No compact pickup truck has a reputation as good as the Tacoma’s. Although it hasn’t always been called the Tacoma, Toyota’s compact pickup is famous for its bulletproof reliability and solid construction. That could be the only argument one needs to choose it over its competition, namely the Honda Ridgeline, the Nissan Frontier and the Ram Dakota.
Yet at over 35 grand, this test Tacoma, or any compact or mid-size pickup for that matter, doesn’t come cheap. You see, for only a few more bucks, you can get a fairly well-equipped Double Cab Tundra, which is much bigger and better-suited for the work purposes. Ah, but some people buy pickups as daily drivers, and that’s when a smaller pickup starts to make sense.
This Tacoma has tough-guy looks; the hood scoop, the bulging fender flares and the high stance all have a “work hard, play hard” demeanour. You can easily picture yourself behind the wheel, jumping sand dunes with all four wheels in the air, a foot out the window and honking the horn at the same time. Okay, I’m probably going a little too far, but the Tacoma’s feel of solidity makes you want to push it to its limits.
And when off-limits is where you’re heading, you can just twist the transfer case switch to the 4x4 low range, a feature virtually all other 4x4 pickups obviously offer. The TRD package also adds skid plates and a bed-mounted, 115-volt power outlet.
Now, surely you’d imagine the TRD to be stiffly sprung and as bouncy as a kangaroo on a pogo stick. You’re right, but it’s actually not as bad as expected. Still, the full-size pickups have the advantage of offering a better ride than the smaller ones.
The 24-valve, 4.0-litre V6, which is also found in the FJ Cruiser and the 4Runner, produces 236 horsepower in the Tacoma. A 6-speed manual transmission is offered as is a 5-speed automatic transmission.
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| This Tacoma has tough-guy looks. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Yet at over 35 grand, this test Tacoma, or any compact or mid-size pickup for that matter, doesn’t come cheap. You see, for only a few more bucks, you can get a fairly well-equipped Double Cab Tundra, which is much bigger and better-suited for the work purposes. Ah, but some people buy pickups as daily drivers, and that’s when a smaller pickup starts to make sense.
This Tacoma has tough-guy looks; the hood scoop, the bulging fender flares and the high stance all have a “work hard, play hard” demeanour. You can easily picture yourself behind the wheel, jumping sand dunes with all four wheels in the air, a foot out the window and honking the horn at the same time. Okay, I’m probably going a little too far, but the Tacoma’s feel of solidity makes you want to push it to its limits.
And when off-limits is where you’re heading, you can just twist the transfer case switch to the 4x4 low range, a feature virtually all other 4x4 pickups obviously offer. The TRD package also adds skid plates and a bed-mounted, 115-volt power outlet.
Now, surely you’d imagine the TRD to be stiffly sprung and as bouncy as a kangaroo on a pogo stick. You’re right, but it’s actually not as bad as expected. Still, the full-size pickups have the advantage of offering a better ride than the smaller ones.
The 24-valve, 4.0-litre V6, which is also found in the FJ Cruiser and the 4Runner, produces 236 horsepower in the Tacoma. A 6-speed manual transmission is offered as is a 5-speed automatic transmission.
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| The 24-valve, 4.0-litre V6 produces 236 horsepower in the Tacoma. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |