Back to Tacoma ?

Hey all, got into a tundra last may and have someone willing to pay 10k over kbb for my truck. Love the tundra but a bit paranoid about the exposure to fuel costs and gas potentially increasing even more over the next 10 years. Have an opportunity to make money and switch to something else.

thinking about taking a profit on the truck and going back to a Tacoma long bed. Primary use is camping set up with a sleeping platform and midrise shell. Like the space in tundra. I camp around 100 nights a year. Doing the rough math based on how many miles I drive I will save 1200 to 1500 in fuel costs each year (14mpg vs 18 and 18k miles per year). lowered Tacomas mpg a bit since I will be putting a bit burlier tires on and camper shell.

what are your thoughts ? Worth it? We don’t use the tundra for towing at all so know the 5.7 is a bit overkill. Basically purchased it for the the 6.5 bed and more cab room. Gas + lower purchase price means it would be a savings of 20k over 10 years.

drove a 3rd gen tundra and was not a fan. Hard to turn down an offer where I’m making money on a car purchase after taxes etc. first time I have had this opportunity!

 

Don’t expect better MPG in Tacoma. I had a 2017 that I sold for a 2021 Tundra. The Tacoma had a 3” lift and 32’s. It was a pig on the highway. Constantly downshifting. Underpowered. I think you’ll be disappointed. I’ll never go back to Tacoma.

 

If the Taco meets all your needs and you can make a windfall profit on the Tundra, go for it.

 

Do you OP

I love both of mine

 

I had a rigged out Tacoma and definitely going to keep it stock as possible if I go that direction. Dash would show 13 uncorrected. Currently getting 14.5 in the tundra.

 

I live by the gigafactory in Nevada. I hate California way to much to ever buy a cybertruck / tesla when it drops.

 

We got a 4Runner for more serious terrain. We had an initial concern with the tundra however most of the stuff we do is on blm / old mining roads and is more than sufficient. We don’t wheel for fun, only to get to destinations. Tundra hasn’t limited me yet. Tough decisions…

 

I get better mpg than I did in a v6 Tacoma. I'll never go back to a Tacoma for a daily driver.

 

Op I too have contemplated going back to a Tacoma. I love my tundra, but like you I don’t tow anything either. I daily drive mine and while it’s fine it seems like a waste. I’m alone in my crewmax 97% of the time. I’ll either make the swap to a Tacoma. Or I’ll just keep my truck and pick up a commuter car. I haven’t decided yet. Although my truck is a 2015 and still blue books in my area for $31k which is incredible being that it’s 7 years old with 112k miles on it. It’s tempting to take that money while it’s there cuz one of these days things are going to change.

 

I drove my buddies 2019 Tacoma DC the other day and there is no way I would go back to a Tacoma. I had a 2012. It felt like the rear end had too much coffee to drink…very jittery.

I averaged 20 in my 4.0 and 17 in my Tundra. The benefits of gaining 3 mpg’s isn’t worth the loss of ride quality. The Tundra has a superior ride quality and frankly even better than the 4Runner.

 

I wouldn't make the decision on mpg. The minor difference the Tacoma will yield will take years to make a difference. You could always change your driving habits to net better mpg in the Tundra. I can sometimes get up to 20mpg just by keeping it at or under 65mph, making sure the torque converter stays locked, allow the truck to decelerate on inclines while maintaining torque converter lock. I also keep all four tires at 35psi.

 

Wow, it be a no brainer to stay with tundra if I got 17 average. I do about 70% highway miles and get 14 average a tank. Probably due to living at elevation. I did put some 33 inch e rated tires on. Are you fully stock ?

 

My 2014 5.7 with 33" tires gets 14 MPG
The rental 2021 Tacoma is getting 17 MPG.

I hate the Tacoma in size, driveability, and loss of power..

 

One inch lift in the front and one inch shackle lift (newly installed not sure if there is any difference in mpg’s) on the rear with P rated stock size tires. I do about 85% highway and rarely get over 70mph. Never idle useless stuck in traffic, for 26 years I have jumped in my vehicles and drove off (gently not speed racerish). I don’t wait till the truck is warm or cool. Honestly I detest wasting gas…

 

A hard tonneau cover helped my highway mileage noticeably, did that after I went to 33” e rated tires. 17 ish on the freeway if I stay 69-71 ish. Tires are kept around 40 psi.

