I was wondering if anyone out there was a Frontier or Tacoma owner that could tell me what they think of their truck. I am looking at buying either the Nismo Frontier King Cab 4x4 or the 4x2 Pre-Runner Double Cab V6 (Canadian). With the price of gas being where they are around $1.05-1.10 per litre, these pick-ups look very good to me. I just was wondering if anyone could post their thoughts or post some points that could help my decision, anything really. Thanks,.

 

I had a 2001 Tacoma 4x4 double cab for 3 years and 66k miles with not a single problem. It was a great truck.. The "05" look like their even bigger then the "01" I had. Gas mileage was ok but not great with the V6. I don't think you can go wrong with either a Toyota or a Nissan and comes down to personal preferance and appearance of the trucks,, Good luck with what ever one you choose. If I where looking for a Mid-sized truck again I would defenitly go with another Tacoma,,, Just my thoughts,,,

 

Thanks,. Yes on Toyota's website they claim to get very good gas milage better than all other trucks minus the 5cyl. Canyon and Colorado. But from what I have read they are not as good on gas as they say. I just drove a Dodge Hemi 1500 Ram Yesterday with gas prices over $1.10 and it is terrible.

 

Unless you need what the Nissan and the Toyota offer, consider also the Ranger, as well as the GM, and I guess, the Dodge, products. The steering and driving feel differs among the various small trucks. Steering, and hand vs foot emergency brakes, to me seem the biggest differences between the various brands (assuming an abscence of brand loyalty) if all you need is basic transportation (versus racing, towing, off road capability, driving in snow or mud infested roads, etc). Reliability really seems hit or miss between brands. Also, consider the reputation of local mechanics for which ever brand you choose.

 

I have had domestic trucks in the past and do not like them. Plus I am towing a boat, and a trailer alot of the time. I do live in rural Canada so mud roads and snow covered roads occur quite frequently. I really had narrowed it down to these two trucks and just wanted some feed back to see if anyone had any points that would help my decision.

 

My brother drives only Toyota trucks as he drives ranchers all day and he considers a Toyota mandatory. He does not have a new one. His 94 now has 154,000 miles on it as of two weeks ago and he has the v6, 3.4. So far, the repair bills have not been too bad. He won't consider a new one though because of the required premium fuel for optimum performance. One of my subcontractors has a new frontier and has had no issues with it. It will move when pushed and uses regular gas producing 265 HP. If I were buying, I would give the Frontier a very serious look. The downside to the Fronty might be resale value as compared to the Toyota. Toyota still has a very good ranking quality wise but they are slipping. They have had a lot of issues with the new Tacoma. The beds are plastic and will break especially if you are hauling a motorcycle or such. The cabs have been coming loose from the frames. The exhaust pipe on the 4x4s runs under the frame at the driver seat exposing it to damage if offroading. Might want to stop by the website tundrasolutions.com for info on the Tacoma.
http://p085.ezboard.com/btunfs This will get you to the Frontier info. If Ford had a midsize pickup, I would be in the market for one. The Frontier might be coming out next year with their 1.7L diesel engine that makes lots of torque and gets around 33 mpgs hiway. They already make this truck in Britain and it is called the Navara. Hopefully they offer it here as it is one great engine. You will also find that the Q series V6 engine in the Fronty is on the Ten Best Engines list worldwide. The tranny is the same one that is in the Titan so if it can hold the 5.6 V8, it should be bulletproof behind the V6. You will need to drive both to find the right truck for you. What works for me won't necessarily be the best for you.
Best of luck.

 

A friend of mine at church got a 4x4 Double Cab Taco and get 18mpg's out of it. That was at 15K miles, but such a hefty brick on wheels with a 4.0L v6 probably ain't getting much better mileage at 34K miles now.

My other friend's I5 Colorado gets about 24mpg's on the highway. 2wd Xcab Z85.

My 2.3L Ranger gets upwards of 30mpg's on the highway. Since the 06 2.3L SuperCab Ranger would be the smallest truck of what's on the comparable market, that might be themost fuel-efficient as well.

 

Well if you had domestic trucks before and you didn't like them, then coming to a Ford site might not be your best bet. I'm not sure but I would guess that Toyota and Nissan have similair sites.

 

I have a 2001 Tacoma, 4x4, extracab, SR5, 5spd. I absolutely love it. I did briefly consider trading it in on a new F250 PSD, but only because of the employee pricing stuff. In the end, I am glad that I kept the Tacoma.
I have 70k on it, and have had absolutely no problems. I do 'use' it for hauling stuff and off-roading (no aftermarket stuff though). The 4wd is incredible. I have never, ever been even close to stuck.
The ride is nice, although the cab is a bit tight for me (6'3, 200lbs). The mpgs are good to great (relative to trucks): I average around 18-19, and can easily get up to 24 highway at 55mph. Going 70-75 is around 19, with a cap and stuff in the back.
The only thing I don't like about it is sometimes it does feel underpowered. Driving in the mountains it is especially noticeable. But, that is the tradeoff for the mpgs I guess.
Also, the low range is extremely low.
Hope that helps!

 

If you have not been close to stuck you are not goin to the right places

 

We have a fleet of Rangers and acquired 6 Nissan Frontiers last year.

For the most part, the Rangers are 4-cylinder automatic trans as are the Frontiers.
Don't have a lot of troubles with either models. The Frontier rides rougher (stiffer) than the Ranger and the fuel economy is about the same.

The last new Rangers we got earlier this year are all 3.0 6-cylinder models and do use more fuel.

Russ

 

Bagger,

I have no intention of starting a 'discussion' between the two of us, but why in the world would you accuse me of not "goin [sic] to the right places", and therefore by extension not knowing what I am talking about and/or not having a valid opinion? How do you know where I have driven?

For everyone's information, I have driven some off-road parks, but the majority of my off-road driving is for practical purposes. I have a cabin in remote, northern Minnesota. I have driven the two miles back to it in the dead of winter with 2+ feet of snow on the ground. I have driven back there in spring when all that snow is melting and it is quite muddy. I have driven far back into the woods to pull trees out, through the mud and bog.

No, I don't take my truck to off-road parks with the intention of getting it stuck. But I do think that I have used my truck in 'real world' situations far more than most, and as such have a very informed opinion about its capabilities.

The bottom line is that I do not believe there is another truck on the market that can match the capability of the Tacoma.

 

hockeyfan4,
What are you planning on using the vehicle for?

 

i test drove an o5' double cab tacoma v6, and was not impressed-it sounded unimpressive under acceleration. (edited - BigF350)

 

Dude, chill did you not notice the smile face.