2024 Toyota Tacoma

But we get ahead of ourselves. For now, just know that the new Tacoma has a beefy, Tundra-inspired exterior design and a modern interior with lots of standard tech features, and it introduces a number of different trim levels, including the return of the PreRunner. Whether your primary use case is for rock-crawling, mall-crawling or overlanding, there's a Tacoma to fit your needs. Especially if you want one with a vigorous hybrid powertrain.

Gah! Getting ahead of ourselves again. But it's hard not to get excited — the new Tacoma looks (TRD) pro.

Most of the Tacoma's other trims come with a more powerful version of this engine. It generates 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque when paired with the eight-speed automatic. Power drops slightly to 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque when paired with the six-speed manual transmission. This is about the same horsepower as the Tacoma's old V6 generated but there's a lot more torque. Downsizing the number of cylinders also improves fuel economy, which is up a couple mpg across the board, depending on the trim. 

If you really want the best fuel economy possible — or even the speediest Taco available — there's good news! The new i-Force Max powertrain offers both. It pairs the turbocharged engine with a hybrid battery pack and an electric motor integrated with the eight-speed transmission. That's right — for the first time in its history, the Tacoma is going hybrid. The extra electric motor increases output to a lofty 326 hp and 465 lb-ft. 

Dampers and tuning are also highly differentiated across the board. The TRD Off-Road, for instance, equips the Tacoma with monotube Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs, while the TRD Pro is outfitted with Fox QS3 three-way adjustable internal bypass shocks. The Trailhunter utilizes an Old Man Emu suspension by ARB, while the Limited rides on adaptive dampers.

The Tacoma now gets disc brakes all around, with TRD, Limited and Trailhunter models specifically getting larger front brakes. Selecting the hybrid powertrain adds bigger rear brakes as well. 

Models with the manual transmission have slightly lower horsepower and peak torque but we're happy to see that Toyota is continuing to offer one. Most rival midsize trucks don't offer a manual transmission at all. The shifter has long throws, and the clutch engagement is high up in the pedal's motion range, so smooth takeoffs require some practice. But again, hey, just be happy there's an available manual, OK? 

We got to put a TRD Off-Road trim with a manual transmission through its off-road paces on a short course Toyota had set up. Low-range gearing is accessed with a turn of a dial on the center console. Leaving the transmission in first made short (but slow) work of the course. The 360-degree camera display on the 14-inch screen basically results in an "invisible" hood, making it easier to climb steep sections where your only view out the windshield is the sky. 

Our test truck didn't have crawl control — we just left it in first gear — but the new system is reworked to be quieter and easier to use. One thing our truck did have was the Tacoma's new front stabilizer bar disconnect feature. Disconnecting the bar allows the front wheels to have more independent articulation when driving over very bumpy or challenging off-road terrain. We pressed a button to detach the front stabilizer halfway through the suspension articulation test, but the course was too short to fully appreciate the added suspension travel. Although the tight course necessitated a couple of three-point turns, the TRD Off-Road's substantial 11.5 inches of ground clearance was never challenged. 

The seats themselves are bigger and better padded, and even though numbers for headroom and legroom aren’t much different than before, the cabin feels roomier up front. In back, you can fit a set of 6-footers in the Tacoma's cabin — if they're the agreeable sort. The Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator still have more rear legroom. 

The new suspension deserves a shoutout as well. The revised chassis eliminates much of the shake and wobble of the old truck, and the whole thing feels more solidly built than before. It's no surprise that models with the multilink coil-spring rear suspension have the best ride quality, but even lower-grade models with leaf springs are surprisingly competent, and easily better than the best of the old truck. We don't want to oversell the ride quality; it's still a body-on-frame truck, so there's occasional bed shake. But it's vastly improved over previous Tacomas, on par with the newest Chevy Colorado, but falling short of the fully independent suspension on the Honda Ridgeline.

Two sizes are available, with lower-end trucks getting an 8-inch screen, with a 14-inch screen available on TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road Trims, and standard on Limited. Curiously, the two screens offer the same functionality, which includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with a wireless Qi charging pad available on upper trims. The bigger screen is just … bigger. That pays dividends in visibility, though, and the extra screen real estate is put to good use with the camera system on the TRD Off-Road Premium package. Also on the options list are ventilated seats, a head-up display and a 10-speaker JBL audio system (with a removable and portable center speaker).

All Tacomas will come with the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite of advanced driving aids. That means everything from the base SR up will have adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, road sign recognition, lane departure alert and lane centering assistance. New to TSS is Proactive Driving Assist, which lowers the adaptive cruise control speed to slow for upcoming curves. Enhancements to TSS include motorcyclist detection for the forward collision system and a steering assist system when the lane departure warning detects you drifting into another lane or off the road.

But as Toyota taketh, it also giveth. The 2024 Tacoma's max payload increases from 1,685 pounds to a current maximum of 1,705 pounds. That might not seem like much on paper, but the former figure is based on the current four-cylinder extended cab, while the latter is based on the new hybrid powertrain (the only payload figure that Toyota has disclosed so far). Put another way, the old Tacoma's best payload figure is based on the most utilitarian configuration possible, while the new Tacoma's higher figure is based on a heavier and more loaded configuration. We expect that more attainable versions of the new Tacoma could have even higher payload ratings. 

The 2024 Tacoma is available in the following configurations: single cab/6-foot bed, crew cab/5-foot bed and crew cab/6-foot bed. The automaker claims a 7% increase in bed volume due to taller bed sides. One neat feature worth noting is the aluminum tailgate's power open-and-close function. You can even trigger the tailgate closing by gently lifting it an inch or so; the power portion brings it up the rest of the way.