re: Just got rid of my 2019 Tacoma TRD Off Road: My unsolicited review

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When Im paying 45k for a mid size truck, I expect it to have AT LEAST comparable features to the full size trucks. Instead, you get around half of the features, and lets be honest, that 3.5 engine and transmission aren't that reliable .

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I agree in expecting all of the full sized truck amenities in a smaller package for $45K.....but I disagree on the engine. I don't think any of the mid sized truck engines are unreliable with the possible exception of the 2.3L turbo 4 cylinder used in the Ford Ranger.

The Frontier 3.8L V6 is fairly new, but it's a VQ based engine so I'm sure it's fine. The 3.6L V6 in the Colorado had some teething issues until they changed the timing system in 2014 (before they even started putting them in the Colorado). All the 4 cylinder naturally aspirated options available from Nissan, Chevy, and Toyota are weak but reliable. The 3.5L Tacoma engine may not be as bulletproof as the old 4.0L V6, but it's a reliable motor. Cabbies use that engine in Camry's and Siennas and run them for several hundred thousand miles of hard use.

I give the Tacoma bonus points for having a manual transmission even though the 3.5L V6 is a little underpowered for a double cab 4x4 truck - and feels so when mated to the automatic transmission.

You'd better like the 3.5L if you are a Toyota fan. Rumor is that the next gen 4Runner, Sequioa, and Tundra are all getting a turbocharged variant of that engine instead of the 5.7L V8.