2024 Toyota Tacoma Review: Perfecting America's Favorite

After seven years, during which time it dominated the mid-size truck segment, the third-gen Toyota Tacoma has been put out to pasture in favor of a redesigned Tacoma launching in the USA for 2024. And a major overhaul it is. Squared-off styling, Trailhunter and TRD Pro trims for overlanders and Ranger Raptor chasers, a redeveloped suspension system to improve comfort - with an available coil-sprung rear end - and a comprehensive driver-assist suite on every trim demonstrate Toyota's intention to keep the new Tacoma on top of the sales charts.

With its $31,500 starting price, the new Toyota Tacoma is $2k more expensive than the old one. It gets a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a new eight-speed automatic. It retains the six-speed manual option, unlike the Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger, which are exclusively automatic. Outputs range from 228 to 326 horsepower, and there are two body styles and two bed lengths - and a hybrid powertrain that will be introduced later on. Toyota has pulled out all the stops to maintain its sales lead, so has the new Tacoma hit the bull's eye?

New for 2024

The 2024 Tacoma is all-new. It sits on the new TNGA-F platform, and its suspension system has been overhauled, with a new coil-sprung rear axle on most trims, so comfort is much improved. A 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine does duty in all trims in four outputs - 228 hp, 270 hp, 278 hp, and 326 hp - the latter from the hybrid setup. There are two-door XtraCab and four-door Double Cab body styles and two bed sizes: 5 foot and 6 foot. There are eight trims in the range, topped by a freshened TRD Pro with FOX suspension that has its eye on the Raptor and ZR2, and a brand-new Trailhunter hardcore off-road trim.

2024 Toyota Tacoma Price: Which One to Buy

The price of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma SR is $31,500 - just on $2k more than last year's base trim. This is followed by the SR5 at $36,200, the TRD PreRunner at $38,100, the TRD Sport at $39,400, the TRD Off-Road at $41,800, and Limited at $52,100. Pricing has not yet been announced for the upcoming TRD Pro and Trailhunter, which are expected to cost around $56k and $60k, respectively. Upgrading the bottom two trims to Double Cab will cost you $2,200, but the TRD PreRunner is an XtraCab only and from the TRD Sport, all trims are Double Cab. The six-speed manual gearbox is offered on select 4WD trims only at no extra cost. Upgrading any trim from 2WD to 4WD will cost you $3,200, but some trims are 2WD only (TRD PreRunner XtraCab), and some are 4WD only (TRD Off-Road, Limited, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro). These prices are MSRP and exclude Toyota's $1,850 destination charge.

Which Tacoma is right for you depends on what you're going to do with it. If you want a bare-bones workhorse, you can rest assured that the Tacoma SR will at least give you all the essential driver assists and a proper, modern smartphone-enable infotainment system, but it's hardly a well-equipped family vehicle. The SR5 Double Cab is the first livable trim for everyday use and possibly the sweet spot and best value, gaining desirable features such as alloy wheels, rear coil springs, and blind-spot monitoring. You can add a lot more options to the SR5 than to the SR, so see it as a blank canvas, which you can spec up with items such as heated front seats, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a premium audio system, and more. Of course, there's no shortage of specialized off-road trims in the new range if you're inclined to adventuring.

Interior and Features

The modern new cabin follows the exterior’s straight lines and is solid, with large controls that are easy to use, though the volume knob could be bigger.

The cabin borrows many styling cues from the Tundra, with an infotainment screen perched atop the dashboard, chunky, straight lines, pleasing textures, and solid materials all working together to create an environment that looks smart, modern, and tough, if not plush. A smaller touchscreen and analog gauges grace most trims, but it comes with modern connectivity features now and feels up-to-date for a work truck. Top trims get big digital displays, more features, and more upscale materials. Large, clearly marked, and chunky controls are easy to use with gloved hands. It's easy to get inside, with two reservations - the limited legroom makes getting into the second row of the Double Cab a little awkward, and the step up is substantial in the raised-height off-road trims. Interior space has not increased and is still cramped in the second row - typical in this class. Seating comfort is better, though, and the Tacoma finally has a normal seating position that places you upright and not as close to the floor as before. Top trims get features such as heated and ventilated seats trimmed in leatherette.

Space

As expected, there's lots of space up front, but the second row is cramped despite having the longest wheelbase in this class, with less legroom than either the Ranger or Colorado. In this respect, the Tacoma has not moved the game on. Children should be perfectly happy in the back, though. The TRD Pro gets advanced IsoDynamic Performance front seats with built-in dampening to better cushion the blows during high-speed off-road running.

