2024 Toyota Tacoma First Drive Review: Modern Meal

How do you revamp a product that claims almost 40 percent of its segment? If you’re Toyota: carefully.

Don’t get me wrong, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma is a wholly new product: platform, engines, tech—you name it. For this fourth-gen mid-size truck, the brand has taken a detail-oriented focus, keeping the feel and broad spectrum of flavors the Taco has enjoyed for years, with a modern twist.

Toyota invited AutoGuide down to a ranch in the hills outside of Malibu to sample the new Taco. After a full day of driving on road and off, here's what we found.

Right off the bat, I should address something: here outside of Malibu, Toyota brought only pure gas model Tacomas (badged i-Force). That’s a 2.4-liter turbo four, which sounds just like the one in the Grand Highlander. The truth is, almost half the parts are unique to the truck, and it comes in a few different power levels. The base model produces 228 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, while most models will bump those figures up to 278 and 317, respectively. That’s with the eight-speed automatic transmission; Toyota has kept the six-speed manual around for enthusiasts, which shaves off 8 hp and 7 lb-ft, with torque peaking higher up the rev range as well.

A hybrid (i-Force Max) will arrive in spring of 2024. That's when you can find the TRD Pro, which only uses the Max setup, as well as the new Trailhunter trim.

The Taco now rides on the TNGA-F platform, the same scalable architecture that underpins the Tundra, Sequoia, and upcoming Land Cruiser. That means a fully boxed frame instead of the old C-frame, and it uses what Toyota calls Dejima welding. Named after a man-made island outside Nagasaki, these welds can be done along curves, subtly adding strength where needed, without also adding unnecessary weight. The move to TNGA-F also brings in an available coil-sprung rear suspension, as well as four-wheel disc brakes. No more drums here.

Let’s talk looks. It’s safe to say that we’re still firmly in Taco-town here, and Toyota deserves props for keeping the package roughly the same size as before. The face is the biggest change, where the headlights gain little faux-vents underneath, much like the Tundra. Each trim brings its own distinct flavor: the Sport gets a hood scoop for example, while the Limited ladles on the chrome trim. Toyota knows owners like customization too, so it’s left the rockers clear for folks to easily bolt on their own running boards if so inclined. Similarly, if you want the steel bumper that comes on the Trailhunter, that’ll bolt right in place of the existing bumper.

Overall I find it a pretty handsome rig, though the road-focused trims get a huge chin spoiler that gives it a real James William Bottomtooth III vibe. Don’t worry, it’s just nine bolts to remove it.

Also back in the mix: an actual two-seat truck. Toyota has kept the dual-door shape—now dubbed XtraCab—but has dropped a pair of lockable storage boxes behind the front seats. The smaller one on the floor will handle a couple of bags, while the back-panel one can hold longer items. The more typical four-door Double Cab should be the volume leader. It comes with a choice of five- or six-foot beds; the XtraCab is strictly the latter.

Canadians, look away: the XtraCab isn’t heading up north, at least not at launch. Toyota spokesfolk suggest that could change if there’s sufficient demand, so write to your local polar bear or politician.

The day starts with back-to-back drives in two heartland Tacoma trims: the SR5 and TRD Off-Road. These, along with the PreRunner and Sport, should account for almost 80 percent of Tacoma sales in the US.

The SR5 XtraCab 4x4 rides on the leaf spring setup. Yet through a winding canyon better suited to a GR Corolla, this two-door Tacoma is well-mannered. There’s a little judder from the rear axle over gnarlier bits of tarmac, but it’s nothing approaching unruly. The upgraded brakes are welcome in the downhill sections, with a positive and progressive pedal feel.

Switching over to the Off-Road adds a few wrinkles. It’s still 4WD, but now there’s a manual, coil-spring rear suspension, and an extra set of doors. Toyota makes a big deal about keeping the manual, and as a journalist I’m supposed to love it. In reality, it’s… fine. This isn’t one of the great manuals, with a long, rubbery throw and vague clutch. It serves a niche, so props to Toyota for adapting a three-pedal setup for this platform. But the auto is the better setup. The on-road manners are better here, though not by as much as you might think—a testament to the base setup’s abilities. The electronic power steering gives the Tacoma an easy maneuverability, and retains appropriate weighting. That turbo-four is powerful and adaptable, while the eight-speed auto is responsive. Somehow, Toyota has layered in a bit of the old truck’s breathy engine note.

Later in the day I sample an almost-base SR 4x4. With a detuned engine (228 hp and 243 lb-ft), it’s an agreeable little workhorse, not feeling down fifty ponies. The cabin is basic but gets most of the essentials.

