I Miss My Toyota Tacoma After Trading with Tundra, But Could Never Go Back

Hello, dear Torque News readers. This morning I saw an interesting discussion in one of the Toyota Tundra groups on Facebook, in which one of the group members was asking if he should switches from Tacoma to Tundra. 

"Who has come from Tacoma to a Tundra and what are your thoughts about it? I am thinking about trading mine in for an 18-20 Tundra and I do plan on still wheeling with it. It just struggles pulling my camper," wrote one group member named DW.

Sure, you may miss the Tacoma's nimbleness on tight trails sometimes. But honestly, the Tundras surprise many drivers off-road. It's more capable than you'd expected. You don't see many Tundras on the trails, but it handles itself well.

Here's the thing to consider: if you do a lot of technical rock crawling, the Tacoma might still be the better choice. But for most off-road driving, the Tundra truck will do just fine, especially with the added bonus of towing your camper with ease.

But also consider the fuel economy, space and modification.

The Tundra will likely get worse gas mileage than your Tacoma. The Tundra offers significantly more space in the cabin and bed, which can be a big plus for camping trips. Upgrading your Tacoma's suspension and towing package could be an option, but the Tundra's extra power is a significant advantage.

Now let's hear from other Toyota Tundra owners who have upgraded from Tacoma.

"I miss my Toyota Tacoma, but I will say I don’t think I could ever go back. The upgrade was worth it: more space and this thing is very capable off-road for sure. No problem at all. You don't see big trucks on the trail often. Always mid-size and jeeps etc," writes EH.

One of the group members wrote that upgrading from Toyota Tacoma to a Tundra truck was the best decision he has made in a while about cars. He says he had a 2023 Toyota Tacoma for four months. Then he traded for his 2024 Tundra and hasn't looked back.

Tacomas can take you anywhere! Tundras can pull your massive trailer. It depends on what you want to do with it. I regretfully sold my 2015 TRD Sport w/52k about 2 years ago now for my 2020 Tundra. I’m still getting used to it, but I felt unstoppable in the Tacoma, and with the Tundra it’s wider than the old trails I used to use. So the Toyota Tundra is a great truck for towing, but not so great for narrow paths unless you love custom pen strips. What I will tell you is if you do a Tacoma buy 4.0l 2012-2015. People seem to be a lot happier with those over the 2016+ that have the 3.5l. With that said I love the Tundra. It’s really nice. Just, I wish it had the 1794 Edition package. 

This was written by a user JK. Speaking of the 1794 Edition, there are people who want to trade their regular Tundras for the 1794 Edition Tundra. For example, Worksjo, who says he wants to ditch his 8,500 miles offroad Toyota Tundra for the 1794 Edition luxury, regrets the loss of his current truck's TRD package.

BK writes, "Tacoma is better for wheeling. But I don’t wheel much and I got tired of always having to duck to get into my Tacoma. I prefer the tundra for my needs. I went from a 17 off-road Tacoma to a 20 pro tundra 4 years ago."

Here is an interesting opinion from a Toyota Tundra owner BB who went to the Tundra not from a Tacoma, but from a 4Runner. BB says, "I went from a 4Runner to a Tundra because I wanted the 5.7 and a truck bed for work. I love 4Runners as I’ve had two now but this 5.7 tops the 4.0 in that by a ton. I can’t imagine going from a 3.5 to a 5.7. I don’t know if I will ever own another vehicle unless I need a 3/4 ton down the road."

One comment that catched my attention in the discussionw as from a Toyota salesmen who says he sells Toyota cars for 20 years. In his opinion Tundra wins in every category.

Have you ever switched from another Toyota to a Tundra? Or have you ever switched from one car to another and regretted it? Please click the red link below and write your comment, joining our discussion.

Having said this, and so many good things about the Toyota Tundra truck, there are yet 3 cool ideas the 2024 Toyota Tundra needs to take from the new Tacoma.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.

Reference: Toyota Tundra Nation.