Rental truck review - 2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 Crew Cab

[mrsilv04]

Just picked it up at the airport tonight. 4900 miles on it. Black with black interior. Will be putting a quick 500+ miles on it in 2 days.

It is reporting an average of 19.1 mpg from past renters. 3.5 liter V6 engine. EPA rating is 18 city / 22 highway.

Window sticker is in the glove box. NO options at all. Was ordered by Enterprise from Fred Haas Toyota World of Spring, Texas.

 

[AZjeff]

How is the driving position? Like a truck or a car?

 

[captainbeandip]

What do you mean by NO options at all? TRD, 4x4, crew cab? That sounds like it must be pretty close to fully loaded to me.

Or are you trying to say it has no floor mats? I'm pretty sure an automatic transmission is an option, are you saying it doesn't have one of those?

 

[silversport]

if those "options" come with the TRD package they aren't options are they...I think OP means beyond what comes with whatever level was purchased by Enterprise

Bill

 

[paulswagelock]

Had one for a rental not long ago. Was not impressed. the seating position is odd, practically sitting on the floor. I am 6’5” and that truck is not for folks my size. The ride was a bit rough, a little unpredictable at times. The motor was loud, and I did not come close to 20 mpg, more like 16 combined. I liked the looks though, cool color and styling.

 

[dishdude]

Had one for a rental not long ago. Was not impressed. the seating position is odd, practically sitting on the floor. I am 6’5” and that truck is not for folks my size. The ride was a bit rough, a little unpredictable at times. The motor was loud, and I did not come close to 20 mpg, more like 16 combined. I liked the looks though, cool color and styling.

Yeah I hate these things, I always avoid them and the 4Runner when I see them at the rental center. Absolutely terrible vehicles to drive. Sister in law bought one brand new, it only lasted 6 months before she traded it.

 

[Finklejag]

But but, it’s a Toyota. The main problem was putting the Camry 3.5 V6 in it and programming the 6 speed auto weird.

 

[The Critic]

Yeah I hate these things, I always avoid them and the 4Runner when I see them at the rental center. Absolutely terrible vehicles to drive. Sister in law bought one brand new, it only lasted 6 months before she traded it.

My neighbor bought a "stripped" SR5 2wd - I found the new Tundra to feel unusually cramped compared to my Ram.

 

[Twinturbski36]

Yeah I hate these things, I always avoid them and the 4Runner when I see them at the rental center. Absolutely terrible vehicles to drive. Sister in law bought one brand new, it only lasted 6 months before she traded it.

I dont understand the cult following. Toyota makes anemic off road trucks that you have to drop 20k into them to make them somewhat okay off road. Yet their owners think they drive special ops rock crawlers. Strange. Engine sucks seating aweful.

 

[edyvw]

I dont understand the cult following. Toyota makes anemic off road trucks that you have to drop 20k into them to make them somewhat okay off road. Yet their owners think they drive special ops rock crawlers. Strange. Engine sucks seating aweful.

It is all about traction in the Starbucks drive thru.
I mean, my neighborhood is full of them. They are slow as snail. You think they are slow? Come to 6,000ft and check.
They put oversized, super heavy tires that further diminish astonishingly bad dynamics, and when snow falls, oh boy.

 

[mrsilv04]

I am seriously struggling to figure out the following of this truck. It's a midsize 4x4 truck with a V6... with worse fuel economy than a full size 4x4 truck with a V8. The engine is far from stellar, and the 6 speed transmission is confused a good amount of the time. I'm already tired of the light acceleration 'stuttering' from the transmission, and the engine has a ticking noise at idle (maybe I should check the oil level... LOL).

The driver's seat sits right on the floor (like a car), and the lumbar adjustment stops right when it finally starts being effective. My legs started cramping two hours into the trip.

The adaptive cruise control over-reacts, even on the lowest setting. I need to pull out the owner's manual and see if there's a way to completely shut it off.

The 'TRD' letting on the bed must stand for "TuRD".

I did flog it through a 6 mile twisty section in the Yellowwood State Forest between Needmore and Unionville (IN State 45), and with me doing to shifting and keeping the revs up, it really did a respectful job of it.

