Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Old Tacoma vs new Tacoma - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Jim - November 27 - 2:03 am

  I have been driving a 2005 Tacoma for ten years while waiting for an update, so I went out to test drive a new 2016 as soon as they came out with the intention of buying one since I love my old Tacoma. My initial reaction to test driving the new Tacoma was extreme disappointment. My old 2005 has been one of the best vehicles I have ever owned but I was looking forward to more power (the 2005 is a 4-cylinder manual) and better gas mileage. The first thing I noticed was that my head was touching the cab roof in the TRD model I test drove which had a sunroof (I am 62" but never had this problem in my old Tacoma). I checked some of the others on the lot and apparently those equipped with a sun-roof have a lower ceiling that I could not live with but the others without sunroof were ok. The second thing I noticed was lack of power with the new v6/new automatic transmission and this is compared to the old 4-cylinder with a manual transmission not vs the old v6 so twice as bad. One thing I have long lamented is how noisy the cab of the old Tacomas are, so this was an improvement but not as much as expected from all the hype. I am an IT tech, but dont care about lots of technology in my vehicle as I see it as more stuff that can break so all the new tech in the new Tacoma does not do anything for me. I would rather not be scrolling through menus while trying to drive. I will leave the tech to someone else to review. The interior surprised me as well and not in a good way. You can the dash in any color you want as long as it is black. The dark gray dash in my old truck does not show dust, but solid black in the new one is hopeless. I guess they dont expect people to use these outside the city? Other than that, the interior is seems pretty nice. I did not think the seats were an improvement but maybe they just needed breaking in? The exterior actually seemed nicer in person than it had in pictures as I was not initially thrilled with the new look in photos. Is it just me, or did they raise the hood making it harder to see? It definitely seemed like the field of vision shrunk.

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  YOU WONT FORGET ITS A TRUCK - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By BST - November 14 - 11:32 pm

  Have been driving the 2016, 4WD, SR-5, 6 cyl. Tacoma Access Cab for about 2 years now. The 6 speed auto is continually shifting. The drone from the engine and exhaust is LOUD! The new Atkinson Cycle engine may have more horsepower, but it doesnt show. Acceleration is slow - much less than what I get from my 2013 6 cyl. Highlander. It rides rough! You definitely will know you are riding in truck. The step-up into the truck is high and awkward. The drivers seat is way too low and its uncomfortable. It handles well and gas mileage is 20 -23 depending on the trip distance. Instrumentation, gauges, etc. are fine, but the temp control and fan speed is hard to decipher. The composite bed is nice and saves buying a liner. I use it as a truck and bought it for reliability, so it works for me. If youre looking for a quiet, smooth ride with barely noticeable shifting, you dont want a Tacoma. If youre looking for a reliable work truck, this one is tops. UPDATE: After driving the Tacoma for 2 years now, I have nothing new to add to my comments above - and nothing to change. I will note that with a yard of mulch or a half yard of crushed gravel in the bed it rides much better and the shifting is a lot smoother. But for everyday use, Toyota could have done a much better job with the suspension, noise suppression and the transmission. Mileage now (11/17) is 6700. The trucks obsession with frequent shifting is annoying to say the least. Between 50 and 53 mph it frequently bucks and carries on like theres water in the gas as it cant decide if it wants to change gears or not. The engine/transmission matchup on this truck might produce good mileage, but its a real nuisance to drive. Theres a TSB out on this shifting issue which some say helps the problem and I plan to have the dealer apply that on my next visit.

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  STALL OUT WHILE DRIVING!!! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Joe - November 2 - 1:52 am

  This is my 5th Toyota and 3rd TRD off road 4x4. It has stalled out on me 4 times ( once making a left turn and almost got hit) Toyota has had if for a total of 6 weeks of my 10 months of ownership. The last time it was in for 4.5 weeks so the Toyota engineers could look at it and the answer was they tightened some loose connections. I am not feeling real confident with this truck or the Toyota company. Soon as it is lemoned I am most likely buying a Chevy Colorado, only because of Toyota customer service

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  Expensive Hand Vibrator for $41k! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Robert S. - September 29 - 6:31 pm

