The truth about the 4G Tacoma

[JJ Rex]

My experience with the TRD Off-Road Premium 6M/T of 2025

I want to share my honest experience with my Tacoma TRD Off-Road Premium 2025 (manual transmission) in bronze rust color. To be honest, these are the weak points:

The gas tank is too small! The autonomy is clearly insufficient for a medium-sized truck.

Fuel Consumption (MPG): I'm getting about 18 MPG combined, which is almost the same as my 2007 Silverado with 300,000 miles.

The back seat is very uncomfortable. And I'm only 1.68 m tall, so that's already saying a lot.

Engine noise: It makes a little noise, and I don't mean the tires. I hear a distinctive rattle or tapping every time I step on the accelerator.

Manual transmission: The first and second gear are too short!

But here comes the most surprising thing: I love driving this truck. It's really addictive and incredibly well equipped. The SDM (Stabilizer Disconnection Mechanism) is simply incredible: it makes a big difference off-road.

In addition, the bronze rust color looks even better in person. I wouldn't trade this backpack for anything in the world! It is compact and agile. I've been touring the Appalachians for the last few weeks and it handles wonderfully.

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[Miqie]

I'll be back after my Babbel lesson.

 

[MustardTiger]

Translated:

My Experience with the 2025 TRD Off-Road Premium 6M/T
I want to share my honest experience with my 2025 Tacoma TRD Off-Road Premium (manual transmission) in Bronze Oxide. To be honest, here are the weak points:
The gas tank is too small! The range is clearly insufficient for a midsize truck.
Fuel Economy (MPG): I'm getting around 18 MPG combined, which is about the same as my 2007 Silverado with 300,000 miles.
The back seat is very uncomfortable. And I'm only 5'6", so that's saying something.
Engine Noise: It's a bit noisy, and I'm not talking about the tires. I hear a distinct clatter or knocking sound every time I hit the gas.
Manual Transmission: First and second gears are too short!
But here's the most surprising thing: I love driving this truck. It's truly addictive and incredibly well-equipped. The SDM (Stabilizer Disconnect Mechanism) is simply amazing—it makes a huge difference off-road.

Plus, the bronze oxide color looks even better in person. I wouldn't trade this backpack for anything! It's compact and agile. I've been hiking the Appalachians for the past few weeks, and it handles beautifully.

 

[Wife bought my 24 TRD]

I love the color as well, don't feel bad, add some weight and you will be wishing for the 18 mpg. I'm lucky to get a combined 14 mpg.
I agree with you on the size of the gas tank, way too small, but that’s just another way to make these more fuel efficient for EPA regulations. Luckily auxiliary gas tanks are being released.

 

[BCPuma]

You nailed it on the fuel range and economy. I traded a 5.0 V8 Ford F-150 for mine and it got 21 mpg and had around a 360 mile range. But the Tacoma is light yrs better as far as the drive goes.

 

[tech456]

People have traced that rattle or tapping noise to heatshield overlap under the truck near the cat. The edge of one just needs to be bent slightly so they don't touch and rattle.

 

[BLtheP]

1st gear is short, but I don't know why anybody would complain about 2nd gear being too short. If anything, it's too tall and we just don't have a high redline. Tall 2nd gears (not talking about ours) are super annoying at low speeds because the engine wants to bog down and barely move. The previous gen had a 23% taller 2nd gear with a V6 that had more off idle torque than we do, and it was brutal. Glad you like the truck overall, though.

I like mine, I do wish the redline could be higher and I wish I had a bit more power when the turbo isn't going....overall it drives great. I am eventually going to 5.29 gears and will have a super short 1st gear but a 2nd gear that I really like.

I concur on the fuel tank, I don't care about the mpg or the backseat though. The fuel tank size is just plain stupid.

 

[Will721]

People have traced that rattle or tapping noise to heatshield overlap under the truck near the cat. The edge of one just needs to be bent slightly so they don't touch and rattle.

I assumed he meant the direct injection rattle. Which is quite annoying.



As far as the rest, the small gas tank is the one I agree with most. I'm getting better mpg than that, but having to fill up all the time sucks. With my daily commute, I can only drive to work and back about 7 times. Which would be fine, but I also don't live in town. Any detour, or hardware store run and suddenly I'm stuck filling weekly. Wife borrows the truck once or twice a week and...you get the point. Being at the gas station 2-3 times a week multiple weeks in a row is not unheard of for me...

 

[oxi]

I would argue the 9.5" rear axle with the manual with 4.30:1 gear ratio is by far the best feature.

Second would be the color and look of the TRD Sport.

Third, it's a Tacoma with a 6-speed gearbox.

Now some minor cons:

5-foot bed sux, miss the 6-foot bed I had with my 2010 SR5 and 2016 SR with similar wheelbase.

The rest is elementary...

MPG's, I have a Camry SE AWD 5th gen hybrid for that, truck was not built for MPG's. Yes, the tank is smaller than previous generations, but I am sure someone will figure something out. I do not run the spare below the rear anyways, so I have room back there.

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