Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Back to square one! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Tom Anthony - February 28 - 6:34 am

  After anxiously awaiting for the much talked about ( hyped) new Tacoma, I am so disappointed. First, let me say that I test drove the Limited at two different dealers and all seemed " good to go." I factory ordered one and after waiting 6 weeks, it finally arrived. Thankfully, the dealer where the purchase was made is located about 50 miles from my home. Thankfully because this gave me a chance to experience the " real world" characteristics of this truck over a longer period of time and greater driving distance rather than merely a short " test" drive. I am in complete agreement with those reviews which describe the constant shifting of the transmission while attempting to garner enough power from the engine to satisfy its needs. Any light load or slight acceleration causes this shifting action - very disturbing. I think the " acclaimed" Atkinson engine, which really only a resembles a true Atkinson cycle design slightly, is too underpowered. Also,no power front seats is a "no no." They are very uncomfortable. Well, rather than ramble on and on, I will close with two pieces of good news: 1. I loved the rest of the truck. All the bells and whistles are great. 2. My dealer has three day return policy. I brought the truck back within that time frame and the purchase price was refunded to me. Now I will look more closely at the Colorado or wait to see what 2017 brings. Toyota are you listening?

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  First time dissapointment with Toyota - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Larry - January 7 - 7:35 pm

  Very underpowered. Trans continously shifts to keep rpms up. Took 1200 miles trip to Florida. In 20 to 25 mph headwind will not stay in high gear using criuse but runs at higher rpms. Constantly downshift in cruise even with very slight road incline. Would never pull a trailer on long trip. I am 69 an sadly this is most dissapointing vehicle I have ever purchased. Running the vehicle with the ETC button on gains you 1.5 to 2.5mpg. Using that mode, I got 24 mpg with the last two tanks of gas. Pulling a 14 foot, 2500 lbs travel trailer the Tacoma will barely go 65 mph on a freeway and gets 12mpg.

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  Wolf in sheep clothing - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Dwight ryan - January 4 - 11:16 pm

  Looks good engine has no power loud sounds like it out of oil transmission is Always hunting for right gear shifts hard seats are better than my 15 taco. But still not good Really thought this was going be the truck. ITS NOT. Call me toyota come to my house I will go over everything you didnt do right. I Want My Money Back. This is my 4 th taco truck had 2 tundra. Still have a 2015 Tundra I will keep it. Twice the truck X 2. Toyota lied about this truck.

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  Needs Work Before Ill Buy - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Danny - November 23 - 10:43 pm

  After owning 2nd Generation Tacomas and a Tundra, I was looking for a 2016. I test drove one and there’s work to be done before I will buy. The exterior got a very nice upgrade. Great driver display and dash. The premium technology looked awesome. I also liked the exterior, although the grill is a bit scary unless you have the SR5 or Limited trim. However, the driving experience was a problem. The transmission slipped and hesitated often. The engine seemed to work very hard on acceleration. I know the shifting may settle after driving a few thousand miles, but it was jarring on a test ride. The engine was also very, very noisy—high pitched, like metal on metal. The steering wheel and accelerator pedal buzzed me quite often on accelerating and cruising speeds. I really didnt like that. The brakes had this pulsating ABS feeling with an occasional pop sensation on normal braking, which didn’t feel normal. Those things would drive me nuts. My expectations are perhaps high with owning other Toyota trucks, but these things seemed like sloppy design to me. So I am holding off until Toyota can fix the bugs hopefully with 2017.

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  Our first new vehicle ever - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Chad Uecker - November 6 - 11:49 am

  We love our Tacoma. Perfect for my wife to drive and park, good mileage for a 4x4 and plenty of power and room.

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  The worst toyota I have owned out of 6! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By mike - October 29 - 11:59 pm

  The car shudders when coming to a stop virtually all the time. When the car is cold there is a definite clunk in the rear end when coming to a stop. Dealer says it is normal. I have vibrations and noise in the cabin that I have never experienced in any car. Gas mileage is about 19 mpg on the highway at 75 mph. There is not enough power to stay in 6th gear if there is any headwind or incline. The new transmission is okay at lower speeds but not 75 mph. Gas mileage in town is good at 18mpg. I do not have a problem with acceleration as long as you use the ect button. $39,000 truck does not come with mud flaps or power seats.

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  buyers remorse - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By James in AZ - October 21 - 2:01 am

  Due to an accident that totaled my 02 Tacoma extra cab prerunner, I purchased a 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport access cab, believing it would be the latest greatest version of the Tacoma I lost. Boy was I mistaken. My 02 was fantastic, everything a truck should be! From the experience of the 02, and moving from it to the 2016..., I gotta tell ya, the 2016 is everything a truck should NOT be. The 2016 Tacoma is symptomatic of the history of the automotive industry in general. There comes a point where evolution and innovation produces near perfection... then what follows is sort of critical mass point where further innovation does more to ruin a good thing, than it does to make it better. All the latest technology... more like, way too much technology. I dont want or need a truck to interact with my phone. I dont need or want a screen full of apps in my dash. I have an iPhone... I dont want or need my truck to connect to it. I certainly dont like a truck that beeps when I leave it running and step out of it. I certainly dont like a truck that beeps because my dog is sitting on the passenger seat. I certainly dont like a truck that beeps and flashes it lights EVERY TIME I get in it. I dont like dont like a truck that beeps just because the cab door is open. The technology is so annoying, and insulting, to anyone who could care less about technology like I do. The worst part is that although a few customizations can be made to curb the distractions produced by the technology, theres a lot that cant be shut off. The moral of the story is: Id rather be driving and enjoying and writing about that, but Im not... Im too occupied touch screen scrolling through menus of junk that has nothing to do with driving, never did, never will. So whys all this junk in there anyway, thats what I want to know? Im looking to sell this truck in the next year. The more I drive it, the more I hate it.

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  Love my Tacoma! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Lee - October 14 - 12:30 am

  This is my first Tacoma. TRD Sport double-cab automatic with tech package (except no JBL). Gray with tonneau cover. Im in my early 50s and havent had a truck since my late 20s. Since then Ive driven small SUVs, but wanted to get back in a truck. I ordered it in late December and it arrived in early March and couldnt be happier. The first thing I noticed when driving it...is that is definitely a "truck" and feels very substantial which is exactly what I wanted. After ordering it, I read quite a few negative reviews and was a little worried. But Im not having any of the negative issues that some people have listed. No vibration issues, transmission behaves like most vehicles with a 6 speed...yes it tries to keep the RPM range a little low, but all vehicle manufacturers have to squeeze every mpg out they can. As long as you dont have a lead foot, it really isnt noticeable around town at all. On the interstate, it will shift down to 5th but every other vehicle I owned also shifted down going up a hill. No big deal. As far as gas mileage, I average around 20 mpg around town and 23-25 mpg on the highway. I was in a construction zone driving 55-60 mph and got 28 mpg. Definitely decreases the faster you go, but overall not bad. The negatives are minor. Im 5 8" and the side mirrors sort of create a blind spot at 4 way stops. I like using Google Maps with my iPhone better than the navigation system, and when Im listening to XM, the bluetooth speaker wont announce the turns. Those are two minor issues. Everything else is great! I mainly bought the truck based on reliability, looks, and resale value. So far, so good!

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  All New Tacoma? - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Munchie - October 12 - 4:21 am

  I am 59 years old and have driven Tacomas for the past 25 years. I would easily upgrade to A Tundra if it fit in my garage. For the past 11 years, Ive been driving the 2005 Tacoma 4x4 TRD Sport 4-Dr Short Bed. Its been a great truck with 82k mi, original brakes and tires, and rides every bit is good as the day I bought it. For what its worth, I hated my 2002 Tacoma (configured the same). I test drove the 2016 Tacoma (same config) and was completely underwhelmed. The engine is not as strong, the interior is inferior, and other than the grill and tail gate, the truck is identical. The trans is now a tiptronic variety which I like, but, at nearly $40k, Toyota is hallucinating. As another reviewer said, save your money and continue to drive your Tacoma. If you really want to upgrade your existing Tacoma, install a Pioneer 4100-NEX head unit and a backup camera (epoxy above the hitch). Toyota, too bad you didnt put as much effort into improving the Tacoma as you did in your commercials. Its not easy to fool truck drivers.