Cargo

Two bed lengths are available - a five-foot and a six-foot bed - and while Toyota doesn't provide a figure for bed volume, the dimensions of the five-foot bed are close to those of its rivals. The Tacoma's six-foot bed option is bigger, though, offering more bed space than either of its rivals, because they are only available with short beds. Maximum payload starts at 1,230 pounds for the 4WD XtraCab with 1,705 lbs listed for the 4WD Double Cab, only marginally lower than its rivals. The bed gets four fixed cargo tie-down hooks on all trims, and on all but the SR, a deck-rail system with adjustable tie-down cleats is standard. The bed is made from a tough and rust-free composite material.

Cabin storage is truly plentiful, with a glovebox, various front-door storage spaces, a handy tray above the glovebox, front cupholders, an overhead sunglasses holder, and various storage compartments in the center console, including a phone rest and a lidded storage bin. The XtraCab has quite a lot of useful storage space behind the front seats for carrying things safely in the cab that you don't want to leave in the bed. In the Double Cab, the rear passengers get door cubbies and cupholders at the back of the front center console, in addition to front seatback pockets. Not only do the rear seatbacks fold down, but the seat cushions can also flip up to give you access to various rear-cabin storage configurations for things instead of people. There is three times more rear under-seat storage than in the old Tacoma.

Materials and Colors

True to its workhorse spec, the SR comes with a polyurethane steering wheel and cloth upholstery with a black interior. The SR5 offers you two interior colors, adding Boulder (gray) to the existing black as an additional choice. A leather-trimmed steering wheel becomes optional as part of various packages. The TRD PreRunner comes with Boulder/Black cloth with either Smoke Silver or Anodized Blue trim on the dashboard and doors and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. The TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road come in Boulder/Black with Smoke Silver trim or Black with White trim. Black SofTex leatherette upholstery is only available on these two trims as part of the Premium package that adds a ton of other features at a total outlay of between $8k and $9k.

The Limited gets Black or Boulder SofTex as standard and gray wood-effect trim. The TRD Pro gets many bespoke interior highlights, with available red SofTex upholstery and a host of TRD and/or TRD Pro badges and red highlights throughout the interior, including on the unique TRD Pro steering wheel. The Trailhunter's gray interior gets SofTex and yellow accents, stitching, and piping.

Features and Infotainment

There aren't many standard features in the SR workhorse, with keyless entry for the driver's door only, push-button start, manually operated and unheated cloth seats, a manually tilting/telescoping polyurethane steering wheel, power accessories, regular air-conditioning, and a seven-inch driver-information display. The higher trims add features such as all-access keyless entry, power heated/ventilated front seats, leatherette upholstery, single- or dual-zone climate control, a power sunroof, and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Many of these features are available as options on lower trims, but the SR has access to fewer extras than the rest of the trims.

The base infotainment system in the SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, and TRD Off-Road is cloud-connected and comprises an eight-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM with a three-month Platinum Plan trial subscription, and a sound system with either four (XtraCab) or six (Double Cab) speakers. The Limited, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro get a big 14-inch touchscreen with a ten-speaker JBL audio system, but this audio system is optional as part of a package from the SR5 grade and up. A wireless charging pad and dual USB-C ports are optional from TRD Sport level and standard on the top three trims. All trims can provide a Wi-Fi hotspot and connected navigation with suitable subscriptions.

Performance

Even the base engine pulls strongly from low revs and is a vast improvement on the old naturally aspirated units, while using less fuel as well.

You'll find the same turbocharged 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine in every Toyota Tacoma. It's been adapted for heavy-duty truck use and comes in four outputs. In the SR, it develops 228 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque, and in the SR5 through Limited, it has 278 hp and 317 lb-ft when paired to the eight-speed automatic transmission or 270 hp and 310 lb-ft with the six-speed manual. The i-Force Max hybrid powertrain is optional on the TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road, and standard on the Trailhunter and TRD Pro trims. It makes 326 hp and 465 lb-ft.

Rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive are offered, but the TRD PreRunner is RWD only, and all the other TRD-badged trims and Limited are 4WD only. With the base powertrain, expect a Toyota Tacoma's 0-60 sprint to take just over eight seconds, dropping to the mid-seven-second range with the 270-/278-hp engine. Expect around 6.5 seconds with the hybrid powertrain. Top speed is limited to 110 mph. Trailering ability is no better than before, with the Tacoma still maxing out at 6,500 pounds with the factory tow hitch fitted. Off-road ability is superb in the TRD Off-Road, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro trims, with extra ground clearance and lots of 4WD hardware making each excel at its respective discipline. The Trailhunter's focus is high-speed off-road driving and it comes with Old Man Emu forged coil-overs and rear remote-reservoir shocks.

Even on gravel, the base suspension system with its rear leaf springs is well-behaved and not too firm in our test drive. You feel few of the typical ladder-frame truck shudders filter through to the cabin over the rough stuff, so it does have a more traditional truck feel, if more refined. The coil-sprung rear end is more polished and does everything better, as expected, with a much softer ride and better control, while feeling more like a car to drive. This is aided by responsive new electric power steering and powerful brakes. The truck feels far less cumbersome and more responsive to drive and is now a class act like the old one never was. Even the base engine offers strong performance for a truck, with effortless low-rev torque, but the manual shifter is a bit disappointing - its throw is too long, and its action too rubbery.

