Toyota is getting ready to roll out a major update of the Tacoma pickup, confirming Tuesday it will become the first version of the midsize truck to get a hybrid powertrain.
“The best-selling midsize pickup in America is all-new for 2024 with electrifying i-Force Max performance,” the automaker said in a short release accompanying the image, above, showing the new tailgate the new Tacoma will be sporting.
But which i-Force Max engine the Japanese automaker plans to use in the new pickup is anything but certain. Various sources suggest it won’t be the same hybridized twin-turbo V-6 currently offered with the bigger Toyota Tundra. Options appear to include a gas-electric take on one of Toyota’s other 6-cylinder engines, or even a 4-cylinder alternative.
Big changes for a midsize truck
That said, Tacoma will undergo plenty of other changes when it goes through a major makeover for 2024. Among other things, it will now ride on a modified version of the full-size Tundra’s TNGA-F platform.
Toyota hasn’t said much about the Tacoma makeover until now, other than previously releasing a silhouette image of the next-generation truck.
But patent renderings of the 2024 model did leak out after being filed in, of all places, Brazil, Toyota subsequently indicating the drawings are accurate. The image shows Tacoma picking up some key design details from its big brother, including new vertical LED taillights. And the midsize truck will add a new spoiler atop the tailgate.
It appears Toyota may also address some of the other concerns about the outgoing Tacoma, such as its low roofline which makes it a challenge for even moderately tall drivers to climb in and out of the cabin.
A focus on hybrids
At a media drive of the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid and Corolla Cross hybrid late last month, Toyota brand marketing vice president Mike Tripp underscored the automaker’s commitment to gas-electric technology. All told, Toyota is working up 14 electrified models for the U.S., almost all of them conventional hybrids.
Giving Tacoma the same version of the i-Force Max as Tundra would seem a bit of overkill considering the electrified twin-turbo-6 makes a solid 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque.
Speculation about the smaller truck’s options covers a lot of ground. That includes using a non-turbo, or single-turbo version of the Tundra’s V-6. At the other extreme, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma could turn to a hybridized turbo-4, likely using the same 2.4-liter gas engine found in both the Lexus RX 500h and the new Toyota Crown. That package currently produces as much as 366 horsepower.
More muscle
What seems certain is that the next Tacoma TRD Pro will churn out more muscle than today. As for other versions of the truck, there’s plenty of debate about whether they’ll also get less potent hybrid drivetrains or stick with conventional gas-powered options, according to various reports.
There are still other changes reportedly in the works for Tacoma. Among other things, Toyota is reportedly readying an even more robust off-roader, expected to be called the Trailhunter edition. It will be targeted against some of the growing competition Tacoma now faces, such as the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.
The king-of-the-hill faces a tough fight
Indeed, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma will be in for a tough fight if it’s to remain king-of-the-hill. It’s been the best-selling midsize truck in the U.S. for 17 years, but it’s got a growing list of challengers ready to knock it off its throne.
“This truck has been designed to go head-to-head” with Tacoma, said Mike Macphee, the Chevy marketing and advertising manager overseeing the launch of the Colorado.
And the bowtie brand’s sibling GMC division is launching a new version of the Canyon, as well. Then there’s Ford which will soon return with a makeover of its Ranger. The industry also is abuzz with rumors about an all-electric midsize truck reportedly under development for the Ram brand.