2024 Tacoma released today

7892 Views 120 Replies 51 Participants Last post by Funks, 1 d ago

larryr

Discussion Starter · 15 d ago

CNN —

The Toyota Tacoma has been the best-selling mid-sized pickup in America for the last 20 years but its territory is getting much more competitive. To help it stay ahead in a crowded auto-industry battle for small-truck customers, Toyota just unveiled an entirely new Tacoma. It includes some options more associated with luxury SUVs and others for those who want to get far from the comforts of civilization.

The Tacoma is often affectionately referred to as just the Taco and, as with tacos, there’s a big menu of options. New Tacoma engines include a hybrid and there’s a new extra-rugged off-road model, too.

In the United States, market share for mid-size pickups, currently 3.6% of all new vehicles sold, has more than doubled over the past decade, according to data from Edmunds.com.

The average price paid for smaller trucks has also shot up a lot as buyers add on features and options, said Ivan Drury, an industry analyst with Edmunds.com. The reason is simply that buyers like the functionality. Plus, with modern, sophisticated suspension systems and plush interiors, buyers can enjoy a comfortable experience, he said.

The new Tacoma will have to compete against trucks like the recently unveiled Ford Ranger, as well as GM’s recently redesigned GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado and the Nissan Frontier.

The Tacoma’s new extra-rugged Trailhunter off-road version will go up against trucks like the Jeep Gladiator and a new GMC Canyon AT4X AEV model.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/18/business/toyota-tacoma-reveal/index.html

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Funks

· #81 · 9 d ago (Edited)

CNC1 said:
Thanks for the video, it does look larger, but also a lot smaller inside than a Ridgeline. Headroom is a big issue for me.

How tall are you? 6'8"? He's that tall and has at least 4-5 inches of head room. These guys are tall, TFLTruck guys (Andrey) is 6'2" and pretty burly and they all fit.

Average height for a US Male is 5'9".

These guys are definitely not your average height US male

Griso

· #82 · 9 d ago

You're right it's definitely smaller than a Ridgeline but Toyota did increase headroom. Actually I believe it's the same width inside as the previous model, they made the track 2" wider but the cab is the same width. They said "so the door can be opened inside the average garage." I really like what Toyota did in this redesign and it'll really compete against bRanger and the GM twins better than ever, but none of them really compete directly with Ridgeline IMO.

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CNC1

· #83 · 8 d ago

Funks said:
How tall are you? 6'8"? He's that tall and has at least 4-5 inches of head room. These guys are tall, TFLTruck guys (Andrey) is 6'2" and pretty burly and they all fit.

Average height for a US Male is 5'9".

These guys are definitely not your average height US male

You are close, 6'6", 270#, i work out a lot, but I'm mostly legs, 38" inseams. My wife's old Kona, and her new Tuscon both have about the same head room as my Ridgeline. A good 6"+ head clearance with a hat on. I have just enough room to be comfortable in a Ridgeline, but Tacos are a no go.

Sparkland

· #84 · 6 d ago (Edited)

This guy shares the truth about the lack of suspension travel on the new 2024 Tacoma compared to the Chevy Colorado ZR2 and the Ford Ranger Raptor.

Toyota put the missing 1 1/2” of suspension travel in the suspension seats.

Tacoma increased the track width but did not enlarge the control arms so the suspension travel is limited.

Also there is no front locker on the Tacoma which is on the ZR2 and Ranger Raptor.

Toyota may have prioritized features over function.

Kevo

· #85 · 6 d ago

A certain song comes to mind...

Funks

· #86 · 5 d ago (Edited)

There seems to be a lot of negativity going on with some people. Open your mind, nobody is forcing these new trucks on you, if it doesn't float your boat - then vote with your wallet. In the grand scheme of things, you aren't the target market for said truck. The competition is paying attention to the interior, ride quality while improving capability - that's a great thing. The bar keeps getting raised, and we as consumers benefit.

My opinion is that everyone should welcome these new trucks as more options are always better for the consumers. I personally just bought a Ridgeline this year so I'm committed to it for the next 5 years, it ticks almost everything I'm looking I was looking for - Nevertheless, my use-case doesn't involve Off-Roading, or Overlanding. If Off-roading, or Overlanding was high on my list, Ridgeline would be a the bottom of the list.

There does seem to be a portion of Ridgeline owners that keep wanting to 'lift' their trucks, take it off-roading and overlanding (that Camping Randy guy comes to mind) - they chose the wrong vehicle.

