Is The Toyota Tacoma A Good Family Truck?
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Today on Dirt Lifestyle we are talking all about the Toyota Tacoma. Many of you have asked if this is a practical family vehicle and what our experience has been with it so far. After using it for the last 8 months I have some answers.
Enjoy the video!
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#toyotatacoma #toyota #toyotatruck - Авто та транспорт
Car seats make a huge huge difference. Once my youngest went to a booster, we picked up so much interior room.
As a taco owner, I’d say it’s a “jack of all trades, master of none.” I love it as much as I hate it lol.
I feel the same. I do really enjoy this truck but I'm not blind to the flaws of any Vehicle I own. They all have pros and cons
@@DirtLifestyle I feel the same about my 4Runner. It's pretty good for my intended uses, but there's some things that really frustrate me about it. I think for your use it might make the slightly better family car than the Taco, but then you lose out on the storage in the bed.
100% agree. It's fantastic right up until it isn't.
Ehhh I think it amazing when it comes to off roading… I guess not everyone gets a truck to have fun nowadays though
Very nice to "meet" the Mrs. I think she is a natural on camera. Excellent and honest review. God bless and stay well.
tacoma is for sure the jack of all trades of trucks. For cross country driving and the occasional off road trail, it works great. I think its the main reason its the premier overland truck.
I love my Tacoma. It does everything I ask it to do and it does it happily. We're a family of 3, so that makes a difference. Mine's a TRD DC OR.
That being said, I use it for overlanding and it's one of my daily drivers. I don't do anything hardcore with it. I also daily a '95 Bronco and have a couple Jeeps for offroad rockcrawling fun.
My daughter loves my old nissan with the flop down seats in the back!!!
Thanks for the honest review and build update!
Perspective is everything. Vehicles, life situations, etc
You should revisit this once the kids are out of the car seats. We found our space needs changed massively once they could legally sit in an adult seat.
And you have beautiful family, dont be afraid of showing them off.
That’s awesome you got to see Europe like that as a kid. I lived in Greece for a few years and loved it there. The food is so incredible.
Your story about camping back in the day hits home. I remember my family of 4 camping in a single cab Ford Ranger. My sister and I rode in the bed with a canopy over us with all the gear. We would have fun or fight. :-) Went to Rainier, St. Helens, Idaho, all around the PNW that way.
Love this video and seeing both of you chat about this and give your thoughts. I can always count on you to give a straightforward opinion on stuff like this. Great work!
Thank you!
I rode in my cousins 2021 Tacoma and as a 6'2" burly man it was tight and he had only 1 carseat in it. Him and his wife are both under 5'8" so they fit just fine. I will stick with my f150 for family trips. Currently on a trip with 3 adults, 2 carseats and plenty of room.
So happy to see your channel growing man wish you and the family the best and keep on going.
I can’t wait to see the comparison!
It's great to see how supportive your wife is. I remember the kickoff video where you went to UA-cam full time and thinking the same thing
I love listening to your stories and again your cinematic work is incredible!!!
Keep up the amazing work! 👍❤️
It's great seeing your wife in a video! Thank you for sharing your family with us through youtube. Sounds like a good review of your Toyota, can't wait to see the upcoming changes to it!
With all sincerity, it's good to hear her perspective as well. Thanks for this video Nate.
Thank you!
The Toyota Tacoma is for people looking for "the ultimate middle ground." Good off road, decent gas mileage, can fit a good amount of stuff, etc. I just do not like the 3.5l, reminds me of my 80's toyotas, gutless. Not the horsepower, just not enough torque. Oldies had ok torque, even with no hp. That taco is large compared to my 80's mini's. It is not even small if you compare it to a 90 chevy 1500. So "The ultimate compromise" fits in my book. Will be sticking to my oldies tho :)
👍
Regear for more torque
@@MRSNIFFMEFINGA Of course. Then you start to mess with you highway mileage. My 2000 4runner on 35's has 5.29 (one tick to low need 4.88) highway mileage sucks, but in town is good. Just depends on use case/tires size/adverage driving terrain.
I'll stay with my 2010 TRD Offroad. I'm just not into the 3rd generation.
I have an 80s toyota and a 3rd gen Tacoma .
The 22re is reliable but definitely was under powered with 480 eights and 33 1250s I turboed the 22re And has a lot better pick up on the highway
Great review and great too see the Mrs and get her perspective, she did great 👍
Be safe ☀️👋🇸🇪
Thank you 🙏
Roof rack definitely helps a lot. I keep the tent, sleeping bags, and mats up top and it opens up a lot more space in the bed.
