All-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma hits hard with plug-in hybrids, more off-road gear, and a manual option

There’s a lot to go into, so let’s get into it. The 2024 Tacoma is available in eight trims—SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off Road, Limited, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter. Some of those are familiar, with the PreRunner returning after years away, while the Limited and Trailhunter are new to the Tacoma. The rig is available as a crew cab with a five- or six-foot bed, and shockingly for a truck in 2023, a new two-door Xtra cab configuration is offered. Exclusively featuring seating for two, there are no funky half doors, but the space behind the driver and passenger has been expanded to fit your gear or groceries. Call it a single cabin or an extended cabin—your choice—but it’s refreshing to see an option like this these days.

Gone are the old Tacoma’s 2.7-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V6 engines. In their place are a pair of more powerful engines both based on a 2.4-liter turbo-four. It makes 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque on the SR 5 and up (the base SR engine is detuned to 228 hp and 243 lb-ft). Then, there’s a hybrid variant that includes a 1.87 kWh battery and transmission-mounted electric motor to produce 326 hp and 465 lb-ft. A six-speed manual is still available on non-electrified models, while the automatic transmission offered is eight-speed.

As a quick side point, Toyota specifically mentions that hybrid trucks can climb 8% of interstate grades without having to downshift. That’s a big difference from the outgoing truck, which automatically rattles like crazy to keep the engine in its powerband. And when it’s time to stop, you can count on four-wheel disc brakes for the first time in a Tacoma.

All Tacoma 4×2 models will come with at least a limited-slip differential, and a rear locker is standard on the TRD PreRunner. AWD trims like the TRD Off Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter get a standard locking rear differential, too, while the fancy Limited gets a full-time 4×4 with a center-locking differential on hybrid models.

It has a 6500-pound tow limit on the SR5 and TRD PreRunner trims with the gas-only powertrain. As for payload, the top figure is 1,709 pounds, which is more than the average Chevy but less than the new Ranger. Toyota never chases huge towing and payload, so this isn’t a surprise.

The Tacoma Trailhunter and TRD Pro are Halo off-road rims that feature the iForce Max hybrid drive, and they serve different purposes. The Trailhunter is more convenient with plenty of built-in accessories, like a bed rack and onboard air compressor, and the TRD Pro is all about moving fast in wide-open spaces with its Fox suspension and those crazy seatstays with their shock set. More on those later.

If you look at the Trailhunter, you’ll notice that it’s very well equipped from the factory. The ARB steel rear bumper features red tow hooks, there’s a snorkel running up the passenger-side A-pillar, and the 2.5-inch monotube shocks were developed in collaboration with Old Man Emu, Australia’s off-road outfit. There’s even a detailed electronic sway bar for better articulation, which isn’t available on the Ranger Raptor or Colorado ZR2.

Designed for driving over rocks, boulders, and maybe even mountains, the Trailhunter comes with steel skid plates and rock rails. They’re more difficult to dent than aluminum ones, but please, for the love of your truck: don’t test them too hard.

Switch to the TRD Pro and you’ll see an equally powerful pickup with a slightly different soul. It sports a multi-link rear suspension with 2.5-inch internal bypass Fox shocks and floating internal piston fenders, which make bottoming less squishy. Then there’s an aluminum front skid plate, rocker guards, and an ARB steel rear bumper with the same nifty recovery hooks as what’s on the Trailhunter. Compared to the regular Tacoma SR5, it’s two inches longer up front, an inch and a half longer out back, and three inches wider overall.

The Tacoma TRD Pro is the only model in the lineup that gets Toyota’s IsoDynamic Performance seats, which sound insane. They look like semi-truck driver seats, but instead of an air ride, they have a pair of rear-mounted air-over-oil shocks. It’s meant to be more comfortable when running in the desert and also help the driver focus better by stabilizing their head and neck. They can be adjusted based on body mass and preference, and if you prefer not to use them at all, they can be overridden by levers on the seatbacks. How neat!

The TRD Pro wins in terms of ground clearance with 11 inches, and it also has angles of 33.8 degrees for approach, 23.5 degrees for penetration, and 25.7 degrees for departure. Both off-road rims ride on 33-inch Goodyear Territory R/T tires, and I bet you could fit a pair of 35s down there with the higher suspension. Either way, both off-road models are more serious competitors in this space than what Toyota has offered in recent years.

Oh, and they say they finally fixed Crawl Control.

Since trucks are built to be everyday drivers these days, it’s all a miss if the interior is bad. Fortunately, this is not the case, as long as you are okay with screens. A 7-inch digital instrument cluster is standard on lower trims, while higher-spec trucks feature a 12.3-inch unit. The 8-inch infotainment display is the smallest you’ll find in the new Tacoma, and in its fancier trim, it measures 14 inches diagonally—just like the Tundra.

Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 is standard on every Tacoma, which means they all get a manufacturer’s pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assistance, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, lane follow assist, and turn signal assist. road, high-beam autofocus and proactive driving assistance. That’s fun, but it’s not all it’s on offer as you can also select blind-spot monitors—an odd feature that doesn’t come standard—and rear cross-traffic alert.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, two USB-C ports up front, and a digital Smart Key are available. We already knew the JBL Flex portable speaker was coming, but now we know it can be played for up to six hours, paired with other stereo equipment, and submerged in up to three feet of water. You can watch it plunge from inside the cab thanks to the Tacoma’s onboard camera crew that can provide a 360-degree view of the rig from the outside, or focus on specific areas like each frame.

It’s more practical in some ways, too, with Toyota saying gas-only models have three times less cargo space than an outgoing van. This is where the battery is located on hybrid models, so no luck there. Regardless, the rear bench seat folds flat on crew cab models to provide more cargo space.

The cab layout is fairly intuitive retaining the buttons and dials for the HVAC controls but only one knob for the radio. There are tactile switches, grab handles for the center console and A-pillars, and plenty of small bins and cup holders. Truck interiors are far more sophisticated than they used to be, even compared to a decade ago, and the new Toyota Tacoma is no exception here.

We don’t yet know how much the 2024 Tacoma will cost, but I suspect it will be higher than before, especially at the higher end. Toyota plans to publish official pricing figures as the launch date gets closer. One thing is for sure: there is already a line forming to buy the first lines that hit traders. These Toyota guys are crazy about trucks.

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