I've been thinking lately about what life would be like daily driving a truck. I like trucks. Plus, buying a new-ish truck would consolidate my aging Mazda 3 and my weekend dump runner/parts hauler Dakota into one convenient rig. I'm looking at mid-sized stuff, and I'm liking the looks, simplicity, and resale value on the Tacoma, especially the 2016+ redesign.
Here's what I do know:
-I like the looks of the TRD Sport the most. That one pictured above is a TRD Sport. That's tasty. If I got a black one, it would get KC Hilites and a Statler Toyota plate frame.
-Probably would go with the Access Cab (above) over the 4-door quad cab. I like the 6ft bed and the proportions. I wouldn't count out a quad cab if the deal was right.
-The V6 is the only way to go. It's more fuel efficient than the I4 and makes over 100 more hp. It's a 3.5L DI V6 now that's different from the old 4.0L.
-All the journalists say that the 6MT is the way to go. Just how bad is the automatic?
-The TRD Pro is cool, but they are up there price-wise
-They all have rear drum brakes, which I don't like, but it's not a deal killer
What I don't know:
-I want a limited slip if possible. What package has that?
What say ye GRM brethren? Anyone have one of these?
Sonic
UltraDork
3/1/18 11:02 a.m.
In the last generation the TRD sport had the limited slip, the TRD off road had an e-locker.
In reply to Sonic :
Interesting. I wonder if that carried over to the new ones.
They don't seem to be getting as good ratings as the older ones. It seems like mostly complaints of the auto transmisson and maybe a slip in quality. I've heard on Tacomaworld about a TSB that significantly helped the transmission for some people. I'm sure they're still good trucks with mostly positive reviews. Too bad they didn't stay with a twist on oil filter in the engine bay like the previous generation. I hate those newer ones. That's all I've got. I love the Marty McFly idea
After some digging on Toyota's website, I found that basically anything with a V6 gets the "brake-actuated limited slip", which is pretty lame. The TRD Pro gets an E-locker. That's kinda lame.
I have the TRD Off Road (not the Pro). It does have the E locker. There is a button on the overhead console for it.
click here for model descriptions
The crawl control on the TRD Off Road is very impressive. This video shows it best.
Don't get a 2016+, seriously. The new v6 with the Atkinson cycle just dosent have enough grunt for a truck. The new auto transmission is pretty garbage too. Get a 2015 or older, with the 4.0 v6. I have a 2007 double cab long bed, with the v6 and 5 speed auto, it has done everything I asked it too and more. If you want an LSD, you need to find an 08 or older TRD sport, or Underdog Racing development has a Detroit truetrack helical LSD for $500, as long as you don't get the trd off-road with the smaller 8" diff
In reply to Gaunt596 :
My 2005 SR5 is neither a Sport nor an Off Road and it has a real limited slip. I remember when I was buying it (new) there were about eight different SR5 combos and some included the limited slip.
Also, I’m not an off road guy but, at least with the previous generation, the TRD Off Road package bought you a lot more important stuff (coolers, etc) than the TRD Sport, which was just a hood scoop and 17 inch wheels
Woody said:
In reply to Gaunt596 :
My 2005 SR5 is neither a Sport nor an Off Road and it has a real limited slip. I remember when I was buying it (new) there were about eight different SR5 combos and some included the limited slip.
Also, I’m not an off road guy but, at least with the previous generation, the TRD Off Road package bought you a lot more important stuff (coolers, etc) than the TRD Sport, which was just a good scoop and 17 inch wheels
The oil and trans coolers were part of the tow package. And Toyota did some funky E36 M3 with the packages too, my truck is an SR5, but it has the 16" off-road alloy wheels, and the electronic LSD even though it's an 07. It also has the oil and trans coolers, along with the 6500 tow rated hitch.
It don't really NEED a LSD, it's just one of those things that's nice to have. It's not like I'll be doing hole shots in 99% of my daily driving. 
As far as the new V6 goes, I'm not going to be towing, just the occasional small equipment hauling and dump/home improvement store runs. The new V6 gets better gas mileage, and my commute is long, so that adds up. If I have to tow stuff, I have friends and family with full sized trucks at my disposal. Newer trucks in this class all have car-derived V6's with the exception of the Frontier, but that's likely to change with the 2019 model. It doesn't really bother me, and they are still all faster than my Mazda and exponentially faster than my 3.9L V6 Dakota.
