The Toyota Tacoma has emerged as the standard bearer in the compact pickup truck segment. It does all the heavy lifting expected of a small truck. The Tacoma is available with two engines—a 2.7-liter four-cylinder that produces 159 horsepower and a 4-liter V6 that provides 236 horsepower. The Tacoma is well-suited for customization, and can tow up to 6,500 pounds.
What's New for 2014
The Tacoma X-Runner is discontinued for 2014. Entune audio is offered in four levels and the SR appearance package has been developed for Tacoma PreRunner and 4x4 Access Cab and Double Cab base models.
Choosing Your Toyota Tacoma
The most basic choice a Tacoma buyer makes is drive type and number of doors:
- 4x2 Two-Door
- 4x4 Two-Door
- 4x2 Four-Door
- 4x4 Four-Door
Drilling down, you'll find there are two two-door models and one with four doors:
Regular Cab
The base Tacoma is the two-door Regular Cab and includes standard equipment like a full-size spare tire, a digital clock, two instrument panel power points with a lighter, dome lamp, mudguards and Entune Audio. It's available only with the 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.
Access Cab
Though it also has two doors, the Access Cab is stretched to include space behind the front seats. The list of standard features becomes less Spartan with power windows and door locks, front bucket seats and a center console and an available backup camera. The base 2.7-liter four is still available, but a 4-liter V6 is now optional.
Double Cab
Double cab models feature four doors, active headrests for the front seats, power mirrors and driver seat adjustable lumbar support. As with the Access Cab, the Double Cab offers a choice of four- or six-cylinder power.
Option groups can add comfort and performance to the Tacoma. They include:
SR5 spices things up with a chrome grill and bumper, intermittent wipers, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and an automatic transmission shift lever. It’s available on the Access and Double cab models.
Limited stylizes the Tacoma with 18-inch chrome-clad wheels, chrome bumpers, outside mirrors and chrome door handles. An optional Entune premium audio system adds navigation and the Entune App Suite.
TRD Off-Road offers rugged capabilities through chassis modifications including an electronic locking rear differential, front springs, specially tuned Bilstein shock absorbers and a 28-mm front stabilizer bar.
TRD Sport features lower-profile tires that ride on 17-inch alloy wheels. Both the TRD Off-Road Package and TRD Sport Package have a 115-volt power outlet and sport seats with adjustable lumbar support.
The Tacoma you choose will depend on your budget and needs—these trucks hold their value well, so it's hard to go wrong, even if you opt for a more expensive model.