Now, that I have my F150 built nearly the way I like it, I'm thinking of trading it for new Taco. The F150 is an FX4 SCREW 6-1/2' bed with King Racing Shocks, 35" tires, Edge Evolution tuner, a set of HID off-road lights, inverter, DVD Entertainment, spray in-liner and roll top bed cover. With the Kings, it drives incredibly well in the So Cal deserts and hard pack.

So, why am I thinking of ditching it? First, it is huge. Parking it takes nearly as much effort as putting my 46' sail boat into a slip. Second, it drinks gas in huge gulps. With my heavy foot, I get 13 mpg tops. The larger tires have not impacted the mileage; it has always gotten horrible mileage. Third, the back seat is very roomy but the seat back is nearly vertical, prompting complaints of back pain from the kids on long trips.

Will a new double cab, 6' bed Taco address my concerns? How is it as a daily driver in the city? How are the Bilsteins that come the TRD option (will I have to spend another couple grand for Kings)? Is the back seat comfortable for long drives (10+ hours -- San Diego to Tahoe)? If you have gone from Taco to an F150, what are your thoughts? Any regrets?

Thanks

 

Wow! You asked that question on a Ford truck site!

I doubt you will many positive responses towards the toy truck.

Your money, your decision!

 

I understand. I asked on the Tacoma site too. I'm hoping to find some guidance by asking both sides. There are no published reviews that I can find that compare the two trucks, which is not surprising.

 

if you only have 2 kids and they're not adult sized yet then it shouldn't be a difference......but if the kids are more adult sized and you have three of them sitting back there in the tack....they'll be wishing they didn't beotch about their backs and that dad kept his f150......

go take one for a test drive and throw everyone in there and get your family's opinion also.....

 

Sorry, there's no reason I can think of to get the Taco. I've never had an adult complain about the backseat (nor any of the past gf's, lol). You won't be getting much better mileage out of the Taco once you start adding bigger tires and stuff. May be 17-18mpg? If you have trouble parking a Screw F-150, I don't know what to tell you. It's no bigger than any other full-size truck 6/8ft bed. If you want fuel economy and a better backseat, get a car.

 

Thanks for your input. The issue with SCREW F-150 is the turning radius, which is larger than many other trucks. It's a pain in the *** in crowded parking lot and easier to parallel park. I've got cars, but have not worked out the fuel economy/back seat combo: my M3 has a great back seat, but only 15 mpg and my 911 gets better mileage, but the back seat ... well, there are seats back there.

For whatever its worth, couple guys on the Tacoma site suggest the new F150 ecoboast or whatever its called.

 

Take a look at the Explorer or Escape with the EB engine. Do you need a truck for any specific reason? Sounds like you might be a candidate for an SUV.

 

Honestly it won't make a substantial difference one way or another. Keep in mind that a tacoma has an image of being a 16 year old's truck. If you plan on modding it, it will quickly get a boy-racer look to it. It may seem superficial, but it's one of the reasons I traded my ranger for the F-150.

Tacoma is a nice truck, no doubt about it. But look at it from all angles. Sounds to me like an SUV/X-over is calling your name.

 

You will get similar mileage from a Tacoma, it doesn't have as much cab space, and you cant tow as much. If you are a tall guy you will notice the space confinement. Do a search for the Tacoma vs f150s on the Tacoma forums. They even admit that the 04-08 f150s are hard to beat

 

With a couple of kids and all the assorted gear that go along with them, I suspect the biggest drawback of the Taco would be the times you realize you don't have quite as much space as you would like for all the crap you need to get from Point A to Point B.

Regarding the long rides to Tahoe, I suspect what ever you might gain in perceived seat comfort you will lose when your kids realize that they're a lot closer to one another in the Taco than they were in the F-150. My experience traveling with spawn tells me the further apart you can keep them, the better off you are!

And with all the toys you listed as owning, if you're sweating the difference between 13 mpg and 17 mpg then it's time to consider if you've over-extended yourself. Assuming that this is not the case, I wouldn't let a few mpg's one way or the other even factor into the decision.

From what you've told us, I'd be inclined to stick with the F-150......

 

How about a new F-150 Screw 2wd, 5.5' bed, with a 3.7? That's going to perform about the same as a Taco and get better gas mileage.

 

If you have a heavy foot, the gas mileage will not improve what ever truck you may drive. Remember that kids will always complain when they are in vehicle for ten hours. If you are really looking for a way to appease the troops, keep the truck and rent a RV.

 

Taco wont even be able to move the trailer for the sail boat

 

I have a '07 4Runner in addition to my F150, same platform as the Tacoma. As much as I like my Toyota, it is really a different tool for a different job. Plus the Toyota 4.0L isn't that much better on gas. Long highway runs I can get 20mpg but most of the time it is around 18.

Towing it is only good for 5000lbs

 

Man, I can't believe you say you have a hard time parking a truck with a 6 1/2' bed, even in a crowded parking lot. I have the longest F150 you can possibly get and have no issues whatsoever parking the thing anywhere, crowded lot, parallel or even in a shoebox. My only real issue is the size of the parking spaces. If you have trouble parking that thing, your gonna have trouble no matter what you get. Your absolutely right about the turning radius so no argument there, but maybe what your really in the market for is one of those Smart cars As for the mileage, I was lucky to get 9 miles to the gallon highway, but after a few mods and all, I'm now getting 18 to 19 highway if I set the cruise control at 55 to 65 and keep my foot off of it (which is hard to do because it's just so damn fun to get on it now with a programmer set on 93 octane) which by the way gets me my best mileage as opposed to 87 octane. Oh, and my truck is probably the heaviest 150 you can get stock!