Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

• 

  Step Back For Sure - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Dan - December 10 - 2:51 am

  The Pros: Great looking truck; comfortable ride; good navigation; good electronics; good gas mileage; great long term resale value; good choice for those who dont care; The Cons: Horrible fit and finish; windows rattle in the down position; horrible engine/transmission combination - this truck has no low end torque and its geared for gas mileage nothing else; even with the "turbo" button it goes from weird to weirder; I hated the engine and trans so much I got rid of my truck already after 7 months and 8000 miles. traded for $30k. I lost some money but could have been worse. I just couldnt handle it any more. The truck is a step up in technology but a definite step back in fit and finish and drivetrain. Also, truck had weird whistle noise at highway speeds which the dealer could not rectify. That alone was the icing on the cake. Toyota didnt do its homework with this one. I bought a Nissan Murano instead. Ill miss my truck but not the issues. Overall gas mileage was 18 city and maybe 21 on highway at 75 mph. So not bad but not as advertised either.

• 

  Disappointed - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Mike - September 28 - 3:32 am

  First let me start off by saying Im a Tacoma fan. Ive owned 4 total and Im 39 yrs of age.I sold me last one in preparation to purchase the all new resign. The exterior looks are impressive but for me thats all Toyota got right. The engine and mpgs are horrible. Acceleration and top end speed were mind boggling bad. the engine sounds absolutely horrible when accelerating. The new v6 Atkinson reminded me of a 4 cylinder sound coming from an old Ford Escort, Horrid!! The interior while looking kinda cool, feels like a plastic poop box.. Knock on top of the dash and hear the cheap plastic, lift the middle consol and move it from side to side and feel the thin weak plastic about to break. The "soft touch materials" above the glove box and door panels feel like bad 80s material and the seats look like something from a dodge neon. Toyota took a great truck and made it a cheap week disappointing pc of crap.. Why anyone would purchase this over the Tundra is beyond me.. I hate American made vehicles and even I would consider the canyon or Colorado over this. Toyota you should be ashamed!!!

• 

  Toyota Misses The Mark - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By TK - September 1 - 6:17 am

  I was prepared to sell my 2005 TRD Tacoma for a new 2016 TRD Pre-runner Sport until I drove one. The new engine is supposedly from a Lexus. Gives Lexus a bad name. Actually the engine is probably fine, but in the interest of CAFE mileage requirements Toyota has crushed the spirit of the previous model Tacoma. The drivers seat bottom cushion isnt as long, sits flatter, seems thinner and harder, thereby offering far less thigh support, appearing as though the change was to reduce weight. Push the pedal for rapid acceleration and you get a 25 yrs. ago bad case of turbo lag while the computer appears to be giving you time to decide whether you really want to jeopardize your attempt at breaking your previous mileage record. In like kind, it is geared for mileage and therefore downshifts at the slightest throttle advance. I like mileage, but this is a pickup truck. There are way to defeat some of this, but then Im pushing this 3.5L engine most of the time in an attempt to get what I got from my previous 4L version. There are some nice techy items if you want your medium size truck to feel more like your, I dont know, Lexus. When I asked whether Toyota was fixing some of this on the soon to be released 2017 I got the, "Toyota puts a lot of engineering, money and thought into their designs and then sticks with them". Hmm, a tone of "Wed agree with you if we werent senior sales staff". So I bought the newest version of Tacoma similar to my 2005, a 2015, only to find that rather than have improved power and torque over 10 yrs. of refinement, my "visually identical" 4L engine now had 236 HP instead of 245 HP, and 266 ft.lb torque instead of 282 ft.lb, but perhaps 1-2 mpg improved mileage. Im for mileage, but many companies appear to have figured out how to achieve both. I have not yet determined where the power and torque went other than likely remapping at Toyota, where they lock you out from youthful and less youthful free thoughts of tailoring your truck to fit your needs. Wait, for only $6,000 or a little more you can buy and install a supercharger from TRD for your 4L engine, which confirms that the engine can handle a lot more power. Toyota appears to understand what a quality truck is, just not yet the true spirit of a truck owner/driver. At this point I remembered the rest of my conversation with the sales guys and former car leader Bob Lutz. The days of our most satisfying autos are already behind us. Just wait another few years as CAFE pushes the cars and truck to autonomous pods with no heart and soul. As Bob Lutz said, the industry as we knew it will be dead and gone in 20 years (I say 15 yrs) and replaced with Uber-style, give me my tablet so I can order a ride. But why? That debated but likely true global warming thing is forcing us to protect the world from us and us from ourselves. So, if you believe any of this, buy your last vehicle youre likely to enjoy very soon, some critical spare parts, and nurse it until you can longer remember where it was you wanted to go or how to get home from there. Oh, and hope the govt doesnt impart penalties to encourage you to turn it in to your local recycling plant. Just had a vision of camo tarp covered, lifted, 6.X L diesel rock crushers hidden in the forest.

