4Runner/Tacoma alternatives?

[AK47bp]

Ha! If that isn't sarcasm, here are some observations from someone who's owned both of the current generation.

The 4R is quieter (but still much louder than something like a Highlander), more comfortable, and has much better forward visibility (though the top of the windshield is still low). The Tacoma developed interior rattles almost immediately after driving it off the lot (in all of the usual places according to the folks on tacomaworld). The 4R has none at 30somethingK miles, but does have "the whistle" (as discussed on both 4R forums).

The 4.0 in the fifth gen 4R is indisputably a better engine than the 3.5 in the Tacoma.

The 3.5 varies the timing to run in a part-time Atkinson cycle, to increase mpg at the expense of the torque curve. I found myself flooring the tacoma a lot in 2nd, and sometimes 3rd gear (6MT), whereas I can drive the 4R with a very light foot, and consistently get better mileage than I ever got in the Taco.

Oil changes on both are a PITA.

Dog preferred shotgun position in the Tacoma. The seat was more 'buckety'. It had better headlights too. The 4R interior is dated in that the cup holders are on the small size, and there's nowhere to put your giant phone. Both will interface with a phone or classic ipod flawlessly.

Interesting. I thought the “whistle” was just mine.

So it’s a thing.

This is when you take your foot off the gas and the 4R is coasting right?


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[Ted Striker]

There’s a really nice T100 with 110k for sale on Wenatchee CL. $7000

That one has the 3VZE aka the "three point slow". There's a possibility that the head gasket is already leaking a bit into the #5 cylinder (which will eventually happen to all of them with the factory gaskets)

The 96-98 extra-cab, 3.4, 4x4 is the one to get. And I stupidly let a one owner, no rust example slip through my fingers about five years ago.

[Name Redacted]

Re: the “whistle”. Is it a wind noise? Could be the windshield. A lot of them come with issues from the factory and even more after the windshield has been changed.

[AK47bp]

Re: the “whistle”. Is it a wind noise? Could be the windshield. A lot of them come with issues from the factory and even more after the windshield has been changed.

I’ll defer to Ted. Seems to come from the wheels when you take your foot off the gas. Mine is kind of a higher pitched hum, not a whistle, so could be something totally different. Or possibly it’s always there and the engine noise drowns it out.

It’s totally fine and not that bad, only noticeable if you have no music on.

What do I know though, I’m not even a dentist.



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[Ted Striker]

higher pitched hum, not a whistle

With the disclaimer that I'm not a licensed mechanic - only a "tree shade" enthusiast, that sounds like a driveline noise. The obvious guess is a wheel bearing. Especially if it seems to come from one corner (but it could be both)

The 4R is heavy as fuck, and the front brakes can generate a lot of heat driving down from the mountain. And bearings don't like heat.

If you want to dig a little deeper, you could jack up one corner, grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and see if it has any play. Do the same at 9 and 3 o'clock.

[hafjell]

Ha! If that isn't sarcasm, here are some observations from someone who's owned both of the current generation.

The 4R is quieter (but still much louder than something like a Highlander), more comfortable, and has much better forward visibility (though the top of the windshield is still low). The Tacoma developed interior rattles almost immediately after driving it off the lot (in all of the usual places according to the folks on tacomaworld). The 4R has none at 30somethingK miles, but does have "the whistle" (as discussed on both 4R forums).

The 4.0 in the fifth gen 4R is indisputably a better engine than the 3.5 in the Tacoma.

The 3.5 varies the timing to run in a part-time Atkinson cycle, to increase mpg at the expense of the torque curve. I found myself flooring the tacoma a lot in 2nd, and sometimes 3rd gear (6MT), whereas I can drive the 4R with a very light foot, and consistently get better mileage than I ever got in the Taco.

Oil changes on both are a PITA.

Dog preferred shotgun position in the Tacoma. The seat was more 'buckety'. It had better headlights too. The 4R interior is dated in that the cup holders are on the small size, and there's nowhere to put your giant phone. Both will interface with a phone or classic ipod flawlessly.

Not sarcasm. Going back and forth and back and forth over those 3 options. Wife wants the 4Runner. We already own a 4Runner competitor--we don't need two.
I want a Tundra; I can afford a Tacoma.
Have heard the Tacoma auto transmission "searches" or "hunts" for gears. Have only driven the manual and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth it was. Hadn't driven anything but automatic for decades.
Oil changes are a PITA because of? The skid plate?

