- Toyota rolls out Nightshade trim for ’23 Tacoma
- TRD Pro gets flashy Solar Octane paint
- Powertrains remain unchanged
They say if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As a homeowner with skills skewing much more towards auto repair than home improvements, this author can confidently say there is truth to that old saying. One look at the Toyota Tacoma’s sales numbers proves that definitely is not broken, so there are but a few changes in store for the 2023 model year.
Certainly, there’s nothing new under the hood, where all 2023 Tacoma models feature a 3.5L V6 coupled to either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. We are gratified to see the latter remains an option, one which is available in a vanishing number of pickups in this segment. Knowing that their customers tend to tow stuff (or, cynically, that economies of scale are a wonderful thing) every model comes factory-equipped with a towing package which includes Class IV hitch, seven-pin wire harness, and trailer sway control. Good stuff.
2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Photo by Toyota
2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Photo by Toyota
2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Photo by Toyota
While some other brands have moved to consolidate the number of body style available on its midsize trucks – the new Colorado is available only as a short-box crew-cab, for example – Toyota chooses to offer a trio of configurations. A so-called Access Cab with a miniature back seat and six-foot cargo bed shows up as a TRD Off Road trim for $44,860, while the Double Cab with four forward-swinging doors is available with either a five- or six-foot cargo bed ranging in price from $40,690 for a SR to $60,430 for a TRD Pro. These will have no fewer than eleven trim levels, including two with a manual transmission.
New for this model year is the Nightshade package, priced at $53,690. Packing a Double Cab and five-foot box, it features a JBL audio system, snazzy LED lighting including fog lamps, a moonroof, and black leather interior upholstery among other goodies.
Unsurprisingly, given its name, exterior jewelry such as the grille and mirror caps have all been dipped in a pot of inky black paint. Elsewhere in the line, that snazzy Solar Octane paint shown in the images on these digital pages is newly available on the spendy TRD Pro.
The 2023 Toyota Tacoma is now on sale at Toyota dealers across Canada.
Keyword: 2023 Toyota Tacoma gets new trim, paint, but largely the same