ewillis
SILVER Star
Rig will be used as family hauler, camping, and general “over lander”...hate that term but you get the picture. Can’t decide and looking for a nudge either way.
Gen 3 Tacoma vs. Gen 2/3 Tundra?
- Thread starter ewillis
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I had a 13 Double Cab and it was really nice, power galore, 6.5' bed and very comfortable overall. It also had the 60/40 front seat which allowed our family of 6 to fit. BUT, it's such a huge and cumbersome vehicle unless you absolutely need the towing capacity and 6.5' bed. I hated pulling into parking spaces and out into merging traffic in tight spots. Can't imagine trying to take it on any sort of trail. I've always been fond of the Tacoma, 4Runner and obviously LC platform because you can still get them into tighter spaces, while carrying what you need. They just fit me better, so I recently picked up a 17 Tacoma Crew TRD OffRoad and I really like a lot of things about it. The main drawback is that it only seats 5 and is lacking in the low end torque department, but gets WAY better mileage and is much more practical to drive. I haven't had it off-road to speak of yet, but it seems to be a much,much better platform than the Tundra for most situations. They are both great trucks, but I think you can see what my preference is. Good luck with the decision...
A family of four fills up a Taco way too fast, even on a short camping trip. Wife and I plus growing kids (10 and 13yrs old) forced a trade from the Taco to my current 2011 Tundra DBL Cab. Wish I'd have done it the day my oldest was born. My only complaints are the smallish fuel tank and the so-so gas mileage (keep in mind that the Tundra compares more closely to most 3/4 ton pickups than 1/2 tons. They tow/haul like a champ, but are a bit more thirsty) I've never found the larger size to be much of a problem. Any full-size truck is sort of a pain to park, but Tundras do turn MUCH sharper than any other full size pickup. The TRD Tundras are surprisingly good off-road as well. Clearly not the tight trail rig like an 80 or a Taco, but very capable with the right tires (and you can still haul two elk while doing it.) As an "over-lander," well, four people, 4 kayaks, 22ft camper, Glacier Park to Dallas TX and back with plenty of room for all.
