Tacoma Double Cab Standard Bed or Long Bed?

[Joash]

Is the standard bed better for offroading? Does it give you enough room to sleep?

Also is it better to get manual or automatic transmission?

[Finlay]

the TRD Off-Road Double Cab only comes with a short bed. TRD Sport, Prerunner and SR5 are available with the long box.

The bed itself is 5 feet, and with the tailgate extended is a little over 6. Probably not long enough to sleep in without some work. You could make a case that the short box is more maneuverable and has better clearance; but I don't know that an extra foot in length is that much to overcome.

I like the manual in the Tacomas and that is what I have. It's a decent transmission. The Auto is also good transmission, and arguably better than the manual in many respects. Choose based on your preference - they have their good and bad points.

[bat]

Can someone tell me why Toyota did not have the e-locker in the long bed .

[Finlay]

You can get a long bed with an E-Locker, just not as double cab.

I got a TRD Sport, because I plan on adding lockers later and anyway, the LSD is more useful to me on snowy commutes than a locker is.

Plus the hood scoop makes it go faster.

[deadbeat son]

I got a TRD Sport, because I plan on adding lockers later and anyway, the LSD is more useful to me on snowy commutes than a locker is.

Don't forget that the LSD isn't a true LSD on the Tacoma, but rather an "Electronic LSD", meaning it uses the ABS to limit wheelspin. This feature also works on the TRD Off Road model when the locker is unlocked, so there's no advantage to the Sport here.

[Finlay]

Don't forget that the LSD isn't a true LSD on the Tacoma, but rather an "Electronic LSD", meaning it uses the ABS to limit wheelspin. This feature also works on the TRD Off Road model when the locker is unlocked, so there's no advantage to the Sport here.

You know, I was all set to prove you wrong, but it turns out that since 09+ you are right.

I can only blame the drinking.

Anyway, the sport has the 8.4" rear end not the 8.0" so it is clearly .4 better.

Ok, I won't lie - the real reason I wanted the Sport over the OR was the blinker mirrors....

[Joash]

It's complicated because choosing one option or another means you can't have certain features.

I definitely need the double cab.

I would prefer the long bed, just to have more room to haul stuff and possibly sleep in the truck.

I'm just wondering about giving up offroad capability since the TRD Off Road doesn't come in a long box set up.

It also looks like you won't get a manual transmission with the long bed. Does it matter which transmission you get for offroad ability?

Now I'm even more confused when I hear that you can't the e-locker on the long bed double cab. Is there any advantage to having the factory e-locker or does it not matter and this is something that can be added later or done without?

[Finlay]

There are solutions to sleeping in the truck - Bed Tents, RTTs and Flippacs for example.

I'm pretty sure can get the manual in a DCLB sport and SR5 trims - you might have to order it in, or shop around.

You don't say where you're at - but you should know that the Toyota build-your-own thingie on the website is zipcode restricted. The truck I bought also couldn't be made according to that thing, and yet there it is in my driveway. The only way to know is to talk to a salesperson who knows how to find them. Not all of them do, so you should shop around.

At the risk of being all Zen, the e-locker is an advantage when you need a locker. At all other times, it doesn't do much. So, are you planning on spending a lot of time in situations where a locker will make the difference ? Then you may have to compromise some other feature to meet that need. If you aren't, then it might be expendable in favor of getting some other feature you would use more, like a long box.

A locker can be added later on, at some expense and effort, but then, if you plan on doing any real wheeling, you'll need to open up the diff to regear anyway.

[highspeed]

There is a ton of great advice here in response to your question. The only thing I would add is that you should test drive both the long and short beds. I thought I wanted the long bed but after driving it I felt it was a bit too long and difficult to back into a parking spot. If I was going to drive a truck that long I would get a used Tundra...
After many months of hashing out the same things you are I bought a 2012 Tacoma DCSB TRD off road and I'm very happy with my choice so far. I went with the automatic trans but I was tempted to do the manual with the quick shift kit. In the end it seemed like the auto was a little more reliable.
If sleeping in your truck happens frequently get a long bed or Tundra, you can add the ARB locker later.

[Containerized]

I'll weigh in... obviously, for length reasons I didn't consider the double cab long bed (which would not fit within the load marks in a 20' container for shipping) but even if I could, I've driven them and I think the extra 10-15 inches of length matters if you'll ever be maneuvering in a city. Sure, if you're in the middle of Iowa, who cares how long your truck is. But, in the real world (which, for me, includes various urban environments), it matters. If you are going to do an RTT, you should be able to do it with either bed. Also, the payload for the long bed is not really any higher (hence lower per square foot) so you get more space but not really more carrying capacity.