I'm also considering the older model, especially if I can strike a deal on a higher end TRD model, but then there's the whole frame rotting in half thing I may have to worry about. I know older Tacos and Tundras had this issue, and I know Toyota has fixed them for people, but I'd rather not have to deal with it. I also like the looks of the new one better, as well as the factory projector headlamps, interior, and other things that the new version has.
If your dead set on a new one, I'd at the very least get the manual trans, the auto is very shift happy, and tends to feel kinda sluggish when combined with the low power Atkinson cycle
This is probably neither useful, nor tasteful, but I'll leave it here: 
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2001-toyota-tacoma-2/
Tyler H said:
This is probably neither useful, nor tasteful, but I'll leave it here:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2001-toyota-tacoma-2/
That will be an interesting auction to follow. I'm guessing the final sale price will be mid-high teens.
If you are going with a Taco, go with a manual. Can't get many pickups with a manual anymore so you might as well enjoy it.
You can also get the Frontier with a manual and an actual limited slip is available as low on the totem pole as a 2wd 4 cyl Frontier I believe.. Just food for thought.
I don't think I would really enjoy driving mine if it had a stick. I'm also pretty sure that I would have burned through at least one or two clutches by now.
I have a 16 Tacoma Access Cab V6 & AT and tow package. Middle package, SR5. Has everything you mentioned. Limited slip, 6-speed auto. Yeah, drum brakes in the rear. I think that's done because of brake balance with the light back end. The 4-Runner on the same chassis has rear disks. As for the supposedly weird things the rear end and AT does, I've found that all new(er) trucks with electronic controlled transmission and electronic LSD does the same thing. A friends Ecoboost F150 and F250 diesel does the same stuff. Another friends Chevy does it too. Once you know what causes it it becomes a non-issue. Computer trying to anticipate. I don't seem to have the shifting issues mentioned. Acts just as you would expect an auto to act. I think it's actually smoother than SWMBO's Sonata w/V6 & auto. Haven't had any issues with the Atkinson V6. Supposed to be rated at 6600 lbs towing. Haven't loaded it up anywhere close to that...yet. Most I've loaded was the bed about half full of paver bricks and the truck didn't really know it was there. Averaging 23 mpg combined driving and I have a little bit of a lead foot. If I'm careful I can squeeze almost 25 mpg out of it. But what's the fun in that. Daughter just got an 18 4-Runner. Hers is the top of the line TRD package with 4.0 V6 and 4WD. My Taco is 2WD. Her 4.0 has the same HP & torque rating as my 3.5. Same tow rating too. Did learn that there is basically one suspension system for Toyota trucks which is why the 2WD is so tall. Toyota tries to make it a selling point for 2WD being off-road capable when really they are just saving manufacturing costs with one suspension for all. Handles better than I thought it would being as tall as it is. One of the selling points for me was the composite bed. Has storage compartments for tie downs in the bed too.
I've also been in the market for a new truck and driven a '17 TRD Pro and a '17 TRD Off Road. This generation of Tacos rides significantly better than the previous generation. The seats in the Off Road were an issue for me, they were extremely hard, and the side bolsters really bothered me. The TRD Pro seats seemed to be better, but it may have been my rose colored glasses because the truck was great looking in the Cement color. My wife and I test drove a '14 Limited and we didn't make it out of the parking lot, I wasn't going to drop $30k on a truck that rode like a wagon. The composite bed also has flexing issues, so if you are going to load it up on a regular basis you would need to install some bed stiffeners. For the money they are asking, I just don't see the value. I have also been looking at the Titans and for a little more money you can get a loaded out Pro-4x that rides better and is better at "truck" stuff and it carries a 100k mile bumper to bumper factory warranty, though you will lose on the gas mileage front. But I will admit that this generation of Tacos has hit it out of the park on the styling, they are a great looking truck.
I love the Cavalry blue color on the '18s that's only available on the TRD Pro trim level for the Tacos and the Runners. Nothing else to add, but I AM finding this educational!
Bumping this for more discussion of new Tacomas...
