[Bob_98SR5]

Hi guys,

I hope I don't get flamed for this question, but I'd like to get as many responses as possible within the next 48 hours.

A good friend of mine, a LA County Sheriff, is looking to purchase either the DC Tacoma or a DC Tundra (05 models). He'll need to carry his gear and would like to have more seats for more passengers (he drives a Boxster that he won at auction for pretty cheap).

I know that this question is pretty open ended and there are probably some info that you probably would like to know in order to effectively answer this question, but again, i want to leave it as open ended as possible. While I know that I can gleen out of the hundreds of posts here (and I have), if there are owners here who have experience with both vehicles who can chime in, I would appreciat it very much.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Shibumi]

Taco VS Tundra...Hmmm?

I own a 05 and the main difference is the fact I may have to drive 90 miles round trip.
The Taco has 100 more miles to the TANK of fuel than the Tundra.
In my view, the Tundra may have more power as a V8, but the Taco will more than make up for it with the power and economic fuel economy...Especially with how far those stations can be from home...
Not much more benefit from the Tundra...

 

[TRD4WD]

Does he have any thing that he tows? (boat,camper,ect)
If he has a family,will this be thier primary family vehicle?
If yes to either one of those questions,he might wan't to go with a Tundra because of either the higher tourque from the V8 for pulling something,or the roomier back seat in the double cab Tundra.
If he just occasionaly needs the extra room for buddies,or just haulin the kids to school or day care,and only needs to tow his father-n-laws boat that he borrows some times,and wants better gas milage,then the Tacoma might be just right for him.
Tell him to test drive both,sit in the back seat of both,and go from there.
Either truck he buys will be a good choice.

 

[mudferret]

Taco hands down, if I was into hauling or towing a ton of cargo, I wouldn't be driving a Toyota of any kind...

Taco D-cab rear seats are comfortable for people up to about 6'3", assuming they don't have Larry King posture... If he plans on wheeling and wants to save $50/year on gas, get the Taco. If he doesn't care about the size of the truck, and wants more than a 5' bed, get the Tundra.

 

[JeeBar]

I just replaced my '01 Tacoma with an '05 Tacoma after evaluating every truck on the market, both midsized and full, foreign and domestic. I'd be happy to offer my opinion on anything.

I went with the Tacoma for its "drivability" and relatively good fuel economy since I have a long commute, and because with two infants at home my backseat requirements for the foreseeable future are carseats and then little kids. I just didn't need the size or space or towing capacity of a full-size truck and couldn't make the MPG sacrifice for passenger space I wanted but didn't need. If I did get a full size I probably would have gone with the Titan over the Tundra anyway.

Unless he's got a ton of gear he can throw it in the bed of either Taco or Tundra, but if he plans on carrying multiple adults on a regular basis I really don't recommend the Tacoma. For some reason rear seat legroom is the one thing Toyota made smaller instead of bigger with the '05. By the numbers its only an inch or two or two less, but to me it feels a LOT more cramped. The '05 might be OK for occasional short-haul trips with 4 adults as long as the front seat passengers slide their seats pretty far forward, but for regular transportation of multiple people the Taco would suck. But since you said he'd "live to have" space for more passengers maybe that's not what he needs.

 

[JeeBar]

Taco hands down, if I was into hauling or towing a ton of cargo, I wouldn't be driving a Toyota of any kind...

Taco D-cab rear seats are comfortable for people up to about 6'3", assuming they don't have Larry King posture... If he plans on wheeling and wants to save $50/year on gas, get the Taco. If he doesn't care about the size of the truck, and wants more than a 5' bed, get the Tundra.

Are you talkin about the '04 when you say "Taco D-cab rear seats are comfortable for people up to about 6'3"?

I ask because that was true of my '01, but not the '05 I just got. When I was at a comfortable driving position in the '01 DC that I replaced with my '05 there was 9" of space between the back of the front seat and the front edge of the back seat. (I measured when I first sat in an '05 and noticed how cramped the backseat felt.) I'm 6-2 and could comfortably "sit behind myself" in the '01, if that makes sense. At a comparable position in my '05 there is about 4-5" there, requiring passengers to totally split their knees apart and straddle the front seats. I'd consider dropping to a friggin' 4.5 foot bed to buy that rear seat legroom back. : /

 

[mudferret]

I was, not used to this '05 shit yet.

 

[BMWTACO]

If he wants a stick, it'll have to be a tacoma. I've driven a few tundras, and i've owned LOTS of toyota minitrucks and now 4 tacomas including my 05 extracab. So I'm a little biased. It all depends on what he's going to use the truck for. If he's got to tow anything, obviously bigger is better in most cases. Not towing, go with the tacoma. Gas mileage is better, they handle way better, you can get one with a stick, etc. As far as 1/2 ton fullsizes go if I had to buy one, I think I would buy one of the new f150's over the current tundra. It doesn't have the build quality, but it drives and handles like a big 05 tacoma. The tundras feel a bit mushy to me.

