The Tacoma has always been a success story for Toyota, easily outselling its domestic alternatives which include the Chevy Colorado and Ford Ranger. But with the competition getting major redesigns, Toyota’s most popular truck will require significant reworking of its own to remain king of the hill.
Incredibly, the upcoming 2024 Toyota Tacoma will be the first truly new Tacoma pickup in almost 20 years. Though the current third-generation Tacoma was unveiled in 2015, aspects of that truck, like the frame, date back to the second-gen truck from 2005.
The new Tacoma promises fresh Tundra-inspired styling inside and out, a more comfortable ride, and exciting new powertrain options.
What’s Under the New Sheetmetal?
While full details have yet to be released, we do know that the 2024 Tacoma will ride on Toyota’s TNGA-F chassis, a modular platform that is shared with other models like the Tundra, Sequoia, and Lexus LX600.
That’s good news for future Tacoma owners because the TNGA platform has coil spring rear suspension, which will significantly improve ride quality over the antiquated leaf springs on the current Tacoma.
The new platform promises a new engine lineup, too. The outgoing Tacoma comes with a weak sauce four-cylinder base engine or an optional V-6 that’s less powerful than every other V-6 powered rival.
It’s widely rumored that Toyota will package the new Tacoma with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, similar to what is found in the Lexus RX350. While no specifications have been leaked yet, this mill makes 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque in the RX350, which is a marked increase when compared to the current Tacoma.
It’s also likely that the 8-speed automatic transmission will be borrowed from the Lexus, replacing the current gen’s 6-speed automatic which is obsolete and badly in need of updating. Presently, the Tacoma is the only midsize truck with a manual transmission option, but this seems unlikely to carry over to the fourth-generation truck since consumer demand for stick shifts is slim-to-none, but you never know.
The second powertrain option will be a highly anticipated hybrid, like the latest Tundra. Once again, details are scarce, but the setup is believed to be similar to what the 2023 Toyota Crown or Lexus RX has: a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine combined with two electric motors. In those vehicles, this combination is good for 340-366 horsepower and approximately 400 pound-feet of torque.
Tundra-Inspired Styling
The exterior of the third-gen Tacoma is expected to draw a lot of design cues from the new Tundra. Perhaps our best clue for making predictions is Toyota’s EV Pickup concept seen at SEMA in December, 2022, which definitely has a Tundra-like vibe. Just swap out the EV’s faux grille for a real one.
We have no idea what the new Tacoma’s cabin might look like. However, much like its exterior, inspiration will come from its big brother, the Tundra. That suggests chunky styling elements, nicer soft-touch materials throughout, and a more contemporary infotainment system with a larger touchscreen.
Trim Levels and Pricing
Toyota has yet to disclosed pricing for the ’24 Tacoma or even which trim levels will be offered. But we expect pricing to be roughly in line with the 2023 version, which starts around $28,000. Similarly, trim levels should resemble the current generation, spanning from the entry-level SR trim to the popular TRD Sport and Off-Road models.
YouTuberThe Fast Lane Truck cites an “inside source” as mentioning a new ultimate off-road trim package, the “Trailhunter,” with a focus on overlanding and rock crawling. This seems credible, since Toyota unveiled a Trailhunter concept version of the Tundra at SEMA recently.
Toyota also teased a fully electric version of the Tacoma back in December 2022 and Motortrend expects the electric Tacoma to become a reality in Q3 2024. We expect to learn much more about the next Tacoma later this year, so stay tuned.
