2017 TOYOTA TACOMA

OK truck, but pretty small once you get down to it

Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 4

To be honest, I was not in the market for a mid-size truck when I started shopping for a new vehicle, but after a ton of research, the Taco offered the best "bang for the buck" so to speak. My 2007 Avalanche was stolen, so I was forced into the new vehicle market. That Avalanche was the best truck I ever owned hands down, so I was pretty biased going to the various dealer lots. After driving the new GM's, and Fords and in seeing their cost, I opted to go to a used car lot. They had a 2015 Tacoma TRD PRO that I test drove and I felt really good in the truck. Since the cost of the 2015 was only $4k cheaper than what a 2017 brand new one was,(gotta love how these hold value) I went for the new. After 4 months of ownership, I thought I'd throw this review out. First out, the truck is really a good truck. It does the daily commuter routine really well, and the V6 has the oomph to get out in front of traffic when you are merging if you really get on the gas pedal. The off road capability is incredible and really impressed me on some back country fire roads on my occasional fishing trips. I haven't used it yet, but I really do like the piece of mind the "Crawl Control" gives me. The gas mileage is as advertised, but I'm a bit of a lead foot, so you may even beat the estimated if you are light on the gas pedal. All the "technology" features are user friendly and intuitive. The real problem I have with this truck is the size. I'm a pretty big guy, 6'1" 240, so the truck with me, the wife, kid and dog makes for a pretty cramped feeling that I never got with the full size truck. If you are coming from a full size to this class of vehicle, definitely work with the dealer to see if you can test it out over a weekend so you fully grasp the space you are going to lose. My other big issue is the carpet is a pain to clean dog hair out of. For some reason it acts like velcro when you try to vacuum it up, but that isn't that huge of an issue because duct tape works wonders for this task. It just takes a lot longer to clean out than my old vehicle did, so again, I'm biased. My third gripe is the seats. I've tried every setting they have and I can't get that comfortable, its almost like I'm between settings - either my back is too upright or I'm too laid back. Also, not being able to lower the seat brings me to bump my head on the roof on bumpy terrain. This is annoying but not overly so. Toyota really needs to have a power seat function. For the money, you can't beat this trucks functionality and of course they hold their value really well. The amount of accessories you can get from both Toyota and 3rd parties is incredible, and they add even more functionality to a very capable and functional truck. Overall I'm happy with my purchase.