[Name Redacted]

Oil changes are recommended every 10K miles w/ synthetic. Of course there's info out there saying that's bad, but the manufacturer only recommends every 10K. And I haven't had any issues changing the oil on mine.

[uglymoney]

Oil changes on our 03 sport 4L with factory skid plate are easy peasy. Filter is on top and easy to access. Drain plug comes out without removing skid plate.

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[LightRanger]

Not sarcasm. Going back and forth and back and forth over those 3 options. Wife wants the 4Runner. We already own a 4Runner competitor--we don't need two.
I want a Tundra; I can afford a Tacoma.
Have heard the Tacoma auto transmission "searches" or "hunts" for gears. Have only driven the manual and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth it was. Hadn't driven anything but automatic for decades.
Oil changes are a PITA because of? The skid plate?

4Runner hunts for gears in the hills too. I imagine not quite as bad, but can be annoying.

Oil change annoyance is the filter is above the front skid plate, yes, but not only that. The front skid bolts strip super easily. If you're buying a used 5th gen, one of them will be. When I started doing my own oil after the free 30K mile Toyotacare changes, two of the four were stripped. I still do the oil on this car for that reason (Jiffylube on the other car). Various solutions on the T4R forums include retapping, new bolts, antiseize, etc. RCI Metalworks makes an aftermarket skid with a removable hatch that allows you to change it without dropping the whole thing.

With 125K on my 2013 SR5, my only complaint is the five speed auto hunts in the hills and the skid issue. And mileage, but knew that going into it. So, super minor. Love that car.

[motopsycha]

I’ll chime in on the 4R Oil change front. It is a pain.

You have to remove 3 panels. The skid plate bolts strip easy as mentioned. The oil filter is a downward facing cartridge style that always seems to make a mess. I love working on cars but this gives me no joy


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[hafjell]

I’ll chime in on the 4R Oil change front. It is a pain.

You have to remove 3 panels. The skid plate bolts strip easy as mentioned. The oil filter is a downward facing cartridge style that always seems to make a mess. I love working on cars but this gives me no joy

Dumb question, are the stock bolts part of the problem? Can you replace early with better / stronger bolts?

[hawkgt]

tacoma thoughts, 3.5 auto. TRD OR crew cab

oil change as above via filter, messy but not bad. I still change mine 2x year since I tow. skid plates are easy enough, pay attention when trying to hold up the plate and start a bolt. it will strip easy if you put air ratchet to it or cross it, LR covers it. re-tap and anitsieze

combine the 3.5 atkinson with the the auto trans and you have a slush box with better search capability than Google, it is terrible stock set up. i re-tuned about 2 weeks into ownership and have not looked back.

[XXX-er]

tacoma thoughts, 3.5 auto. TRD OR crew cab

oil change as above via filter, messy but not bad. I still change mine 2x year since I tow. skid plates are easy enough, pay attention when trying to hold up the plate and start a bolt. it will strip easy if you put air ratchet to it or cross it, LR covers it. re-tap and anitsieze

combine the 3.5 atkinson with the the auto trans and you have a slush box with better search capability than Google, it is terrible stock set up. i re-tuned about 2 weeks into ownership and have not looked back.

how do you re-tune ?

a lota gears to hunt thru fir sure

[Ted Striker]

slush box with better search capability than Google

Like button

Have heard the Tacoma auto transmission "searches" or "hunts" for gears. Have only driven the manual and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth it was.

There's a rumor that it was re-mapped for 2021 or 2022. The issue was that they programmed it to lug the engine for fuel economy. Feature, not a bug.

There's a known issue with the 3rd gear synchro on the 6MT. Mine had it, and you had to match rpm or it would gnash a bit.

Dumb question, are the stock bolts part of the problem? Can you replace early with better / stronger bolts?

Yes. And lack of grease/anti-seize. The stock skid plate isn't great either. But really, it's just people working too fast on other people's cars.

Oils changes use a special tool: 64mm 14 flute socket. And they're just messier, with more time lying on your back. The stock cap is plastic, and will get rounded over time by aforementioned dealership apprentices, but there is an off-book but actual Toyota metal replacement.