  I really wanted to like this truck. Styling is fine, interior is a little cramped, especially the back seats. Front seats are flat. No glovebox light and no power drivers seat in the Limited. Trans takes a long time to learn and shift well. Mileage is just OK for this fancy new engine. Quiet enough inside. Tech inside is great. Great ground clearance and handles snow and fire roads perfectly. If it actually let me drive on the freeway for any distance without numbing my hands, I could live with the little things and would love the truck. I traded a 10 FJC in for this, as my wife and I wanted a truck and we love the reliability of our previous 5 Toyotas. Big mistake...wish we still had the FJC. Between 2100-2400 RPMs, the steering wheel has a resonating buzz in it that puts my hands and lower arms to sleep (never had this happen, even on any of my Harleys). This happens to correspond to highway and freeway speeds in 5th and 6th gears of the new automatic trans. Took it in and, after the dealer checked it (acknowledging the buzziness, BTW), left it for a day with Toyota Engineers from Denver. The response? The buzziness was normal for this truck and "the steering functions as designed". Huh? Found several threads on different forums where others are having this issue, some worse than others. People report that when they report it to Toyota Corporate, they are told that "we havent heard of this issue with anyone else". Huh? Dealer says that unless Toyota comes out with a fix, Im stuck. As it is, I can only drive around town and cant stand any trips of more than a few miles. I didnt spend $40k for a local hauler. This will be traded as soon as I decide between the upcoming redesigned Honda Ridgeline or the 17 GMC Canyon Denali, no matter the financial hit I take. Probably the last Toyota I ever own...their Customer Service and quality has tanked. I gave it two stars because it has a lot of potential. For now, Id stay away until they can figure this out...or take yours for a long test drive in manual mode and make sure that the buzziness isnt there (although some posters are saying they have none, then it shows up with a vengeance, later.

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  great new styling - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Wade - August 4 - 4:02 pm

  The new 3.5 liter engine does not have great acceleration unless you really hit the pedal. The new engine has more mid-range power, presumably it helps for highway mileage. Great new tech with phone charging pad and the always awesome crawl control. It seemed to get good gas mileage driving around town, better than any full size for sure.

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  Toyota Needs to be more customer oriented - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Jassoa - July 28 - 2:50 am

  The biggest problem with this vehicle is the lack of power seats. The manual seats do not adjust up or down so many will have to buy a cushion to see over the elevated hood. Acceleration is mediocre and needs performance enhancers. Not real agile on the road compared to the 2010 Nissan Frontier that I regretfully traded in.

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  Owned for 15 months 15k mi w/ transmission update - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Garrett - July 22 - 6:08 pm

  The first few months were a bit rocky with the new Tacoma. I had a suspension bushing go bad that caused a great deal of squeaking (sounded like a 30 yr old truck with a bad springs), annoying rattle in the headliner and the lagging / frequent shifting / wrong gear transmission issues that everyone has discussed in these reviews already. After a couple trips to the dealer to get those things all worked out, Im a fan. If you have a early 2016 model, go ask your dealer to reprogram the transmission with the latest update. I got mine done in early Dec 2016 and it made a night and day difference. The transmission has largely stopped acting laggy, the acceleration is much better and it drives like a different truck. If you are buying today, its a great truck and Id highly recommend it. Like any new model release, the early 2016s just had a few bugs that need to get worked out. Toyota has excellent dealer support (this is my 3rd Toyota truck) and did a great job of taking care of any issues. Update: Still happy with this truck. Great vehicle!

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  Had it a week and so far so good - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Jeff - July 17 - 7:14 pm

  Really rides nice. I hate the mpg but I drive a lot. The interior package is great. I can switch from radio to XM to podcasts all with my thumbs. The look is nice. I do feel the transmission looking for gears in the city but most of the time on the highway I can keep it smooth. I really want to drive it off-road but my wife wont let me...yet!

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  Love my truck!! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Michele - June 15 - 7:12 pm

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  Second Tacoma, not happy - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ty - June 13 - 11:23 am

  First of all, the economy shifting makes the truck feel like the slightest head breeze or up hill is dragging you down. I was able to get 26 mpg average on a tank of gas while driving back and forth to work (22 miles each way), however, while driving up the east coast on I-95 and utilizing cruise control for 90% of the way my tank average dropped to 18.7. (I know this because every time you turn your vehicle off you get a MPG for that trip and it keeps a constant MPG for the tank of gas as well). I ended up putting a rack on top for bikes and a kayak which dropped my average MPG, to work, to 21.2 mpg. If the truck is loaded up with 4 passengers I feel as though each small hill is a mountain as the truck feels sluggish and slow. I like the look of the truck, the interior is comfortable and the gizmos and gadgets are great. I wish there was a way to turn the digital feed off (between the tac and the speedometer, because I hate having it on at night). I had to sell my 2014 access cab for this 2016 four door for the additional room due to an addition to the family. However, though it gets better gas mileage (before the roof rack) I preferred the 2014 model much better. I did trade from driving a manual to a standard, so that could have a lot to do with the feeling sluggish. Give one a test drive and see what you think for yourself. I miss the old V6 model though.