Toyota's legendary unkillable pickup continues to offer compact truck goodnessBy Jim Bray Long known for its rugged dependability, Toyota's Tacoma pickup is still an excellent choice in this market segment. And, though there isn't a lot that's new for this model year, that doesn't mean the market is passing it by. It also doesn't mean Toyota is standing still. In fact, there are two new trim levels for the 2026 model year, the SR5+ and TRD Off-Road+ trims, the latter of which was what Toyota sent me to play with for a week. That option adds nearly eight grand to the truck's price (as tested, it came to $56,788 before all the various kilos of extra flesh are added. That package gives you lots of stuff, though. Here's the list of goodies the sample truck's window sticker showcased:
Sure, some of that stuff is more lifestyle than work-related, but so what? You can also choose from a hybrid powertrain option, TRD Pro and Trailhunter packages to up your enjoyment ante. And, though Toyota's sample unfortunately didn't come with it, the 4X4 Double Cab 6M version comes with a six-speed manual transmission! The test unit came with the eight-speed automatic and it works fine. I just like manuals. Gone is the V6 engine that for years was available in the Tacoma; now the truck is powered by a turbocharged four banger that puts out a pretty fine 270 horses. That seems a tad off when the base model (two grand cheaper than the manual) claims 278 horses, but what do I know? The hybrid, not surprisingly, offers even more oomph: 325 ponies. I missed the six, but the turbo four works fine other than a tad of turbo lag when you first stomp on the gas. That said, the engine sounds really good! It also features a reasonably good sport mode – better than I'd expected – though as a truck it still tends to bounce around, perhaps displaying the off-road mien that I never exploited during my time with it. Toyota's sample didn't have running boards, which meant my short legs – which barely reach the ground at the best of times – were challenged getting in and out. I basically had to slide one cheek and leg in and then gather up the other cheek and leg. It was fine, but I missed having that step on the outside. 
People of normal height probably won't have this issue. All Tacomas sold in Canada feature part time four-wheel drive, which means you can leave it in two-wheel drive when you don't need the extra stability of driving all the wheels. This should save you some gas money depending upon how you drive. One thing I really noticed about driving the Tacoma in the city is that it has a turning circle that's about the same as the orbit of Mercury around the Sun. Okay, that's obviously an exaggeration but I did notice it repeatedly, especially when I was trying to turn the Tacoma into angle parking spaces. It felt much like a full-sized pickup in that way. The Double Cab AT comes with 17-inch off road alloy wheels. The TRD, Limited and Trailhunter get 18-inchers. Inside, I was very pleased to see that the Tacoma hasn't gone completely down the road of eliminating buttons and knobs in favour of an incoherent LCD screen on the centre stack. In fact, I probably yelled less at the Tacoma than I do at most of the vehicles I drive these days. Vehicle settings via the central LCD are limited, but there's a lot more customization using the buttons on the steering wheel. And, joy of joys, the HVAC, seat heaters and steering wheel heater (I love that latter feature on cold days) use real buttons! Not only that, but you aren't saddled with the annoying front cross traffic alert that Toyota inflicts on many of its models. This is analogous to the rear cross traffic alert, which is one of the few modern "safety" nannies I like – and I like it a lot. For front traffic, it can be handy if you're coming onto a road where vehicles are parked on either side, but it also fires up merely if another vehicle is crossing in front of you even though, if you've been paying attention, you've probably seen the traffic already. 
I've joked that this feature seems to be aimed at blind drivers (of which there seems to be an increasing number every time I drive). You can shut it off, but you have to do it every time you fire up the vehicle and in the vehicles I've driven that have it, you have to go down multiple menu levels to find it. A real ache in the buttock! But you don't have to worry about it here, and I was a happy camper. The interior is also quite comfortable and there's room for three people in the rear seat, as long as they aren't too big. Toyota does pile on the supposedly safety stuff, including emergency front braking, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, automatic high-beam headlamps, and rear-view camera. As my regular reader knows, I'm definitely not a truck guy and if I were to get one it would probably be a "cruck", the car-based truck such as Honda's Ridgeline, Ford's Maverick or the Hyundai Santa Cruz. But if I were a truck guy, the Tacoma would be the first one I checked out. Part of the reasons is the truck's history for durability and excellence, as well as my own history with the truck. My history is from the early 1980's, when I was co-owner of a video rental chain in the British Columbia interior. We leased what is now called a Tacoma and stuck a camper in the bed, sending it into rural areas twice a week stuffed with videocassettes and rental VCR's. It was a great truck with a five-speed manual transmission and it served us loyally and efficiently. I'm not the only fan of the truck's durability, either. If you're a fan of the British motoring show Top Gear you'll probably be familiar with their multiple attempts to destroy their pet Hilux (the truck's old name). They drowned it, set it on fire and even parked it on the roof of a several storey-high building and watched it ride down to the ground when the building was imploded under it. After everything they did to the truck, it still started. And that's one reason why Toyota trucks are legendary. The base Tacoma starts at $52,717 Canadian and the top line Hybrid pricing starts at $69,137. Copyright 2026 Jim Bray |
|
|