2020 Toyota Tacoma

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Adventurist
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Although I might never buy a brand new vehicle, I tend to keep current with what is going on in the industry. My browser here at work had this article visible on the home page this morning, so I did a quick skim.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/aut...te/ar-BBTgTPF?ocid=spartandhp#image=BBTgTPx|1

Toyota being deliberately slow making some of these updates to join the rest of the market is nothing new, however frustrating. It's good to see the additional updates, but something that I was unaware of until reading this... Until now this Tacoma didn't have intermittent wipers as standard equipment?!? I'm not sure I've jumped in a vehicle produced in the last 25+ years that didn't have them. That's not to say they weren't necessarily optional equipment on any of those vehicles, but in a day and age that cars are getting infotainment centers/backup cams as standard equipment, how can any manufacture be omitting intermittent wipers?
 
Although I might never buy a brand new vehicle, I tend to keep current with what is going on in the industry. My browser here at work had this article visible on the home page this morning, so I did a quick skim.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/aut...te/ar-BBTgTPF?ocid=spartandhp#image=BBTgTPx|1

Toyota being deliberately slow making some of these updates to join the rest of the market is nothing new, however frustrating. It's good to see the additional updates, but something that I was unaware of until reading this... Until now this Tacoma didn't have intermittent wipers as standard equipment?!? I'm not sure I've jumped in a vehicle produced in the last 25+ years that didn't have them. That's not to say they weren't necessarily optional equipment on any of those vehicles, but in a day and age that cars are getting infotainment centers/backup cams as standard equipment, how can any manufacture be omitting intermittent wipers?
Huh? My 2012 tacoma has intermittent wipers.
 
Reading the article sounds like a mid-production run refresh on the 3rd gen which, quite honestly, was a big disappointment for me.

Toyota really needs to compete with things like front AND rear lockers like the Colorado, and Toyota’s predictably terrible fuel efficiency.

And Jeep/MOPAR still kills anything made by Toyota when it comes to infotainment, including the 200 Series which I looked at hard. It felt like mid-2000’s tech in a 2018 model year $85K truck.

Hopefully they wake up with the 4th gen Tacoma... or give us a non-blinged out 300 Series when it comes out.
 
Although I might never buy a brand new vehicle, I tend to keep current with what is going on in the industry. My browser here at work had this article visible on the home page this morning, so I did a quick skim.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/aut...te/ar-BBTgTPF?ocid=spartandhp#image=BBTgTPx|1

Toyota being deliberately slow making some of these updates to join the rest of the market is nothing new, however frustrating. It's good to see the additional updates, but something that I was unaware of until reading this... Until now this Tacoma didn't have intermittent wipers as standard equipment?!? I'm not sure I've jumped in a vehicle produced in the last 25+ years that didn't have them. That's not to say they weren't necessarily optional equipment on any of those vehicles, but in a day and age that cars are getting infotainment centers/backup cams as standard equipment, how can any manufacture be omitting intermittent wipers?
Huh? My 2012 tacoma has intermittent wipers.
My 2005 had intermittent wipers.
My 2001 has intermittent wipers. Toyota pickup trucks before 1995.5 had intermittent wipers. In fact I know of NO Toyota off road vehicles that offer that feature. Even looked up the switch assembly replacement as far back as 1979 [84652-19165, Switch Assy, Windshield Wiper, I/W] and the stalk features an intermittent setting.

I think this MSN republished article from Motor Trend magazine falls into the category of poor editing. But don't let that deter anyone - it's fashionable to bash Toyota these days - everybody is doing it. :D
 
I think this MSN republished article from Motor Trend magazine falls into the category of poor editing. But don't let that deter anyone - it's fashionable to bash Toyota these days - everybody is doing it. :D

Hell yes. And we should be bashing them - they could be doing so much better.

I mean c’mon, their big buzz at the Chicago Auto Show is a flippin’ TRD Pro Sequoia..

A gas guzzling rehash of a model that still makes me scratch my head as it competes in the same space as the 4Runner and Land Cruiser.

Makes no sense.
 
Hell yes. And we should be bashing them - they could be doing so much better.

I mean c’mon, their big buzz at the Chicago Auto Show is a flippin’ TRD Pro Sequoia..

A gas guzzling rehash of a model that still makes me scratch my head as it competes in the same space as the 4Runner and Land Cruiser.

Makes no sense.
Gotta compete with all those Z71 Tahoes and FX4 Expeditions. :confused: (yeah, makes no sense for the $ and my perspective is coming from a 1st gen 4wd Limited owner)

Did the article mention how many cup holders?
 
Hell yes. And we should be bashing them - they could be doing so much better.

I mean c’mon, their big buzz at the Chicago Auto Show is a flippin’ TRD Pro Sequoia..

