The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Is a Shockingly Pleasant Daily Driver

Our Take on the 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport

This is a big, big deal. The Toyota Tacoma is one of the most beloved mid-size pickups ever created, and the one that everyone wants to beat. It's also not a truck that gets updated frequently, but for 2024, the Tacoma is all-new. The Taco rides on the Toyota Global New Architecture F (TGNA-F) platform that underpins the new Sequoia, Tundra, Land Cruiser, and Lexus GX and LX.

It's a fair bit more expensive than its predecessor, around $3000 depending on trim, but it offers far more refinement and modernity than the long-running third-generation model. Yet, it still retains the rugged Toyota truck feel that have made these things so beloved.

What's New

Basically everything. Frame, engine, transmission, interior, exterior, etc. Of course, much is shared with other Toyota products, but here, you'll be hard-pressed to find much, if anything, carried over from the old Tacoma.

Where before Tacoma buyers had a choice of naturally aspirated inline-four or V-6, the new Tacoma has just one engine, a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in two states of tune. The base Taco has 228 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque, while the SR5 and above have 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. The six-speed manual remains an option on some trims, but the vast majority of Tacomas will be sold with a new eight-speed automatic. (Manual Tacomas see an ouput reduction to 270 hp and 310 lb-ft torque.) A hybrid version that ups output to 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque is on its way, too, and will be standard on the TRD Pro and Trailhunter trims.

Inside, the interior is thoroughly revised with all models getting a digital gauge cluster and a central infotainment screen running Toyota's latest—and much improved—software. Larger exterior dimensions also freed up some interior room, so the new Tacoma is far less cramped inside, and mercifully, the seats no longer feel like they're mounted just inches above the floor.

Except for the entry-level SR, all Tacoma double-cabs get a new coil-spring suspension that greatly increases refinement.

Pros

• New turbocharged engine provides much-needed boost in low- and mid-range torque and pairs wonderfully with eight-speed automatic.

• Interior is much improved in terms of space and refinement.

• It's still a Toyota truck.

Cons

• Ride on this TRD Sport trim is firm.

• Engine feels and sounds rough.

• Big price jump over the old Tacoma.

Performance, Engine & Horsepower

Toyota was late to the turbocharging party, but now, it's phasing out V-6s across many of its popular models in favor of boosted 'fours. The Tacoma gets the i-Force 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder used throughout the Toyota lineup, but with a number of tweaks to better prepare it for truck duty. The base transmission is a new eight-speed automatic, but a six-speed manual is available with the SR, TRD Sport, and TRD Off Road 4x4 double-cab trims.

Our tester was a rear-wheel drive TRD Sport and thus had the automatic. Toyota doesn't have any acceleration figures for the new Tacoma yet, but we can say that this truck unladen feels plenty quick for all normal use cases. Better yet, the new turbo engine delivers its maximum 317 lb-ft of torque at 1700 rpm, so there's ample grunt at all times. Contrast this with the old V-6, which delivered its 265 lb-ft peak torque at 4600 rpm.

The engine itself is not the last word in refinement. It sounds rough, and some vibrations come through the cabin, but maybe that just gives it a more truck-y character. It's only really an issue under hard acceleration, when you stretch beyond 3000 rpm on the tach. The transmission is very smooth, however, and it doesn't have any of the sluggish-shifting issues its predecessor suffered from. Like the engine, the eight-speed transmission is a big step forward for the Tacoma.

MPG

Fuel economy varies by trim, but generally speaking, the new Tacoma's four-cylinder gets about the same gas mileage as its predecessor, though some variants have lower MPG figures. This 2024 TRD Sport 4x2 is EPA rated at 19 city/23 highway/20 mpg combined, while the 2023 equivalent gets 19 city/24 highway/21 combined. That said, the new Tacoma is a larger vehicle than its predecessor, and the four-cylinder offers a lot more performance than the old V-6, so it's a fair tradeoff. Still, the 2024 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon and 2024 Ford Ranger both offer better fuel economy, as does the V-6-powered Nissan Frontier.

Of note, a hybrid Tacoma is on its way, sporting a similar drivetrain as the new Tundra, albeit with the inline-four in place of the larger truck's V-6. We don't know what sort of economy the hybrid will offer, but we expect it to do better while offering more performance.

Test Drive

We drove this pre-production 2024 Tacoma over a course of a few days in and around New York City—where Road & Track is headquartered—and out into the suburbs and country north of the city. The truck excels in most environments.