2024 Toyota Tacoma TOTY Review: A Legend Is Reborn

Two decades have passed since Toyota’s Tacoma molted out of its compact pickup truck skin and ushered in what we now know as the midsize pickup. The year was 2005, and that metamorphosis resulted in a lot of hardware during award season, including our very own Truck of the Year Golden Calipers. Now entering its fourth generation with the first ground-up redesign since that 2005 truck, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma gets another shot at the crown.

The all-new Tacoma lineup consists of eight trims, and four represented at TOTY: TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Trailhunter, and Limited. We give Toyota credit for advancement in design—this new Tacoma lineup offers what is perhaps the best-looking midsize truck interior and exterior on the market today.

The trucks’ interiors feature cool colors and designs that vibe with the whole adventure-rig personality. The big, chunky knobs and shifter work to drive home a big-truck atmosphere. Disappointingly, the materials are just so-so, even in the top-tier trims. The rear seat really fails to impress—even in the largest cab configuration, the rear seats were cramped and claustrophobic for even the shortest adult among us. At least everything in the aft section is nicely finished, and the quality of materials seems on par with those in the front cabin, but it’s not a place we’d want to spend any time.

This new Tacoma comes with a choice of two engines. Both are turbocharged 2.4-liter I-4s, with the premium iForce Max being a hybrid. However, all four of the trucks in our test presented different outputs. The standard engine fit to the TRD Sport offered 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque when paired with a six-speed manual transmission. The TRD Off-Road came with the same engine but increased to 278 hp and 317 lb-ft with the eight-speed automatic. Hybrid iForce Max models get 326 hp with 465 lb-ft, while the Trailhunter loses 3 hp thanks to its fresh-air intake.

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Our judges generally agreed the new Tacoma engines drive great. Peak torque hits at low rpm, and they pull hard through all eight automatic gears. However, any goodwill earned went by the wayside when it came to refinement. Both the standard and hybrid models had rough idles, and both produced noises that reminded us of flat-four-cylinder flatulence mixed with predetonation and knocking sounds. Hitching a load behind this truck makes the engine note even coarser. The fake acceleration sounds pumped through the Limited model’s speakers were fine, but the constant suck and hiss from the not-a-snorkel fresh-air intake on the Trailhunter got old quickly.

We really wanted to love the six-speed manual transmission, among the last of its breed. Sadly, the gearbox felt like it was designed for and borrowed from a third-world Hilux. The long throws and notchy engagement aren’t what we expect from a North American development team. The IMT function does match revs for downshifts nicely, however, while the 5,250-rpm redline proved flummoxing for most.

Off-road is where the Tacoma really shines, and it’s where Toyota put its primary focus, evidenced by half the trims being exploration oriented. The Tacoma Trailhunter is the alpha and naturally conquered every obstacle with relative ease. Its locking rear differential, disconnecting front anti-roll bar, and Old Man Emu suspension dampers combined with Multi-Terrain Select and crawl control made for an unbeatable combination.

However, the Tacoma TRD Off-Road really stole our hearts. This understated off-roader went everywhere and did everything the kitted-out Trailhunter did. It came with nearly the same hardware suite, minus the hybrid engine and fancy dampers. That said, most of our judges tended to prefer the ride quality offered by the Bilstein shocks fit to the TRD Off-Road both on and off pavement. Best of all, the TRD Off-Road checked in at more than $10,000 less than the Trailhunter.

Off-road performance complaints from judges were slim, but two arose time and time again. Our evaluators experienced the same troubles with all the Tacomas when it came to shifting between high and low range; the trucks simply wouldn’t comply, often taking several attempts to complete the shift. And most of us found the off-road camera views and lack of usability while moving to be underwhelming.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma came into this year’s event as a serious contender. Like last year’s winner, the Chevy Colorado, it isn’t a singular vehicle and can be many things to many people. That said, when judged against our criteria, we found many little faults in that broad lineup that could keep the Tacoma from snagging the coveted trophy.

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 Truck of the Year (TOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised. 

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