Urban Drivers... How about a review from some of you.

[sheeter]

How do the Tacomas handle in the city? Big cities! Such as Boston, Philladelphia, Chigaco, St. Louis, etc... You know what kind of driving I'm talking about. Stop-Go-Right 90 degrees-Left 90 degrees-LOOK OUT!!! @$#%&^ (almost...) You know what I mean. Manouverability, vision, etc...

[Taco Surf]

I live in LA and go to Staples Center a lot for Clip/Laker games. Manuvering is no problem, but pararel parking and trying to fit in those lots with lil spaces is a pain. Thats the only drawback. I did however install the panamirrors from performance products and it has helped.

http://www.performanceproducts4truck...me=Panomirrors

[pointerDixie214]

Where in Florida are you? I have unfortunately driven my Tacoma in Miami, Orlando and Tampa's rush hours and down towns... handled it great (much better than its owner). Like was said above, hard to parallel park, but much better than a full size for city life...

[Coastgardsman]

I live in Corpus Christi and work downtown. Only probs i have at times is the sharp turn into a parking space or sticking out more than usual in a parking area. But i figure its becase its the 4 door long bed.

[elwinna]

I live right in Miami so most of my driving is on the interstate highways with some city streets. The truck handles great, especially when you have to react to other drivers' unpredictable and erratic moves. I don't ever have to parallel park but I've found maneuvering is much easier backing up into parking spots and down my narrow driveway. So far I haven't found a parking garage too low either (no lift but I have a prerunner). I have oem bridgestones and handling has been fine on wet pavement or dry. I've never felt the truck act unstable at all.

Edit: Oh, and additionally I should mention I had a small sports car (Geo Storm) for 16 years so I was used to a small turning radius and being able to get into small places. The adjustment for me has been really easy because the truck handles so well. I do have to remember to pull up a little further before I turn so I don't hit curbs but thats because the truck is about 3 ft longer than my car was! U-turns are a breeze too...tight radius.

[jacksnodgrass]

I have removed all of the headrest execept for the drivers to increase
visability. When I do have a passenger, I put the headrest back in....
or I tell them to "just sit real low and keep your head down."

jack

[Calculus]

SF and LA experience here. Under normal driving conditions, I think the Tacoma is fine. I just have to go with the flow and occasionally use the truck's size advantage to merge etc... The bigger car wins mentality.

Strategic maneuvering, no way. In my opinion, the visibility in tight situations is poor at best in these trucks. But hey, that's par for the course.

[NuJerseydrive]

i live in Union City, NJ about 5 mins from the Lincoln Tunnel and 7 mins from the Holland Tunnel. I'm in NYC at least every other weekend and it's a blast driving the Taco there. The roads are full of potholes so it feels like I'm wheelin all the time

I was a bit weary about it's size at first but after some time I've gotten used to it. The turning radius is actually better than my last car which was a 2000 Nissan Maxima. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Parallel parking? Just like anything else you get used to it. I actually look forward to tight spots just to get the skills up even more. The vision is decent just as long as you make the effort to not only use the mirrors but also turning your head.

Overall it handles pretty good and it's launch is quick if need be.

I <3 my Taco.

[amp2oo1]

I live right outside Chicago and drive all over the suburbs and the city. Its nicer than when I had my Honda b/c people tend to let me through more since I am bigger than they are(and they have more to lose with their benz, bmw, audi, etc...)

MPG suffers though... I usually only average 16 or so... but I didnt buy it for the MPG so I dont really care. I never have a problem fitting it anywhere or in any parking spots. The only thing that ever concerns me is when it is parked somewhere that stupid people can jack with it... other than that no problems with the urban driving

[Toyogook]

My turning radius garners the envy of Ram truck owners everywhere.

[NWTaco]

Dallas here. Pretty much the same as what everyone else said. Handles great but parallel parking isn't the easiest. The size advantage is always a plus too!

[JoeTaco]

Sheeter, are you coming from a car or a truck? Turning radius is great and parallel parking is really easy, but then again, I'm coming from other trucks. Brakes are good and the gas isn't too touchy, but you will get crappy gas mileage in the city. If this is your first truck, it will sometimes feel big, slow, mushy, ponderous, whatever, but bottomline, its in your head because it feels fine for people that regularly drive both cars and trucks. Plus, you're up high.
Note 1: I have also removed the rear headrests and it really improves visibility out the back. I'm glad somebody mentioned it, jacksnodgrass.
Note 2: Its not that St. Louis is too crowded, the drivers (and the roads) are just really bad!

[sheeter]

I have a 2000 Dakota, club cab V8, 2WD. So I'm familiar with a truck. It's just that I'm just outside of Orlando. Home to second best roads in the nation. The roads are flat, (as the state) no potholes whatsoever. And most of my driving is highway. I am a native St. Louisan though, moved 6 months after I bought the truck. Even then, I was driving in the outer suburbs. Roads haven't decayed there yet. But I'm quite ready to move back, had enough sun, and miss being in a compact, Eastern city. Only problem with drivers here is lane changing, if there's a space open, zip, it'll be filled if the other driver thinks he'll gain a whole car length. heh. That's right about St. Louis roads being bad. Every year when "pothole season" starts, the local news always has their obligatory report. Cars with blown tires, bent and broken rims, suspension damage and the booming alignment business. Thanks for the reviews.

[ThunderStruck1]

DC-Baltimore-Chicago-Milwaukee.

Indeed turning radius is great. Parking underground or in tight spaces will be challenging but except for the antenna, you should be able to get out without a scratch from those places. My preferred clearance is 6'8". I won't park inside anything lower than that.

A blindspot mirror will be useful especially in city traffic. I can't see Miata's and other small cars beside the truck especially when one is right beneath the passenger side mirror. Gotta be extra careful when changing lanes or merging.

Blindspot when making a tight left turn - A-pillar and the driver-side rear view mirror obstructs the view. Must watchout more for pedestrians when making left turns.

[PiercedTiger]

No real BIG city experience here, but I came from a Corolla dwarfed by the truck and did not change much about how I drive. I had to get used to the size of the truck, and where it would fit. Now that I'm used to it I bob n weave through traffic and city streets with no problems. Hell, if I hit a pothole or curb it doesn't really matter. The truck just plows over it! lol As for parallel parking, I actually find it as easy as the car if not easier. That part surprised me.

I drive in upstate NY so it's not city driving, but it seems people here either go 10-15mph over the limit (like me) or 10-15 below the limit. So I'm constantly slowing down, looking for passing zones, or having downshift in the city for someone doing 20mph. Good thing is my 6 speed can handle dropping down to 25mph and accelerate slowly without leaving 6th. So that cuts down the amount of shifting in slow traffic. It's smooth so I don't mind popping it in nuetral and letting out the clutch at lights, or creeping through construction zones.

Oh, and the great part is the truck is higher than most vehicles (cars and smaller trucks) so I can usually see over or around at least 1 car ahead of me to anticipate the road ahead.