By the way, it’s easy to add leather interior.
I was a Toyota Internet Sales Manager for 6 years, and put leather in many models.
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area there is a vendor that’s been doing leather interiors for decades at reasonable prices. I actually put leather interior in my wife’s old 1999 Corolla because the cloth seats were disgusting when we got together 10 years ago. We enjoyed that car for 9 more years, until we replaced it with a RAV4 a few months back. The young niece who bought the car from us still appreciates that leather interior.
You get to pick the color, style (perf or non perf), color of piping and color of stitching. You can really make that interior your own.
Very nice to meet the Mrs. Nate!! Never been a Taco fan at all, but I have a Durmax and ordered a wrangler diesel!!
When is the DISCO hitting the trail?
Hopefully soon! I've had issues from parts "kits" not including everything and it set me back big time
As always Nate, great video and great perspective.
Morning, hope you're keeping cool enough. For sure car seats made a huge difference in how many family members can be stuffed into any given rig. The addition of a canopy and roof rack on the cab and canopy free up a fair bit of space in our experience. That said, we usually take way too much stuff camping, but that's why we have a pickup I suppose. Stay well and stay cool.
Awesome video! I love the tacoma but it is small for a 4 door. I feel like the gladiator is smaller inside but that may be just how I fit into each. I have a 1st gen tacoma that I used to take my family of 4 camping and wheeling. I can't believe we all fit. That story about the Datsun reminded me of the tacoma camping trips. Good stuff.
Gladiators are smaller inside than most pickups
The 5th gen 4runner is better for interior space for kids in car seats, the rear seats recline to make space for bulky car seats. I'm the same size as you Nate and I can drive/ride comfortably with the kids in car seats. Of course it doesn't have a bed, but it does have a roof rack, and a shorter wheelbase.
Good video 👍🏼, We chose a JKUR for the family still small 😉, but bigger than the TJs. Could always build an off-road capable trailer to get the extra room for gear. 🤷♂️
Thanks for sharing!
I really enjoy seeing your family.You are blessed!
Very wise and courteous to include your wife's perspective. Definitely respect it 👍
Thanks for just sharing your thoughts. It was also cool to get your better half's opinion.
Thank you for watching 🙏
Wait, you're 6'1" and 220?? I NEVER would have guessed that you are that tall, Nate.
Yep that's me lol. Can't tell on camera
@@DirtLifestyle I was surprised to hear how tall you are too! Here I am thinking you're maybe 5'10" but in fact you're taller than me. Haha
@@DirtLifestyle how do you have a kid behind you being 6’1”?
Love my Tacoma! We have two young daughters and it gets tight on long roadtrips for us so we're getting a Off Grid Trailer. :)
I would have to agree with you, Nate. I have an F150 FX4 with camper shelland my wife has a Tacoma TRD short bed and I love driving it, but space is an issue. Our kids are grown so it's only 2 of us, but the TRD holds just enough for a week's camping. Great videos; keep them coming.
I dig your honesty, About the Taco!
Nice! Best of both worlds! Tacoma and a Gladiator. Can't wait to see your future videos man. I was debating of the two but i end up getting the 21 tacoma OR.(wish I can get both) Hope to see videos of both rigs.
This is well said. Once the kids turn like 5 years old the room inside the cab does free up but most people me included don’t buy these trucks to haul 4 full size adults. Even though that is their intended purpose. It’s a tight fit.
Awesome vid man! Can't wait to see the gladiator! If they didn't cost so much I would get one of those in a hart beat. I love those trucks!
The car seats are really what requires a giant vehicle. My family camper is a crew cab f-150 with a topper. I don’t “wheel” it but with its better tires and rear locker it’ll get to most camp sites and I don’t worry about what happens if it rains, etc
2018 Double cab long bed TRD sport here. Love the truck! My family and I are SOOO glad we got the long bed. DCLB4LIFE! Can’t beat my 3rd gen 4Runner tho…..
Great Video. Ordered a tacoma and will be ready for pick up in two weeks.
1st gen tundras are a great middle ground between a fullsize truck and a pickup. You get a full size bed in the access cab, and if you need more leg room the double cab bed is still pretty large 👍
Great vid! I’m ready to tune it when you’re ready!
Nice to see the Mrs. on the video and hoping to see more of your wife Nate! Now I'm curious when you finish the Disco and go out on a family trip and see a good comparison of both! Now the Gladiator will be interesting. I have a feeling it's a (weeeee) bit smaller so that might be tough! Nice to see you out camping also! Keep them coming and stay safe! Thank you!