• 

  You wont like the lugging - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Eric Chartrand - August 27 - 9:27 pm

  You know that feeling you get when driving a car/truck with a manual transmission and you shift too early. Thats what this truck does constantly. To try and maximize mpg, Toyota designed it to shift into a higher gear early which causes the rpms to drop to the low 1000s and results in that lugging/stuttering feeling. I have over 6000 miles on my truck now, this sole issue drives me crazy. It is something to be aware of during your test drive. You will notice it when maintaining speed only; not when accelerating. I notice it most when going 40-50mph. On my 5K scheduled maintenance, I told the service mechanic and they told me that is normal for all automatic tacomas. He said that he hears these complaints several times a week from owners. I will say that I love everything else about the truck. If they could fix this one problem, i would be so happy.

• 

  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?

• 

  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.

• 

  Test Drive First!!!!!!! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By heyyou67 - September 30 - 2:35 pm

  Be sure to thouroughly test drive before committing. Engine has a very annoying buzzing, resonating vibration while accelerating or under load between 2100 and 2400 rpms. This seems to be a somewhat common problem mentioned here and other websites and forums. Toyota claims it’s “normal”. It is literally driving me nuts and I’m trading it in with 23K miles. Only saving grace is that re-sale is above average. Gas mileage is great but it is quite under powered. Don’t plan on towing a big boat or camper with this unit. Overall quality such as fit and finish, materials used is good. Good firm but comfortable ride and handling. This engine is just un-acceptable. Vehicle should have been field tested more before release to the market of a fundamental flaw like this. I will not return.

• 

  Overstated performance - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Joe G - August 12 - 4:28 am

  The new V-6 engine coupled with the new 6 speed transmission is an ill fit. The engine struggles to maintain highway speeds without a lot of transmission downshifting. Small hills and overpasses strain the drive train to the point of frustration and distraction. After breaking the engine in according to Toyota specifications, I towed a 12 trailer loaded with a 1500# ATV (total GVW of 3500#) 800 miles. The trip was torture for the truck and myself. Fuel consumption is disappointing. Pure highway mileage is 20.2 mpg. Combined mileage is 18.1 mpg. Towing mileage was 11.8 mpg. Toyota did not get the engine/transmission properly tuned. I dont want to leave the impression I am down on Toyota in general. I have owned three Toyota trucks in the past, and they were great trucks. Toyota seriously missed my expectations on the 2016 Tacoma.

• 

  This is my third Tacoma - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Linda - April 27 - 8:09 pm

  The smaller engine this year is not near as gutsy, no matter what the numbers say. I live in a very hilly area and the truck is constantly down shifting to keep speed. It is really annoying. I also dont have auto head lights. I paid $35,000 and I dont get an auto headlight feature? Really?

• 

  Exterior looks great but lacking basic features - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By kane - March 14 - 2:13 am

  I was really excited for the redesigned Tacoma as i was in the market for looking for a new car and it came out at the right time. However once i test drove the truck, i was disappointed in some of the basic features that were missing for such a high price tag. First is the ability to adjust the height of the driver seat. I felt the seats were too low and with the hood of the TRD sport blocked me from having a better view of the road. The truck doesnt have these items as standard features: Automatic headlights, HomeLink, Bi-Xenon lights, although i think you can add those for additional cost. The new hard tri-fold cover was a nice feature. The engine was pretty loud and felt much slower than the 2011 version i have drove.