The Toyota Tacoma starts its fourth generation for 2024, now built from the same frame as the current Tundra. Hybrid power comes standard on the TRD Pro.
| What’s Good: Tough truck looks. Camera angles galore. Built-in fog lights and light bar. Fox shocks. 11.5-in ground clearance. 465 lb.-ft of torque. | What Could Improve: Turning circle of a stretch limousine. Isodynamic performance front seats kill the usability of the second row. | My Conclusion: A great toy for the off-road enthusiast. A comfortable hybrid for the rest of us. But only the Baja serious among us will fully appreciate the TRD Pro. |
OVERVIEW
The fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma takes a serious approach to the midsize truck category. It uses the same, fully boxed frame as the full-size, new for 2022 Tundra. Toyota also offers a wide variety of trims. Starting with your basic, no frills SR work truck, all the way to the heavily equipped, very tall and capable TRD Pro trim. In between, you can buy the SR5, PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and Trailhunter trims.
Toyota pivoted away from tried-and-true engines for 2024. Replacing the old four and six-cylinder engines for a modern turbo inline-four-cylinder, some trims without and some with hybrid technology attached. All but three of them: SR, SR5, PreRunner, offer the hybrid. It’s standard for the Trailhunter and this TRD Pro trims.
Powertrain
Every single Tacoma makes uses of a turbocharged, 2.4-liter engine. But transmission and trim choice effects peak power output. In the base SR trim, Toyota curtails output to just 228 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft of torque. Higher trims with six-speed manual transmissions up those peaks to 270 HP and 310 lb.-ft. Going with the eight-speed automatic lifts it further, ponying up 278 HP and 317 lb.-ft.
If you get a Tacoma equipped with hybrid tech, you get a different eight-speed automatic transmission and the engine and motor combine to provide 326 HP and 465 lb.-ft. A 1.87 kWh Nickel-metal-Hydride provides the energy for the motor. On the top trims—Trailhunter and TRD Pro—that’s your only choice. It’s also a good choice.
In my TRD Pro test truck, the immediate torque provided by the electric motor helps the truck feel punchy at most any engine speed. And the transmission shifts relatively quickly, though multi-gear kick downs do take a couple seconds. It’s generally a well behaved, muscular feeling powertrain.
It even sounds pretty good. Toyota adds a performance intake and cat-back exhaust to the TRD Pro, which adds more intake snarl and throatiness to the exhaust. It sounds a touch rumbly even. The downside comes on the interstate, where even at a calm cruising speed, you hear it. That may tire your ear after a couple hours on the road.
On the plus side, being hybrid delivers healthy fuel economy numbers. If you keep your right foot light, you’ll achieve 22 MPG in the city, 24 on the highway, 23 combined, according to the EPA. My heavy foot adjusted that number to 16 MPG, however. Turbos get thirsty if you lean on them.
Chassis
Toyota builds the Tacoma from the same platform as the Tundra, Sequoia, and Landcruiser. It’s also the base of the Lexus LX and GX. The TRD Pro trim, specifically, gets quite a lot of unique equipment. To start, the TRD Pro stands 2.0-in taller on the front axle, 1.5-in in the rear than a SR5, giving it a 11.5-in ground clearance.
Toyota mounts adjustable, QS3 Fox shocks with remote reservoirs on the TRD Pro, as well as different springs and front upper control arms. You also get remotely detaching anti-roll bars at a press of a button on the lower center console to increase articulation when needed. A set of 33-in, Goodyear Wrangler Territory RT tires wrap around 18-inch black alloy wheels to cap the whole thing off.
The drivetrain offers more flexibility with a two-speed transfer case and part-time four-wheel drive system to let you choose between 2 Hi, 4Hi, and 4Low. And the rear differential is electronically locking. If all of that fails, you do also get easy to reach front and rear recovery points and a skid plate up front to protect vital engine bits from the worst of it.
All of this adds up to a very comfortable and compliant ride on the road. But the off-road friendly tires do make a bit more noise than all-season equivalents. Considering the ride height and all the protruding objects on the truck, wind noise is kept surprisingly hushed. But you still hear some.
Overall it’s a comfortable truck on the road and that feels more at home on the dirt.
Details and Inside
Even with all the aforementioned off-road kit, the Tacoma remains a modern Toyota. Most trims get a 12.3-in digital instrument cluster, and the higher trims get a 14.0-in center display, while the lower use an 8.0-in screen instead. Both sizes, however, provide wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and plenty of functionality.
This top TRD Pro trim adds plenty of luxuries, like heated and ventilates front seats, a heated steering wheel. Toyota also includes a 10-speaker JBL sound system and a wireless phone charger. All hybrid equipped trucks also get two AC outlets that flow as much as 2400 watts of power. One is on the passenger side of the bed, near the tailgate, the other sits low in front of the second row.
For the TRD pro, Toyota also mounted a set of isodynamic performance front seats. These seats include their own set of pneumatic shock absorbers, one to handle vertical movement, the other for lateral. If you find yourself bouncing around a rugged trail, your back will forever thank you for the additional comfort. However, if you wish to carry any passengers in the rear, hope they are amputees. The front seats take up tons of legroom and virtually all room for toes.
in conclusion
The base, rear-wheel-drive Tacoma SR starts at $32,995. Going top-of-the-line TRD Pro essentially doubleds the price to start at $65,395. And my test car included a few accessories, like a truck bed mat, and costs a few hundred bucks more: $65,869.
For the money, you get a still highly capable truck that’s small enough to maneuver around a city without too much trouble. You also enjoy reasonable fuel economy from hybrid power. And, maybe most important of all, you definitely look cool.
COMPETITORS
SPECIFICATIONS
2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro 4×4 Double Cab: 4-door, 5-seat, truck
Base price: $65,395 (includes destination charge)
Price as Tested: $65,869
Powertrain: Turbocharged 2.4-liter I-4 Hybrid
Total System Power: 326 horsepower at 6000 rpm
Total System Torque: 465 lb.-ft at 1700 rpm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic transmission
Drive: Four-wheel-drive
Fuel Economy in MPG and range
22 city
24 highway
23 combined
Driving range: 419 miles
Dimensions
Length: 213.0 inches
Width: 77.9 inches
Height: 74.7 inches
Wheelbase: 131.9 inches
Weights and Capacities
Curb weight: 5410 lbs.
Interior volume: NA cu ft
Cargo volume: NA cu ft
Calculated weight to power (lbs./HP): 16.6:1
Mfr’s claimed 0-60 mph: NA seconds
Mfr’s claimed Top Speed: NA mph
Government classified size: Standard Pickup Truck 4wd
Options: Bed mat, $200; tailgate insert, $99; ball mount, $70; mudguards, $60; mini tie-down, $45