[bagtagley]

Just one skidplate to deal with on the Taco. No stripped skidplate bolts on mine, but I've done all the oil changes and have been careful. There are hooks to hang the front edge of the skidplate when mounting that make it pretty easy to place and hand-thread the bolts. Get the weird yoter-specific filter tool. Well worth the few bucks for an Amazon knock-off.

The transmission doesn't hunt so much as it constantly and aggressively tries to upshift. The transmission flash helped - I'd argue that it helped with throttle response as much as anything, but that might be controversial - but I still use manu-matic mode. That's partly because it still upshifts more aggressively than I'd like, but also because I've only owned manuals until a few years ago, and I'm used to using the gears to control speed. Basically, unless you're on the interstate, you can leave it in fourth or fifth and it still does the auto thing but doesn't upshift into the useless gears.

Re:whistling. Mine sounds kinda like a low howl, like wind through old windows. At the time, the internet said it was access holes in the frame or skidplates or some such. The dealer said something similar. I noticed it for about a week and haven't since.

[hawkgt]

how do you re-tune ?

https://vftuner.com/

Use to be OVTune, or orange virus tuning (cant remember) but he has a diff business model now. You can get the full program to set your own maps, etc and get into details or you can find a "local tuner" that will come out and set your system for less. When first released, it had 4 or 5 basic maps, now it is open and you can set your own maps or pay someone to do it. check out the forums.

or check out https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/3...omas-2016.186/ for every TuRD gen question

personally i love the truck but it does have weaknesses as all vehicles.

[hafjell]

What's the general consensus on buying a new Tacoma with manual transmission?

EDIT: reading the auto/manual transmission post at Tacoma World and getting an ear-full. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/....783353/page-3

[XXX-er]

apparently you better not be a fat fuck

[PeachesNCream]

Looking at getting a midsize truck (taco, colorado, frontier, etc.) in the next 6 months. My default was getting a tacoma but I read reliability in new generations isn't what it used to be and tacoma tax is very real. Looking at spending under $30k for today's prices but would be stoked if I could justify a $20k truck (the value seems much better at $30k than $20k currently). This is going to be a daily driver in the city but for performance I'm more interested in off-road capability than towing capacity/payload. Tacos are expensive but resale value is incredible. Is Taco still king?

[Ted Striker]

My default was getting a tacoma but I read reliability in new generations isn't what it used to be...

2nd gen V6 Tacomas have the 1GR - arguably the most reliable V6 Toyota ever made.

Reliability complaints about the 3rd gen 3.5L are true, but the total number of catastrophic failures is (I believe) still fairly low.

...daily driver in the city but for performance I'm more interested in off-road capability than towing capacity/payload. Tacos are expensive but resale value is incredible.

I'd look for a 2nd gen that's had regular oil changes and most importantly, no rust.

[Danno]

Looking at getting a midsize truck (taco, colorado, frontier, etc.) in the next 6 months. My default was getting a tacoma but I read reliability in new generations isn't what it used to be and tacoma tax is very real. Looking at spending under $30k for today's prices but would be stoked if I could justify a $20k truck (the value seems much better at $30k than $20k currently). This is going to be a daily driver in the city but for performance I'm more interested in off-road capability than towing capacity/payload. Tacos are expensive but resale value is incredible. Is Taco still king?

I never took my Frontier off roading but I am sure it would be fine. I had the 4 door long bed, and it was my daily driver, and I would recommend against that. Turning radius was unebelievably bad.

[mcski]

My neighbor has a Frontier he lifted and put some beefier tires and suspension in for reasonable price and takes it off road w gusto. Id def consider it

[Percy Rideout]

Interesting. I thought the “whistle” was just mine.

So it’s a thing.

This is when you take your foot off the gas and the 4R is coasting right?


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V79Q4Gddj4

Hw to fix the Tundra whistle in the 5.7

[Name Redacted]

I'm selling my '20 Taco and bought a '09 Tundra. Shitty gas mileage, way more power, way more room. So far I'm happy with it. Love the 3rd gen Taco, but just needed more room for work and towing. If I didn't need that stuff, I would have totally kept the Taco. Even tried to get my wife to get rid of her car and take the Taco but no-go. Buddy that I bought the Tundra from bought a sweet '09 Taco with 80k for a steal. The deals are out there, you just gotta be really patient and ready to jump on it when the opportunity presents itself.

[east or bust]

The deals are out there, you just gotta be really patient and ready to jump on it when the opportunity presents itself.

This. And be willing to travel for it.