The Tacoma has been offered in the North American market since 1995, but Toyota was making trucks well before then. The imaginatively named Toyota Pickup dates back to 1972 and its international counterpart, the Hilux debuted back in 1968. The current third-generation Tacoma was introduced for the 2016 model year, and despite a 2020 facelift, it’s starting to show signs of aging.
The exterior looks fully contemporary, with its aggressive grille and headlights. The age starts to show when you climb into the Tacoma’s cabin. It has a contemporary enough design, but there are lots of hard plastics and chintzy surfaces. There is a mix of new elements (like the push-button start) shoehorned in among older buttons and switchgear from outmoded Toyota designs.
Trim levels for the Tacoma are SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and the range-topping TRD Pro. Standard features on the SR include 16-inch steel wheels, Class IV tow-hitch receiver, a manually sliding rear window, air conditioning, manual seats, a trio of USB ports, and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. It also comes standard with the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistance features (more on that later).
Moving up to the Tacoma SR5 adds fog lights and leather-wrapped steering wheel, and upgrades the infotainment system to an 8-inch touchscreen. If you select the Double Cab and V6 engine, this trim also adds a power-sliding rear window.
The TRD Sport swaps out the steel wheels for 17-inch alloy wheels. It also adds a TRD-tuned sport suspension, push-button start, dual-zone automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped shift-knob, wireless device charging, and a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat.
The TRD Off-Road goes back to 16-inch wheels, but they are alloys and wrapped in all-terrain tires. The TRD Off-Road also features a more trail-oriented suspension with Bilstein shocks, as well as a locking rear differential. Inside, this trim gains a 4.2-inch color display in the instrument panel, but it mostly opens up the selection of some options packages.
The Limited trim is more road-oriented, as evidenced by the 18-inch polished aluminum alloy wheels. The Limited also features leather upholstery, a JBL premium audio system, navigation, heated front seats, and a power moonroof.
We drove the range-topping TRD Pro. Leather is optional on this trim, but it comes with unique exterior styling, added underbody skid plates, LED fog lights, a TRD-tuned suspension, and a TRD sport exhaust.
The base engine in the Tacoma is a 2.7-liter four-cylinder that makes 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. This engine is underpowered and doesn’t even offer any significant fuel economy advantage. No matter what trim or other options you select, we would strongly recommend going for the optional 3.5-liter V6 engine. It makes 278 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. This engine is an option in the SR and SR5 trims, and it is standard in every other trim. When properly equipped, the Tacoma has a 6,800-pound maximum towing capacity and payload capacity of 1,685 pounds.
Both engines route power to the rear wheels or available four-wheel drive (4WD) through a six-speed automatic transmission. The TRD models are also available with a six-speed manual transmission.
Though the V6 is more capable than the anemic four-cylinder it still struggled to get up to highway speeds. Much of this has to do with the gearing and the transmission, which struggle to be in the right gear at the right time to provide confident acceleration. Around town, the V6 provides decent acceleration off the line and cruises along like a full-size truck. The suspension is designed for the trail, but also provides the right combination of a smooth ride and firmness around corners. It never feels numb, though at low speeds, cranking the wheel over to lock requires a bit of effort. Navigating a mall will really want to make you hit the open trail.
The TRD Pro is at home on the dirt. Rocks, bumps, and dips are absorbed like they are barely there. That same steering that feels lethargic in a parking lot is perfectly tuned for navigating the trail. You might not need these attributes that often, but it’s terrific when you do, and it’ll make you want to get back out there again.
The TRD Off-Road and TRD-Pro provide features to help you master the trail, including Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control. These features operate the brakes and throttle at low speeds, letting the driver focus on the trail ahead. The TRD Pro also features a multi-terrain monitor that provides added views of the trails to ensure you clear obstacles safely.
The Tacoma is available in Access Cab (extended cab) and Double Cab (crew cab) body styles and offers a five-foot bed and a six-foot-one-inch bed. The Access Cab includes clamshell rear half-doors. It offers seating for four with a pair of rear jump seats. These seats are tight on legroom and are best used for children or adults in a pinch. This rear-seat area is better used for internal storage. The Double Cab has four full doors and seating for up to five, but the rear-seat space is not much better. It is still tight on legroom and an adult will struggle on any trip longer than across town.
The front seats can slide far back, providing plenty of legroom for the driver and front passenger. Unfortunately for some drivers, the tilt/telescoping steering wheel does not extend far enough. Taller drivers will be forced to either scrunch up on the legroom or slide back and have to stretch out their arms. If you can find a comfortable seating position, the Tacoma’s cab provides plenty of cupholders and storage for other items. The bed on our test model also provided helpful in-bed lighting and an in-bed wall-style power outlet.
The base infotainment system on the Tacoma is a 7-inch touchscreen. Every trim but the base SR comes with an 8-inch touchscreen. Both screens feature an easy-to-use infotainment system with a basic layout and large icons. This is where the Tacoma’s age is a benefit. The infotainment system is an older Toyota design, but because of that, many shoppers will find it familiar and simple to use. Jumping in and out of Apple CarPlay is as easy as hitting the home button, but the tuning and volume dials are a little undersized. Otherwise, living with the infotainment system was uneventful, which is more than we can say for some modern touchscreens.
Our test truck came with a wireless device charger, which required pressing a button in the dash to activate. Modern wireless phone chargers can sense the presence of a phone and start charging. It’s not a deal-breaker, but something to remember so you don’t put your phone on and pick it up after a long drive with the battery level still low. Outside of these features (plus the trail camera), there’s not much in the way of advanced tech features on the Tacoma. If you live an active lifestyle and put your vehicle through a lot of abuse, this is perfectly fine.
The Toyota Tacoma comes standard with driver assistance features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and lane-departure warning. Features such as blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors are all optional. The backup camera is standard, and compared to other modern cars, the image is very grainy. You’ll want to pay extra attention when backing up.
Though the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) has not yet tested the 2022 Tacoma, it is nearly identical to the 2021 model that received generally high scores in the organization’s crash tests. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has tested the 2022 Tacoma, giving it a four-star overall rating. That encompassed four-star scores in frontal and rollover crash tests, and five stars in side crash tests.
The four-cylinder and six-cylinder versions of the Tacoma with rear-wheel drive (RWD) return similar fuel economy. The 2.7-liter four-cylinder with RWD returns an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. The V6 with RWD returns 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined.
With 4WD, the four-cylinder engine returns 19 mpg city, 22 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. The V6 with 4WD returns 18 mpg city 22 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. The V6 with the manual transmission and 4WD returns 17 mpg city, 21 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined. V6/manual/4WD combination for the TRD Pro and TRD Off-Road returns 17 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined. In our week of combined city and highway driving, we observed an average fuel economy of 16.7 mpg.
Base MSRP for the 2022 Toyota Tacoma is $26,700 for the SR trim. The SR5 start $28,490. The TRD Sport starts at $33,610 and the TRD Off-Road starts at $34,890. The Limited trim starts at $39,455 and the range-topping TRD Pro starts at $46,585.
The Tacoma is not for everyone. If you are not accustomed to trucks, you’ll find the ride harsh and the steering vague at certain speeds. But these are all the result of the Tacoma’s capability. It is a supremely trusty and durable vehicle that is built for whatever activity you can throw at it. Toyota has seen fit to keep the Tacoma modern where it can, and old-school where it needs to be.