Wow, the drone footage is just surreal 😱
I have a '21 JT Rubi diesel and I love it. My wife an I have 2 boys, 10 and 15, and a little dog. Ours is mainly used for weekend trips, as I WFH, keyboard warrior for a living. It's 5.5" lift, Metalcloak & EVO frankenlift, 37s, beadlocks, Rebel bed rack, and RTT. We live in NorCal near the Rubicon and Fordyce, and spend a good amount of time venturing around in Death Valley and the Sierras. My wife and I grew up in WA, south of Seattle and we've run Elbe many times back in the 80s and early 90s along with boating and fishing on Alder Lk. Still own a house up there, not saying we will never go back, but after 12yrs of CA, I'm loving it for the outdoor lifestyle nearly year round.
+1 for the leather, and +1 on the Gladiator. 2 car seats fit in the back with both front seats comfortable(booster + front facing all the way back, rear facing almost all the way back if your sitting up straight) it is still small in the cab compared to my wife’s old Traverse or her new XC90 but we went 7 months choosing to have the gladiator be the family vehicle over the traverse because it fit us fine and was more fun to drive! I think your wife is going to love the gladiator (my wife certainly loves mine).
Thanks for this video. Great timing. I’m currently looking for a main family of 3 (daughter is 10 )rig for camping, wheeling , exploring and general road trips. Due to current market issues I cannot really drive any of them, about all I can find that I like and can actually get is the Tacoma like you’ve got and Chevy trail boss 1500. The Tacoma looks really small for a couple week long road trip but works be better in spots like elephant hill Moab where I’d like to take my family camping as an example
I bought a 2021 Tacoma back in Feb, picked up the Limited Nightshade model. For my wife and I its a great addition. We were easily able to pack up and do a cross country, 16+ hour drive in it comfortably. We live at the foot of the Black Hills and have taken it around there as well as through the National Badlands park. I havent had the opportunity to go truly off road and have been hesitant due to having street tires on it still but when time and money allow we will be slowing making it more of an overlander for us. In December we are moving to South Korea as well and the truck will be going with us and I hope to really work on upgrades and going camping while over there. Only reason I chose the Limited was due to the Nightshade package giving me all the visuals that I was after with the truck, otherwise I would have gone with the TDR Offroad most likely. I do plan on adding a locking rear dif down the road as well as other parts to make it a better offroad vehicle.
Great video and your right on the family of 4 . We crammed in the same short box Tacoma and went from montesano all the way to the grand canyon and back phew what a haul . Did another trip to glacier national park from Montesano that was my trucks first trip . When we recently went to moab it was just the wife and I and the dog . I took out the back seats for the dog lol.
Bro I’m interested in seeing everything it takes to put the taco on 37’s. This is probably my favorite UA-cam channel, I’ve learned a ton watching your fabrication videos
Thanks!
There will be lots of details in this series 👍
Cool license plate on the Datsun! I grew up just outside of Missoula 😎
Enjoyed the video as we are a family of 5 but my 2 oldest are not in car seats anymore which does help. I have a 2019 DCSB so same truck spacewise. I added a diamondback cover with load bars and a roof rack and that handles everything no problem. I do agree about if it was your only vehicle that would be rough. I had a Seqouia i traded for this so lost a ton of room but my wife has a Sienna so most family trips not camping are in that. It works great in that regard. I wanted to get back into wheeling so like you wanted a short wheelbase and narrow profile compared to a full size. Mine has a 6 speed manual in it though.
At 6'3 175, I can't wear a hat while driving and the seat has to be allllll the way back for my legs to be comfortable. Being a mechanic you get to drive a lot of different vehicles before you decide what you like!
Hey mate love your Channel
Living In Australia we do have access to Ram trucks and alike but 99% of us tour with our families in much smaller trucks
Bigger than a Datsun but not much bigger we learned pretty quick what to pack and what not to pack and we also tend to tow camper trailers as well 🤟
Great video. Thanks for coming on camera Mom!
Great video as always
Great video. I got a 1 year old daughter in a extended cab 2006 gmc 1500. So wish I looked harder and found a crew cab. The rear facing seats are soooooo big and the wife has no leg room. We end up taking the Subaru outback everywhere.
I think that was an honest unbiased video and it was well done as all your videos. I think what it comes down to, which you touched on, is culture. When I was a kid we took an 80s dodge grand caravan and a ford astrostar camping. My mother her three kids and 3 large dobermans. I also went camping in high school with a dodge ram raider (google that thing, its not large) myself and two friends. At the end of the day it comes down to a few things. Budget, preference, family size, etc but also is the juice worth the squeeze. Some people have to go glamping or its a no go. Some people take a family of four in a honda civic.
The purpose of this video was to explain what your experience was given you preferences and you did a great job of that. At the end of the day, you'll do what you want with whatever you have because you want to and can make it work.
Thank you! Great to see a comment like this 🙏
Full disclosure, im a Toyota guy. Loved my taco. The 4Runner is great. It’s a taco with more room in the back seat and a shorter wheelbase. The wife is happy and I am too. I sequoia or land cruiser may be in our future as the kids grow but as of now the 4Runner checks most boxes.
I had decided to get a Tacoma, but when I actually got to sit in one and saw the cramped back seats, I changed my mind and bought a 4Runner. Very, very happy I did. It’s way more practical.
Looking forward to the gladiator v taco comparison. I was on the fence, but got the 21 trd or lb. Kinda wishing I didn't.
Thanks for the content! Cheers nate
Yes, there is always compromises with midsize trucks. We make our 2020 TRD Sport DCLB 4X4 work for our family..2 adults and a 7 & 14 year old. the long box is a definite must. However, I’m a light wheeler with a cabin 6 hrs away that has all of our stuff there so don’t usually have to take much camping gear. Truck is 8 months old and we all love it. Was able to take the truck to the cabin for the first time on my own to do maintenance and open up since the pandemic. I really pushed the truck hard through the mountain passes and was very impressed. “S” mode made it easy to control the gears and RPM up and down steep grades here in British Columbia. I can’t believe we used to make this work getting to the cabin with a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder for years. The Tacoma was huge upgrade for our family. I’m 5’-11” and my 7 year old fits nicely behind me as the driver in his booster seat. Shorter Mom and teenage 14 year old make it work on the passenger side.
I had my family (of 4) in our Cherokee on trail rides and camping trips. Then they grew out of car seats ... sweet! More room. But then the kids wanted to bring friends ... damn it! ... How bout, when the Gladiator gets there. Mrs. Dirtlifestyle takes the Toyota and you take the Gladiator and do adventure trips? Or vice versa... depending on which "the Boss!" wants to drive.
i own the same truck but a 2nd gen. i dont have kids but me and my gf have a fantastic time in it. if i had kids old enough not to be in car seats i would recommend it. altho the car seats do take up alot of room. in cab space is an issue at times but to have to go spend 50+k on a new truck is also impractical. i think opting to be more organized and thoughtful with managing space and what we want to take opposed to what u need to take is needed. its a great family truck to drive to dinner take the kids to school, or load up beach toys or sports equipment. but camping is beyond all that. thats when space really gets tight.
really looking forward to the diesel gladiator content. i can't bring myself to buy a 2nd truck since i already have the power wagon, seems unpractical lol! but i also want a bronco.
Looking forward to the build series on the taco I have a 2017 trd off-road double cab long bed
As many have said here the Tacoma does everything well but not the best. I love my Tacoma. Sure more room would be great but I have been able to fit 3 full size dirt bikes in a 5ft bed, camping gear and 3 people. You just have to get a little creative but it works. I can tow a good size trailer again not well but It does it. Off-road performance is pretty good stock just not the best even compared to other stock vehicles.
Overall the little taco has never let me down in any situation Ive thrown at it so far. Im super happy with it sure its not the best in all categories but there is something to admire about, how it can still do so much for such a small truck.
I worked for Toyota for 29 years and had 4 different trucks, I miss my 83 with the big axles but my last Taco I just so much more civilized for long trips
So far mine has done well with my two kids (10 and 8) - it gets better when you go to booster seats.
A friend of mine has a Tacoma TRD Sport. I am not a small dude and felt like a sardine in the cab and had a hard time with the high floorboards. It's an amazing truck, but as you stated, for more normal sized folks. I need to go see how well I fit in a Gladiator since I am aiming for the Rubicon diesel. It might be ideal for running about up in the Olympic mountains as well as other adventures.
Hi Nate, great video as always 👍
I also get worse gas mileage when I am by myself, then when I am driving with my wife and kids. I thought it was because I drive my pickup like a race car, but thanks to you I can blame the ambient temperature 👌 🤣
Cheers Aaron
I ended up going with the Tundra in 2019. Easier to convince the family to go with me when there is plenty of room inside and it's comfortable. We have a minivan for normal everyday stuff.