 

If your camping in the bed of the truck a nice long bed taco should fit you well. If you have to do ANYTHING in the cab, the tacoma will be a useless pain in your ass.

 

I have a cap on my truck, I wonder if that plays into my higher mpg also, I got it pretty soon after I got my truck so dont really have a comparison.

 

Bought a Tacoma trd pro back in 2018 sold it few months ago. Decided to test out the 5.7 tundra as I was completely disappointed at the hybrid model MPG. I love the Looks of the Tacoma and is the perfect size to go onto any trails. Tundra bigger cabin size which is perfect for family but not for any hard off-roading….however my Tacoma all stock with all terrain K02 tires was getting 14-15mpg…towing was at 11mpg. Surprising this tundra I’m getting the same gas mileage if not even better.

 

Buy a first gen Tundra instead. Rust doesn't exist in Nevada.

 

What trucks do get good mileage?

 

I wouldn't do it but it's your choice.

 

Every truck I’ve had that I put a light weight cap on got better mileage. I suspect one could use plywood in the bed to mitigate the flat air catching tail gate and get similar results, or drive with the tailgate down.

 

Just an update for everyone. Switched back to oem tires and now averaging 2-3 mpg higher. Makes a huge difference when gas is $6 to $7 at some of the places we go. Basically getting the same as a Tacoma now. Will be keeping the e rated tires in the garage for now. I have a mid rise shell on my truck. Got 16 going up to Tahoe, 21 coming back down.

Definitely keeping the tundra now. Thanks everyone for the feedback!

 

Great to hear! I can get those same numbers with my stock truck. Also a great tool is having an OBD app that shows you what gear you are in and if the torque converter is locked, it helps not only with mpg but also the transmission temp. I use OBDlink and use it on almost every drive.

 

I went from a Tundra to a 2017 Tacoma long bed and back to a Tundra. I was hoping the Tacoma was going to be easier to drive/park and get substantially better gas mileage. Both of those turned out to be not true for me. The long bed made the truck almost as long at a Tundra Crew cab and the gas mileage was not great at all. I have a weird commute with lots of hills and my Tacoma was at 13-14mpg on my daily commute. My Tundra is at 11-12. The benefits of the Tundra far outweighed the benefits of the Tacoma for me. I regretted the purchase of the Tacoma almost immediately.

 

I like my Tundra, but I loved my Tacoma (sentimental thing with my long history of mid-size Toyota trucks). I would have driven the Tacoma forever until someone hit me head on and totaled it. That said, I probably wouldn't go back to a Tacoma. Tundra is more practical as a truck and the 6.5' bed is better for my needs. In town my Tundra does 12 mpg, the Tacoma would do 16. On the highways I do 19 mpg in my Tundra and about 20 in the Tacoma, so the gas mileage really isn't that much different.

I towed a 6x12 box trailer a lot with my Tacoma. The truck did great for a V6 so long as you were within the limits, but I had to wring the engine's neck when *over*loaded up in headwinds. The 3.5L V6 really is a great engine when it's geared correctly and YOU have full control over the gears. I had a 6 spd manual on stock size tires so it's geared much better for pulling than the auto, but the 500+ mile drives through the hills were lots of work rowing through gears - never did have to worry about getting sleepy on those drives though!

 

In 2019 I bought a high mileage '98 Tacoma for a good price as my daily driver and to keep the miles (and depreciation) off the 2016 Tundra. It's been fun modifying and upgrading the Tacoma and I get the flexibility having both a small and large pick-up...although my Tundra is the more trusted long road trip vehicle for sure. Taxes and insurance is pretty low on the old Taco as well. I have had many different Toyotas over the years, but not the newer Tacomas so I can't comment about that comparison. I'd have to stay with the Tundra though if I was forced to pick only one vehicle - it can do all the jobs I need it to and then some. For me, gas mileage is not a deciding factor.