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TXLutzy

· #87 · 5 d ago

Super Cool video on the 4th Gen Tacoma Suspension.

Like @Funks above, I too like that there are increasing choices in the segment.....though, I would LOVE a real competitor to the RL - (unibody, same basic size)

I know that when I shop for something, I don't like to compromise on ANYTHING. It's sort of naïve, because at my age - I'm intellectually aware that every choice is a collection of pros/cons.

When we (as a forum community) get squirreled up over the compares....I think we conflate hobby/utility/comfort/practicality in our assessments.

To make my point with an example or two:

Those who modify their primary vehicle for supreme off-roadability are choosing to sacrifice on-road ability "most" of the time (assume they work and live in houses with roads) for off-road ability "some of the time". That choice doesn't make sense to the pragmatist, unless you add in the "hobby" aspect of modifying and personalizing your vehicle.

Those of us who enjoy that, like to have something unique and representative of our personalities. What you drive is an extension of your personality....much like how you dress. So, now that on-road ability sacrifice is lessened, because in addition to the off-road ability, they also get to satisfy and entertain with a hobby.

I like more unique vehicles. I consider them "art". I like to enhance the aspects that are important to me but not to the original designer (or maybe the original engineer was limited by mass feedback, rules, etc.)

I guess the next couple of months will be telling. Whether Honda opts to put some effort into the RL or not.

The popularity of the Taco has a lot to do with optionality and dependability. Honda has the dependability nailed - but, is near "zero" on optionality.

I'm sure I'll get hammered for this....but, the RL has near Zero "personality". It's as utilitarian as vehicle with a bed can get. Which is fantastic if that's your primary objective.

Sales number show that isn't most people's primary objective.

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OmahaJeff

· #88 · 5 d ago

^^Unless you define personality as having a refined ride like a sedan and yet able to carry 1500# in the bed and tow 5000#. And get decent gas mileage for a truck.

The Ridgeline is what it is. Honda pretty much created the modern market for a unibody truck (yes I know there were predecessors like the El Camino), and now a lot of other companies are seeing the potential for such a vehicle—Hyundai Santa Cruz, Ford Maverick.

As far as sales, after 2020 people were lined up to buy anything with a bed and 4 wheels. Honda could have sold 3-4 times the number of Ridgeline they did sell (over 40K in ‘21 and ‘22) if they could have gotten them to market given the supply constraints. (There were zero on the lots near me for most of those 2 years—dealer lots finally seem almost normal.)

A lot of the new Tacoma features were developed to keep up with competitors—improved suspension, 8-speed transmission, improved stereo, etc.

I agree it’s good there’s competition. Unless you’re one of those bare-bones purists, current trucks are miles ahead of their predecessors in drivability.

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FTM1

· #89 · 5 d ago

OmahaJeff said:
^^Unless you define personality as having a refined ride like a sedan and yet able to carry 1500# in the bed and tow 5000#. And get decent gas mileage for a truck.

The Ridgeline is what it is. Honda pretty much created the modern market for a unibody truck (yes I know there were predecessors like the El Camino), and now a lot of other companies are seeing the potential for such a vehicle—Hyundai Santa Cruz, Ford Maverick.

As far as sales, after 2020 people were lined up to buy anything with a bed and 4 wheels. Honda could have sold 3-4 times the number of Ridgeline they did sell (over 40K in ‘21 and ‘22) if they could have gotten them to market given the supply constraints. (There were zero on the lots near me for most of those 2 years—dealer lots finally seem almost normal.)

A lot of the new Tacoma features were developed to keep up with competitors—improved suspension, 8-speed transmission, improved stereo, etc.

I agree it’s good there’s competition. Unless you’re one of those bare-bones purists, current trucks are miles ahead of their predecessors in drivability.

However they still didn't put in Rear A/C Heat vents in console. Many commented on this at launch event.
I see GM out them in Canyon but it's a big issue with pickup trucks.
Why did Toyota drop the ball on that?
There's big articles about this as topic.
Gen 1 Ridgeline has them.

Sparkland

· #90 · 5 d ago

I appreciate the honest reviews done by independent individuals after the onslaught of paid reviewers have done their thing. Would you really expect to be invited back by Toyota if you gave their new product a "failing" grade?

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TXLutzy

· #91 · 5 d ago

No - I don't define "personality" as utilitarian. I'm not dogging the RL - it's awesome.

40k units - isn't good, by comparison.

in 2022, Toyota sold 237,323 Tacomas.

And, Toyota did that on an OOOOOOLD platform. I mean, they had drum rear brakes ffs.

