Tested: 2024 Toyota Tacoma Is No Longer a Dinosaur (2024)

It's fitting that Toyota chose to introduce the fourth generation of its bestselling pickup earlier this year in Hawaii, because that's also where parts of Jurassic Park were filmed. And until the 2024 Tacoma arrived, its predecessor was the automotive equivalent of prehistoric. To make amends for taking nearly two decades to give Taco fans a properly modern mid-size truck, Toyota spared no expense, and the returns on investment are obvious.

A Rejuvenated TRD Off-Road

The revitalized Tacoma inherits a more muscular facade and a boxed ladder frame from the full-size Tundra, as well as an available coil-spring rear suspension. Entry-level and extended-cab (XtraCab) models maintain the nostalgia factor with their rear leaf-spring setup.

The Tacoma TRD Off-Road model we tested featured the more sophisticated arrangement, further buoyed by exclusive Bilstein external-reservoir dampers. With standard 33-inch BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain T/A tires and an optional front anti-roll-bar disconnect ($1230), the Taco's rugged rubber and increased wheel articulation make rocky and rutted terrain feel like a goat path. A 360-degree camera array and improved off-road crawl control help novices easily navigate treacherous territory. Thankfully, the TRD Off-Road ditches the street-oriented models' derpy front air dam, which looks like a silly plastic plow and would ruin the truck's useful 33-degree approach angle.

A nonhybrid turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four is now the Tacoma's de facto engine. It's similar to the Toyota Highlander's powerplant but has been reworked for truck duty. About half the parts are different, including the block and turbocharger. There's also an upgraded cooling system to better handle off-road abuse and bigger towing tasks.

The TRD Off-Road is offered only as a crew cab—Double Cab in Toyota speak—and ours had the shorter five-foot bed; a six-footer is optional. The Double Cab four-by-four's max towing capacity remains 6400 pounds, but its payload now peaks at 1705 pounds, a useful 550-pound increase.

A Revelation on the Road

Driving the new Tacoma will feel revolutionary for past owners. The steering is quicker, more direct, and now electrically assisted. The brake pedal feels more predictable, and Toyota has joined the modern age by adding rear disc brakes and an electronic brake booster. Stopping from 70 mph required 171 feet, nine feet shorter than a last-gen TRD Pro wearing similar knobby tires.

Like all new Tacomas except the base-level SR, the TRD Off-Road trim's turbo four produces 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. That's with the eight-speed automatic transmission, though; the engine makes 270 horses and 310 lb-ft with the six-speed manual. We've driven both but tested only the former, which produces peak torque at 1700 rpm versus 2800 rpm in the manual model. That low-down shove gives the Tacoma far more pep than the old 3.5-liter V-6 could ever muster.

Not only is the new Tacoma's improved responsiveness noticeable by the seat of our pants, it's confirmed by our stopwatches. In our testing, the 2024 Tacoma reached 60 mph in 7.0 seconds, roughly a half-second quicker than its predecessor, with similar improvements reflected in the trip from 50 to 70 mph and to the quarter-mile mark, which now takes 15.3 seconds at 91 mph. For the handful of unhinged Taco pilots out there, hitting triple digits happens about five seconds sooner than in Tacomas of yore.

Quicker acceleration aside, this new four-cylinder powertrain is far more refined. Much credit goes to the eight-speed automatic. Unlike the discombobulated and archaic six-speed unit it replaces, it does not fumble shifts like a quarterback slathered in baby oil. Instead, the gearbox smartly and smoothly swaps cogs, and it's surprisingly snappy when the lever's S position is paired with Sport mode.

People who prefer to work the stick shift can select the six-speed 'box, now with rev matching. It won't be confused for the Supra's short, notchy shifter, but the Tacoma's manual rows with more precision than the setup in our long-term Ford Bronco. The clutch pedal's high bite point comes with a learning curve, though.

Even without the forthcoming hybrid hardware, the fourth-gen Tacoma is expected to provide a cheaper bar tab. Preliminary fuel-economy estimates have automatic-equipped, four-wheel-drive models like our test truck rated at 19 mpg city and 23 highway. On our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, the 2024 TRD Off-Road returned 22 mpg.

Inside the Taco's Shell

Thanks to better noise insulation, the Tacoma's cabin is now a quieter place, with the sound level at 70 mph (67 decibels) dropping two decibels versus the last Tacoma TRD Pro we tested. Gone is the awkwardly short distance between the driver's heels and hips, as the seating position is now more upright. Headroom is virtually unchanged, but even with an extra inch or so of second-row legroom in crew-cab models, rear-seat space remains tight. At least there are USB ports.

Speaking of connectivity, the Tacoma's cabin no longer feels like it was designed in the era preceding PalmPilots. Along with a contemporary layout and better materials throughout, the interior now offers attention-grabbing displays, including configurable digital gauges and a giant 14.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Physical switchgear carries over into the new generation, and it's been made sturdier. We appreciate the handy cubby storage surrounding the center console and on the dash. Toyota also offers power-­adjustable front seats for the first time. What a world.

Our TRD Off-Road was outfitted with the $8530 Premium package. This includes the aforementioned power seats, a bed-mounted air compressor, a camera-fed rearview mirror, a heated leather steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, passive keyless entry, and a tailgate that can open and close itself. There's also a powerful JBL stereo with a portable speaker that's just asking to be left at a campsite. That pricey package pushed our example to $54,155. Without options, the TRD Off-Road starts at $44,395, about $6K more than the base price of a similarly laid-out 2023 Tacoma.

Despite higher prices across the board, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma takes a giant leap forward and now gives buyers what they pay for. It's better than before in virtually every way, as it has to be in a mid-size segment that has been reloaded with redesigned entries like the Chevy Colorado and the Ford Ranger. The outgoing Tacoma was a relic by the end of its decade-plus run, but its replacement returns to glory.