Let the Downgrades Begin

D

drb77

Well-Known Member
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As shown above, the new '24 SR5 Tacoma is no longer supplied with a Group 27 battery. The smaller Group 24 battery shown is just one more of the lengthy list of downgrades you can expect with the gen 4 design. But if you look closely, you can see that it has the larger tray to accommodate a 27, yet at least the SR5 trim doesn't deserve a stronger power source. To me, it's almost an admission that the larger battery should be there, but the marketing department found yet another way to squeeze the end users. With a smaller spare, smaller battery, no 6-way driver's seat, smaller gas tank, and no engine cover or hood insulation, the list is becoming lengthy. (More engine pics to follow.)
ps. Also, no more Access Cab, maybe the most practical design ever.
 
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Jay asked, "where is the engine oil checkStick on that beast?"
There's that oil dipstick. (But don't ask about a way to easily check the tranny fluid level.)
(I Know, "Don't call me a dipstick, or Shirley either").
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i did ask that!

how does a person with short arms or 'other' even reach at that?
 
drb77 said:
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As shown above, the new '24 SR5 Tacoma is no longer supplied with a Group 27 battery. The smaller Group 24 battery shown is just one more of the lengthy list of downgrades you can expect with the gen 4 design. But if you look closely, you can see that it has the larger tray to accommodate a 27, yet at least the SR5 trim doesn't deserve a stronger power source. To me, it's almost an admission that the larger battery should be there, but the marketing department found yet another way to squeeze the end users. With a smaller spare, smaller battery, no 6-way driver's seat, smaller gas tank, and no engine cover or hood insulation, the list is becoming lengthy. (More engine pics to follow.)
ps. Also, no more Access Cab, maybe the most practical design ever.
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You don't need as much of a draw/juice to spin over a peanut motor.
 
drb77 said:
Yeah right, and that required full synthetic oil makes a huge difference too.
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Yeah, in severe cold synthetic oil makes some difference, but its got mostly to do with less rotating mass the 4 cylinder has. Our prius uses the same group battery, and it lasted over 10 years.
 
drb77 said:
Does "stock" still have a meaning these days?
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It does for me. The engineers do a pretty good job giving you a vehicle that will be reliable for general use. There is always going to be those that think they know more than a team of engineers.
 
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tacojoel said:
It does for me. The engineers do a pretty good job giving you a vehicle that will be reliable for general use. There is always going to those that think they know more than a team of engineers.
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Aha yes, a team of engineers. Well I are one for the past 48 yr. And I've had the privilege of cleaning up the mess directly caused by 'registered professional engineers' several times in my career. There are duds in every profession. (And I'd bet Toyo has at least a few.) While the image & reputation of engineers in general are among the highest, there have been some monumental and catastrophic failures scripted by engineers.
ps. BTW, I'm not an automotive engineer.
 
Somewhere I read that the reason the Access Cab trim was deleted on the 4th gen Tacoma was because the side crash test results were too low w/o the center door pillar. Shown below, apparently, Nissan doesn't think it's a problem.
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drb77 said:
Aha yes, a team of engineers. Well I are one for the past 48 yr. And I've had the privilege of cleaning up the mess directly caused by 'registered professional engineers' several times in my career. There are duds in every profession. (And I'd bet Toyo has at least a few.) While the image & reputation of engineers in general are among the highest, there have been some monumental and catastrophic failures scripted by engineers.
ps. BTW, I'm not an automotive engineer.
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While I don't have a bs degree, just an as in electrical, but its not always right to blame the engineers for faulty products. The bean counters in the front office have a lot to do with how well a product lasts, by always trying to find ways to cut costs.
 
drb77 said:
Somewhere I read that the reason the Access Cab trim was deleted on the 4th gen Tacoma was because the side crash test results were too low w/o he center door pillar. Shown below, apparently, Nissan doesn't think it's a problem.
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Never heard that, only that there were not enough requests for toyota access cabs due to the limited room for any extra passengers. Dealers told me 9 out 10 that come looking for a tacoma prefer the 4 door double cab type.
 
Others out there want them and cannot find them
I was told that in a parking lot
 
tacojoel said:
Never heard that, only that there were not enough requests for toyota access cabs due to the limited room for any extra passengers. Dealers told me 9 out 10 that come looking for a tacoma prefer the 4 door double cab type.
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Yep, I heard that too. So if the Access Cab was so unpopular, why even offer the "new and improved" Xtra Cab w/ the fold-down passenger seat?
I just can't stop thinking the switch (backward) is really just about the profit margin.
 
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