In market for new truck

[wildforager]

Hello,
I am in the market for a new truck and am considering the following 2010 models:
Tacoma, Frontier, and Silverado 1500 XFE

The Silverado looks like a great buy, and is very comparable to the mid-sized trucks as far as MPG.

I love the Tacoma. I need a truck that can haul my ATV, which will be used for some occasional off-road use. Mostly just for getting to ATV trails. I may need to be able to tow a camper, or 2nd ATV as well.

I am having trouble deciding between TRD off-road, or TRD sport. The hood scoop looks cool, but what is the advantage of it? Also, what is the mpg difference between the two?

I'm not sure I totally understand the difference between the two packages. The sport seems more for street driving. Does this mean it cannot handle occasional off-road use?

Thanks.

[MikeNH]

The hood scoop looks cool, but that's it. It's non functional as the airbox sill pulls air from the fender. I don't think there is a difference in MPG. You can certainly take the Sport off-road, it's just not as well equipped for it. Being that is has 17" wheels, there is a bit less sidewall so you may be more likely to ding the rim. The biggest difference of course is you loose the locker for the rear axle.

As for your choices, both the Toyota and the Nissan are good trucks, for me it just came down to the Toyota dealer being more willing to work with me to get what I wanted. The XFE Silverado is going to be a stripped down model with a smaller V8, tall highway gears in the axles so performance will suffer, and it's going to have horrible, low rolling resistance tires. I'd pass.

[wildforager]

Originally Posted by MikeNH

The XFE Silverado is going to be a stripped down model with a smaller V8, tall highway gears in the axles so performance will suffer, and it's going to have horrible, low rolling resistance tires. I'd pass.

Thanks for the info. I will pass on the Silverado. Toyota is having a great financing deal right now. The other issue is that the Nissan dealers don't have any Frontiers in stock. I'm not sure why that is, but I want to test drive some, and have not had the opportunity to test the new ones.

How are you with the comfort of the cab in the Tacoma? I'm a small guy, only about 130lbs @ 5'7", so I am usually OK where others are not. I fit in my RAV4 nicely, but most of my friends are not comfy.

I think I go with the off-road version b/c of the locking diff.

[MikeNH]

Originally Posted by wildforager

Thanks for the info. I will pass on the Silverado. Toyota is having a great financing deal right now. The other issue is that the Nissan dealers don't have any Frontiers in stock. I'm not sure why that is, but I want to test drive some, and have not had the opportunity to test the new ones.

How are you with the comfort of the cab in the Tacoma? I'm a small guy, only about 130lbs @ 5'7", so I am usually OK where others are not. I fit in my RAV4 nicely, but most of my friends are not comfy.

I think I go with the off-road version b/c of the locking diff.

You'll be fine up front. I'm around 6' and 270-280 or so and I'm just fine in there. About the only sort of strike against in-cab room is the back. It's more comfortable than the Nissan was but it's still a bit tight. Also, I've had a friends kid in the back, he's 5 and still in a normal kid seat as I guess he's a bit too small to step up to a booster seat (I don't have kids so I have no idea what the rules are for that stuff ) and if you were to put him behind me, with my seat almost all the way back his feet would be into the seatback. I'm more concerned with keeping the interior nice, but I imagine it's not the most comfortable setup for the little guy either. So when he's been in the truck he sits in the passenger side with the passenger seat slid forward a fair bit. I know tons of guys on here have kids in the back but I don't see it working well for someone my size. At least not once the kids are a bit bigger.

[rey830]

Well, being on a Toyota forum we are pretty much bias if your looking for an opinion. I can tell you why I chose. I have owned Toyota's all my life. They have always proven to be dependable, reliable, and I like the way it looked. The frontier looks nice to, you should go on a Nissan form and ask owners why they chose. In the end, if you take care of your vehicle, whichever you go with, change the oil, fix things when they are small, most cars nowadays will last you at least a decade, probably longer. So, the more important thing is to ask how long you want to keep it, and what you will do with it. I love snowboarding in mammoth, and am always hauling stuff. So, I wanted 4x4, I liked the off road package with tow, foglights, I liked the color, I am installing a CB radio, its basically everything I wanted in a truck. And thats going to be your most important factor-are you happy with it?

[wildforager]

I went with a black taco.

[HoosierTacoma08]

Originally Posted by wildforager

I went with a black taco.

Congrats man! We need some pics!