2024 Toyota Tacoma XtraCab

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma midsize pickup truck enters an all-new generation, with variants going from basic to luxurious to intrepid. New drivetrains include a muscular hybrid. Pricing starts at $32,995.

Buyers have made previous generations of the Tacoma (and other Toyota pickups) huge successes because they’re tough and dependable (the trucks, not the buyers, well, maybe the buyers, too). They’ll stand up to a ton of punishment and then get you home — time after time. So we’re going to assume Toyota has done its homework and decided that it’s OK for its new Tacoma truck not to have class-leading towing or payload figures. The Tacoma is purchased and appreciated for other reasons — remarkable off-road talents and strong resale values being two more. This fourth-generation Tacoma sees upgrades in engines, suspensions, technology, and safety equipment. It also pulls away from its rivals with an available hybrid drivetrain. As we all know, hybrids are a Toyota specialty. This setup makes the new Tacoma one of the most powerful midsize trucks, with 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque.

We’ve showered the outgoing model with dozens of awards over the years, including our most recent Best Buy Award and Best Resale Value Award for midsize trucks. It’s also a consistent best-seller. The new Tacoma has everything it needs to continue as a major contender against the Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier — every one of which has also been redesigned recently.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize pickup trucks, including the Toyota Tacoma.

This year sees the debut of an all-new generation of Tacoma, including the choice of a gutsy hybrid drivetrain. The new Trailhunter version is even more of an off-road specialist than the TRD Pro. Higher trims also gain a rear coil spring/multilink arrangement that’s more sophisticated than the traditional leaf springs.

The Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, and Nissan Frontier are also in that high-$20Ks/low-$30Ks ballpark, with the well-equipped GMC Canyon, unibody Honda Ridgeline, and Wrangler-esque Jeep Gladiator all starting closer to $40K.

Before buying a new Tacoma truck, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying.

Class-Leading Resale Value

Previous generations of Tacoma have been multiple winners of our Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value award. We’re expecting the new Tacoma pickup to, um, pick up where its predecessor left off.

The base SR comes with a turbocharged 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine making 228 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. That’s a big improvement over last year’s counterpart. When this unit is in other Tacoma variants, it’s boosted to 278 horsepower. We’re impressed by the refinement and power delivery. It feels even stronger to us than those numbers might suggest.

We’ve also driven the hybrid drivetrain on and off the road. We’re confident that drivers won’t miss the previous generation’s V6. We most certainly didn’t. We appreciate that low-end thrust when driving up steep inclines while the gasoline/electric operation remains seamless.

The ride quality is also on a higher level than before. Most variants of this new Tacoma come with coil springs at the rear, a leap in sophistication from the old-school leaf springs (the exceptions being the SR and TRD PreRunner variants). The transmission and braking feel similarly smooth and in keeping with the rest of this excellent midsize truck. We even like the partial self-driving feature, which can’t have been easy to calibrate considering the body-on-frame construction and the tall tire sidewalls.

The combination of plentiful torque and sophisticated suspension makes off-roading an immense pleasure. A well-equipped Tacoma can compete with a Jeep over rough terrain. The Trailhunter is a perfect example with its all-terrain tires, Crawl Control (off-road cruise control), anti-roll bar disconnect, locking differential, and terrain monitor. This Tacoma variant can go straight into the wild from the dealer’s lot.

Payload and Towing

With its 278-hp combustion-only/8-speed automatic transmission combination, the SR version is the hardest worker in the new Tacoma family and can carry a payload of 1,705 pounds. The previous generation’s best payload was 1,685 pounds.

It’s also capable of towing 6,500 pounds. That’s 300 pounds shy of last year’s maximum despite having more torque than the erstwhile V6. Buyers of midsize pickups with greater demands in these areas could check out the Chevy Colorado (towing: 7,700 pounds) or the Ford Ranger (payload: 1,860 pounds).

Fuel Economy

In combined city/highway driving, a 2024 Tacoma is going to achieve something like 23 mpg. From the gasoline-only SR to the TRD Pro with its standard hybrid drivetrain, expect something in the low 20s. As it turns out, the popular TRD Sport with all-wheel drive trails the table at 20 mpg combined.

