If you get a Tacoma with the 4cyl and a manual transmission it still won’t win any races but it’ll do what needs to be done. I’m still not sold on the new 3.5L 6cyl and the new transmission. Hearing too many reports of the transmission struggling to find the right gear. The 4cyl though, still indestructible far as I know. Colorado is beautiful and like most GM trucks is a beast out of the gate but I’m still not convinced of the long term quality.

There are unfortunately NO MORE manual transmission Tacoma's!

I have a 4-cyl. 2017 Tacoma and a "full size" 2004 GMC Sierra -- they are the same size vehicle.

New small trucks are no longer available in the USA.

My '17 automatic is a slug, even when compared to the '04 Taco four banger w/manual that I traded.

My Tacom is 11 years old has over 176,000 on it and drives as well as the day I drove it off the lot. I finally had my first problem too. The power locks don’t open on the passenger side. Not bad for a vehicle this old.

The least expensive "small" pick-up available in the USA is the manual transmission 4-cylinder Nissan Frontier (low 20K range). I've had a '18 6-cylinder automatic Frontier ($25K) since March, and I really like it. It rides nice, the 6-cylinder version has decent power with 261hp/281ft lbs of torque, and it's easy to maneuver and park in a urban setting. On the downside, despite the (90's era) 4.0 liter motor being uber reliable it only gets about 17mpg in the city (worse than the bigger V8 Nissan Titan which gets about 18mpg in the city), and the interior though well-made is the most dated of the small pick-up offerings.



nero

quote:

Originally posted by pillboxesghost:
There are unfortunately NO MORE manual transmission Tacoma's!

I have a 4-cyl. 2017 Tacoma and a "full size" 2004 GMC Sierra -- they are the same size vehicle.

New small trucks are no longer available in the USA.

My '17 automatic is a slug, even when compared to the '04 Taco four banger w/manual that I traded.

I thought the 4cyl was still available with a manual. No way I’d have an automatic 4cyl truck.

If my money was on the table I'd be looking at the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier.

I'm a Ford guy but I would wait on the new Ranger.

I'm a BIG Toyota guy. Having said that, I looked HARD at the new Tacoma when I wanted a new truck last year and did everything in my power to actually like the truck to no avail. New drivetrain sucks, inside sucks, sit on the floor, too small, back of crew cab is useless, bed is tiny, etc. Not to mention the dealers generally think they're gold bars and don't really want to work with you on one.

Frontier is old as dirt. While it works, it's not enjoyable to live with. Ended up with a Chevrolet Colorado. GMC Canyon is the same thing, but I liked the Chevrolet front end better and got more off as well.

Here's what put me over the edge:

-Interior is GREAT!
-Bose audio that jams
-8" MyLink with Nav which I use all the time
-Back seat that my 6 foot tall ass can actually fit in
-Real mechanical locking differential
-Tows like a beast, 8 speed auto is amazing
-306 HP V6, run's high 14's in the quarter
-Great MPG, I average low 20's, can get mid 20's, can get mid to high teens pulling
-DEEP bed, comes in handier than you'd think
-Automatic transfer case is excellent in winter
-Drives more like a crossover than a truck, I can murder on-ramps and off-ramps, the driving dynamics are FAR above it's pickup truck roots

My coworker has a 16 Colorado LT Midnight Edition crew cab short bed
Brother-in-law has a 16 Tacoma TRD Sport ext cab

Both V6 2WD automatics. I think the Colorado looks a little better, but that the Tacoma drives better.

I agree with a few above, that I'd take a look at the Ridgeline, aside from a small-ish back seat, it's a nice truck, though FWD if you don't go for a 4WD model.

Also, as mentioned, if you're not in a hurry, the Ranger is coming back & looks pretty good in the higher trim levels with the Sport or FX4 pkg. If you're not in a hurry to buy.

I think the Colorado likely has the most negotiation room on price, when shopping for new. There's also the GMC Canyon, with slightly different styling to the Colorado, but at a higher starting price.

I'm on my 2nd Nissan Frontier after driving a 4x4 Chevy Silverado for nearly 14 years. I lived in two big cities (Houston and a Los Angeles suburb) with the Silverado. When I moved to Calgary, Alberta, I bought a '13 Frontier 4x4 and it was so much easier to park downtown than my old Silverado. Most Calgary parking garages were inexplicably 6'3" so people with full size Dodge and Toyota trucks couldn't park in them, and the spots were narrow so a midsize was easier to park than a full-size ('13 Frontier was 7" narrower width than '01 Silverado).

