I recently decided to trade in my 2003 Toyota Tacoma and get a newer, bigger truck. It had a manual transmission and four wheel drive, and I decided that I’d rather have an automatic transmission in two wheel drive, plus I needed a little more room. I briefly considered a Chevy or GMC full-size, the Dodge Ram 1500, and even had a good deal lined up on a used 2004 Ford F-150, but ultimately I decided to stick with the Toyota because they hold their value better and let’s face it – they’re better. My predicament was that I could not decide on whether to get a new Tundra or one of the newly redesigned Tacomas. For the V6 models, both trucks are just about the same price, so my only choice was to test drive the hell out of both of them and then make a final decision. I went with the 2005 Tacoma. This review explains why.

Toyota has been using the same body style for the Tundra since they debuted back in 1999. There have been a few minor cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior of the vehicle, but for the most part they haven’t changed in six years, other than this year’s model having a bigger V6. The dealership told me that Toyota will finally debut a new body style for 2006. This creates a problem. If you own a 2005 Tundra, it will be considered ‘the old style’ by the end of next year. It won’t matter if your truck is only a year old, because the new ones will look different. This will hurt the value and demand for the older Tundras, not by much, of course, but it will make a difference. I bought my 2005 Tacoma knowing that for at least the next few years, it will still look pretty much like the new ones.

I bought my 2003 Tacoma from the same dealership as I was dealing with for these 2005 trucks, so I had a trust established with them. When I went to the lot to look at the extended cab Tacomas, they didn’t have any available, but said one would be in the next day. Since I was already there, I test drove a double cab Tacoma and two different extended cab Tundras. They even let me take one Tundra to keep overnight to check out while they inspected by Tacoma for the trade-in value. Not like that was really necessary, but they let me do it anyway since they obviously would rather sell me a more expensive Tundra than a slightly cheaper Tacoma.

The Tundra I test drove wasn’t a bottom of the line model, but pretty close. It was an Access Cab (extended cab) SR5 model with a 245 hp 4.0l Vvt-I Engine, 5-speed automatic transmission, power everything, and Timberland Mica (dark green) in color. This one did have a few upgrades to the exterior, including aluminum wheels, chrome strips on the fenders, and a custom gold tape strip. It also included the $349 Vehicle Shield Package that included a lusterizing sealant, sound shield, sealant cleaner, and rental assistance. The interior was dark gray and featured the 60/40 bench seat and the basic 4-speaker CD stereo that has got to be one of the worst factory systems I have ever heard. Talk about suck! The MSRP on this one was $25,178 but there is currently a $1500 cash back or 0% interest for 60 months incentive.

On the outside, the Tundra is not a bad looking truck, but I’ve always thought it needed a little something extra. The hood has a big rounded slope in the front and it needs some kind of accents to spice it up. The cab is also quite big and looks sort of bubbly with how it sticks up. The optional body side molding does help out the look of the vehicle from the side, but the front end needs more chrome besides the strips on the grill. Basically, the Toyota needs to kick the Tundra up a notch, Emeril-style. Want to know something funny? The salesman told me the new Tundras are going to be ugly. Bam! And if you happen to come across the Tundra with a stepside bed, you’ll laugh at how stupid it looks.

The other Tundra I test drove was a dark blue one with basically the same features but it had the bucket seats (aka ‘captain chairs’) instead of the 60/40 bench seat. One of the main things that turned me off about the Tundra was the interior design. The 60/40 bench seat was great and there was tons of leg room in the front, plus the center console can be folded up to allow a smaller person to sit in the middle. However, a headrest is included on the middle part of the bench and it blocks you from being able to get to anything in the back seat. I like to keep stuff like hats, umbrellas, and CD cases in the back of my truck, and I could not do that with the bench seat on a Tundra. Not cool. The bucket seats were comfortable and allowed better access to the back of the truck, but the problem was they included this dinky little armrest that wasn’t level with the armrest built into the door and thus not very comfortable. As for the rest of the interior, it was all a little on the plain side and didn’t have any outstanding or cool features worth mentioning.

One of the reasons why I chose the Tacoma over the Tundra was for the space inside. The back seat on the Tundra Access Cab was a lot more plush than the Tacoma, but still not very comfortable thanks to the rigid non-adjustable seat back. The bigger seats really just take up more space than needed, leaving you with about the same amount of rear storage as you’d get with the Tacoma. While the Tundra might look like it’s substantially bigger, there isn’t that much of a difference. From the headroom, legroom, shoulder room, and even the overall length, the difference between the 2005 Tundra and the 2005 Tacoma can be measured in inches. Check out these numbers:

2005 Toyota Tundra
Front Head Room: 40.3 in.
Front Hip Room: 59.3 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 62.4 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.5 in.

2005 Toyota Tacoma
Front Head Room: 39.9 in.
Front Hip Room: 53.6 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 57.7 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.7 in.

The only real noticeable difference is with the hip (5.7 inches) and shoulder (4.7 inches) room and that number should be cut in half since it applies toward the overall width and would effect both front passengers. There’s less than half an inch difference with the head and leg room! You’d never be able to tell just by sitting inside.

Before I ever set foot on the dealership lot, I read plenty of reviews on both the new Tundras and Tacomas. One thing I read about the Tundra was how well it rides and handles and I must agree that Tundra drives just like a car. The ride inside is very quiet and smooth and it takes potholes and railroads tracks like a Cadillac. The 4.0l V6 has more than enough power to scoot you down the road and acceleration was great even though I never tried to redline it and see what it could really do. I even test drove a used 2003 Tundra with a V8 and it drove like a sports car. I knew I’d get in trouble with that thing and quickly handed the keys back to the salesman.

In conclusion, I will say that the Tundras are great trucks, but right now they aren’t the best choice. With the new models coming out next year, you might be able to score a great deal on one since the dealerships will be wanting to get rid of them, so maybe if you wait a little while longer Toyota will over a higher cash back incentive on them. I really liked the Tundra, but for the money and features, the Tacoma is the better buy if you are looking for a six-cylinder truck.

My review of the 2005 Tacoma: http://www.epinions.com/content_188509884036
Amount Paid (US$): 25128
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: SR5 V6 Automatic