The 2024 Toyota Tacoma mid-size pickup truck squares off against the Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and GM’s Colorado and Canyon siblings, among others.
It’s a bestseller for a reason, with rugged durability and classic pickup truck design. A sibling to the Toyota Tundra, the redesigned Tacoma surely will improve on its predecessor’s TCC Rating of 4.8 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.) We’ll withhold a rating until we drive it this summer.
Most everything. The last new Tacoma arrived in 2016, so this near once-in-a-decade cadence brings with it major upgrades to the powertrains, suspension options, cab sizes, standard safety features, and in-car connectivity. Offered in three body configurations, four powertrain options including one with a 6-speed manual, and eight trim levels, the Tacoma leans into the dizzying array of configurations typically reserved for full-size trucks.
Sharing a global truck platform with the larger Toyota Tundra and Toyota Sequoia, the 2024 Tacoma employs a new high-strength steel ladder frame with increased rigidity over its predecessor. Strengthened crossmembers promise more durability as well as the ability to support more overlanding gear. Aluminum panels on the upper body drop weight, though Toyota couldn’t confirm by how much at press time.
The wheelbase stretches 4.5 inches longer, with the rear axle moved back, but it’s the same overall length as the third-gen Tacoma so it’ll still fit fine in a standard 18-foot garage. The standard wheelbase measures 132 inches long with the 5-foot bed, while the long wheelbase with the long 6-foot bed extends to 145 inches. It’s the same width between the doors, but beefier at the axles by 2.6 inches with bulging fenders and prominent flares.
Combined with a wide grille, Toyota says the Tacoma design nods to the original HiLux small truck from the 1960s and ‘70s. Its blocky ends, wrap-around LED headlights, and side air intakes make it more like a smaller Tundra, but each of the eight trims has its own flair, with the new off-road equipped Trailhunter grade standing out the most.
The overhauled interior varies by trim as well, but all Tacomas have a chunky center console with a mechanical gear selector, a drive mode dial, and a grab handle on the passenger side. Curiously, the passenger side has a hidden grab handle on the pillar, but the driver has to use the steering wheel to lend a hand while getting in. Big climate dials sit under thin vents, and the dash is crowned by either an 8.0-inch or 14.0-inch touchscreen sticking out like a digital thumb. A name plate on camo-type plastic dash trim reminds the passenger of the make of the truck.
What are the 2024 Toyota Tacoma engine and suspension options?
The four powertrain options are new as well. The base engine in SR grades is a detuned 2.4-liter turbo-4 that makes 228 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. An 8-speed automatic drives power to the rear wheels or available four-wheel drive with a 2-speed transfer case. It can be fitted with a 6-speed manual with the uprated turbo-4 but only in the extended cab (Toyota’s Double Cab) configuration.
The uprated turbo-4 adopted from the Toyota Highlander three-row SUV comes on every other grade except TRD Pro and Trailhunter models. It makes 278 hp and 317 lb-ft with the 8-speed automatic, but with the 6-speed manual it’s limited to 270 hp and 310 lb-ft to prevent axle windup.
In that most common configuration, towing peaks at 6,500 pounds with RWD, which is a decline of 300 pounds from the previous model due to the turbo-4 and overall vehicle mass.
A double wishbone front suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension carries over on SR, SR5 XtraCab, and PreRunner grades, but every Double Cab model gets coil springs and a multilink rear suspension that promises to make the ride a bit calmer and passenger friendly.
The hybrid powertrain with a 48-hp permanent magnet synchronous motor standard on TRD Pro and Trailhunter comes from the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup. Paired with an 8-speed automatic and 4WD with a center diff lock, it makes 326 hp and 465 lb-ft and can tow 6,000 pounds.
Those off-road models also come with unique suspension tuning and off-road gear. The TRD Pro has Fox internal bypass shocks with piggyback remote reservoirs, front seats with shock absorber adjustments built into the seat backs, an electronic rear locking differential, an electronic front stabilizer bar disconnect, and 18-inch black TRD Pro wheels with 33-inch Goodyear Territory R/T tires.
The new Trailhunter model aims to be the overlanding rock crawler of the Tacoma TRD family. Its wheels are colored bronze, and it has ARB Old Man Emu 2.5-inch monotube position sensitive shocks with piggyback remote reservoirs, rock rails, LED fog lamps, an air intake along the passenger A-pillar, a bed utility bar, an air compressor in the bed and other available accessories, such as a rooftop tent.
2024 Tacoma extended cab, XtraCab, and bed sizes
The Tacoma still comes with two cab and bed sizes, but the former Access Cab has morphed into a two-door XtraCab with no rear seats. Available on SR, SR5, and TRD PreRunner trims and paired only with a 6-foot bed, the XtraCab optimizes utility while minimizing the seats to two. Toyota didn’t have cab-specific specs at press time, but the XtraCab has lockable storage cubbies in the rear floor and on the back panel, and the passenger seat can fold flat to double as a work space with an integrated cup holder.
The extended cab comes with four doors and five seats, and can be paired with either the 5-foot or 6-foot bed. Toyota says there’s three times as much storage space under the rear seat than then in the third-generation truck, but that’s only in non-hybrids. The hybrid battery pack sits under the rear seat as in other Toyotas, but in any Double Cab, the rear seats fold flat. Up front, the dash integrates a storage shelf in front of the passenger seat for smartphones or Dentyne or what have you, and available Molle pockets on the console and doors hold more stuff.
The beds have 7% more volume, Toyota says, and the aluminum tailgate can be optioned with power. A quick release tailgate button is integrated into either taillight. Plenty of power can be accessed in the bed as well, with a standard 400-watt AC inverter (and another in the center console), and hybrids have a 2,400-watt AC inverter. A 12-volt plug is also available in the bed and cabin.
2024 Toyota Tacoma safety
The new design and a more rigid chassis bolstered by stronger crossmembers should improve its crash-test ratings with the NHTSA and the IIHS.
Toyota equips every Tacoma with driver-assist tech designed to mitigate or avoid a crash. Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, an enhanced adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, road sign recognition, and an emergency stop function that will stop the truck if the driver is unresponsive to alerts and warnings. Options include blind-spot monitors and a surround-view camera system.
How much does the 2024 Toyota Tacoma cost?
Expect the new Tacoma to crest $30,000 in the base SR grade with a two-door cab and 6-foot bed. On the other end of the price spectrum, the fully-loaded factory-lifted Trailhunter model will likely exceed $60,000. The sweet spot for most Tacoma shoppers will likely fall in between, with SR5, Trd PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, or TRD Pro models.
Standard equipment includes the 2.4-liter turbo-4 with the 8-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive, 17-inch wheels, power windows and locks, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, keyless start, and USB-C ports.
TRD Sport and above grades include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, while Limited, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter come with a 14-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, heated and cooled front seats, a portable JBL speaker, and 18-inch wheels with trim-specific designs.
Where is the 2024 Toyota Tacoma made?
In Guanajuato and Baja, Mexico.