6 ft 300lbs I have 4 kids 2 teenagers and 12 and 10..... had it since 18. Brand new. Have been to Wyoming South dakota. I pull a camper and a trailer with my 94 4runner toy on it. I love the truck. Have almost 25000 miles ok with 265 75 16s so one step up on tires fuel is not the greatest but it does what I need
I have a 14yr old boy and 12yr daughter. They hate riding in the back of my 19 double cab. Little room and seats don't recline. That said, It gets my family of 4 + our German shepherd and all of our stuff to our mountain cabin.
Very well said brother
Having a TRD off road short bed like my yours. Kids in the back and camping gear it does get cramped, I think I will adjust that but adding hitch racks and roof racks for gear. I love it too much to sell or “ upgrade “
Edit : Well it’s 2024 and I now own a double cab tundra. With a new baby that was the end of the Tacoma. The 6.7ft bed along with the extra cab space is awesome.
I did an overland trip in my taco with two other friends that are almost 6 feet from miami to colorado. It wasnt spacious but it wasnt cramped.
Great work man.
Thank you!
Thinking about this more, Toyota needs a crew max Tacoma with the 5 foot bed. I bet it would really sell well.
Hey nate love your videos
Thanks!!!
If your ever looking for video content. I think some childhood stories would be sick ! Sounds like you have done some amazing things
My dad and I have talked about that 👍
@@DirtLifestyle sounds like your already 2 steps ahead haha
Good job guys
Classio faux leather seat covers added some seat comfort and easy clean up with dogs and 12 year olds as passengers in my Off Road. Bummer about the toddler car seats not fitting so great.
Just for perspective, we're a family of five and the youngest being just over a year and we love our Toyota Hilux :) but it is a bit crammed on longer trips...
Love your work btw, keep it up!
/Greetings from Sweden
Wish we get Hilux over in the U.S.
Great video. Stay safe
That's exactly why I got the 6" bed. Mine won't be a rock crawler and we love it for just about everything. Camping, dump runs, groceries I think it does everything well. $5k less for an unreliable Silverado, no. $10k more for a Gladiator, no. The Taco fit the bill for me. Love your channel!
Great video
You need a truck canopy/topper they are easy to remove with some ropes in your garage roof.
Hearing your memories of being a kid traveling around with your parents makes me think we need a "Who is Nate" video! A little history, how you came into what you're doing now, what your goals and aspirations are?? Just a thought!
We just picked up a jt Rubi diesel and had the trd sport taco before it. The jeep is more cramped inside. The mileage is better on the jeep but highway driving to trails is much better in the taco. The gladiator is a beast off road though, something I couldn't admit to on the trd sport.
I have the 21 TRD off-road double cab with the long bed and a best top soft cap. Works great for camping trips but with two car seats it’s very tight. Now that we have a 3rd the Tacoma can no longer carry the entire family due to car seats. I have personally done trips that are 300-400 miles on road to get to the trails or camp and with adults in the back seat it’s not bad unless your over 6’. I’m 6’2” and I can fit in the back with the seat just slightly forward. Our family will be upgrading to a tundra crew max eventually but there will be no more trails unfortunately. The truck for daily use is great and I avg 20-22mpg and it’s a fun truck off road.
Short answer. Yes. It's great, it's not full size, but its mega reliable and pretty damn capable. Ive had a dcsb tacoma for 8 years with 2 kids dog and wife and all the things (mtb, dirtbikes, camping, ect) would go tundra maybe but it sacrifices capability for space and fuel efficiency
Man you are killing me I have a jt but the diesel ! I've got torque envy over here lol
I’ve gotta show this to my Mrs. since she’s convinced on a taco and yet we have her 18 y/o and my 10 and 8 y/o kiddos. And we want to camp a ton with them all.
Awesome thumbnail, looks like fun
I got a camper shell for my Taco, now I can keep stuff dry in the bed, and use dual roof racks; a cab rack, and the shell rack. The camper shell I went with was a cheaper alternative to the popular Leer and other brands which go for 2-5k. Its called a "Ranch" camper shell.
"It has a hard time competing in terms of size" *While panning over the huge rust hole in the side of the dodge* My previous truck was a 2003 dodge ram 1500, thing rusted out completely by 100k miles... That thing weren't cheap either.
The interior size/liveability jump from a Tacoma to a tundra is significant. I'd actually argue that our tundra crewmax has been a fantastic family vehicle minus the crappy fuel mileage on longer trips.
Put a roof rack, to put boxes on the roof. Than haul one of those little trailers with RTT and once at camp leave it than go wheel. 😎