Toyota has redesigned the Tacoma to help sustain its position as one of the leading trucks in North America. Everything has been thrown at the redesign, including seats with suspension on the Baja-inspired TRD Pro truck and Old Man Emu suspension on the Trailhunter.
According to Toyota, the 2024 Tacoma is an entirely new go-anywhere truck. It will help buyers facilitate epic adventures, improving every aspect that has made it a stalwart truck for many years.
Redesigned from the ground up and built upon the TNGA-F global truck platform shared with Tundra and Sequoia, the all-new Tacoma utilises a new high-strength boxed, steel-ladder frame and features an available fully redesigned multilink coil rear suspension that improves ride and handling.
Two engines are available, including a top-of-the-line 2.4-litre i-FORCE MAX hybrid engine, producing 326 hp and a massive 630 Nm of torque. Also available is the Standard i-FORCE turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine that produces up to 278 horsepower, 430 Nm of torque.
One of the most exciting new introductions for the Tacoma is the all-new Trailhunter variant, a purpose-built overlanding rig available right off the bat. The Trailhunter also includes a new Old Man Emu (OME) 4×4 Suspension by ARB that is tuned for optimum levels of off-road control and load-carrying capability.
Remember at the beginning when we said everything was thrown at the Tacoma? Well, we weren't joking because on top of an off-road specific variant, Toyota has also introduced a go-fast variant called the Tacoma TRD Pro.
The go-fast truck features aluminium front TRD upper control arms that optimise front geometry and reduce unsprung weight and Fox internal bypass 2.5-inch manual modal Quick Switch 3 (QS3) shocks that can be adjusted to three different settings via dials on the shock bodies to tune compression damping.
Built around the new multilink rear suspension, the FOX Internal Floating Piston (IFP) bump stops can also help knock the edge off some of the most hardcore terrains.
The TRD Pro sits two inches higher in the front and an inch and a half in the rear and is three inches wider than a Tacoma SR5. Black flow-formed TRD wheels are wrapped in 33-inch Goodyear Territory R/T tires.
The TRD Pro's standard i-FORCE MAX engine has also been beefed up, courtesy of a more efficient TRD performance air intake and TRD cat-back dual-tipped exhaust.
A new integrated LED light bar works in conjunction with the LED headlights to optimise beam pattern aiming for balanced light output with significant range, and a set of RIGID white LED fog lamps increase visibility during inclement weather. TRD Pro also gets a high-clearance ARB rear metal bumper with red recovery hooks and an aluminium TRD front skid plate.
Its party piece is an exclusive and first in segment-first IsoDynamic Performance Seat, which stabilises the driver's field of vision to improve focus, comfort, and reduce fatigue while on rugged trails.
The IsoDynamic Performance Seat uses an air-over-oil shock absorber system allowing for vertical and lateral seat movement simultaneously to dampen body movement and stabilise the head and neck to keep alignment with the spine.
This dampening effect is tunable based on body mass and occupant preference and can be bypassed, if desired, via levers on the seatbacks.
The Tacoma is available in SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter. All 2024 Tacoma models come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, Toyota's suite of active safety and convenience systems, such as:
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
- Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
- Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
- Lane Tracing Assist
- Road Sign Assist
- Automatic High Beams
- Proactive Driving Assist
Proactive Driving Assist is new to Toyota Safety Sense. When system operating conditions are met, using the vehicle's camera and radar, this system is designed to provide gentle braking into curves or gentle braking or steering to help support driving tasks such as distance control between a preceding vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist. Proactive Driving Assist is not a substitute for the Pre-Collision System and operates in different circumstances.
Keyword: Toyota USA debuts all-new Tacoma