Best midsize Pickup?

[CorbLand]

Going to pop this thread back up and see if anyone has seen a change in their experiences that originally posted.

I am in the market for a new or newer pickup in 2024. I really like the midsized pickups and dont tow anything heavy enough to need more.

Always been a Toyota fan and currently drive a Gen 1 Tundra. Tried to get a 23 Tacoma last second but nobody had anything in my price range and I dont want to be the first to test the new generation.

Drove a 2020 Ranger the other day and liked it so those are on the list.

Last time I dealt with Nissan I told them I wouldnt own another of their vehicles and I am a man of my word.

Most likely will be buying used. I am generally a buy low miles, drive them to 200K type of person so I am looking for something that will last.

 

[jimh406]

I'm not a small pickup user, but if I was, I'd look at the updated Toyota Tacoma for 2024.

 

[wyogoat]

I have the Canyon AT4 and it’s pretty sweet. I don’t tow much except a drift boat but I truly think it will go anywhere you can get a truck. I almost went to a full size but can’t get away from this one….

 

[CorbLand]

Going to pop this thread back up and see if anyone has seen a change in their experiences that originally posted.

I am in the market for a new or newer pickup in 2024. I really like the midsized pickups and dont tow anything heavy enough to need more.

Always been a Toyota fan and currently drive a Gen 1 Tundra. Tried to get a 23 Tacoma last second but nobody had anything in my price range and I dont want to be the first to test the new generation.

Drove a 2020 Ranger the other day and liked it so those are on the list.

Last time I dealt with Nissan I told them I wouldnt own another of their vehicles and I am a man of my word.

Most likely will be buying used. I am generally a buy low miles, drive them to 200K type of person so I am looking for something that will last.

Also should have added that the wife is bringing kids up more and more so I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with a car seat or two in the back of Tacomas, Rangers and/or Colorado's.

 

[Alaska 4x4 Rentals]

I have a fleet of around 350 vehicles up here in Alaska. About a third of the fleet is trucks. I have both Dodge Ram 1500 and 2500 as well as Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2500's. What I can tell you is that the Rams ride wayyyy better than the Silverado's due to their suspension. Also, most our fleet in Prudhoe bay is Chevy's. I'm not quite sure why, but they seem to do better in the cold weather. I personally drive a Sierra 2500 AT4, but when working, prefer driving the Ram's. We rent out to hundreds of hunters every year for Dalton Highway/Haul road Caribou hunts and its 99% always a Ram with a canopy topper on the back. So the Rams driving from Fairbanks to Prudhoe and back multiple times, they hold up pretty darn well. If you know anything about that road, it's not a smooth one. We put these trucks through the gauntlet up here, so let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

 

[BobbyMac]

I have a fleet of around 350 vehicles up here in Alaska. About a third of the fleet is trucks. I have both Dodge Ram 1500 and 2500 as well as Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2500's. What I can tell you is that the Rams ride wayyyy better than the Silverado's due to their suspension. Also, most our fleet in Prudhoe bay is Chevy's. I'm not quite sure why, but they seem to do better in the cold weather. I personally drive a Sierra 2500 AT4, but when working, prefer driving the Ram's. We rent out to hundreds of hunters every year for Dalton Highway/Haul road Caribou hunts and its 99% always a Ram with a canopy topper on the back. So the Rams driving from Fairbanks to Prudhoe and back multiple times, they hold up pretty darn well. If you know anything about that road, it's not a smooth one. We put these trucks through the gauntlet up here, so let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

What is the average age of your Ram 1500 fleet and are they all 5.7's??

 

[def90]

I bought a base model 4x4 2 door Ford Ranger for a work truck this past July and so far love it. I was just in Orange Beach Al this past week for work and rented a 4x4 4 door Tacoma, wasn't all that impressed, might have been OK with it had I not been driving my Ranger for the last 5 months.

