Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

• 

  Dont believe the haters - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Scott B - January 10 - 12:55 am

  Tacoma is the best mid-size truck going and it rides and drives much better than the 2005-2015! Fuel economy is much improved. My older (2013) 4.0 L sucked the gas and the interior was uncomfortable. This truck feels like a Lexus! Pulls my Ranger Bass boat with ease and hits the trails in our hunting property with authority. The older truck is just that....older. The newer Atkinson Cycle motor is awesome! Handling is much improved. Buy the truck! You can believe this review, Ive driven Tacomas since they were Hiluxs!

• 

  The Random Ramblings of a Taco Owner. - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By CDRGreg - November 28 - 10:46 am

  You should buy this vehicle if youre looking for someone who does light-moderate hauling or towing. If youre someone who hits the trails and frequents off-pavement sites and/or traverses through bad weather/terrain, this is a vehicle you should consider. If you need to fit three car seats in the back, this truck will also fit the bill. If you want something that is reliable (based on 6k miles), then this is a truck you should consider. If you care about strong resale value, this is a truck you should consider. If you expect a lot of low-end grunt, you may be disappointed. The torque peak is at 4600 rpm. The truck is somewhat underwhelming in the lower end because of its relative lack of torque and because the transmission is biased towards mileage. The horsepower peak is 6000 rpm (100 rpm short of the rev limiter (as far as I know)). If you want this thing to move with any gusto, you will have to floor board it (the throttle may be biased towards off roading where the throttle should be feathered). The cruise control also has some interesting behavior. On anything that is perceived as a grade, the transmission will down shift. However, once the grade flattens out, the transmission will not shift back up. You either have to disengage the cruise control or manually shift it yourself. Im coming from a BMW 3-series (with an 8 speed auto and a 2.0L turbo with 255 lb-ft @ 1200 rpm) so I can definitely vouch that this thing is soft at the lower end. I also purchased the Tacoma for its MPG ratings. Its a truck so I dont expect to get 36 mpg on the highway, but so far I cannot even hit the combined rating on its EPA sticker (21 MPG). I range from 16-18 MPG (even with judicious use of the throttle). Granted, I have off road tires and the chin spoiler delete (I suspect these are good for 1 MPG). Interior quality is fairly good. Im not very tall (59 and 210 lbs). After playing with the manual adjustments on the seat, I did manage to find a good seating position. For a truck, I think the handling and braking are decent. I dont tow anything and havent carried any heavy loads in the bed so I cannot really say whether or not I miss disc brakes at the rear. As for the ride quality, I drove a 2015 with the TRD off-road suspension and it seems better controlled in the 2016. Wind noise is also markedly reduced in the 2016. Some cost cutting is apparent in this truck. I appreciate the smart key system but you can only get in on the drivers side. Most of the time, it suits me just fine but sometimes I need to grab something out of the passenger side of the truck. Im not sure of the reasoning behind this move. Another area where some cost cutting may have occurred is the decision to use the drum brakes in the rear. Overall, the 2016 Tacoma is not perfect, but its a solid value.

• 

  Really loving this truck - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By RyRob - November 25 - 1:10 am

  Its a Higa change from my 04 SR5 PreRunner, but there are many qualities that Im enjoying. I feel like Im sitting higher, design is slick and the drive is very comfortable. The back seats can be tight, but nothing to really worry about. Theres all kind of storage in the main cab as well as the compartments in the back. Deep bed and nice compartments there too. Technology is sweet, stock sound is good, camera great quality and you can control just about everything from the wheel. I recommend it and very happy with my purchase. Also like the customization potential.

• 

  Great truck - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Reece Wilson - November 11 - 8:44 pm

  I bought the off road version. Loaded with everything. I live at 10,000 feet so going home is obviously up a big hill. I havent noticed the power problems or gear finding problems everyone is talking about. Im 61" and wouldnt want to be taller. Thats my only con at this point. Truck is very new and time will tell if I change my mind.

• 

  Nice Truck with Some Concerns - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By David Denzer - September 28 - 7:16 pm

  Before purchasing this truck I also seriously considered the Colorado and Canyon. Those trucks have smoother rides and maybe a little more on demand power than the Tacoma. But, those are the only areas where they might be better. The Tacoma has features that the others dont even offer, including far better technology (amazing on the Tacoma), sun/moon roof (a must for me as a former convertible owner), far more exciting interior materials and layout, and a really fun ride. The Tacoma also has great storage compartments in the bed of the truck, and the limited comes with the tonneau cover. Put all of this together and I dont know why anyone would buy any other truck in this class. This is a great truck. The truck could have more "umph" when you step on the gas, but the "ect" button really gives this a boost, and if you truly do "step on the gas," it gives you all you ask for. But, you have to step on it a bit more than on other vehicles. Once you get used to this, you have an amazing truck that promises a lot of fun and utility for a long time to come. And the looks! Nothing else compares. I love this truck! A major drawback is towing. This is the reason Ive given it four instead of five stars. Towing something larger like a travel trailer, even if it falls well within the towing rating for this truck, can be a very scary ride. The truck is so small that the trailer can control the truck, causing the sensation of losing control at higher speeds. I definitely do not recommend this truck for towing anything larger than say, a small boat.

• 

  A Step Back in Quality - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By genesis1 - September 17 - 2:06 pm

  I previously owned the 2014 Tacoma SR5 Access Cab- a great truck that unfortunately was totaled in a recent wreck when an unlicensed driver pulled in front of me . So off to the dealer I go to replace the 2014 with the new "improved" 2016 model. On the outside, the 2016 model has become sleeker, sportier and more stylish looking- more plastic where there used to be metal- but still with the new curves and grooves built into the body its sure to impress younger drivers. Also on the positive side Toyota finally got rid of aerial antenna thing (always a problem for car washes and tree branches) and put the antenna on the cabin hood where it belongs. What is most disappointing about Toyota however is the obvious attempt to "go cheap" on the newer models by greatly diminishing the quality of materials on the interior of this vehicle. In particular, the seats on the 2016 model are hard and uncomfortable, whereas the 2014 model had great seats. The glovebox- now really more of a glove "cubbyhole" has been greatly reduced in size and you can barely fit anything more than a couple of maps and sunglasses inside of it now. Adding the divider shelves was poorly thought of idea Toyota. Theyve eliminated the easy to use lever that used to control the side mirrors and replaced it with a flimsy piece of plastic knob thing that will surely break off when used too hastily by big handed people- much harder to adjust your side mirrors now. On the outside the factory tires are now cheap looking Hankook tires that look more like passenger car tires than truck tires- a step down from the factory tires on the 2014 model. While the V6 engine seems to have plenty of pep, the transmission in the automatic models seems to be slightly jerky and does not have smooth feel to it. Some owners have claimed to be getting mid to upper 20s in the MPG category but so far Im only getting 20 mpg on mostly highway driving at 60 mph average. I really hope this gets better but dont expect much. I give this truck three stars instead of 2 because of the expected and known reliability of the engine and the lifetime powertrain warranty that most dealers now provide. Its just sad that Toyota has decided to go cheap on these trucks- while raising their prices considerably- in an obvious effort to boost profits.

• 

  Overrated - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By gary smith - July 18 - 10:29 pm

  I have been driving a 2011 Taco, V6 4.0L engine since 2011. I really wanted the new safety features in the new redesigned 16 Taco. I was very impressed with the new interior, sound system and safety features, e.g. side blindspot mirrors, big backup camera, sonar alert when backing out... But, and its a big but, the hype on the new engine being smaller, with better gas mileage and more powerful is just NOT so. I live in northern AZ in hilly country. I took this new vehicle on an extensive drive around the ups and down of the local terrain; the power of the engine is not good and the transmission was constantly shifting. I constantly had to override the transmission manually. This to me was unbelieveable that any small test drive by Toyota engineers would have seen and felt this problem. Even my wife who was with me commented on how much the tranny was shifting and the lack of power. The previous 4.0L was just adequate for this size truck; putting a smaller engine with less power and a poor performing tranny was just dumb! I dodged a major bullet by listening to my inner voice and rejecting this poor performing Taco before trading in my excellent (I didnt know how good it is) 2011 Taco. Dont buy this vehicle until Toyota fixes these problems. By-the-way this vehicle out the door was around $43K - that my friend is a lot of risk.

• 

  INFERNO 2016 4X4 SPORT MODEL 4 DOOR WITH TECH PKG - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By MEL - July 13 - 5:33 pm

  We have always owned Toyotas. Just bought this truck only negative thought seats should be power. We love it. Thought it drove great. We’ve bought 10 Toyotas in cinti but since our salesman left we were not treated the same. Had great luck with Valadosta Toyota in GA. Everyone there was great. Flew in and drove it home. We bought 6 ft bed which we love. Of course we got the bells and whistles.

  We just got it time will tell about the rest.

• 

  Not a full size - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By David Mandle - July 2 - 4:15 am

  Although I am very happy with this truck, folks stepping down from a full size will likely feel a bit cramped. Until they need to park anyway. Then the more reasonable dimensions are welcome.

• 

  Vibration Nation - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Denmont - June 16 - 3:18 pm

  The engine is weak compared to the 2nd Generation Tacoma. The transmission shifts erratically, even after the electronic transmission "learns" your driving behaviors. Im averaging 17 MPG gas mileage, despite the 18-20 MPG advertisement. Worst, the 2016 is plagued by several vibration problems. First, a driveline vibration/shudder on acceleration. This was a vexing problem with the the Tacoma since 2005. And Toyotas Chief Engineer Mike Sweers claims they completely eliminated this problem in the 2016. Nope. Its still there. Now add to the 2016 a strong buzzing vibration that transmits through the steering wheel and gas pedal on acceleration. This wasnt there on previous Tacomas Ive owned before 2016. The buzzing traverses through your skin and clothes (not hyperbole). Its annoying on street driving; but its downright ridiculous and dangerous on highway driving, when youre exposed to it for long periods. Toyotas response to all of this has officially been "these are normal and characteristic; were sorry you dont like it." So, they intentionally designed vibrations into the truck. Dont be fooled by the "its a truck" excuse. Ive owned many trucks, including Tacomas, and a normal truck doesnt do this. Period. Overall, very disappointing.