Test drove some vehicles yesterday
My Frontier is getting old and I'm looking for something new. 4x4 is a must and driving a diesel 5spd manual Toyota Hilux for the past couple of years, I'm really leaning towards a Tacoma.
Started at a Jeep dealer and drove a used 2013 6 speed MT Wrangler Rubicon 4 door. Had good power but felt tipsy. Inside felt cramped. Sales guy was new on the job, called today and said yesterday was a learning experience for him. Seems I knew more about his product than he did. I should've tested a new 2018/19 Wrangler - supposedly they have more room inside. Starting price on a new 4 door Wrangler was $42k!
Went to the Toyota Dealer and test drove a Tacoma 6spd MT 2019 TRD Sport. They didn't have a TRD Offroad on the lot with a manual transmission. Not a fan of the hood scoop on the Sport as it serves no function and really takes up a lot space in the windshield = blind spot, but it drove nicely. The TRD Offroad is sold without the scoop. Also drove a 4Runner SR5 Premium. Very cushy - lots of room and handled nicely. I want a stick shift though.
Lastly hit a Ford Dealer and drove a 2018 3.5 Ecoboost and 2018 5.0 F150. The 3.5 felt like it had more getup and go than the 5.0. Turns out the 3.5 has more torque and is the better of the 2 for towing. Hitting the gas hard on the 3.5 it pushed you into the back of your seat. Hitting the gas hard on the 5.0 it lagged searching for gears. Didn't seem like it had that much there once it found the correct gear. I was expecting Mustang power with the 5.0 in the F150 just felt old and tired. Could be the 10spd trans is a dog.
Interiors on both F150 XLT's were cheap hard plastic everywhere. The cloth seats felt cheap as well. I like the exterior looks of the F150 but the interior just doesn't seem worth the price of admission.
Still need to drive a Nissan Frontier Pro4X 6 speed and a Chevy Silverado. Just to get them out of my system.
I'm leaning towards a Manual Trans Tacoma TRD Offroad.
Started at a Jeep dealer and drove a used 2013 6 speed MT Wrangler Rubicon 4 door. Had good power but felt tipsy. Inside felt cramped. Sales guy was new on the job, called today and said yesterday was a learning experience for him. Seems I knew more about his product than he did. I should've tested a new 2018/19 Wrangler - supposedly they have more room inside. Starting price on a new 4 door Wrangler was $42k!
Went to the Toyota Dealer and test drove a Tacoma 6spd MT 2019 TRD Sport. They didn't have a TRD Offroad on the lot with a manual transmission. Not a fan of the hood scoop on the Sport as it serves no function and really takes up a lot space in the windshield = blind spot, but it drove nicely. The TRD Offroad is sold without the scoop. Also drove a 4Runner SR5 Premium. Very cushy - lots of room and handled nicely. I want a stick shift though.
Lastly hit a Ford Dealer and drove a 2018 3.5 Ecoboost and 2018 5.0 F150. The 3.5 felt like it had more getup and go than the 5.0. Turns out the 3.5 has more torque and is the better of the 2 for towing. Hitting the gas hard on the 3.5 it pushed you into the back of your seat. Hitting the gas hard on the 5.0 it lagged searching for gears. Didn't seem like it had that much there once it found the correct gear. I was expecting Mustang power with the 5.0 in the F150 just felt old and tired. Could be the 10spd trans is a dog.
Interiors on both F150 XLT's were cheap hard plastic everywhere. The cloth seats felt cheap as well. I like the exterior looks of the F150 but the interior just doesn't seem worth the price of admission.
Still need to drive a Nissan Frontier Pro4X 6 speed and a Chevy Silverado. Just to get them out of my system.
I'm leaning towards a Manual Trans Tacoma TRD Offroad.
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Ad an extra 1100 lbs and the rolling resistance of a four-wheel drive on a Mustang and it would be just as doggy as the 4x4 pickup 0 -
The manual transmission will be very difficult to find. Plenty of TRD Offroad on Carvana but no manuals. Also, check Cargurus. 0 -
Remember the 5.0 is only a 302, it?s small. The H.O 5.0s are just a 302 with a 351W cam and firing order along with some different programming, once you take the dress off it?s still a 302 and it?s not going to be a monster in a full sized truck.
