2024 Toyota Tacoma Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Though it is all-new, the 2024 Tacoma does not represent a shocking stylistic departure from its predecessor. This apple fell close enough that there’s no mystery as to which tree it came from. The new hexagonal grille lends it a meaner, more menacing countenance, and the overall look leans blockier and more angular, but the familiar Toyota truck look remains. 17-inch “steelies” are standard for the base SR trim, replaced by 17-inch alloy wheels for most or 18-inch alloys for TRD Sport and Limited.

Updates are more noticeable inside, where the aesthetic has made a significant shift that appears to have been influenced by the Ford F-Series. The distinct areas of the dash are now squared off rather than demarcated by organic lines, and the gear shift knob is a bulky, geometric affair. If that weren’t enough to remind driver and passengers that they’re in a truck, the MOLLE panels placed strategically throughout the cabin serve to emphasize a function-over-form approach. Even the Limited trim, which comes standard with heated and ventilated SofTex-trimmed seats, sports large and obvious plastic grids inside the doors and along the console, where one might expect to see soft-touch materials in the models topping competing ranges. Perhaps the hybrid-only Trailhunter and TRD Pro will rectify this–but then again, perhaps not, as the point of the MOLLE panels is to provide plenty of spots to affix accessories, a clear priority of Toyota trucks’.

The Tacoma is now all-turbo, all the time: The 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (branded "i-FORCE") is standard and produces 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque on most trims. It’s tuned for 228 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque in the base Tacoma SR, still far exceeding the 159 hp and 180 lb-ft the base 2023 Tacoma mustered. Both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) are available, but we got to drive only 4WD models at launch.

An eight-speed automatic transmission replaces the outgoing six-speed auto, and we found it to work well in the time we spent driving various trims on the roads of Malibu. Shifts were smooth and felt appropriately timed, and while we did experience a bit of turbo lag when stomping on the gas from a stop or a crawl, we noted no delay changing gears at highway speeds. There is still a six-speed manual transmission available as well, but we had very little time with it and as of right now, can only comment that the bite point was awfully high, making it a bit of a pain to manage when maneuvering in a busy parking lot or in three-point turns.

One guiding principle for the new Tacoma, according to Toyota, was differentiation among the trims. Each is supposed to have its own identity and fit-for-purpose character, and Toyota really dove into this goal by engineering multiple suspensions for the various options. The new coil spring multi-link rear suspension comes on all but the SR, Double-Cab SR5, and TRD Pre-Runner, which still feature leaf springs in the rear. But even among those that benefit from the new rear suspension, components and tuning differ from trim to trim. The Tacoma TRD Sport’s shocks are sport-tuned, for example, while the TRD Off-Road gets monotube Bilstein shocks. An adaptive variable suspension can be optioned on the top Limited trim, and it does make a noticeable difference in ride comfort. In general, though, we found the new Tacoma’s on-road manners unobjectionable in each configuration.

Maximum capability is reserved for the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain, which Toyota is still keeping close to the vest as of this writing. We can report that the TRD Pro gets FOX QS3 adjustable internal bypass shocks and that the Trailhunter boasts Toyota’s first partnership with Old Man Emu, an Australian aftermarket company known for off-road- and overlanding-capable applications.

Other updates for this next-gen Tacoma include newly standard disc brakes and newly standard electric power steering, replacing the rack-and-pinion power steering system of the previous generation. In addition to allowing for additional driver-assistance features, the new steering system seems to have effectively addressed the vagueness of the outgoing model.

Toyota has done away with the punitively small rear seats of the previous generation: The Access Cab is no more. Replacing it is a new two-door configuration called “XtraCab.” There are no clamshell doors or pretensions to extra seating here; instead, Toyota has committed to treating the area behind the front seats as cargo space, providing lockable storage on the floor and on the back panel. This space is supposed to be easily accessible thanks to the driver’s seat’s long slide path, but in the two-door SR5 we tested, we still struggled to fold the manual-adjust front seat forward enough to reach our belongings on the driver’s side. We did find it easier to maneuver backpacks out of the cargo area around the passenger’s seat, which folds flat to form a work surface that contractors operating solo out of an XtraCab Tacoma will likely find handy.

We also had the opportunity to test several four-door Double Cab models, including the gas Tacoma's top Limited trim. Without the hassle of manually adjusting the front seats, we were able to appreciate the additional comfort of the updated seat shape, which felt like a significant upgrade to us. Head- and legroom figures are nearly identical for 2024, with the Double Cab handing off just over an inch of legroom from the front to the back row (it now has 41.8 inches of legroom up front and 33.7 in the back, compared to 42.9 and 32.6 last year). Toyota noted that gas-powered four-door Tacoma models now have three times more storage capacity beneath the flat-folding rear seats than the outgoing Tacoma offered, a welcome update.