To compare, the Ford Ranger equivalent returns 22 mpg combined, regardless of the number of driven wheels, and the Chevy Colorado runs to 21 mpg combined (rear-wheel drive) or 20 mpg combined (4-wheel drive).

Last year’s Access Cab is replaced by an Xtra Cab, bringing more interior space than before, including rear legroom. Toyota has also improved the driving position with this latest Tacoma, one of our few gripes regarding its predecessor. This time, we’ve found that the seat feels a little higher (while still allowing plenty of headroom for a tall driver), resulting in a position that feels good and natural. There’s 33.7 inches of rear legroom in the Double Cab. That’s still a little tight, but an inch more than the outgoing generation.

A 14-inch infotainment touchscreen is available, increasing the technology levels in the new truck and complementing the 12.3-inch instrument cluster that comes in at the TRD Sport level. The TRD Pro model brings new IsoDynamic front seats, which have their own kind of shock absorbers for optimum comfort when dashing across the dunes.

Cab choices for the new Tacoma are Xtra and Double. Think of the Double as a crew cab, with four full-size doors that open conventionally. The Xtra pairs with a 6-foot bed, and the Double offers that choice or a 5-foot bed. The new-for-2024 Tacoma PreRunner comes solely with the Xtra cab; all the trims above it are Double Cab models exclusively.

Despite various factors like black badges, hood scoops, differing ride heights, and wheel designs, the essential “bones” of the new Tacoma are arguably handsome in that chiseled pickup truck way. It works for us, at least. And LED lighting is fitted to the entire range.

The new Trailhunter has a lot of specialized off-road equipment, including a high-mounted air intake plus underbody protection made of real steel plates. Obtaining that cool grille with Toyota written out in uppercase letters still means buying the TRD Pro or now the Trailhunter.

Hybrid drivetrain
Like the hybrid offering in Toyota’s full-size Tundra, the Tacoma’s first hybrid powertrain is designed more for increased performance than maximum efficiency. Yet the fuel costs remain bearable.

Safety
The previous Tacoma was something of a trailblazer, packing many driver assistance features as standard. The new model comes with updated versions of things like forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, lane departure alert with steering assistance, lane-tracing assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

JBL audio
Optional in a few lower trims and standard at higher levels, this system includes a removable Bluetooth speaker.

Multi-Terrain Select
Coming in at the TRD Off-Road trim level, this makes life easier for drivers tackling all sorts of tricky conditions.

TRD
Let’s hear it for all the Tacoma TRD (Toyota Racing Development) models. They have many dedicated components from highly respected third-party suppliers, the sort of equipment an enthusiast would add, only saving a lot of time and trouble by having them fitted at the factory.

Trailhunter
This new-for-2024 Tacoma model takes the TRD Pro approach (including a disconnecting front anti-roll bar for greater axle articulation) and goes further, adding an integrated air compressor, steel skid plates, a lighting package from Rigid, plus a color scheme that includes wheels and suspension parts finished in bronze.

A new generation brings new engines. Even in its most basic SR trim, the 2024 Tacoma has a turbocharged 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine making a decent 228 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. An 8-speed automatic is the sole transmission here, along with standard rear-wheel drive or optional 4-wheel drive.

The next five variants gain an i-Force engine as standard — the same configuration as above, yet boosted to 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque when paired with a 6-speed manual transmission (yes, a stick shift remains available in the Tacoma) or 278 hp/317 lb-ft with the 8-speed automatic transmission.

For the first time, the Tacoma offers a hybrid version — the i-Force Max drivetrain. It’s optional in the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited trims or standard in the TRD Pro and Trailhunter models. Once again, a turbocharged 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine is on board, augmented here with an electric motor to create 326 hp (323 hp in the Trailhunter) and 465 lb-ft of torque. This muscle goes through an 8-speed automatic transmission and can drive either the rear wheels or all four, depending on the trim level.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Toyota’s new-car warranty lasts 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. Powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles. This coverage is typical for mainstream manufacturers. Scheduled maintenance is also included for the first two years or 25,000 miles, as well as two years of roadside assistance with unlimited mileage. Hybrid components have an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty, while the hybrid battery has coverage for 10 years or 150,000 miles.

Safety Ratings

The Toyota Tacoma is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick for 2024. Standard safety features included forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection and Proactive Driving Assist that adds minor steering and braking inputs when necessary.