2024 Toyota Tacoma Is Better Than Before, and Our Tests Prove It

• The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is vastly improved versus its predecessor, and we have the test results to back it up.

• With equivalent powertrains and matching body styles, we're comparing the new Tacoma TRD Off-Road with a 2017 Tacoma TRD Pro we tested.

• Not only does the new Tacoma have quicker acceleration, but it also has better real-world fuel economy and shorter stopping distances from 70 mph.

Welcome to Car and Driver's Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We've been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).

Tired of our exhaustive coverage of the new fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma? If you clicked on this story, you probably think there's no such thing as too much Taco talk. We have to agree, and now that we've strapped our test equipment to a 2024 Tacoma TRD Off-Road, we can see how those results compare with its predecessor.

The new Tacoma is vastly improved versus the outgoing generation, from its more rigid boxed ladder frame to its newly available coil-spring rear suspension to its modern turbocharged powertrains. Our test results prove its performance and fuel economy are much better too.

While the '24 Tacoma TRD Off-Road we tested is a lower trim level than the top-spec 2017 Tacoma TRD Pro we're comparing it against, they're still very similar—not to mention the new-generation TRD Pro will pack a much more powerful hybrid powertrain. Each of our test trucks have a crew-cab body and five-foot cargo bed as well as equivalent automatic powertrains and similar all-terrain tires.

Acceleration Times Compared

The new Tacoma TRD Off-Road comes standard with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder and four-wheel drive. With the optional eight-speed automatic transmission, our test truck makes 278 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 317 pound-feet of torque at 1700 rpm. On the flip side, the old TRD Pro also has standard four-wheel drive, and with the optional six-speed automatic, its naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 makes the same 278 horses at 6000 rpm. However, its lower 265-pound-foot torque peak happens at a much higher 4600 rpm.

At the track, the torquier turbo-four Tacoma sped to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds—six tenths quicker than the V-6 version. Despite weighing an extra 133 pounds, the 4794-pound TRD Off-Road also outran the lighter TRD Pro in every other acceleration test. The average margin of victory was roughly a half-second, give or take a tenth.