A gas guzzling rehash of a model that still makes me scratch my head as it competes in the same space as the 4Runner and Land Cruiser.

Makes no sense.
You're a hoot @Dave. A few of us remember when you had a Tacoma that the sun rose and set upon. Now you criticize them without hesitation.

Now you bitch about the Sequoia, a model receiving attention, driven by customer demand, that's now getting some serious attention from the automaker.

Why are you avoiding the RAV4? They are introducing an "Adventure" grade... isn't that worthy of your criticism too?

SMH... it's really off-putting to me, and maybe a few others around here who own newer Tacomas, and don't necessarily share your dislike of Toyota.
 
You're a hoot @Dave. A few of us remember when you had a Tacoma that the sun rose and set upon. Now you criticize them without hesitation.

Now you bitch about the Sequoia, a model receiving attention, driven by customer demand, that's now getting some serious attention from the automaker.

Why are you avoiding the RAV4? They are introducing an "Adventure" grade... isn't that worthy of your criticism too?
SMH... it's really off-putting to me, and maybe a few others around here who own newer Tacomas, and don't necessarily share your dislike of Toyota.

Yeah we’re both real assholes Tim. Opinionated, brutally honest ones ;)

But who said I don’t like Toyota? Not this guy. But let’s be honest Tim, they’re losing market share. Competition has arisen. So don’t get it twisted, my “criticism” stems from my disgust with their poor decisions. As I said, they could be doing SO much better by us here in North America.

In 2018 when I was downsizing and searching for a new vehicle, Toyota was 3 out of 4 of my options.

Tacoma. GREAT truck but the feedback I had from 3rd gen owners ruled it out due to the engine. And it would have been a redo of my 2nd gen honestly. Not what I wanted.

4Runner. 5th gen is long in the tooth and same drive train really as my 2005 Tacoma. Rear locker only and I would have had to pour tons into it to get it where I need it. In the end I didn’t love it.

Land Cruiser 200 Series. Well, if I had $85K I may have gone that route. But again, as good as it is I would have had to pour tons into it to get it where I need it. And it’s big. I wanted small-ish again.

I won’t say the JL is flawless and only time will tell about reliability. But I’m having fun with it and learning SO MUCH about a demographic and a culture that I’ve long overlooked or outright dismissed. In the end that’s good.

I’ll always be a Toyota guy at heart. But I’m also a MOPAR fan who currently has a really bad Jeep fetish.

Nothing wrong with that.
 
I have to say I was looking forward to the reveal at the autoshow, especially with all the hype and Toyota being about due for a refresh. I hoped that the Tacoma TRD Pro was going to maybe come with some other engine options, maybe a front locker, or even a complete refresh to the style. But alas, it wasn't ment to be. I'm just disappointed. Maybe next year, or the year after, or after that.
 
I kind of like the Rav4 potential. :( Subaru territory without bumper sticker obligations.
:keyboard
I drove my wife's RAV4 yesterday during a big snow storm. We had ~3-4 inches on the road. It was snowing too fast for the plows to keep up. I weaved around maybe 10 stuck front wheel drive cars and tractor trailers with just good all season tires. The little traction light did a lot of blinking:D
 
I think Toyota makes/adds changes to vehicles slowly, so as not to confuse/flood the market. Too many changes at once will hurt sales. Evolutionary, not revolutionary.

I don't know how far back you followed Jeeps closely, but they are at a different point in their development cycle than Tacomas. So, looking at a Jeep you will see all these bells and whistles - new to you, since you have not been following the development. Or, perhaps Jeep made a big, revolutionary jump, to try to capture more market share.

Do you remember, several years ago, Ford teamed up with Microsoft, for the Sync system? That POS almost killed Ford. Companies need to be very careful with their infotainment systems - they are a double edged sword.

Toyota may loose a couple of points of market share, but they're not going anywhere. As for some of the others, we shall see.
 
I think Toyota makes/adds changes to vehicles slowly, so as not to confuse/flood the market. Too many changes at once will hurt sales. Evolutionary, not revolutionary.
^^^ This.
I have a couple of acquaintances who are no kiddin' Toyota and Lexus engineers. All make the same observation regarding the Corporations policy towards product introduction. "Evolution, not revolution", sums it up nicely. Toyota Motors is one of the leading automotive manufacturers on the planet and dominates the automotive market in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. They must be doing something right...

There's a lot of innovation in the industry right now to attract market share, and that's a good thing - I applaud it, but most of us are mature enough to appreciate that this innovation brings with it some risk. Naturally, to the corporation, but in many cases it's borne by the consumer. Then there is EDSO Syndrome - but that's a whole other path we don't want to explore.
 