Tank of gas #1 came back as 16.5 mpg. That's all the better it got. I drove 264 miles, and it burned through 16 gallons ($48) of gas. Funny thing is, the dash was trying to tell me it was getting 20.0 mpg for the tank. I was expecting the gas pump to kick off at 13-13.5 gallons... and it didn't happen. That was my first clue that I'd been lied to. And I didn't even run the A/C at all.

I should have just driven one of the Sierras, and I'd been a lot happier. Can't wait until I can take this thing back to the airport and leave it there. I'd have been happier in the old POS 2004 Silverado, it would done a little better than 16.5mpg with a 5.3 V8 and a 4 speed transmission.

It is the TRD Off Road package, with no additional options. I failed to make that clear in my original posting.

I'm enjoying the "Service Required" nag that started up at the 5,000 mile mark. Every time I start it up... the same message appears, along with a constant check engine style light on the dashboard. Sheesh! And the "Check the back seat" reminder every time it is shut off and the driver's door opened.

The good news is this thing is due for a serious refresh in 2024. Most likely why the rental fleets are buying them up now. I also see where the new 2024 Tacoma will have a turbo 4. Gee, just like the Colorado, Canyon, and Ranger... shocking.

Yeah, I'm not seeing it with this thing....at all. I'm simply not seeing why people buy these things, well... other than it being a Toyota.

 

[edyvw]

I am seriously struggling to figure out the following of this truck. It's a midsize 4x4 truck with a V6... with worse fuel economy than a full size 4x4 truck with a V8. The engine is far from stellar, and the 6 speed transmission is confused a good amount of the time. I'm already tired of the light acceleration 'stuttering' from the transmission, and the engine has a ticking noise at idle (maybe I should check the oil level... LOL).

The driver's seat sits right on the floor (like a car), and the lumbar adjustment stops right when it finally starts being effective. My legs started cramping two hours into the trip.

The adaptive cruise control over-reacts, even on the lowest setting. I need to pull out the owner's manual and see if there's a way to completely shut it off.

The 'TRD' letting on the bed must stand for "TuRD".

I did flog it through a 6 mile twisty section in the Yellowwood State Forest between Needmore and Unionville (IN State 45), and with me doing to shifting and keeping the revs up, it really did a respectful job of it.

Tank of gas #1 came back as 16.5 mpg. That's all the better it got. I drove 264 miles, and it burned through 16 gallons ($48) of gas. Funny thing is, the dash was trying to tell me it was getting 20.0 mpg for the tank. I was expecting the gas pump to kick off at 13-13.5 gallons... and it didn't happen. That was my first clue that I'd been lied to. And I didn't even run the A/C at all.

View attachment 184790

I should have just driven one of the Sierras, and I'd been a lot happier. Can't wait until I can take this thing back to the airport and leave it there. I'd have been happier in the old POS 2004 Silverado, it would done a little better than 16.5mpg with a 5.3 V8 and a 4 speed transmission.

It is the TRD Off Road package, with no additional options. I failed to make that clear in my original posting.

I'm enjoying the "Service Required" nag that started up at the 5,000 mile mark. Every time I start it up... the same message appears, along with a constant check engine style light on the dashboard. Sheesh! And the "Check the back seat" reminder every time it is shut off and the driver's door opened.

The good news is this thing is due for a serious refresh in 2024. Most likely why the rental fleets are buying them up now. I also see where the new 2024 Tacoma will have a turbo 4. Gee, just like the Colorado, Canyon, and Ranger... shocking.

Yeah, I'm not seeing it with this thing....at all. I'm simply not seeing why people buy these things, well... other than it being a Toyota.

It is not just Tacoma. My 2015 Sienna Limited (real leather etc) had horrid seats. When I was checking the current Sienna, same. I actually measured seats and they were as far as I remember 2" shorter in seating part than my Tiguan, and 3" then in my BMW. Lumbar was better than my 2015, but regardless.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

I own a 2019 and I sure as heck wouldn’t buy it again.

