2021 Toyota Tacoma vs 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty

The 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty took the blocky and muscular looks of the F-150 midsize pickup to the next level. Larger in every way, Super Duty models truly looked like heavy-duty trucks. This styling wasn't just for show, as Super Duty trucks carried many upgrades over their light-duty counterparts. Long bed lengths allowed for better cargo hauling, and the trucks' tall ride height gave them better ground clearance for climbing over tough terrain or navigating a messy job site. The trucks featured giant grilles, heavy-duty bumpers, and bodywork that could stand up to daily beatings.

Depending on the cab configuration, the Super Duty's cabin ranged from tight and utilitarian to spacious and plush. The base XL trim offered good headroom and legroom but was otherwise a stripped-down work truck. Lower trims got simple cloth upholstery, but higher trims, such as the Super Duty Limited, could be decked out with leather and upscale finishes that rivaled the quality of many luxury cars.

The 2021 Toyota Tacoma looked like the platonic ideal of a truck. It had all the styling elements one expected of a stereotypical pickup, from boxy fender flares and a tall hood to a shield-like grille and lines that seemed to have been designed exclusively with a ruler. This made for a good contrast to the more streamlined look of the Ford Ranger or the General Motors midsize twins, without the exaggerated features of some larger trucks, including Toyota’s own Tundra.

Certain Tacoma models also got their own unique styling features. The new-for-2021 Trail Edition got 16-inch TRD Off-Road alloy wheels and the grille from the Tacoma Limited, plus some model-specific color options, while the Nightshade Edition got blacked-out trim. The Tacoma TRD Pro got a model-specific grille with “Toyota” block lettering, a blacked-out hood and fender flares, Rigid Industries LED fog lights, and for 2021, an exclusive color—Lunar Rock. The Tacoma stuck with body-on-frame construction, which benefited towing and off-road capability. Toyota no longer offered a basic two-door cab, so the only choices were the Access Cab and Double Cab, with varying bed lengths and wheelbases.

Ford offered three powertrains in the 2021 Super Duty line. The base engine was a 6.2-liter V8 that produced 385 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. A 7.3-liter V8 was available, producing 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. A 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine was also available, rated at 475 hp and 1,050 pound-feet of torque. All engines came paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Super Duty trucks came standard with rear-wheel drive (RWD) but could be upgraded with four-wheel drive (4WD). The Ford F-350 could be ordered in a dual-rear-wheel configuration for better towing capacity. Maximum payload capacity specs were impressive, extending to 4,060 pounds in some configurations. Towing could reach over 36,000 pounds for models with a gooseneck setup. The turbodiesel V8 engine offered the best capabilities of any Super Duty drivetrain. With options, the Super Duty could become a capable off-roader, with Tremor models featuring factory lift kits, beefy tires, and muscular styling. The EPA did not require fuel-economy ratings for heavy-duty trucks or commercial vehicles, so the Super Duty trucks didn't have an official number in that arena.

Toyota offered two powertrain options in the 2021 Tacoma. Base models got a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, which produced 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. An optional 3.5-liter V6 made 278 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. The V6 engine ran on the Atkinson cycle and used Toyota's D4S fuel-injection system, which combined port injection and direct injection for better fuel economy.

The four-cylinder engine was available only with a six-speed automatic transmission, but the V6 was available with both the automatic and a six-speed manual transmission. The optional part-time 4WD drivetrain featured low range and a standard electronic rear limited-slip differential (a fully locking rear diff was also available). All Tacoma models got coil-spring front suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension. The TRD models built upon this foundation with features like upgraded suspension, Multi-Terrain Select drive modes, and Crawl Control. The TRD Pro added Fox internal-bypass shocks, a 1-inch front lift, retuned rear suspension, a front skid plate, and wider wheels.

The TRD Pro model was on roughly the same level as the Ford Ranger FX4, GMC Canyon AT4, and Nissan Frontier Pro-4X in off-road capability. On the road, the TRD Pro felt like a traditional truck, with poor ride quality and slow acceleration despite the V6 engine. Toyota quoted a maximum towing capacity of 6,800 pounds and a maximum payload capacity of 1,685 pounds, but these figures varied depending on the configuration. The Tacoma’s payload and towing capacity were respectable but fell short of some competitors.