That is the only thing I like about my ladies Ram 1500, that Hemi runs pretty good but I still prefer to drive my ?79 F150.0 -
Keep searching. But the Tacoma is a good rig.
Consumer Reports has good baseline info.0 -
i search craigsist and nex-tech classifieds for vehicles and have done well on used ones ..it is a search to find a non.pumper. non farm , non cowboy..pavement vehicle....also have a friend has sold cars for a big dealer since college and he looks for me..will never buy the god awful priced new stuff..most people NEVER figure the total per mile cost of owning and running a new vehicle and bet they would be shocked at the cost per 0 -
How did you get a hilux in the states?[:0][:p]
Forgot to mention....I drive an 06 Tacoma access cab with the 2.7l and 4x4 and 5spd MT.
Love it.0 -
i had an 06 taco access cab v6 4x4 auto trans with about 70K miles GREAT...except the farking wind noise in the cab was unbearable..every time a big truck passed or you drove out from a shelterbelt with a cross wind somewhere up front this shaky whistle would drown out adio or talking...tried all sorts of things to fix it...finally a toyo body shop foreman told me he thought there was a design flaw in the cabs 04 to 2012 ???? and he could never get it gone... i traded it for an 08 nissan frontier 4d 4w4 auto trans with about the same miles ...much better 0 -
We just rented a compact car as usual but my Buddy hooked us up with a Nissan Frontier. Auto but had plenty of power, drove up the mountains no problem. Penty of room in the back two seats FWIW 0 -
Interesting. I've never test driven a vehicle in my life! My bad maybe? 0 -
I'm on my 5th Tacoma. Excellent vehicles with minimal maintenance. Holds their value extremely well. I typically drive them till about 200 or 225,000 miles and still sell them for $15k or better. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by DirtyDawg
I'm on my 5th Tacoma. Excellent vehicles with minimal maintenance. Holds their value extremely well. I typically drive them till about 200 or 225,000 miles and still sell them for $15k or better.
You sell them just after breaking them in?0 -
quote:Originally posted by beneteau
The manual transmission will be very difficult to find. Plenty of TRD Offroad on Carvana but no manuals. Also, check Cargurus.
Also...if you want the e-locker you have to get the TRD OFFROAD..the TRD Sport doesn't come with the e-locker...or atleast when I bought one new in 2013 that was the case. Be weary of the access cab..it starts whistling at highway speeds, I should have gotten the crew cab instead, that whistling becomes really annoying once you notice it. If fuel mileage is important, just know that the 4.0 V6 is a gas pig, and you will get worse mileage than a full size truck...my Tacoma got 18 highway, my F150 averages just below 20.
I currently have a 2017 F150 3.5 EB. It is quite fast, the fastest pick up in that class, highest towing in that class, and the only one that comes with an e-locker. The ecoboost has a much broader power band than the 5.0. But I agree the quality is disappointing, I've had a number of issues with my truck since new and it's only got 8400 miles on it. The Ford interior is cheap feeling.
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quote:Originally posted by kidthatsirish
How did you get a hilux in the states?[:0][:p]
Forgot to mention....I drive an 06 Tacoma access cab with the 2.7l and 4x4 and 5spd MT.
Love it.
Still working overseas. My shared company car is a 2014 5 speed diesel Hilux 4x4 with an electronic rear locker.
I want a rear locker in whatever truck I buy.
I understand the Z71 Silverado has an auto locking rear. Don't have one in my Nissan and never needed it but would like to have it in the next vehicle.0 -
The GM offerings have an E80 Eaton locking diff option, but it's not selectable..it requires wheel slippage at 120 RPM to engage....I prefer to have a selectable e-locker rather than waiting to get stuck.
If Toyota sold that Hilux diesel in the US they'd sell a boat load....0
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