Hey everyone!

I am trying to figure out my next vehicle because my current truck decided to die on me. Right now I am between a 2016 Tacoma TRD Off Road or a 2016 Wrangler Unlimited. They are both about the same price point and both have a manual transmission, which is a HUGE plus because I like to actually drive my vehicle.

I got to drive my buddies 2013 JKU off road for a little bit and enjoyed the ride through the woods on some mild trails in the Ozarks. Likewise, I have driven a lightly modded 2nd gen Tacoma down some similar trails and liked the way it feels as well.

90%+ of my driving will be commuting to work. I commute about 40 miles each way to work and I need something reliable that will last for 150k+ miles. With that being said, I am also looking for a vehicle I can have fun driving in.

Tacomas are reliable to a fault and it is not unheard of for them to make 300k+ miles, but they do not have a fun driving experience day to day. A wrangler on the other hand isn't a very reliable vehicle (my buddy's 2013 has been in the shop more than on the road it seems like), but it is a fun experience with the doors and roof off.

I plan doing a few mods to either one but nothing crazy until the bumper to bumper warranty runs out.

Any thoughts on which is the better buy?

TL;DR 2016 JKU vs 2016 Tacoma TRD Off Road

 

How big a factor is having pickup bed vs not? As for reliability, probably have higher odds of trouble free Tacoma, however my 2012 JKU has been great over the first 78,000 miles of its life. Maybe get the JKU and consider buying the lifetime max warranty. That would cost like $2500 but would cover the vehicle as long as you own it. I think there is a $100 deductible on mine. Haven't had to use it yet.

 

My vote is on the Jeep. It's a lot more fun to drive, depending on your mods it could be a reliable dd. Welcome to the forum.

 

Who said Tacoma couldn't be fun.

http://youtu.be/2OfqJIHsb_Y

 

Probably most comes down to which you value more: top-down-doors-off or pickup-bed ?

The Tacoma will ride and handle better on the road and the Jeep will probably have an edge off road. Jeep will hold its value a little better but as you say the Toyota will likely be far more reliable. Kind of a wash on all of that.

 

I think you have to consider several factors. The most important of which is that the Jeep is cooler. Seriously. It's science.

 

Also the Taco comes with a E locker from the factory in the rear. Something to consider. Adding a Eaton E-locker to the rear will run you $900 for the locker plus Labor. As far as Daily use Jeeps are not the most comfortable choice. IFS is better on road. 2 Solid axles are fine. I personally would not have a Jeep as a DD. My Jeep is a Toy. Sits in the Garage all week and comes out to play on the trails and beaches on the Weekend.

On a side note this is like going to a Trump site and asking us if you should vote for Hillary. Most of us are going to side with the Jeep.

Once you Get into Trail riding and Rock crawling you will be Hooked. All your bonus checks and spare money will go to your Jeep. You will start planning mods in your head, looking at web sites... Your wife will call it "Jeep Porn"

 

The bed isn't a huge concern to me honestly. The JKU has plenty of room in the back and I don't do a lot of hauling. I mostly have a bunch of people riding around with me so fitting 4 or 5 is important.

Given the right long travel set up and some nice king coil overs you could easy out perform a JK on a prerunner course. However I have more crawling oriented stuff around me If I was near a desert it would be clear which to pick

I know what you mean about asking on a biased site... I also posted this on a couple of Taco forums to get their bias

 

It's also worth considering how useful that is, compared with the BLD in the JK. I know a lot of old-school purists will swear by LSD and lockers and denigrate the BLD, but it's worth noting that the TRD does not have BLD at all, so if you are willing to consider the value of the BLD then that really is a mark in favor of the Jeep.

I am always mystified by this attitude. But I guess it's a good point. Perhaps if you only ever drive the vehicle off-road (or to and from off-road venues) then the JK is a clear better choice. But I would think the majority of people (such as the OP) who are spending $30K on a new car need to drive it daily. There's nothing wrong with a JK as a DD, nothing at all. It gets far worse when you do things like big lift, tires, heavy bumpers, lower gears, loud exhaust, etc. But stock? A JKU is an acceptable DD and is reasonably good to carry up to 5 adults.

Now, the TRD Tacoma will be better on the road in terms of both comfort and handling. It's a far more refined road vehicle. So if you are the type who might consider a JKU to be too uncomfortable for a DD, then you are far better off with the Tacoma.

So-called "Jeep roads", gravel, overlanding type stuff, as in "light" off road, the Tacoma will outperform the JKU hands down. It'll go the same places with more speed and more comfort. When traction gets iffy and obstacles get big and scary, the JKU will smoke the Tacoma. It'll just plain go places the Tacoma won't go. And it'll do it with zero drama and utter predictability, even a plain JKU Sport with no mods will just roll up, down and over obstacles that will stop a stock TRD Tacoma in its tracks. That's not to say either vehicle couldn't be modified to outperform the other, but stock for stock, the JKU is just in a different class on technical off-road.

Truthfully when I bought my JKU, had Toyota made a similar format vehicle with removable top and doors I would have never considered the Jeep. I would buy the Toyota 10 times out of 10. The improved on-road and soft-road performance of something like a TRD Tacoma or 4Runner (or even a used FJ Cruiser) plus the radically better reliability and durability of the Toyotas was almost enough to convince me to ignore the top-down-doors-off feature of the Jeep. But the truth is I am a long-time drive-with-no-top type, so this put the Jeep in a class by itself. If you don't really value that feature, and you are not into rock crawling, then I can't see any rational reason to choose a Jeep over a TRD Tacoma. There may be a whole lot of non-rational reasons (you like the looks better, think the Jeep looks tougher or is more classic, you think Jeepers are cooler than Toyotaphiles, etc.).

If you're the type to get a JKU with a hard top that never comes off and vacuum the carpeted interior, IMHO you will be far happier with the Toyota.

 

My opinion on this is somewhat split actually. If you're looking for a daily...I'm inclined to say spring for the Tacoma. BUT....I absolutely HATE the way they sit inside. It's like sitting in a car. There's virtually no drop between the seat and the floor board if that makes any sense. If I'm driving a truck....I want to feel like I'm sitting in a truck.

That being said, for on-road, IFS is definitely the way to go. Of course if you're looking to do my off-road type stuff and would utilize lockers, you could always do a solid axle swap in the front. Then you'd pretty much have the best of both worlds. I mean, the wheelbase on the Tacoma can't be too much different from the JKU. While it can be done, maneuvering a JKU through tight trails can be a bit daunting. A moot point really, though, since both vehicles are fairly long.

Both vehicles were really built for very different purposes. It's up to you to figure out which of those appeals more to you. I daily drove my Jeep for about a year with 37's on it and didnt' ahve any complaints. It has since been retired to weekend status and spends most days in the driveway because my '16 Ram 1500 is just more comfortable to drive. And of course the 395 hp compared to the 202 hp in the Jeep makes a huge difference, too.

I know that doesn't really point one way or the other on which one to get, but hopefully it helps with your decision. Honestly don't think you can realy go wrong either way.

Good Luck!