Toyota Tacoma Review

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

Somewhere between the proud homeowner and carefree apartment dweller lives the best of both lifestyles. Who wants to throw money away on a rented apartment or deal with the hassles of home ownership? Enter the townhouse: smaller bills and fewer hassles than a full-size home with more usability than a mere apartment. Just like a townhouse, the mid-size pickup combines attributes of rigs both big and small. And ever since its inception, the Toyota Tacoma has been living large in the mid-size pickup penthouse.

Too bad Toyota forgot the first rule of pickup design: it’s gotta look like a truck. A decidedly cab forward A-pillar flirts with Corolla owners looking to trade up, while asymmetrical fender blisters flow into the Double Cab's sheetmetal to create a pregnant manatee silhouette. Multiple grille textures confuse, while a non-functional hood scoop says "poser" better than any decal-laden hatchback. While the PreRunner's aggressive offroad stance and beefy 16" rims bulk up the look, nothing conceals the bulbous tailgate with its jawless rear bumper. Topping the decidedly un-trucklike presence are girly door handles that operate with a light and flimsy action. Dude, where's my truck?

The almost-truck theme continues within. The interior's car-based door handles aren't working man friendly. A motorcycle-influenced gauge cluster takes the sport-truck theme to places it's never been before– and should never go again. The cabin's blizzard of textures and finishes is schizophrenia in-car-nate. The door's furry polka-dot cloth relaxes like a tall glass of warm milk; a durable, while the breathable netted seat fabric provides an extreme hit of Mountain Dew.

Of course, this approach has its advantages. Ignore the hodgepodge of dashboard polymers (faux Lexus here, Band Aid there) and peep the convincing metal effect trim, numerous storage compartments and tender leather-wrapped wheel. Aside from the dead plug on said tiller; Toyota did a commendable job hiding non-functional items from discriminating eyes. It's a pickup after David Beckham's heart: small and posh.

Four adults fit into the Tacoma's Double Cab frame with ease. At the same time, the mid-size Tacoma boasts parking lot slalom skills no big truck can touch. The business end also impresses: a plastic bedliner with integral 115-volt power supply makes the Tacoma PreRunner a first-round draft pick for tailgate parties. Fill with cargo and the Toyota hauls with the confidence of a seasoned bird-dog on the hunt.

Hit the road sans cargo and the choppy-riding Tacoma sends mixed messages. Pickups are no stranger to chassis flex, but the Tacoma's latest redesign keeps the clapped-out turnip truck's legacy alive. Feather the go pedal and jumpy throttle mapping means there's less thrust from the 24-valve engine than initial reports indicate. Sucking high-octane fuel in its full throttle wake, the 4.0L V6 makes a respectable 266lb-ft of torque after 3800 revs, but 236hp at a sky-high 5200 revs mean honest truck grunt is not the Tacoma's strong suit. Put it another way, this mill feels more at home in a lighthearted passenger car chassis, not a burly truck frame. The powertrain's saving grace is a quick-witted, trigger-happy five speed automatic that usually keeps the narrow powerband in its sweet spot.

Foot flex the pedals in a corner and the Tacoma rewards with confident street moves, even with the off-road prowess of the PreRunner package. Modest grip from the stubby M+S tires nets predictable understeer, with responsive steering and disciplined suspension tuning. While the Tacoma's composed demeanor rarely upsets, the stoppers need re-thinking: rear drum brakes and mushy pedal feel disappoint both on paper and in practice.

Highway cruising is both quiet and comfortable for one so boxy and tall, with a JBL tuned system providing quality sound for all but the rabid, subwoofer crazed hip-hop fan. The audio aura is most welcome, as the door-mounted tweeter grille sings an off key, buzzy tune with the stereo off. Quality control snafu aside, is there really a place for the Tacoma in the market?

Given the full-size pickup's manufacturing economies of scale, our Tacoma's as-tested price of $28,800 fails to prove that less is more. The Tacoma seemingly trumps a full-size in efficiency, but in the real world, a high-octane diet and moderately smaller proportions translate into less bang for the buck.