Fuel Efficiency

Gas mileage varies depending on the body type and drivetrain, but the Toyota Tacoma's mpg estimates for the city/highway/combined cycles for the base 228-hp engine in the SR are 20/26/23 mpg for the 2WD automatic, 19/24/21 mpg for the 4WD automatic, and 18/23/20 for the 4WD manual. The 278-hp engine in the SR5 in 2WD automatic guise matches the base powertrain on the highway and combined - and beats it by 1 mpg in the city - despite the power boost, and the figures for the 4WD auto are the same as the base car's. The 4WD TRD Off-Road and TRD Sport automatics both get 19/23/20 mpg, and the manuals are 1 mpg worse in the city; the 2WD automatic TRD Sport does a little better at 20/24/22 mpg. Finally, the Limited 4WD auto returns 20/23/20 mpg.

The fuel capacity of all the gas trims is only 18.2 gallons, and considering the 20-23-mpg consumption band on the combined cycle in which all the Tacomas fall, a range of between 364 and 418 miles is the best you can hope for. The consumption figures for the hybrids have not been released yet at the time of writing.

Safety

Safety standards are high, with Toyota’s full TSS 3.0 driver-assist suite standard on every Tacoma.

There's no NHTSA or IIHS safety review of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma, so we'll wait until the agencies have crashed it to see how big the improvement is going to be. The last Tacoma scored poorly in some of the latest offset and side crashes, and the new car's TNGA platform should affect a sizeable improvement with its modern crash structures and fully boxed frame. For reference, the new Tundra on this platform received top scores and a 2023 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award, and we hope the Tacoma will perform similarly.

The full Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 driver-assistance suite is fitted as standard to every Tacoma and includes front-collision alert with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, all-speed adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert with lane tracing and steering assist, road-sign recognition, Proactive Driving Assist, and automatic LED headlights with auto high beams. The SR5 and all the other trims also get blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror, while an integrated trailer-brake controller becomes available from this level. From the TRD Sport, a camera-based digital rearview mirror and HomeLink transceiver become optionally available - but both are standard on the Limited, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro, which also get a standard trailer-brake controller, a surround-view camera, and a trailer camera. The Trailhunter and TRD Pro exchange the surround-view monitor for a more advanced off-road-optimized Multi-Terrain Monitor with selectable front, side, and rear views.

Reliability

Because it's brand-new, we still don't know much about the reliability of the new Toyota Tacoma, and there's no JD Power rating for it yet. The agency rated the old model a very good 83 out of 100 for its Quality & Reliability assessment, but the recently redesigned Tundra hasn't done as well, with a mediocre score of 78. We're hoping the redesigned Tacoma doesn't experience a similar drop and will uphold Toyota's usual standards.

The basic warranty of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma provides coverage for three years/36,000 miles, and the powertrain warranty for a longer five years/60,000 miles.

Warranty

Design

The Tacoma follows in the new Tundra's footsteps with its chunky lines, square jaw, and generally striking appearance. Two-door, one-row XtraCab and four-door, two-row Double Cab bodies are offered with either 5' or 6' composite beds with four fixed cargo tie-down points. All trims get LED headlights, and all but the SR, which runs on 17-inch steel wheels, get 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels. The SR5 gains LED foglights, and from the TRD Sport, LED bed lighting is fitted. The TRD Sport and TRD Pro are fitted with a vented hood. Grille finishes vary by trim and you can tell each model apart, with plain black lower down the trim line and a silver-accented one on the Limited. The Trailhunter and TRD Pro trims get bold "TOYOTA" grille lettering and sit notably higher off the ground; the former comes with rock rails and a bed-mounted air compressor, and the latter with a metal ARB bumper, front LED light bar, and RIGID LED foglights. A power sunroof is fitted to the top trims.

Verdict: Is The 2024 Toyota Tacoma A Good Truck?

The Toyota Tacoma is a huge improvement on its evergreen predecessor, which outsold its closest competitor comprehensively, even in 2022 when it was already well advanced in years. The new truck comes with handsome Tundra-like styling, a stronger frame, more efficient turbocharged powertrains including a hybrid, and updated safety features and equipment. It improves on everything that made the old Tacoma great and catapults to right to the front of the class, landing among the segment leaders on driving pleasure and comfort as well. Toyota would probably have done enough by just getting close, but it's gone the extra mile with the superb off-road trims such as the Trailhunter, the hardcore new TRD Pro, and the supple new coil rear suspension. We expect it to maintain its status as America's favorite mid-size truck comfortably.