Base MSRP Range: $13,415 - $25,250
Base Invoice Range: $12,432 - $22,886
MSRP As Tested: $24,750
Versions: Regular Cab, Access Cab, Double Cab, X-Runner.
Vehicle Category: Mid-Size Pickup Truck
Engine Location: Front Engine
Drive Wheels: Four-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive.
Standard Engine: 2.7-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 16-valves, I-4,305 - horsepower at 4900 rpm and 379 lb-ft torque at 3600 rpm.
Optional Engine as Tested: 4.0-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valves, V-6,245 - horsepower at 5200 rpm and 282 lb-ft torque at 3800 rpm.
Transmission: Four and Five-speed automatic with overdrive, Five and Six-speed manual with overdrive.
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): Six-speed manual and Five-speed automatic 17/21, Five-speed manual and Four-speed automatic 21/27.
Standard Safety Features: Driver and passenger airbags, ">Four-wheel anti-lock brake system, Brake assist.
Competition: Chevrolet Colorado, Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Mazda B-Series, Nissan Frontier.
Review
This is a Tacoma?
Can't be. A Tacoma is a dinky little Toyota truck with dinky little doors and a dinky little bench seat. There's no way this truck -- a big, tall, four-wheel-drive, four-door, honest-to-goodness truck -- could possibly be a Tacoma.
It's just not dinky enough.
Thus were my thoughts when Toyota delivered a 2005 Tacoma for a test drive. Expecting to see something smaller, perhaps like a tall Camry with a pickup bed glued to the back, it was instead the compact-truck equivalent of Bigfoot -- large, rugged and manly.
Sure enough, it had a Tacoma badge on the side. It wasn't a fluke.
That's because Toyota totally redesigned its smallest truck for 2005 to make it bigger, more powerful and more refined, adding about six inches in length and four inches in width. That may not seem like a lot, but it's enough to make it look and feel a whole lot beefier than the old model.
Even with its larger dimensions and increased passenger room, the new Tacoma offers a stronger, stiffer chassis and improved maneuverability. New suspension and steering tuning improve performance and handling both on and off the road.
Two engines are available, forcing buyers to make a choice between economy and brute strength. A 2.7-liter, four-cylinder engine makes 164 horsepower, while a 4.0-liter V6 makes a whopping 245 horsepower and 282 foot-pounds of torque.
Two new transmissions are offered with the V6 engine, a six-speed manual and a five-speed automatic. The four-cylinder models offer a choice between a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic transmission.
Tacoma features a new integrated hitch and bumper design, too. With the right equipment, a V6-powered Tacoma can tow up to 6,500 pounds, up from 5,000 pounds last year.
Instead of taking an aggressive styling stance like the Nissan Titan or Chevy Colorado, for example, Toyota kept the Tacoma's body relatively conservative. It looks slightly better than the old model, but it still shows a little influence from the outgoing Camry with smooth, rounded fenders and a small grille that looks far too graceful to be on a truck.
(NOTE TO TOYOTA: Next time you design a pickup, make it look tough enough that writers won't have to resort to words like "graceful" to describe it. Give it a family resemblance to Paul Bunyan, not the Camry. Got it?)
Aside from that subjective styling quibble, there's not much to dislike about it. The ride and drive are excellent, with a surprisingly quiet cabin and a suspension that soaks up the potholes better than you'd expect in a four-wheel-drive pickup.
Predictably, Toyota offers lots of configurations for the Tacoma, ranging from a two-wheel-drive Regular Cab model ($13,415 with a manual transmission) to a decked-out 4x4 Double Cab with four big doors ($25,250 with a long bed, V6 and automatic tranny).
Overall, the new Tacoma is a fantastic truck. Not only does it have Toyota's reputation for quality and reliability over the long haul, it's got the size and power to compete with any compact trucks on the road today.
If it only looked as great as it drove, Toyota could finally give the American brands a real battle.
Pros: It's bigger, more powerful and more refined than ever. Not only does it have the size, but it also has a Toyota badge and the good reputation for quality that comes with it.
Cons: Toyota has never gotten the styling right on their pickups, and this one still has a front end that looks like a mutant Camry.
Ratings (1-10)
- Style: 3
- Performance: 7
- Price: 6
- Handling: 6
- Ride: 7
- Comfort: 7
- Quality: 10
- Overall: 6
More Data
Where Built: USA
Major Options: Enhancement package, Convenience package, SR5 package, TRD Off-Road package, TRD Sport package, Preferred Accessory package. Front side airbags and curtain side airbags, Tow-hitch receiver, Vehicle stability control, Antiskid system, Traction control, Limited-slip differential, Super sport shell, Alloy wheels, postproduction options also available.
Seating Capacity: Regular Cab: 3, Access Cab: 5.
Number of Rows: Regular Cab: 1, Access Cab: 2.
Length in Inches: 190.4, 208.1, 221.3
Warranties: 3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper, 5 years/50,000 miles Extended powertrain, 5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection.
Weight in Pounds: 3140 lbs. - 3960 lbs.
Cargo Capacity in Pounds: 910 lbs. - 1685 lbs.
Gross Maximum Vehicle Weight in Pounds: 4450 lbs. - 5350 lbs.
Towing Capacity in Pounds: 3500 lbs. - 6500 lbs.
Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 21.0
Destination Charge: $565