It has been regeared, tuned with multiple tunes, run with all sorts of tires, seatjackers, etc. Nothing truly fixes the horrible drivetrain and driving experience. It does do well off road, but so does a 20 year old Xterra.

It’s pretty much just a road trip toy now until I sell it.

 

[mrsilv04]

The other thing that I forgot to mention is the HVAC display is tiny, it looks like a design that is 15 years old, and it sure looks like the face of it is slightly angled downward towards the floor. The only reason I can figure that the floor. Maybe they did it this way to reduce glare?

Well, another 260 miles back home... And another $50 in gas, and it's gladly getting left at the airport.

 

[hemioiler]

I own a 2019 and I sure as heck wouldn’t buy it again.

It has been regeared, tuned with multiple tunes, run with all sorts of tires, seatjackers, etc. Nothing truly fixes the horrible drivetrain and driving experience. It does do well off road, but so does a 20 year old Xterra.

It’s pretty much just a road trip toy now until I sell it.

Good news is that other than Jeep Wranglers, Taco's have the highest resale value.

 

[edyvw]

I own a 2019 and I sure as heck wouldn’t buy it again.

It has been regeared, tuned with multiple tunes, run with all sorts of tires, seatjackers, etc. Nothing truly fixes the horrible drivetrain and driving experience. It does do well off road, but so does a 20 year old Xterra.

It’s pretty much just a road trip toy now until I sell it.

There is a cottage industry of aftermarket parts for off-roading, so it is popular among off-roaders. That trickles own to those who want better traction in the Starbucks drive-thru.

 

[Oldswagon]

Despite all the nit-picking about these Tacomas, many of which I agree with, it's pretty easy to see why people buy them. They value reliability and resale over being best in class. There are also many who just think "Tacos" are cool and buy them for that reason alone (like the Jeep Wrangler). Many buyers don't care about the best driving dynamics, fuel economy or whatever other metric. For a lot buyers, these metrics are "good enough" on the Tacoma. While mid-size trucks might not compare well to a full-size truck on some metrics, the Tacoma in particular, many of the buyers in this class simply want the smaller dimensions that no full-size truck has. So often times the full-size truck comparison is not valid. And the proof is in the sales, as Tacoma continues to dominate the mid-size market despite an onslaught of newer competitors.

FWIW, I am not a fan of the Tacoma, but I don't like mid-size trucks in general. However, I can say I can relate, as I personally just sought out it's archaic and dated big brother. I specifically shopped for a last Gen 2 (2.5) Tundra, and bought a 2021 when I could have gone out and bought a brand-new truck. This is because I value simplicity and long-term reliability over, having better driving dynamics, features and fuel economy. I am also not blind to how far the competitors have come, as I regularly drive the late model competition at work or when I rent. But for me, there was nothing compelling enough to pull away from purchasing a newer "dated" truck. YMMV

 

[Delta]

Just so yous all know, this solves most of the 3rd Gen problems...

Anyways. I get it, they're not for everybody. I'm on my 4th Tacoma so we all know what little truck I like. The 3.5 is noisy, sounds like a diesel sometimes, and doesn't have that much power down low. Manual I'm able to rev it out a little bit more. Truck does what I need and I liked it better than the others in the segment.

 

[PF52]

The driver's seat sits right on the floor (like a car), and the lumbar adjustment stops right when it finally starts being effective. My legs started cramping two hours into the trip.

A friend of mine had a '90 with a 5-speed..... Yeah, several generations ago in the Toyota timeline but it had the same low seats. I drove it several times and the seats were remarkably similar to those in my Fiero. You sit low to the floor with legs straight out in front of you. Working the clutch was fatiguing because I pretty much had to lift my leg to step on the clutch.

I thought one of the appeals of trucks/SUVs was the upright seating? Apparently that doesn't apply to the Tacoma.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Just so yous all know, this solves most of the 3rd Gen problems...

Anyways. I get it, they're not for everybody. I'm on my 4th Tacoma so we all know what little truck I like. The 3.5 is noisy, sounds like a diesel sometimes, and doesn't have that much power down low. Manual I'm able to rev it out a little bit more. Truck does what I need and I liked it better than the others in the segment.

It really doesn’t.