Yahoo Autos 2024 Toyota Tacoma Revealed with Vast Array of Choices
The 2024 Toyota Tacoma lineup packs eight trims, two cab and bed choices, automatic and manual gearboxes, and three versions of a new 2.4-liter turbo four.
The popular TRD Off-Road model now has 33-inch tires, larger remote reservoir Bilstein shocks, a front-end lift, and a coil-spring rear suspension.
There are now two top-dog models: an improved wide-track TRD Pro and a new Trailhunter designed to appeal to the overlander crowd.
Toyota doubled down on its longstanding Tacoma success today, showing off a diverse and greatly expanded 2024 lineup that's sure to fare well against the newest versions of the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado. Unlike those competitors, Toyota has not restricted the Tacoma to a single crew cab/short bed configuration that's solely available with an automatic transmission.
Instead, Toyota carries on with crew-cab and extended-cab configurations, with five- and six-foot beds available on the former and a six-foot bed paired with the latter. A new eight-speed automatic transmission replaces the unloved six-speed autobox, and a six-speed manual is still available in the base SR, TRD Sport, and TRD Off-Road models.
A Tacoma for Everyone
The new turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder is available in three strengths, spread across eight grades: SR, SR5, a new TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, a new Trailhunter, and the TRD Pro. The base engine appears exclusively in the SR, where it makes 228 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque—significantly more than last year's 159-hp base output. The iForce turbo four replaces last year's V-6 and is the standard powerplant in the SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited. It generates the same 278 horsepower as the outgoing V-6, but torque is significantly increased, rising a full 20 percent from 265 pound-feet to a healthy 317 pound-feet. Output is dialed back slightly to 270 horses and 310 pound-feet when the six-speed manual is specified on TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road, but it's a small price to pay.
But the top offering is now the iForce Max, which adds a hybrid system that ups total output to 326 horsepower and a best-in-class 465 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system also brings along a 2400-watt AC inverter that replaces the standard 300-watt unit. This setup is the base powertrain in the much-invigorated TRD Pro and newly introduced Trailhunter, but it is also notably available as an option in the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited. Fuel economy has not yet been released for any of these new powertrains, but chances are high that iForce Max hybrid ratings will be impressive and will, at the very least, significantly outpace the Ranger Raptor and Colorado ZR2.
As rumored, the new Tacoma finally has disc brakes in back, and that allows for an electronic parking brake and certain high-end active safety systems, which are standard. The big party piece is, of course, the new coil-spring rear axle. But the transition to coils is not absolute, as the SR, the SR5 extended cab, and the TRD PreRunner—which only comes with the extended cab—have leaf springs supporting their hind ends. Put another way, the new five-link, coil-spring rear suspension is fitted to any crew cab Tacoma from SR5 on up.
TRD Off-Road
As before, the TRD Off-Road has the potential to be the most popular model. Its popular recipe still includes a push-button rear differential lock, high-level terrain management features, and an off-road-tuned suspension. But the tires are now 33 inches tall, and the suspension has been improved significantly, with a slight nose lift and Bilstein remote reservoir shocks that feature a long-overdue increase in piston diameter and hydraulic end stop control that should soften landings as the suspension approaches full compression. What's more, a disconnecting front anti-roll bar is newly available, and Toyota says it will unlock even more suspension articulation than before.
TRD Sport
The TRD Sport formula carries on with sport-tuned shocks, pavement-oriented tires, and a hood scoop, while the Limited has been even more clearly defined as the smooth-riding truck for those that are not interested in off-road prowess. Its suspension consists of adaptive variable shock absorbers, and it stands alone in the lineup by utilizing a full-time four-wheel-drive system that operates like all-wheel drive until you lock the center differential for off-road traction.