 

[mycirus]

Are you talkin about the '04 when you say "Taco D-cab rear seats are comfortable for people up to about 6'3"?

I ask because that was true of my '01, but not the '05 I just got. When I was at a comfortable driving position in the '01 DC that I replaced with my '05 there was 9" of space between the back of the front seat and the front edge of the back seat. (I measured when I first sat in an '05 and noticed how cramped the backseat felt.) I'm 6-2 and could comfortably "sit behind myself" in the '01, if that makes sense. At a comparable position in my '05 there is about 4-5" there, requiring passengers to totally split their knees apart and straddle the front seats. I'd consider dropping to a friggin' 4.5 foot bed to buy that rear seat legroom back. : /

Which is one of the reasons why I am happy with my 02 D cab than the 05's.

Bruce

 

[TWIN]

The 05 tacoma is an entirely different truck altogether. Suspension, interior, exterior, dimensions, trasmission, engine, electric 4x4 switch have all been totally redesigned. The new tacoma is a hell of a truck. More power, more gas mileage, softer ride, roomier cab, deeper and longer bed, better handling, etc. Now I've owned 2 tundras and a double cab taco over the past 4 years. They were not 05 but I can tell you right now the main things i miss are the deeper floor boards and power. Every weekend I put 5 people in the cab and 5 in the bed, and with 20 inch wheels it still didn't even feel like anyone was in the car. That truck was a hoss. The tacoma: 3 people and it feels like i'm towing a trailer. Keep in mind that the new tacomas are much more powerful. However, I love my truck. It has given me a lot of good memories and more to come. I bought it for the practicality. Like someone above said, he really just needs to go test drive both. The new tacomas are really advanced, but the tundra is still the big tough brother. Tell him when he goes to drive one to imagine scenarios that HE will be in. Such as the size of the people riding, towing, weight of gear, length of trips, all that stuff. The biggest piece of advice: don't let him get pressured into anything by a salesman. Tell him to take his time and make up his own mind. Sorry for the length but i hope this helped.
-Matt

 

[Rods05Taco]

I test drove both, before making my decision and the taco won hands down. The tundra seemed like I was driving an 18 wheeler and the taco seems like just the perfect size vehicle to get around in traffic. As mentioned earlier, I wouldn't by either truck if I was considering towing anything over 5000 lbs. The taco can tow nearly as much as the tundra but either have any real towing capabilities. The only advantage to buying a tundra is its bigger, that’s about it. It's nice knowing if I need to punch it that I won't be wasting a bunch of fuel. I definitely recommend the taco, the fit and finish inside is years beyond the tundra and the taco also has the same transmission as the or 4runner. Also there’s a reason why all the Toyota commercials are trying to offer incentives on the tundra. I haven’t even seen a TV commercial on the taco because they cant keep them in stock. No offense to you tundra guys but I have to be straight up about what think about them.

Good luck

Rod

 

[Bergger]

Are you talkin about the '04 when you say "Taco D-cab rear seats are comfortable for people up to about 6'3"?

I ask because that was true of my '01, but not the '05 I just got. When I was at a comfortable driving position in the '01 DC that I replaced with my '05 there was 9" of space between the back of the front seat and the front edge of the back seat. (I measured when I first sat in an '05 and noticed how cramped the backseat felt.) I'm 6-2 and could comfortably "sit behind myself" in the '01, if that makes sense. At a comparable position in my '05 there is about 4-5" there, requiring passengers to totally split their knees apart and straddle the front seats. I'd consider dropping to a friggin' 4.5 foot bed to buy that rear seat legroom back. : /

I agree completely. I have a 2003 Tacoma Dcab and at 6'2" I can easily sit in the back seat comfortably. I adjusted the drivers seat of an 05 Dcab for myself then tried to sit behind it. Forget it. Other that that it seems like another great Toyota truck but I'll hold on to my 03 for another 6-8 years thank you.

 

[Shakerhood]

Hi guys,

I hope I don't get flamed for this question, but I'd like to get as many responses as possible within the next 48 hours.

A good friend of mine, a LA County Sheriff, is looking to purchase either the DC Tacoma or a DC Tundra (05 models). He'll need to carry his gear and would like to have more seats for more passengers (he drives a Boxster that he won at auction for pretty cheap).

I know that this question is pretty open ended and there are probably some info that you probably would like to know in order to effectively answer this question, but again, i want to leave it as open ended as possible. While I know that I can gleen out of the hundreds of posts here (and I have), if there are owners here who have experience with both vehicles who can chime in, I would appreciat it very much.

Thanks,
Bob

Get the Tacoma, because you can finally get the manual tranny in a doublecab! And its a 6 speed to boot!

 

[WindsorTaco]

for an every day driver do for the taco. i've driven the 05 and the steering seems much better than any other taco or tundra (though i haven't driven an 05 tundra...just an 04).

 

[Marc M]

The '05 Tacoma also has a tighter turning radius than the previous models....

Marc M