I'm not suggesting Honda should try and duplicate the Taco. Rather, I would think they would want to maximize their entry in the most profitable vehicle segment....trucks.

So - if you think about 237k Taco's sold.....they didn't do that because the tech was great. It sucked. Drum brakes, a horrible 6 speed that gear hunted and terrible seating / ride comfort.

I think (just my opinion) - most of the sales were /are because the truck has personality and the ability to personalize.

I'm not in the business, it's just observational from a guy who has spent too much on cars and mods over the years.

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zroger73

· #92 · 5 d ago

Sparkland said:
I appreciate the honest reviews done by independent individuals after the onslaught of paid reviewers have done their thing. Would you really expect to be invited back by Toyota if you gave their new product a "failing" grade?

Bingo. As a hobbyist (for fun - not for pay) automotive writer for a few years, I can verify that while most paid reviewers are honest most of the time, there is a lot of exclusionary detailing going on - and this includes some popular reviewers that seem to not hold anything back (cough...Savage Geese...cough). Even they still have to produce a net-positive review bias for a brand else they'll loose access to the products.

On the other hand, individual owners often don't understand how to properly review a product and may dwell on unimportant details while glossing over important ones resulting in an incomplete, unhelpful, or meaningless review. (Paid journalists aren't necessarily exempt from this fault, either.)

Considering multiple sources including manufacturer, paid journalist, Consumer Reports, individuals, and our own experiences help us make informed decisions.

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CNC1

· #93 · 5 d ago

I've had numerous Toyota vehicles, a couple of Hilux models, two FJ40 Landcruiser's, and a Tercel. My wife even had a first gen Scion XB (toaster). But Toyota has a history of making great vehicles and screwing up the redesigns. Our first gen XB would fit me in the back seat with the front seat all the way back, that's not a easy task. The second gen couldn't do that, they moved the rear seat forward to make more cargo room, and then later dropped Scion.

The video above shows how to actually lift a truck, not with spacers, an actual lift, which we don't have available yet. The new truck looks better, so did the Tundra, but problems happen even on the better Japanese brands like Honda and even Toyota. The prices will determine how well this goes over, I predict they will easily clear 50K, most are now if you get anything on them.

You may be better off just getting a larger truck if that's what you want.

steve.rogers777

· #94 · 3 d ago

Sparkland said:
Then Honda should eliminate the wireless charging pad and not try to "trick" consumers into thinking they have that feature. I am fairly confident some consumers would skip right past the Honda onto a Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Mazda, or even a Tesla, because of that one missing feature.

My 2023 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E has a wireless charging pad!

Kbaldwin

· #95 · 3 d ago

I don't seem to have any issues with the wireless charger.
Sure you can't just throw it on there, you need to make sure the light comes on.
Also you need to make sure your case doesn't have a magnet or your case is too thick.

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zroger73

· #96 · 3 d ago

steve.rogers777 said:
My 2023 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E has a wireless charging pad!

Yes, but does it actually charge for more than few seconds before stopping like it does for nearly everyone else with a 2021-2023 Ridgeline RTL-E or Black Edition?

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dwilly

· #97 · 3 d ago

Back to the charger! I am a real old guy with an old cell phone. It does not activate the charger. My family has new cell phones (4) and they all work on my 2021 RL. Maybe it is time to get a new cell phone.

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SRC

· #98 · 3 d ago

zroger73 said:
My iPhone XS Max, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Pro 2 would not charge for more than a few to several seconds in my 2021 Ridgeline. The Ridgline's Qi-compatible charger is limited to 5 watts, so it must support the 1.0 or 1.1 version of the standard, but per the standard, it is required to communicate that with the device requesting a charge during the handshake process and that device must not try to use more than 5 watts. The Qi-compatible wireless chargers in some other Honda models support the 1.2 version of the standard which allows up to 15 watts, but those chargers, too, have problems. Honda has admitted this in a TSB and suggested that dealers advise customers to charge using a USB cable.

I had a Toyota with a wireless charger… it stunk as well

SRC

· #99 · 3 d ago

Sparkland said:
Then Honda should eliminate the wireless charging pad and not try to "trick" consumers into thinking they have that feature. I am fairly confident some consumers would skip right past the Honda onto a Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Mazda, or even a Tesla, because of that one missing feature.

I had a Toyota Avalon with a wireless charging feature. It stunk as well.

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Romy

· #100 · 3 d ago

Where did the 2024 Tacoma thread go?
-Good question!

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