An Honest Truck

First off, I have to say that I very much enjoyed my week in the 08 Tacoma, mainly because it is what I would term an honest truck. Yes, it might not have all of the bells and whistles of some others, but it does the job, and it does it very well.

I grew up in my family's building business and have done my fair share of humping gear around building sites, so I tend to view pickup trucks slightly differently than most. I don't see them as family transport or any kind of status symbol. I view them as workhorses, pure and simple.

At one point my family employed over 50 workers, so I also tend to look at things through the bosses' glasses, and for that reason, the Toyota Tacoma would high on my list for a potential work truck.

You see, I don't see much sense in burning fuel simply for the sake of burning it, and therefore, if a 4 cylinder truck can manage the job of a V6 or V8, then I say great. I also understand that although employees might want luxuries like electric seats, power windows and leather interiors, if it's coming out of the company's bank account, then they can carry on wanting. My name's not Scrooge or anything like that, and I'd happily give them options like A/C, because they'll arrive at the jobsite a little more comfortable and ready to work, but basically, if they're too lazy to wind down a window for themselves or pull on a manual seat lever, do I really want them working for me?

I know that sounds a tad harsh in some ways, but hey, I like to save the company money wherever I can. Then again, I'm also the type of person who's happy to pass on those savings to the employees through bigger and better pay checks. That way, everyone goes home happy.


Do you really need a 4x4?

Obviously, price is a major consideration when looking for a work truck, as is reliability. However, is the 4x4 feature truly a must-have option? Think about it. How many other vehicles turn up on a jobsite without 4x4 capabilities; delivery vehicles, electricians vans etc. If they can get onsite using a 4x2 vehicle, does anyone truly need anything more?

Obviously, there are exceptions to this, like the guy who has to ferry diesel through a muddy field to re-fuel the excavator which is building the road into the new sub-division, but for the average plumber, carpenter, etc etc, 2WD is usually all that's required.

Then we have the size of the engine. Again, if you need a vehicle which can tow heavy loads, then you probably need more power than a 2.7L DOHC 4 cylinder producing 159hp. Although if you see the trailers which the Europeans haul around with their little 4 bangers, even that could be deemed questionable.

Now obviously I'm not suggesting that everyone could live without their full-sized V8 4x4. What I am saying is that many perhaps could, and that's where the Toyota Tacoma 4x2 comes into play.

It is not a small truck by any means. In fact, the rear bed is as spacious as most full-sized models. It can tow up to 3500lbs, which is not bad considering its frugal power plant, and when I say frugal I do mean frugal. The Tacoma 4x2 boasts fuel economy figures of just 11.1 L/100kms City, and 8.0 L/100kms on the Highway. Think about that for a moment. When it's just the driver carrying his tools to the jobsite, does he really want, or need, to be trundling around in a thirsty V8?


Price point

My tester came with A/C and a 4 speed overdrive transmission, which together added $1550 to the base price of $20,470 and finally ended up at a total cost of $23,410 including freight and delivery.