2024 Toyota Tacoma

The uprated turbo-4 adopted from the Toyota Highlander three-row SUV comes on every other grade except TRD Pro and Trailhunter models. It makes 278 hp and 317 lb-ft with the 8-speed automatic, but with the 6-speed manual it’s limited to 270 hp and 310 lb-ft to prevent axle windup. These engines pull with moderate strength and a mild turbo whistle that trails off above 4,000 rpm. Toyota’s programmed the transmission for quick, whip-smart shifts, and endowed the truck with progressive throttle and brake feel that makes it easier to drive smoothly in urban climes. There’s little steering feedback, though, and the engine can sound like a diesel; Toyota’s long-ago deftness with noise and vibration control has been parked. (Choose the manual and you’ll get a long-throw shifter with a ropey feel and a high clutch uptake—but a hill-start feature at least makes it less dramatic to launch in those situations.)

A double wishbone front suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension carry over on SR, SR5 XtraCab, and PreRunner grades, but every Double Cab model gets coil springs and a multilink rear suspension that makes the ride a bit calmer and passenger friendly.  

In all, these Tacomas max out at 6,500 pounds of towing capacity, down 300 pounds from the previous model due to the turbo-4 and overall vehicle mass. Payload capacity has gone up to a max of 1,710 pounds, though, from 1,115 pounds.

Is the Toyota Tacoma 4WD?

All models offer four-wheel drive, while some offer it standard. Only the Tacoma Limited hybrid has a full-time system, though; all others have a part-time system intended primarily for off-road use.

That off-road mission is where the hybrid drivetrain comes in to shine. It uses a 48-hp permanent magnet synchronous motor and comes standard on TRD Pro and Trailhunter, and is offered on other trims. Paired with an 8-speed automatic and 4WD with a center diff lock, it makes 326 hp and 465 lb-ft and can tow 6,000 pounds. 

Those off-road models also come with unique suspension tuning and off-road gear. The TRD Pro has Fox internal-bypass shocks with piggyback remote reservoirs, front seats with shock absorber adjustments built into the seat backs, an electronic locking rear differential, an electronic front stabilizer bar disconnect, and 18-inch black TRD Pro wheels with 33-inch Goodyear Territory R/T tires. 

The new Trailhunter model aims to be the overlanding rock crawler of the Tacoma TRD family. Its wheels are colored bronze, and it has ARB Old Man Emu 2.5-inch monotube position-sensitive shocks with piggyback remote reservoirs, rock rails, LED fog lamps, an air intake along the passenger A-pillar, a bed utility bar, an air compressor in the bed, plus other available accessories, such as a rooftop tent. 

Include the TRD Off-Road in this trio of specialists, and Toyota has tried to elbow out rivals like the Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison and Ford Ranger Raptor. On some level, it has succeeded. 

These trucks have ample power and with the coil suspension, a settled ride quality with much less of the side-to-side bed hop that characterized the old Tacoma. But off-road, they come into their own. The TRD Off-Road, for example, sports 11.0 inches of ground clearance and approach, departure, and breakover angles of 32.5, 22.5, and 24.7 degrees, respectively. There aren’t many obstacles on most established trails that this Tacoma won’t be able to handle, though it’s limited to 33-inch tires—and Toyota outfits it with 32-inch 265/70R17 BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain A/T tires as stock. With an available disconnecting sway bar and electronically controlled off-road cruise control, the TRD Off-Road is a great response to daunting off-pavement challenges.

Even better are the TRD Pro and Trailhunter, which can’t accept 35-inch tires, but go all-in on extreme ability. The TRD Pro gets Mud, Dirt, and Sand drive modes that enable it to fling around motocross tracks—with a set of shock-absorbed seats that reduce the impact behind the wheel. It has slightly better off-road angles than the Trailhunter, and a little more ground clearance—but the Trailhunter can be configured with the longer pickup bed, which boosts its utility, and has the hardware for slow-going rock-crawling versus the TRD Pro’s more Baja-blasting mindset.

The two-door XtraCab has no rear seats. Available on SR, SR5, and TRD PreRunner trims and paired only with a 6-foot bed, it’s meant for a certain price/utility shopper. It offers lockable storage cubbies in the rear floor and on the back panel, and the passenger seat can fold flat to double as a work space with an integrated cupholder. 

We’ve spent all of our time in the four-door Double Cab, which seats five and can be paired with either the 5-foot or 6-foot bed. The difference in driver and front passenger comfort feels like night and day: better seats with a better range of adjustment and less of a feet-up seating position make this the most comfortable Tacoma yet, though the tall hood makes it less easy to see the trail ahead. Base manual seats turn into power front seats covered in leather, with heating and cooling, as the Tacoma progresses through its trim levels.

Small-items storage makes a big leap, too. In front, the dash integrates a storage shelf in front of the passenger seat for smartphones or Dentyne or what have you, and available Molle pockets on the console and doors hold more stuff. 

The back seat has more head and legroom, but still hosts up to three medium-sized passengers in a very upright seating position. The rear seats fold up for storage—three times as much storage space there than in the outgoing model, except in hybrids, which store their battery under the rear floor. In any Double Cab, the rear seats fold flat. 

Interior trim on the Tacoma hits an acceptable standard. It’s much less convincing in the top trim levels, where a stressed-granite print on plastic tries to look upscale, but misses the cut—like painted Formica countertops, it’s obviously cost-sensitive, if effective and durable.

The bed’s where the magic happens, and this one has 7% more volume, Toyota says—plus, the aluminum tailgate can be optioned with power. A quick release tailgate button is integrated into either taillight. Plenty of power can be accessed in the bed as well, with a standard 400-watt AC inverter (and another in the center console), and hybrids have a 2,400-watt AC inverter. A 12-volt plug is also available in the bed and cabin. 

With its IIHS score and this equipment, the Tacoma earns a 7 for safety. Its brutish styling impacts its outward vision and costs a possible point.

Which Toyota Tacoma should I buy?

Among non-hybrid versions, the Tacoma 4x4 SR5 Double Cab with the long bed will be a popular choice, at $39,195. If the hybrid drivetrain suits you better, the best value comes with the $47,795 TRD Sport, which gains a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and has a flurry of options including a larger touchscreen, heated seats, a sunroof, and bundles that include a surround-view camera system, cooled synthetic leather seats,  a towing package, wireless smartphone charging, and premium audio.

How much is a fully loaded Toyota Tacoma?

The $65,985 Tacoma TRD Pro has a 14.0-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, heated and cooled front seats, a portable JBL speaker, 18-inch wheels with trim-specific designs, and a host of off-road performance equipment.