Toyota’s got nearly 20 years into their Tacoma model range, 40 in the small truck business, and 70 years of truck building in general. That’s a lot of years and a lot of trucks, and the brand has grown a fiercely loyal following of North American owners along the way.
Your writer has experienced this following first-hand in several ways. Most notable among them? Years of living with the Toyota Tacoma’s biggest fan: my little brother.
A mud-in-his-veins nutcase, he joins other Toyota truck owners on most weekends with his 2005 Tacoma to participate in unspeakable activities involving mud, dirt and rocks.
So, when Bro caught on that work had me checking out the 2012 Toyota Tacoma, he wanted all the details on the updates right away.
Aite, little bro: here’s the sticky.
This isn’t a big do-over, re-vamp or re-engineering. The guys in suits at Toyota haven’t fiddled much with the look of the truck you know and love. It still wears the same blocky, aggressive and athletic attitude as last year’s model. And yes, you can still get a hood scoop.
The fascia has been sharpened up to bring styling in line with the new 4Runner. You should be cool with that. Minor revisions to the Tacoma’s backside come from new LED taillamps on some models.
End of the day, it still looks, for the most part, like the Tacoma that dropped dried mud and grass all over mom and dad’s driveway for years. The visual differences for 2012 are hard to spot, and it’s still instantly, easily a Tacoma from first glance.
Being safe with Tacoma’s looks isn’t a bad thing, especially given that Mazda, Ford and Dodge are taking a bow from this pickup segment. Getting their pink slips. Taking a hike. And there is no official word on replacements at the time of writing.
So, with your truck’s big rivals all hitting the dusty trail, the Tacoma automatically becomes even more appealing. Toyota’s hoping to absorb ‘would-be’ B-Series, Dakota and Ranger shoppers. And they’re going to take a bigger relative piece of the small pickup market automatically.
Translation?
More ‘Yota-sporting wheelin’ buddies for you and your friends to collect mud with.
Make no mistake; if there was ever an important time for your little rascal of a 4x4 to shine, it’s 2012. So, mandatory late-cycle makeover aside, Toyota’s sweetened it up under the sheet-metal a little, too.
Your writer has experienced this following first-hand in several ways. Most notable among them? Years of living with the Toyota Tacoma’s biggest fan: my little brother.
A mud-in-his-veins nutcase, he joins other Toyota truck owners on most weekends with his 2005 Tacoma to participate in unspeakable activities involving mud, dirt and rocks.
So, when Bro caught on that work had me checking out the 2012 Toyota Tacoma, he wanted all the details on the updates right away.
 |
| The guys in suits at Toyota haven’t fiddled much with the look of the truck you know and love. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |
Aite, little bro: here’s the sticky.
This isn’t a big do-over, re-vamp or re-engineering. The guys in suits at Toyota haven’t fiddled much with the look of the truck you know and love. It still wears the same blocky, aggressive and athletic attitude as last year’s model. And yes, you can still get a hood scoop.
The fascia has been sharpened up to bring styling in line with the new 4Runner. You should be cool with that. Minor revisions to the Tacoma’s backside come from new LED taillamps on some models.
End of the day, it still looks, for the most part, like the Tacoma that dropped dried mud and grass all over mom and dad’s driveway for years. The visual differences for 2012 are hard to spot, and it’s still instantly, easily a Tacoma from first glance.
Being safe with Tacoma’s looks isn’t a bad thing, especially given that Mazda, Ford and Dodge are taking a bow from this pickup segment. Getting their pink slips. Taking a hike. And there is no official word on replacements at the time of writing.
So, with your truck’s big rivals all hitting the dusty trail, the Tacoma automatically becomes even more appealing. Toyota’s hoping to absorb ‘would-be’ B-Series, Dakota and Ranger shoppers. And they’re going to take a bigger relative piece of the small pickup market automatically.
Translation?
More ‘Yota-sporting wheelin’ buddies for you and your friends to collect mud with.
Make no mistake; if there was ever an important time for your little rascal of a 4x4 to shine, it’s 2012. So, mandatory late-cycle makeover aside, Toyota’s sweetened it up under the sheet-metal a little, too.
 |
| With your truck’s big rivals all hitting the dusty trail, the Tacoma automatically becomes even more appealing. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |