NEW TACOMA IS STILL ALL TRUCK
Toyota’s midsize pickup gets bigger with solid makeover
Toyota Tacoma is called a midsize truck — a category that has been showing new signs of life lately — but at least in the doublecab version, it is certainly not lacking in stature.
And that might make it a good choice for many truck buyers: It’s big enough to get the job done but a little better on gas than fullsize pickups.
Tacoma is new for 2016 and started arriving at dealers this week. As the clear sales leader in the midsize category, the truck didn’t need any major overhauls to make it more competitive. But Toyota threw some nice touches in anyway:
Looks. The angles in the front end are sharper, which makes the truck look more aggressive. The hood was raised. It’s a big improvement and puts Tacoma back on the leading edge of truck eye-catchers.
Engine. Besides the 4-cylinder, Tacoma was given a more-efficient 3.5-liter V-6 with direct and port fuel injection. It churns out 278 horsepower, a 42-horsepower improvement over the outgoing V-6 engine.
Ride. More high-strength steel went into Tacoma to make it even more taut when it goes off-road.
Size. It grew about 4 inches, bringing it within 2 feet of the full-size Tundra.
Prices for the new 2016 Tacoma start as low as $24,200, including $900 in shipping. That’s for the base SR Access cab, 2wheel-drive with the truck’s other engine, the 159-horsepower 4cylinder. At present, the outgoing 2015 Tacoma starts at $21,865. For both the 2015 and 2016 models, prices run up into the high $30,000 range.
We spent a week in a truck from the top end — the Tacoma Limited Double Cab 4X4, priced at $38,720 with shipping. And it was a good choice, because since gas prices are cheap again, families are moving back to trucks and using them like family cars.
Tacoma is still all truck, with a solid frame meant for towing and plastic-lined box for hauling. The ride is fine for a truck but harsh by car standards. You feel every bump. This truck is not a good choice if you aren’t going to use it for its full cargo-toting capabilities or plan to thrash it off-road.
That being said, Tacoma was confident on the highway, and the cabin was unusually quiet for a pickup. And though it’s a midsize, Tacoma still feels big. It comes in just 22 inches less in overall length than the full-size Tundra, which is not a lot when you consider how Tacoma has grown over the years. Despite its size, rearseat legroom was challenging in Tacoma if the front seat is pushed back.
In the blinged-out version, Tacoma delivered. Our test version had a moon roof, leather seats, push-button start, rear backup camera, dual automatic climate control and blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert. They are features that appeal most to the family market. We liked them all, especially the 6.1-inch touchscreen, though selecting radio or satellite channels wasn’t as easy as we’d like. Plus, the black knobs on either side of the audio unit were hard to see against the black dashboard.
Tacoma remains a good, solid truck and shows every sign of keeping its leadership position.