While the small(er) truck market has a loyal following with company fleets, these models sport white paint, crank windows, rubber floors and four pot motors with manual transmissions. Give retail customers what they demand and the Tacoma's value proposition flies right out the door. Make no mistake; the Tacoma PreRunner is a good pickup. But Toyota's upmarket mid-size offering forgot its humble origins; whether or not the Tacoma has a significant value proposition over a "real" truck is a question for the customer and entire mid-size genre.

[Toyota provided the vehicle reviewed, taxes, insurance and a tank of gas.]

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Ptensioned Ptensioned on Jun 11, 2009

    I know this is an old article, and it's unlikely anyone will read this post, but as a Tacoma driver I feel the need to put in my 2 cents as to why I disagree with many of the statements above. First off, cost. Yes, it's expensive, but not much more than the (in my opinion) clearly lower rent Frontier. Compared to a full size domestic, it's about on par. But the reliability alone is worth that to me. This truck is bulletproof, as just about every survey can attest. Resale is also a huge factor. I priced used trucks along with new when I was doing the shopping, and a three year old domestic is worth barely 50% of purchase. A similar Toyota was closer to 80%. In fact, that's the main reason I bought new as it made no sense to get a mid-mileage truck for marginal savings. Second, size. Where I live, the downtown area is very dense. Lanes, parking spaces, turning radii, all are squeezed to the limit. A full size truck is simply a pain to live with day-to-day in this environment. The Tacoma (I have the full Double Cab, long box, TRD version) is long (just as long as an extended cab 6.5' box F-150), but significantly narrower. This makes all the difference. Yes, it's big for a so-called mid-size truck, but I would argue that it's the full size trucks that have gotten too big. Overall, I have spent significant time in every full size with the exception of the Nissan Titan (whose reliability record automatically disqualified it from purchase consideration). As a specialty contractor, I travel a lot for jobs and therefore rent whatever is available locally. The Dodge is crappiest, and calling it a lard bucket is being kind. The GM is solid, but I hate the soft, floaty ride (I know I'm in the minority of truck owners there, but hey...). The Tundra is simply huge, and with the 5.7 an absolute rocket, but to me it seems Toyota cut costs in too many places to try and be at least close to the domestics in price. The Ford is my favorite of the bunch, with low MSRP, decent enough handling, and reasonable quality. Overall, though, none of them can touch the Tacoma for usability. For the way I use a truck, it meets my needs perfectly. It can haul and tow 2/3's of what a full size can, which realistically is all I need. It can cope with a much broader range of driving environments (tight downtown traffic, far better off-road for my occasional back woods camping trips and muddy jobsites, not to mention it's dramatically better in the snow). It gets marginally better fuel costs (including premium gas) than any full size I've driven. Finally, it's more fun to drive (yes, you need to rev the teats off it). I read a lot of comments above (not all) from people who clearly don't understand what many people want out of a truck. Considering the Tacoma's comparative sales numbers (with a huge price disadvantage), clearly I'm not alone in finding the Tacoma to be an ideal compromise. The hood scoop does suck though.

  • Ted1 Ted1 on Aug 13, 2009

    I hear ya man. Hilarious to read these old comments about the Tacoma not meeting the grade. Duh! Taco's continue to prove their worth. I made my mistake when I chose a Ranger over a Taco back in 2006. When I look a the resale value of the Ford vs. Tacoma now I cry. End of 2009 it's Taco time.

  • Carson D At 1:24 AM, the voyage data recorder (VDR) stopped recording the vessel’s system data, but it was able to continue taping audio. At 1:26 AM, the VDR resumed recording vessel system data. Three minutes later, the Dali collided with the bridge. Nothing suspicious at all. Let's go get some booster shots!
  • Darren Mertz Where's the heater control? Where's the Radio control? Where the bloody speedometer?? In a menu I suppose. How safe is that??? Volvo....
  • Lorenzo Are they calling it a K4? That's a mountain in the Himalayas! Stick with names!
  • MaintenanceCosts It's going to have to go downmarket a bit not to step on the Land Cruiser's toes.
  • Lorenzo Since EVs don't come in for oil changes, their owners don't have their tires rotated regularly, something the dealers would have done. That's the biggest reason they need to buy a new set of tires sooner, not that EVs wear out tires appreciably faster.
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