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  2016 Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport 4wd - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By KC - October 5 - 4:09 am

  First, Im very hard to please. I recently sold a beautiful BMW 335 Xi AWD with 16,000 miles. It had all the options and was incredibly fast with phenomenal handling. Its build quality, engineering and materials inside and out were top quality. The options were incredible. I sold this BMW to buy my 2016 Tacoma and I have extremely high standards to measure by. Also, I had and sold my 2002 Tacoma double cab PreRunner 2wd 6 months ago. I used that as my daily driver, the BMW was my second car. The Tacoma had 150,000 miles and everything still worked and I never had a problem with it. My guess is, It will last 300,000 miles and still be worth $5,000 which is rediculous. Now lets get into the 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab 4wd I bought. First, its a damn good looking truck. Some dont like the front grill, I think it looks good. The lines and stance is manly and classy. Its acceptable in the city, off road, for business, or farmer. I just drove this from St Louis to KC. Its a 4 hour drive. Handling is excellent for a 4wd drive truck, the ride quality is excellent and its quiet. I was driving against a 25mph headwind and it truly was pretty quiet considering I was driving a truck. It was compatible to my BMW which is impressive. The tires are quiet, the truck is solid but feels soft on the road. The ride is smooth even when driving over bad road. The transmission is good but I was driving against a 25 mph head wind so the transmission had to downshift frequently while going up slopes and hills. I believe the strong head wind caused a fair amount of downshifts on the hills. I was traveling 65-70 mph, with the wind and the hills the downshifting was frequent but smooth. Again, I attribute several of the auto transmission downshifts due to me trying to maintain 70mph against a very stiff wind and the hills on I-70. Regarding the power, in my opinion the Tacoma could use 10-20% more horsepower. Perhaps its enough horsepower for most but I like more power. I wouldnt buy a Tacoma for heavy towing, they list a towing capacity of 6,800 lbs. I wouldnt subject mine to that torture. This isnt a V8 full size truck. The options really are good. I didnt buy the technology package. Mine is the normal TRD Sport and I think the base entertainment system is very good and user friendly. Navigation, stereo, voice activation, Bluetooth is all good. It syncs to your phone easily. Also I have the Samsung 6 phone which has the wireless charging. The Tacoma charging base doesnt work very good but it might be due my phone case. I know its not my truck because the truck I test drove acted the same. I dont have a problem with my wireless charger at home so I dont think its my phone protective case. Anyway, it does work after moving around my phone multiple times. Its a little frustrating. Ill remove the case to see if that fixes it. The Bluetooth phone system works fine but the audio quality is not wonderful. My BMW phone system perfect, better than any landline or any phone. I was so good I used to purposely do conference calls in my BMW. The Tacoma phone system is adequate, not great.. The steering is very responsive and smooth. Theres very slight road feel in the wheel which is fine because you feel in tough with the road. The steering wheel seems a little large to me but thats probably due to being used to my BMW. I didnt notice it as much after driving 4 hours. The steering wheel adjustment could offer more movement. It has a limited amount of telescopic movement and tilt but I found a comfortable position so thats good. Im 6 tall. The driver seat is ok, not the best. The padding is a little thin but it wasnt uncomfortable during my 4 hour drive. My BMW had 8 different power adjustments and the steering had tons of telescopic tilt movement. Toyota should change their seat adjustments to include adjusting the seat height. I would like the option to sit a half inch taller. Also, my legs could feel more like a sitting position. The thigh length of the seat could be another inch longer. My legs slightly dangle, another BMW strength that Toyota falls short on. I dont believe short drivers below 59" will be able to choose the Sport model because they wont be able to see over the hoodscoop. Toyota needs to spend the money and provide a height adjustment. There are no power adjustments for the seats, its all manual. Ok, I was spoiled but worth noting when youre spending $34,000. Driving view is excellent front, side and back. The back seat headrests adjust and can be tilted down so you can see out the rear view mirror. Also, side mirrors are excellent. Not sur wif theyre heated, kinda of doubt it. Dang the BMW was nice. The technology package and premium package offers a few nice things but not worth the $3,000 for me. So far Im very happy with the Tacoma. It should last 300,000 miles. I expect in 9 years it will still be worth $18,000-$20,000.