^^^ This.
I have a couple of acquaintances who are no kiddin' Toyota and Lexus engineers. All make the same observation regarding the Corporations policy towards product introduction. "Evolution, not revolution", sums it up nicely. Toyota Motors is one of the leading automotive manufacturers on the planet and dominates the automotive market in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. They must be doing something right...

There's a lot of innovation in the industry right now to attract market share, and that's a good thing - I applaud it, but most of us are mature enough to appreciate that this innovation brings with it some risk. Naturally, to the corporation, but in many cases it's borne by the consumer. Then there is EDSO Syndrome - but that's a whole other path we don't want to explore.

I don't buy that as an excuse on why our 2016 4runner with 3rd row seats does not have rear AC vents. That's just lazy and not caring, especially since the GX460 does have them. I love Toyota, but part of me thinks they don't really care, since sales are really good.
 
I don't buy that as an excuse on why our 2016 4runner with 3rd row seats does not have rear AC vents. That's just lazy and not caring, especially since the GX460 does have them. I love Toyota, but part of me thinks they don't really care, since sales are really good.
So what are you saying is the 2016 Toyota 4Runner and the Lexus GX460 are essentially the same vehicles; both offer third row seating; the 4Runner does not provide for HVAC ducting in the third row; and, the GX460 does provide HVAC ducting to the third row. Is that correct? Gosh, I wonder why that might be... o_O

Personally, I too think it's criminal that Toyota failed to include HVAC duct work for an added third row seating to a design that was not originally intended to carry passengers in the rear storage area. The cheek that Toyota Motors had to succumb to the requests from the consumer market to provide safe, secure seating for additional, albeit small, passengers. Now to suffer without sufficient cooling or warming ventilation and hope that the existing system will provide comforting ventilation!? :eek: Think of the children!

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"Evolution not revolution" so how long ago were front electronic lockers introduced? Late 1990's, early 2000's. Or disconnecting sway bars, those were about 2003 that we saw Jeep introduce it to the market right? Heck, Toyota HAS the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDDS) that automatically disconnects the sway bar for you on 4runners and land cruisers, but not a Tacoma TRD PRO!? For an offroad capable vehicle I honestly don't care about sunroofs, 10 way power seats, or an 8 inch infotainment screen that I'm NOT looking at while going over a rock garden and staring at my spotter and the tires. Don't even get me started on having Alexa in the car. I guess what is frustrating is that I love Toyota's, but given that theres a lot of proven technology out there to make their Tacoma TRD Pro's even better that's not being incorporated. I just feel like its a formula for squeezing the most money out of the consumer for the smallest amount of improvement. Like I said earlier in this thread, its just disappointing to not see SOME mechanical improvements.
 
"Evolution not revolution" so how long ago were front electronic lockers introduced? Late 1990's, early 2000's. Or disconnecting sway bars, those were about 2003 that we saw Jeep introduce it to the market right? Heck, Toyota HAS the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDDS) that automatically disconnects the sway bar for you on 4runners and land cruisers, but not a Tacoma TRD PRO!? For an offroad capable vehicle I honestly don't care about sunroofs, 10 way power seats, or an 8 inch infotainment screen that I'm NOT looking at while going over a rock garden and staring at my spotter and the tires. Don't even get me started on having Alexa in the car. I guess what is frustrating is that I love Toyota's, but given that theres a lot of proven technology out there to make their Tacoma TRD Pro's even better that's not being incorporated. I just feel like its a formula for squeezing the most money out of the consumer for the smallest amount of improvement. Like I said earlier in this thread, its just disappointing to not see SOME mechanical improvements.
I don't see a question here as much as I do a complaint, but just in case there was a question, Toyota introduced electrically activated front lockers in the 1993 FZJ80 high pinion front differential to the NA Market; front and rear axle lockers (code K294) were an option. Toyota KDSS does not disconnect the sway bars, they are jointed, allowing separate movement. KDSS optimally adjusts front and rear stabilizers based on a set of interconnected hydraulic cylinders. The interconnection is made up of hydraulic piping and a control cylinder which is located at the frame rail with control automatically activated through sensors and the ECM.

So what I read from your post is that these are all options (sway bar disconnect, front lockers) that you find desirable for a vehicle that you want to use off road. Very reasonable selections. Are you suggesting you are representative of the majority of consumers who purchase, for the sake of this example, a Toyota Tacoma?
 
I don't suggest I represent anyone but myself. When it came down to me choosing my next new vehicle I had a Toyota Tacoma as one of the finalists among the other trucks I was considering, the lack of comparable mechanical features knocked them out of the running. So ultimately I guess my reply is a complaint or statement rather than a question. As much as I would love to purchase a Toyota again, if their not offering the same features that other automakers are for the same price points, then their going to lose out. Going back to what the OP said, I have to agree that it feels like Toyota is omitting features for some of their trim lines when compared to their competitors.
 
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