Despite being built with a focus on hardcore utility, Ford's Super Duty trucks offered plenty in the way of creature comforts. The front seats came in a 40/20/40 folding bench setup as standard, which gave the driver and front passenger a comfortable armrest with cupholders. Crew Cab and Super Cab models offered generous rear seats with easy access through the trucks' huge doors.

In terms of driving, Super Duty trucks were much more at home on job sites than they were cruising tight city streets. Their size made parking, maneuvering, and visibility difficult, while their large doors and tall ride height made entering and exiting a real pain at times. From behind the steering wheel, the F-250's flat hood and towing height could make it feel like driving a bulldozer. Loading child seats and entering the truck could be difficult, though running boards helped. Ford's heavy-duty pickups also offered a clever tailgate design that could be optioned with steps and a handle for easy entry into the bed.

A four-door cab may have seemed like the perfect way to turn a pickup into a daily driver capable of hauling people as well as stuff—until you actually sat in the cab. Packaging a bed and full front and rear seats in a midsize-truck footprint inevitably led to compromises in interior space. Even compared to other midsize pickups, the Tacoma Double Cab lacked interior space. Rear headroom and legroom were the worst in the segment, and front headroom and legroom were also below average. The lack of headroom combined with the relatively short windshield and side glass to create a bunker-like feel, and the tall hood impaired forward visibility.

As with many other trucks, the rear seats folded up to reveal storage cubbies, giving you a secure place to store things you wouldn’t want to leave in the bed. Other in-cab storage was fairly limited, although Toyota included a wireless charging pad that could accommodate the largest phones. The concentration of cupholders around the center console seemed like an odd choice unless pickup drivers wanted a variety of drinks. The Tacoma didn’t offer any clever in-bed storage bins like the Honda Ridgeline, or a bed step like the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, but it did get a standard rail system with tie-down cleats, and a 120-volt outlet was also available. The inner bed was made from sheet-molded composite, a lightweight alternative to steel that wouldn’t rust.

Ford's Sync 3 was one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use infotainment systems on the market. Menus were clearly labeled and did not require several taps to navigate, making the infotainment system far less distracting to use on a daily basis than other automakers' systems. The base XL trim got a non-touch display as standard, but a larger touchscreen was available on other trim levels. The system ran Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and higher trims got upgraded audio systems.

The trucks were available with a variety of tech options that included a WiFi hotspot, upgraded heated and ventilated seats, adjustable upfitter switches for accessories and other powered gear, and more. Ford also offered a rapid heating unit for diesel-equipped trucks that could quickly raise the cabin temperature before the engine warmed enough to provide heat.

The base Tacoma SR trim level got a 7-inch touchscreen, while all other Tacoma models got an 8-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, Bluetooth, and SiriusXM satellite radio (with a three-month free trial) were standard across the board. A six-speaker JBL audio system with a subwoofer was available on higher trim levels.

As with other Toyota models, the infotainment system was functional but not a standout feature. The touchscreen was responsive and easy to navigate, with helpful shortcut buttons for the main menus, plus chunky buttons on the steering wheel. However, graphics were plain, and Toyota didn’t offer any features beyond basic functions like navigation and phone connectivity. The optional Multi-Terrain Monitor surround-view camera system was a good feature for spotting obstacles off-road and maneuvering in and out of parking spaces.

Trucks were hit or miss with safety features, as most held the best advanced driver aids back as added-cost upgrades or for higher trims. The same was true for Super Duty models, though Ford offered a variety of packages and options for different scenarios.

A trailer tow package was available that brought special camera views and Ford's excellent Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature. Blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alerts, and more were all available. Super Duty trucks were considered commercial vehicles and were not crash tested in the same way that light-duty trucks, such as the Ford F-150, were. As such, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had not issued scores for the trucks.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2021 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab top “Good” scores in all crash tests except the passenger-side small overlap front test, where the truck received an “Acceptable” score (full ratings for the Access Cab hadn’t been published). Headlights were a mix of “Good” and “Marginal” ratings, depending on the trim level, but the Tacoma earned the highest “Superior” rating for front-crash prevention tech.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave both the Access Cab and Double Cab configurations a four-star overall rating, with four stars in frontal and rollover crash testing, and five stars in side crash tests. Standard driver-assist features included forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. The Ford Ranger also offered lane-keep assist, a blind-spot monitoring system that could cover both the truck and a trailer, and rear cross-traffic alert.