Currently have an 18 Z71 Colorado Extended Cab V6 8 Speed auto with the tow package and other goodies. Sticker would be 38.5k on it. Have over 6k miles on it and just spent this weekend towing a trailer. Loaded 5x8 Uhaul trailer managed 17.5 mpg going 70 for 500 miles yesterday. without a load I averaged 20mpg city and highway though highway I do 23mpg with ease.
That said it is my second Colorado this year. The first was a 17 Z71 Extended I4 6 Speed Auto. The radio did not work from day 1 which I did not learn till after I bought it. There was no am reception. Fm would be 1 or 2 stations that would go in and out as soon as you started driving. The satellite radio would cut out for minutes at a time. It took Chevy two attempts and over 3 weeks to fix. They never fixed the satellite radio. After I got it back and started driving it in town I found out it shook badly at idle. Felt like an old car. MPG was worse than the 4 cylinder which to hit 70+ had to run at 4k rpms and was buzzy. I cannot imagine towing with it. I had it two months, fought with GM Priority care and having nothing good to say about the experience. I still have a chevy because it came down to them cutting me a good deal on the replacement truck or getting a few thousand off the tacoma, but losing 1500 on my trade in. Truck only had 650 miles when I traded it in.
The tacoma, is not worth it. It makes less hp. It gets worse mpg. You get less options configuring it and even better is that depending on when you order it what few options exist may not be available. It is a 15 year old truck underneath a redesigned exterior and it feels like it. Really really wanted to love it so I could get a v6 with a stick, but it is way overpriced for what it is.
Quoted from too-many-pins:To me the only reason to own a pick up over a van is the "cool factor". When you are younger there is nothing better than a "big bad 4x4" with a nice set of tires & wheels on it. But as you get a little older and start looking at things from a more practical standpoint a van wins hands down in my eyes.
In response to too-many-pins I have a truck because I work on my house. Hauling loads of used 2x4's, brush, old insulation, used toilets, etc is not going to work well in a van. I debated getting a jeep renegade, but it would have required a trailer that I did not want to store. It would also struggle not allow towing a sega f355 challenge deluxe which I did in the last year. I have a 4x4 simply because I live on a hill and both the rwd ranger that this replaced and my miata had multiple instances last year where I could not get up. So no, it is not about having a big bad 4x4. I'd prefer the extra mpg of a rwd and the cost savings, but the truck gives me the flexibility I need.
Quoted from too-many-pins:You will not like that "crew cab" when it comes to trying to park it when shopping. The extra length doesn't fit into most modern parking spaces so you have to park way out and take up two spaces because of that extra couple feet. Even just a full size van or pick up can be tough in "modern" parking spaces but once you go beyond those it is two spaces for sure. Think twice before buying something longer than normal!
You have no idea what you are talking about. Modern vehicles have back-up cameras. It guides you into the spot and you know exactly when to stop. So no, parking is not an issue with a truck.