Speaking of work, the Tacoma is capped at 6,500 pounds (2,948 kilograms) of max towing capacity in the US; Canada's trims are slightly different, so it's 6,400 lb (2,903 kg) north of the border. Similarly, the max payload is 1,710 lb (776 kg) in the US and 1,380 lb (626 kg) in Canada. Towing assistance comes by way of a hands-free backup assist, trailer guidelines, integrated trailer brake controller, and an adaptive blind-spot monitoring system.

The fancy-pants Limited is meant for more tarmac action, and gets an available adaptive suspension alongside additional creature comforts. With just one in rotation during the day, I unfortunately wasn't able to sample it.

Lunch time is off-road time. While the truly hardcore will no doubt wait for the TRD Pro or new Trailhunter—both arriving later in spring of next year—the pure-gas Taco should prove plenty capable for most folks. Drop into 4LO and the TRD Off-Road clambers over rock piles with ease, the front-mounted camera doing a good job as digital spotter. It rides on 18-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch all-terrain tires which, and houses Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs in its wheel arches. With 11.5 inches of ground clearance, the Off-Road makes short work of the trail.

Newly available on the Off-Road—and standard on next year’s TRD Pro—is a front sway bar disconnect. Toyota has us drive over two sets of undulations; one with the bar connected, one without. Not only is the articulation better on the second half, but the cabin stays calmer, so the driver can better focus on the task at hand. It’s not new tech, but it’s appreciated nonetheless. Likewise, the Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control are both returning allies in the off-road adventure, but are refined. MTS is now available in either 4WD High or Low, while Crawl Control is quieter. Both are accessed via the rotary knob in the center console.

No matter the trim, the Tacoma’s cabin majors on ease of use. The chunky dashboard design is a much bolder choice than before, with a clear visual hierarchy. Thankfully, Toyota has stuck to physical controls, and plenty of them. Climate controls are all grouped together high up, with textured rotary knobs that should be easy to use with gloves. The center console also houses various buttons along with the multi-purpose drive mode rotary dial.

An important note: while some trucks on-hand had fully finished interiors (like the Limited), the models I drove all had pre-production, pre-grained plastics in the cabin. Thus I’ll be reserving final quality judgments until we get a chance in a production model. Toyota did show off a few of the colored trim pieces for the dashboard, which brighten up the whole space.

Another important note: Toyota has fixed the seating position. Well, mostly. The seats are mounted much higher relative to the floor now, so there’s no knee-wheel interactions. There still isn’t as much range adjustment as I’d like, so while I had no issues getting comfortable behind the wheel (at 5’10”), I do wonder about folks much taller. Comfort is good, with even the base cloth seats showing good lower back and thigh support.

Base models use an 8.0-inch touchscreen, while higher trims swap in a 14.0-inch unit. Both run Toyota’s latest infotainment setup, which majors on simplicity. Various subscriptions are available, with differing lengths of free trials included. The available 12.3-inch instrument panel is pretty and highly configurable, while the base dials have excellent legibility.

Safety sees a huge boost with this new model as well. The Tacoma now features Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, bringing with it all manner of lane assists, adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition, and Proactive Driving Assist.

This is the best-selling mid-sized truck on the market; there are myriad body, trim, and option combinations. The important figure is $32,995, which is the entry-point in the US including destination. That’s a couple grand more than the existing truck, but only $640 more once you spec the V6. The XtraCab skews that difference in favor of the new truck, however. An SR5 4x4 with the five-foot bed now goes for $41,895, a difference of around $2,000. Given its improved manners, better fuel economy, and much friendlier cabin, that seems fair. The iForce lineup tops out at the $53,595 Limited, which is exclusively a DoubleCab 4x4.

The PreRunner is my personal sweet spot: a two-seater, rear-drive truck with a locking rear diff, one-inch front suspension lift, and additional skid plates. It lists for $39,595.

Canada’s lineup is far different. It’s all 4x4s for starters, and almost all six-foot beds; that means no SR nor PreRunner. The exceptions are the manual TRD Off-Road and TRD Sport as well as the auto-equipped Off-Road Premium, which all come with five-foot beds. An SR5 lists for $48,880 CAD; the Premium versions of the Sport and Off-Road cap the current lineup at $60,080 and $60,280 CAD, respectively. Note that the Limited is hybrid-only in Canada.

The pure-gas Tacoma will arrive in dealers December in the US, and January in Canada.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma had a tough balancing act to pull off. It feels familiar in ways I’m positive current owners will appreciate, but it also modernizes in a few key ways that should pull new folks in too. Is it the best mid-sized truck? We’ll need to get the new batch together to know for sure, but based off this first drive, I don’t see the Taco giving up its segment crown any time soon.

Discuss this story on our Toyota Tacoma forum.

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