2009 Toyota Tacoma 4X2 User Reviews

Pros

Very good fuel efficiency, roomy & quiet interior, good sound system, nice features with SR5 package

Cons

Bouncy ride, noisy rear springs

My Prerunner is an '07 model, but for all practical purposes it's identical to the '09 model. Here are some impressions after 2 years and 45,000 miles:

The 2.7 is a great little motor, particularly with the 5-speed stick. Coming from an '01 Nissan Frontier that had a 3.3 V6 auto, I can honestly say that there was no sacrifice in performance in going to the smaller motor, but a BIG improvement in fuel economy. The Nissan averaged 17-19 mpg, but with the Tacoma I typically get 21 mpg around town and 23 on the highway, and I don't baby it to get those numbers. Best I've ever seen was 26 mpg on the highway, but I kept the max speed at 65 and accelerated lightly to achieve that. So if you only plan on light-duty hauling, the 2.7 is the way to go.

This is a relatively quiet truck, at least in the SR5 trim level. However, I should point out the noisy (squeaky) rear suspension. It's a known issue and there are ways to correct it if you really can't live with it.

The tailgate is very light and seems fragile, but it's easily removed if you need to load a particularly heavy item - guess that's the trade-off for some weight savings.

The OEM Dunlop AT tires ride & wear well, but they perform very poorly in the rain - BEWARE! I recently mounted a set of Firestone Destination LE tires and their handling and grip is much, much better.

Finally, a few comments on the ride and handling - overall, it's pretty bouncy but then it IS a truck. The front end wants to wander a bit at highway speeds, and adding some positive caster would probably help in that regard. The rear of the truck will step out on rough surfaces, but that's to be expected from a leaf-spring design. On the other hand, it handles remarkably well for a truck and has a pretty tight turning radius if you ever need to get into or out of a tight spot.

Bottom line: I would definitely buy this truck again. It's the best light-duty pickup out there right now.