29th Oct 2006, 18:57

Uh... A Toyota Tacoma is DEFINITELY not a real truck, especially next to a Silverado. HELLO! It doesn't even have a V8! There is absolutely NO comparison between the two. We once carried over 2 and 1/2 tons of gravel in our 3/4 ton Chevy pickup, without any problems. Find ANY Toyota Tacoma that can do that, and you'll have a REAL truck.

30th Oct 2006, 14:51

A guy at work has a 2004 Tacoma, and is very proud of it. I don't know why, because it has no power, won't go up a hill without downshifting two gears, and he needs to give it gas until the engine roars before it has enough power to shift to the next gear.

At idle, it feels and sounds like a Toro 2-cycle lawnmower, making the whole cab shake. Not to mention that the cab is cramped and your arms or legs are always bumping into something, and he goes through a set of tires every 20,000 miles. If this is what people think makes Toyota so great, I will have to admit that I just don't get it.

30th Oct 2006, 17:23

There surely is no comparison. Pull into any garage in the country and ask any mechanic how many Toyota's he works on every week, and how many Chevrolet's he works on every week. The answer is very few Toyota's and MANY Chevy's. I'm sure that somebody pretending to be a mechanic will try to say otherwise, but it just isn't true. Yeah, if you're going to overload your truck with gravel, buy a Silverado. So what? How often do you really need to haul two and half tons of anything? I don't need a v-8, and with the mileage being close to twice as good as a Silverado, whenever I need gravel, I'll have it DELIVERED in a dumptruck, thereby not ruining my own truck, and being much further ahead with money than if I bought a truck with a v-8 to drive everywhere, just in case I ever want to haul gravel. And I don't know where you guys come up with this stuff about Tacoma's riding badly. Do they ride stiffer than a Chevy? Yes. But to me, that is what a truck is supposed to ride like, not a Bonneville. And that stiffer ride lets you feel how tightly and precisely built a Tacoma is. Not so with the Chevy. It feels sloppy because it is sloppy.

30th Oct 2006, 21:07

If you can afford a Silverado you can afford gas. I just drove mine from the northeast down to Florida and back. Its very roomy, comfortable and if you set the cruise it's a very nice long distance cruiser. I have found that both in full size cars and full size trucks they hold up better, are more versatile are safer in an accident and you get out relaxed and comfortable. I would rather drive my 50,000 miles in each new truck with comfort and have everything I would ever want in a pickup at all times. I do tow and sometimes use the full load capacity and still its comfortable. I cannot see thrift coming before 100% usability.

31st Oct 2006, 01:53

Where do Toyota owners get the idea that V-8 powered trucks get so much worse gas mileage than 6 banger Tacoma's? I have a Ram Hemi, 5.7 liters, 345hp, and I get 16 to 17mpg out of nearly every tank full. My driving is almost all highway, with the cruise set. I would be willing to bet that you get only 18 to 20mpg, best case, out of the Tacoma 6 banger. So, to argue how great a difference there is in mpg is not valid.

31st Oct 2006, 15:14

There is NO WAY that a 5.7 Hemi gets only 2 m.p.g. less than my v-6 Tacoma. My last truck was a Dodge with a 318, which I owned for 90,000 miles, and it never got better than 14-16 m.p.g, city/highway. OK, MAYBE a little better than that if I nursed it on the highway. I can run my Tacoma like a racecar and it NEVER gets worse than 22 m.p.g. city, and at least 25 m.p.g. if I take it easy on the highway. I think that is definitely a valid argument. That's a huge difference in gas mileage.

31st Oct 2006, 19:51

The new 5.7 Hemi would surprise you. Because of the variable displacement system (MDS), which doesn't run all 8 cylinders unless the computer says you need the extra power, the 5.7 Hemi is rated at 17 city/25 highway.

1st Nov 2006, 01:57

You do not get 25mpg out of your 6-banger Tacoma. Typical though of a Toyota owner, having to make up numbers to make themselves feel better about paying so much and getting so little. I have had many 6-banger trucks in my life, and none of them ever got 25mpg. Oh, and you definitely do not drive down hill every mile with the truck in neutral!

1st Nov 2006, 07:23

First of all I need to make a clarification for everyone concerning the Toyota Tacoma. The Tacoma was redesigned in 2005, a MAJOR redesign actually that uses a different motor/tranny among other things. So anyone referencing an 2004 or earlier Tacoma is actually talking about a different design. Now let me share my personal experiences with a 2003 Chevy Silverado and 2005 Toyota Tacoma.

I own, and have posted a review, on a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. Mine is very fast. The V6 puts out 236HP stock + the TRD exhaust I had installed that adds another 10HP for a total of about 246HP on mine. Now that's a lot of Ponies for a 6 Banger! The truck is a mid sized, big enough to haul whatever a non-construction worker would need to haul. And the quality, well with 19000 miles on the odometer let's just say I know it's a Toyota. :)

Now I use a 2003 Silverado at work. Truth is the Silverado rides like a car, nicest ride of any truck I've driven. The stock V8 will lay tire, and would probably sound awesome with some performance pipes on it. However one of the thin doors has literally fallen off this truck, long story, but it WAS a design defect and GM fixed it. The cheap plastic interior is well, GM. And the truck has had numerous mechanic problems including an oil leak, defective Airbag, and DOA A/C system. Concerning the quality, I know it's a GM. : (

In a nutshell, Toyota still makes a better product. Mine Tacoma is my first Toyota, I've also owned Fords, GMs, and even a Dodge. There really is no comparison when it comes to quality, fit, and finish. GMs are just poorly built with cheap materials. Toyotas are the exact opposite, which was the FIRST thing I noticed. Plus both are made in America by Americans. Yes the Tacoma is built in America!

The GM diehards are trying to compare a Midsized Toyota truck to a full-sized Chevy. If you want a REAL comparison put the Tacoma up against the Colorado OR the Silverado up against the Tundra. Then you guys can argue about V8s and hauling capacities.