for the wife)

I had so many reasons to try to love it. But I preferred driving the basic extended cab Tundra…and tellingly…so did the wife. That old Tundra was just a good driver. 

The primary thing was how relatively underpowered it was for the 4x drivetrain even with standard oem tires. The factory PCM tune was lacking throttle response and big lags on kickdown to back on power. The drivability suffered. On top of all that, it got pretty bad mileage. 16 on the highway at I75 cruise speeds (trying to not get run over ) that dropped a bit around town. I towed an atv utility trailer a couple times and it noticeably struggled.  The rear cab space is ok if on-the-smaller-side works for your needs. 

Admittedly, I’m a jaded full size truck person.

I know these are super popular, just didn’t do it for me. If it weren’t for the sentimental aspects, I don’t think I would have kept it as long as i did. 

 

 

[tacops]

13 hours ago, Fishman731 said:

Bought a 2024 Nissan Frontier Pro x and love it.  6 cylinder engine has been proven for years and they look great too.

They do look great and I was tempted.

[deerslayer]

1 hour ago, tacops said:

They do look great and I was tempted.

They would be the first truck I would look at if I were in the market for a new mid-size truck.  A gimmick-free V6 engine with a geared transmission is not much to ask, but is rare nowadays.