The Tacoma finally got a platform update in 2016 and the body/ drivetrain was not immediately well received. I did not care for the body lines and the interior looked like it had too much plastic. The drivetrain had a handful of initial issues but still had some bright spots.
I had to take my 2006 Tacoma into the dealer for the rear leaf TSB (which ended up being an issue in it's own right but was resolved finally) and they loaned me a 2016 Tacoma Off Road to use while they had my Tacoma. I ended up putting almost 200 miles on the truck in the 24 hours I had it due to working out of town. I drove it over my regular routes like I drive my other Toyotas and was surprised at the results.
The body: I ended up liking the body style in the Magnetic Gray more than I expected. The color hid road grime well and looks real good with the body styling. The truck does have a significant blind spot right in front of it where I could not see that bothered me a little having come from my 2001 4Runner with a much shorter hood. The actual distance from a normal driving position to where I could see pavement was 25' out from the license plate.
The cabin: I found the cabin to be the biggest surprise for me. The steering wheel is a real improvement over the 2nd gen for grip and feel. There are more buttons that go to the radio and dash display but once you get the hang of them they make sense. I did like all the dash displays for truck angle, speed, and tire pressure. I do not understand why they have a compass in the dash when 90% of people have no clue what a compass does and there is one in the rear view mirror. I was surprised at how weak the USB charger was. I had my phone charging while I drove to Ft Worth and found I was still losing battery power even though it showed charging. (New Moto X phone) So I would still need to run a seperate cigarette lighter USB adapter just to charge my phone properly. It is not a big deal but it makes no sense to not have rapid charging available. The AC and 4WD knobs are close together but after some time I learned to not try to adjust the AC with the 4WD knob. The seats were comfortable but my wife did say the passenger seat was a little hard to get the right adjustment for her liking.
The drive train: Or lack thereof. I know a small motor with a six speed transmission can be impressive - Ford is doing it in an F-150. The 3.5 with auto is great on flat ground and in the city. I had no problems with it once I was in town and not dealing with inclines. The dash display said I average 16-17 mpg the whole time I had the Tacoma so that is not bad; but not better than either of my other two Toyotas. I did ask the dealer about the transmission shifting issues and he could not confirm if the transmission had been updated with the shift point flash or not. I am hoping not because that truck could not handle an incline to save anyone's life. It was annoying that it would downshift to go up an incline and then immediately shift back up like it had finished the incline. There are a few hills on Hwy 377 coming out of Benbrook I enjoy running my 2001 4Runner up because it really causes the supercharger to kick in and the whole thing feels great. I was cussing the 2016 Tacoma to get up the damn hill. I hope they get this issue figured out fast.
Overall I found I liked the truck better than I expected to but was not overly impressed with it. The shortcomings are considerable considering the biggest problem is the drivetrain. I would not tow with this truck like I do with my 2nd gen Tacoma. I do not care what the dyno or paper graphs say; the truck does not have the power to the pavement to do it in a manner I would feel comfortable hauling with. The best description for the 3rd gen Tacoma I came up with was while talking with Aaron: It is like the fat grandkid that is aggravating to the grandfather. The truck just falls short of its heritage.
I had to take my 2006 Tacoma into the dealer for the rear leaf TSB (which ended up being an issue in it's own right but was resolved finally) and they loaned me a 2016 Tacoma Off Road to use while they had my Tacoma. I ended up putting almost 200 miles on the truck in the 24 hours I had it due to working out of town. I drove it over my regular routes like I drive my other Toyotas and was surprised at the results.
The body: I ended up liking the body style in the Magnetic Gray more than I expected. The color hid road grime well and looks real good with the body styling. The truck does have a significant blind spot right in front of it where I could not see that bothered me a little having come from my 2001 4Runner with a much shorter hood. The actual distance from a normal driving position to where I could see pavement was 25' out from the license plate.
The cabin: I found the cabin to be the biggest surprise for me. The steering wheel is a real improvement over the 2nd gen for grip and feel. There are more buttons that go to the radio and dash display but once you get the hang of them they make sense. I did like all the dash displays for truck angle, speed, and tire pressure. I do not understand why they have a compass in the dash when 90% of people have no clue what a compass does and there is one in the rear view mirror. I was surprised at how weak the USB charger was. I had my phone charging while I drove to Ft Worth and found I was still losing battery power even though it showed charging. (New Moto X phone) So I would still need to run a seperate cigarette lighter USB adapter just to charge my phone properly. It is not a big deal but it makes no sense to not have rapid charging available. The AC and 4WD knobs are close together but after some time I learned to not try to adjust the AC with the 4WD knob. The seats were comfortable but my wife did say the passenger seat was a little hard to get the right adjustment for her liking.
The drive train: Or lack thereof. I know a small motor with a six speed transmission can be impressive - Ford is doing it in an F-150. The 3.5 with auto is great on flat ground and in the city. I had no problems with it once I was in town and not dealing with inclines. The dash display said I average 16-17 mpg the whole time I had the Tacoma so that is not bad; but not better than either of my other two Toyotas. I did ask the dealer about the transmission shifting issues and he could not confirm if the transmission had been updated with the shift point flash or not. I am hoping not because that truck could not handle an incline to save anyone's life. It was annoying that it would downshift to go up an incline and then immediately shift back up like it had finished the incline. There are a few hills on Hwy 377 coming out of Benbrook I enjoy running my 2001 4Runner up because it really causes the supercharger to kick in and the whole thing feels great. I was cussing the 2016 Tacoma to get up the damn hill. I hope they get this issue figured out fast.
Overall I found I liked the truck better than I expected to but was not overly impressed with it. The shortcomings are considerable considering the biggest problem is the drivetrain. I would not tow with this truck like I do with my 2nd gen Tacoma. I do not care what the dyno or paper graphs say; the truck does not have the power to the pavement to do it in a manner I would feel comfortable hauling with. The best description for the 3rd gen Tacoma I came up with was while talking with Aaron: It is like the fat grandkid that is aggravating to the grandfather. The truck just falls short of its heritage.