That said.. depending on what you intend to do with it the Tacomas have a ton of aftermarket parts support while there isn't much around for the Rangers. As a stock work truck though that doesn't matter much.

 

[GreyBeck]

I bought my son a ‘21 Tacoma. Love the truck and it’s reliable and drives well. But the mpg is about the same as my f250 duramax. The only other midsize I think I like is the Chevy Colorado and the newer models I think give the taco a run for the money. However if the new Tacoma looks as good as the new Tundras when done right, it may be worth waiting for.

 

[Alaska 4x4 Rentals]

What is the average age of your Ram 1500 fleet and are they all 5.7's??

All my fleet is 2022 or newer. I have a couple 21's. They're several different engines in the mix.

 

[Fever Buck]

Also should have added that the wife is bringing kids up more and more so I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with a car seat or two in the back of Tacomas, Rangers and/or Colorado's.

Absolutely do not get a mid size truck if you have kids in mind. I loved my 2020 Tacoma up until I put a car seat in the back. I’m 6’1” and my wife is 5’7” and I straight up couldn’t fit if the car seat was behind me and my wife’s knees were pushed into the dash if it was behind her. We dealt with it for 1 year until I moved to the Tundra. Significantly more comfortable.

I’d recommend the Tacoma to anyone, mine was perfect and did everything I needed. Just wish it had about 6” more in the back seat. Love my 2024 Tundra though and hope to drive it for as long as I can.

 

[Fever Buck]

Absolutely do not get a mid size truck if you have kids in mind. I loved my 2020 Tacoma up until I put a car seat in the back. I’m 6’1” and my wife is 5’7” and I straight up couldn’t fit if the car seat was behind me and my wife’s knees were pushed into the dash if it was behind her. We dealt with it for 1 year until I moved to the Tundra. Significantly more comfortable.

I’d recommend the Tacoma to anyone, mine was perfect and did everything I needed. Just wish it had about 6” more in the back seat. Love my 2024 Tundra though and hope to drive it for as long as I can.

I’ll also add to this that I bought a 2017 Chevy Colorado and it was the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever driven. Fell apart within the first 50k miles. Sold it for a huge loss and bought the Tacoma.

 

[Duh]

Yeah don’t get a Tacoma if you’re going to put kid seats in the back. We just sold the 4 runner because of the lack of space with two kids.

 

[Bryan720]

I liked my Tacoma TRD Pro up till an axle went out. Dealer covered it under warranty. When it was at the dealer I got a Ranger as a rental.

I was very impressed with how much the Ranger made the Tacoma seem dated. The Ranger was hands down faster, better fuel economy, better interior. I just wish the exterior was not so rounded.

 

[bojangles808]

Also should have added that the wife is bringing kids up more and more so I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with a car seat or two in the back of Tacomas, Rangers and/or Colorado's.

I think you gotta go full size with kids,a mid size is rough with car seats. I traded in a 2021 dc lb tacoma after a week it was so bad. If I was buying a truck rn I'd probably get a sx tundra (the super basic one) in the 45k range. All that new tech is just expensive stuff to break that's not needed imo. If you are paying cash you might be able to pounce on sombody with a newer low miles used truck but if financing usually incentives on the new trucks make buying new for just a little more a better deal.

 

[CorbLand]

Those that have kids, poke holes in my thought process.

I have always been a little worried about a midsize and car seats but have always kind of thought like this. This will be a pickup that I will most likely drive for 20 years, if I buy new, a little less if I buy used. So do you deal with a full size for 20 years because you dont want to deal with a rear facing car seat for 2?

 

[CorbLand]

I think you gotta go full size with kids,a mid size is rough with car seats. I traded in a 2021 dc lb tacoma after a week it was so bad. If I was buying a truck rn I'd probably get a sx tundra (the super basic one) in the 45k range. All that new tech is just expensive stuff to break that's not needed imo. If you are paying cash you might be able to pounce on sombody with a newer low miles used truck but if financing usually incentives on the new trucks make buying new for just a little more a better deal.