In 2016, I moved to N. Houston and it was too much of a PITA to move a truck from Can-eh-duh to the USA so I went truck shopping in N. Houston. I wasn't using any of the additional capabilities of the full-size truck so I decided to get another mid-size. I don't buy first model year vehicles so that ruled out the Taco and Ridgeline. The Chevy and GMC dealers only had 4 bangers in stock and they were selling too well to negotiate so my focus quickly became another Frontier. I did a blind reverse auction (blind as in you're the only one who knows best price, and reverse auction in that the price goes down each round for them to earn your business) on a '16 Frontier and got $5500 of MSRP ($3500 less than TrueCar) on their top of the line SL.

Currently, none of the mid-sized trucks are first model year so if I did it again I'd be shopping for a Colorado, Tacoma, or Ridgeline. I love my Frontier, but it hasn't been redesigned since '07.

Tacoma for reliability and resale

I have a '16 Tacoma and its great

I have had a V6 taco for 10 years.

No way any other small truck would have lasted this long with my abuse.

Tacomas are a little pricier than the competition, but the value lies in the quality of the materials and and assembly.

You are not going to get a quality truck at econobox prices.

Just sold a 2001 Tacoma, 4WD, v6, manual trans, TRD. It has been a great truck, was in very good shape, a little rust through on passenger rocker panel, otherwise clean and solid. 194k trouble free miles. Still rode smoothly, no slack in the steering, original frame.

Wife thought “it was time”. Trade in value was 2500. Sold it through classifieds and got 6700.

I like the styling of the older Tacomas. Really was a great little truck. Suggest you find an older one like mine.

I drive a 2008 Colorado (Manual 4 cylinder) after driving two different Rangers over the years. The Colorado has the Rangers beat hands down.

another Tacoma vote here

got a '18 4x4 SR5 crew cab V6 6 months ago

enjoying it so far

as has been mentioned - for more responsiveness - push the ECT button. Basically another program to the transmission - it holds gears a longer in the power band for more acceleration / throttle response.

i am hoping to own it for 15 years

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Own my 2nd Tacoma as my daily driver. 2010 TRD OffRoad 6 cyl. I love it, just a great, reliable vehicle. I'll keep it till it dies.

Thank you all for your replies. My biggest hangup with the Tacoma is that the newer ones with the 3.5 engine don't have a lot of juice. That's the 6 cyl. I had it halfway to the floor to make it up a small incline. The salesman told me I had to put it in ECT mode for that but I don't want to mess with that.

The Tacoma felt very well put together. But it felt primitive, too. I guess that's its selling point. I wish they tuned its engine better. For a mid-size truck I think it should have some more power and better MPG. If an F150 can leave it in the dust power wise whilst getting better MPG, then Toyota should be able to beat it in one or the other.

I test drove another Colorado last night, I was incredibly impressed with it inside, albeit not entirely convinced of GM's longevity, of course.

They had a Colorado parked next to a Silverado and when you see them both side by side you get a picture of how much smaller the Colorado is in height, width and length, versus the full-size.

I test drove that ZR2, which is a gorgeous truck but the EPA rating of 18 highway (!!!!!) versus mid 20's in the regular Colorado is terrifying.

Have you considered a 2013 - 2016 Tacoma?

I'm a Tacoma guy and Toyota in general.

I'm on my second Tacoma and had a 4Runner prior to that. Loved them all with zero issues.

I'm really liking my 2018 Tacoma TRD Sport. For me it does everything I want and looks sharp in the Cement Gray paint color. I've got no issues with power. I'm not and aggressive driver and don't climb on the throttle much, but if I'm first in line at a stop light, just a gentle push seems to get me away ahead of the guy next to me. For extra zoom the ECT mode really makes it fly. There is a ECU shift/power learning period that adjusts the computer to your style of driving after about 500-1000 or so miles. I thought it was BS, but it really does work.

I do like the looks of the Colorado ZR2 and could possibly see myself in one. However, that will cost more than comparable a Tacoma. As suggested, maybe wait for the Ranger. They don't look too shabby.