Toyota continues to offer a choice of 5-foot or 6-foot bed for the four-door Tacoma, though the XtraCab is available only with the larger bed. A 440-watt outlet is available on gas models, and hybrid Tacomas come with a 2400-watt version. The bed depth from rail to deck has been increased, raising total bed volume by seven percent and allowing a camp fridge to fit beneath the optional tonneau cover. Camp fridges are among the Tacoma accessories available from Toyota dealers, which also include rooftop tents, high-lift jacks, and wireless trailer cameras.

If the six domains of the CarGurus test drive review were competing for superlatives, Technology would win “most-improved” for the Tacoma. For 2023, the truck came with a base 7-inch touchscreen or an available 8-inch. Now, 8 inches is the standard size, and higher trims get a massive 14-inch center display which takes up nearly as much visual real estate as the steering wheel does. Both screens run the latest version of Toyota’s Audio Multimedia system, which is responsive and legible, if a tad low on ornamentation. (Toyota’s minimalist approach to infotainment graphics hasn’t bothered us when viewed recently on other Toyota and Lexus screens, but the inherent white space was made starkly obvious when splashed across the larger display.)

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and a Qi wireless charging pad can be added along with the dual front-row USB-C charging ports. If optioned, the charging pad is positioned conveniently, angled for phone stability and perfectly visible to the driver. Some other automakers have overdone efforts to engineer a usable charging pad. Toyota forgoes such gimmicky solutions but does take some leaves from its competitors’ books. The optional 10-speaker JBL sound system, for example, incorporates a removable portable speaker which sits flush with the dash when functioning as a part of the system but can be removed at the push of a button to serve independently as a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker, giving the Jeep Gladiator a run for its tailgate-vehicle money. The influence of Ford’s F-150 Raptor can be seen, too, in the optional pre-wired auxiliary switches. If added, these allow the driver to operate up to three accessories via the buttons located to the left of the steering wheel.

Those considering the 2024 Taco for towing may be interested in the newly available trailer brake controller, which can work in concert with the Panoramic View Monitor (if optioned) to add a compatible trailer’s perspective to the blind-spot monitoring system. A wireless trailer camera accessory is also available to help with towing and hauling.

With the newly standard electric power steering comes safety technology that is new to the Tacoma lineup. The Tacoma still comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0), but that now includes more active features such as Lane Tracing Assist (Toyota’s brand name for lane-centering), lane-departure alert with steering assist, and Proactive Driving Assist. All three fall on the more advanced and more interventional end of the spectrum of driver-assistance features, bringing the Tacoma along into the modern age of Level 2 autonomous driving aids.

Also new to the Tacoma for 2024 are road-sign assist and an emergency stop system which can slow the vehicle to a stop if it detects that the driver has become unresponsive while Lane Centering Assist is activated. While the Tacoma already had adaptive cruise control, that system has been enhanced to provide four choices of following distance rather than three. A blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert is standard on all but the base trim, to which it can be added as part of a package.

It’s too early as of this writing for official safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2023 Tacoma missed out on a Top Safety Pick award from the latter, but Toyota might hope to score that designation with the truck’s new standard active driver-assistance features.

This is where the Tacoma's much-ballyhooed "chin spoiler" enters the conversation. The large plastic panel that sits beneath the grille has drawn plenty of commentary and criticism, but aesthetics aside, it does serve a purpose: namely, fuel economy. The 2023 Tacoma was rated for 18-21 mpg combined. For 2024, with the new powertrain and that sheet in place between the two front wheels serving as an air dam, even the least-efficient version of the new Tacoma (with the manual transmission and 4WD) is expected to get 20 mpg combined. With 4WD and the automatic, it’s estimated for up to 21 mpg, and with FWD, that rises to 23. Two to three miles per gallon may not sound like a lot, but with a 21-gallon tank, that nets you an extra 60 miles of driving before you have to fill up.

That fuel economy puts the Tacoma right in line with competitors like the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado. So, at last, do the tech and comfort updates, as the Ranger, the Colorado, and the GMC Canyon have all seen recent redesigns meant to keep them competitive with newcomers like the Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma comes at a base MSRP of $31,500, before the $1,495 destination fee. That represents an increase over the previous model year of nearly $4,000, but it also comes with more tech and more power, and competitor pricing is generally keeping pace.

Toyota has earned its reputation for longevity, and no doubt some of the audience for this new truck will be made up of early Tacoma drivers finally ready to upgrade. Sticklers who would really like to get a “new old pickup truck” should consider the Nissan Frontier. Though it kicked off a new generation in 2022, the Frontier still has a less-modern feel inside, and it’s one of few remaining new trucks to use hydraulic steering.

Toyota loyalists, meanwhile, might be tempted to also consider the larger Tundra, now that the two Toyota trucks share a platform. Just bear in mind that these remain two very different–and differently sized–vehicles. For many, the midsized Tacoma is the sweet spot.