Trust me, its been base model of everything. Every dealership I have gone to I have had to explain multiple times that I dont want fancy shit. I want basic because basic doesnt break and when it does, I can fix it myself.

 

[bojangles808]

Those that have kids, poke holes in my thought process.

I have always been a little worried about a midsize and car seats but have always kind of thought like this. This will be a pickup that I will most likely drive for 20 years, if I buy new, a little less if I buy used. So do you deal with a full size for 20 years because you dont want to deal with a rear facing car seat for 2?

For me it's just the space in general, but I was coming from a titan to a Tacoma. I wouldn't expect any adults to be comfortable back there tho. If you've been comfortable in a midsize then it'd probably work for you. And I think mdsize are a little more capable offroad if you spend a lotta time in the woods. If keeping 20 years id certainly go Toyota

 

[Duh]

So I bought my wife a 4Runner limited before we had our first kid. It was fine with 1 kid but sucked when we had our second kid. She came from a Corolla so she wasn’t a snob for wanting a bigger vehicle.

The 4 runner was good at first but we had our second kid and It was just to small inside. We had to take both kids to the ER and she couldn’t sit in the back because the seats were to close together. I know that really bothered her.

I had a crew cab f150 that she liked but it started having major problems so I sold it for a jeep TJ. That really sucks for hauling kids and takes a while to get them loaded up. So that was out of the question for the ER trip.

She really started hating the 4 runner so I just bought her a tundra crew max and all the complaints have stopped haha. No real long term use so far but it’s a hell of a lot less cramped in the cab now. The tundra really isn’t much worse on gas than the 4 runner either (although it’s still horrible).

I’m all about having a mid sized vehicle but I don’t think we’ll move away from the full size truck until the kids are out of the house. However, I’ll keep the Jeep for hunting and they’ll have to suck it up in the back seat.

 

[Bama67]

Wonder if Toyota fixed the God-Awful seating position of the Taco?

I love my Gladiator Rubicon; had it the last couple years and the capability offroad is just amazing. Also, I found the back seat seems to have more leg room than the other midsize trucks. Power of the 3.6 is meh, but not really behind the others until this year, the 8spd does a FAR better job than the prior 5 speed autos. I have no issue with 35" tires on the factory 4.10 gears.

With 3 kids, my F150's and Tundras were a lot more comfortable. But I'm telling you there is nothing like taking the roof and doors off and exploring in the mountains. It magically turns an otherwise boring car ride into an adventure.

That said, I loved my F150 2.7 EcoBoost, it is a little beast that gets insane mpg. I got 25 mpg in a full size 4x4 F150 with 3.73 gears, better than most small trucks, and it would rip off a 5 second 0-60 and tow effortlessly, just a real peach of an engine.
If I had to buy a truck next year it would be the Ranger with the 2.7

 

[CorbLand]

Wonder if Toyota fixed the God-Awful seating position of the Taco?

I love my Gladiator Rubicon; had it the last couple years and the capability offroad is just amazing. Also, I found the back seat seems to have more leg room than the other midsize trucks. Power of the 3.6 is meh, but not really behind the others until this year, the 8spd does a FAR better job than the prior 5 speed autos. I have no issue with 35" tires on the factory 4.10 gears.

With 3 kids, my F150's and Tundras were a lot more comfortable. But I'm telling you there is nothing like taking the roof and doors off and exploring in the mountains. It magically turns an otherwise boring car ride into an adventure.

That said, I loved my F150 2.7 EcoBoost, it is a little beast that gets insane mpg. I got 25 mpg in a full size 4x4 F150 with 3.73 gears, better than most small trucks, and it would rip off a 5 second 0-60 and tow effortlessly, just a real peach of an engine.
If I had to buy a truck next year it would be the Ranger with the 2.7

The Ranger with the 2.7 is one that really intrigues me. I havent seen a price tag for it though.

The 2.7 has proven itself to be pretty reliable.