Toyota Tacoma

How it looks on the street: Toyota Tacoma offers something to different to truck country, for the mid-sized segment. It’s a wide selection of trims for a something for every kind of truck buyer. It can be configured as a two-seat, two-door extended cab — XtraCab or four-door crew cab — Double Cab. The crew cab is available wirth a 5 or 6 foot bed, and the double cab offers only the 6 ft bed. From there, the buyer has eight different trims to choose. We drove the TRD Offroad Double Cab for review purposes including SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, TRD Pro and Trailhunter. We have yet to drive the 2025, model, so our experience in the TRD Sport model focuses on what 2024 has to offer in that particular configuration.

How it feels on the inside: The 8-inch screen is standard, but our tester had the upgraded 14-inch screen. The front-seats are spacious.

How it drives: Tacoma is a smooth operator that handles it’s bulk and braking with considerable restraint. We drove the turbocharged four-cylinder most recently, but it’s also made with the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain. Our version the TRD Off-road was specced out for the outback environment with four-wheel drive, 17-inch all-terrain tires, suspension dampers, and skidplates for the engine. While we didn’t take it to rock climb, it was a capable handler that skimmed potholes gracefully.

Space for people and things:  That’s the whole point of truck is all that room. The double-cab cabin had plenty to offer. The backseat is not as splurgy as a fullsize truck but fit our small finally just fine, while the wet sports equipment was thrown in the cab.

What to compare it to: Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado.

How much does it cost: Like many trucks, Tacoma has a full range of options and pricing. At the bottom end, the SR starts at $34,000 and on the high end is the TRD Pro at $65,000. The Sport model we drove is the most popular and stars at about $41,000.