Reddit User Ponders Trading 2014 Cherokee for a Toyota Tacoma

Can you imagine elk and deer hunting in a Toyota Tacoma? Other Reddit users couldn’t, and neither can we.

A Reddit user recently posted asking for input on the 2018 Toyota Tacoma, explaining that he was considering getting rid of his Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk to get the truck. Today, we take a look at the pros and cons of making the SUV-to-truck switch – one that we wouldn’t recommend.

Initial Post

When Redditor PDXflight first posted about trading in his Cherokee for a Toyota Tacoma, he did so in the following form: The first person to reply asked what the OP plans to do with the vehicle and the reply is below:

“Mostly on-road use but I do go hunting/shooting during deer and elk season. Need 4WD and something that works as a grocery getter but also can throw some gear in the back and go out for the weekend.”

In short, the OP goes elk and deer hunting, requiring him to drive into the woods, but the vehicle will mostly be used for basic daily driving. Based on that, the shift from a Trailhawk Jeep to a pickup is a questionable move.

Jeep’s Advantages

The Toyota Tacoma is one of the bestselling trucks in the midsized pickup segment for good reason. It is an excellent truck and you would be hard pressed to find many Tacoma owners who have had a negative ownership experience. However, in comparing the Tacoma SR5 to the Cherokee Trailhawk, there are some obvious advantages for the Jeep.

In terms of off-roading, the Cherokee is a bit smaller than the Tacoma, so it will sneak through tight spots and around tight, off-road turns a bit better than the truck. In terms of dealing with mud or other rough terrain, the Toyota might hang with the Cherokee, but when you get into tight spaces, the Jeep is the better option. The truck is also more likely to run into breakover angle issues, making it more likely to get hung up on off-road obstacles.

The bigger advantage of the Cherokee over the Tacoma is the cargo area compared to the truck bed. Both of these vehicles offer comparable front and rear seating space, but the Cherokee has a large cargo area for a mid-sized SUV whereas the Tacoma has a bed. If the OP plans to use the truck as a grocery-getter, he will have to either make sure not to have any rear passengers when he goes shopping or he will have to put things in the bed.

A tonneau will keep everything from blowing around in the bed, but even with an organizer, it is hard to keep groceries in one spot in a truck bed. On the other hand, the rear cargo area of the Cherokee has much more space than the back seat of the truck, but it is large enough to hold a family’s worth of groceries without taking up the rear seating space.

The OP also said that he goes shooting, so along the same lines, he will have to put his gun cases in the Toyota’s bed where they have far more room to slide around or he will have to put them in the backseat. This means that if he is taking a couple friends shooting, whoever is in the back seat will have to hold the guns, while the Jeep would carry four adults while carrying the firearms in the spacious rear cargo area.

Truck’s Advantage

The only real advantage that Toyota Tacoma SR5 has over the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk is the ability to carry oversized or messy cargo in the bed. Say that the Reddit user goes hunting and gets a big whitetail buck. With the Jeep, he has to either put the bloody carcass in the cargo area or he will need to strap it to the roof or have some sort of hitch-mounted carrier. None of these options are particularly convenient, but with a pickup truck, the deer can be tossed in the bed without any issue.

Also, should the Reddit OP need to haul something like 2x4s or sheets of plywood, it is much easier with any truck rather than an SUV. Yes, you can drive a Cherokee with the rear hatch open, making room for larger cargo, but being able to toss a few sheets of plywood, a dozen 2x4s or other oversized items is much easier than loading large items into the interior of a mid-sized SUV.

In the end, if the owner isn’t hauling dead animals or large pieces of wood, he will almost surely find that the Tacoma doesn’t meet his needs as well as the Cherokee Trailhawk.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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