This Friday the world is going to get a look at the latest model of its favorite Mexico-built Japanese truck with the launch of the 4th-generation 2024 Toyota Tacoma. Why do we all care so much?
[Ed note: I asked former Tacoma owner, truck guy™ and occasional contributor Joel Johnson to write about the Tacoma launch to explain why everyone is going crazy for this new truck. We’ve also got Mercedes in Hawaii and she’ll have even more info about the new Tacoma tomorrow – MH]
The Tacoma is almost 30. The first truck, a 1995 model, sold respectfully well from its launch (around 90k units in the first year) and ticked up steadily every year through its second iteration and into the third. Now, nearly a quarter-million Tacomas are sold in the U.S. and Canada each year.
To save ourselves from a lengthy preamble, here is the received wisdom about the Toyota Tacoma’s success:
- Tacomas run forever compared to most other trucks. They’re reliable and hold their value.
- Americans came to appreciate small trucks more as American manufacturers focused on full-sized trucks.
- Marty McFly had one. (Or at least the Tacoma’s precursor, the Toyota, uh, Truck.)
- That ‘Top Gear’ episode where they dropped a Hilux (the Tacoma’s well-traveled global cousin) was many people’s first recognition of both the stoutness of Toyota Trucks—and, for many, their first exposure to “Top Gear.”
- They are the machine gun platform of choice for global terrorists and militias.
And sure, those were all factors. Big ones (except for the last one, which maybe is a bad thing). The kind of brand equity you can’t fake, because it comes from the product’s qualities. (Except for the “Back To The Future” placement, maybe.)
There’s another way to diagram this story, though, and it’s just about price and value.
- The first gens were small, reliable, and cheap.
- The second gens were reliable and affordable.
- The third gens were reliable and affordable compared to the full-size truck competition.
[Editor’s Note: And available. Remember, there was a time around 2013 when you couldn’t buy a mid-size truck from GM, Ford, or Dodge/Ram. And certainly not Jeep. The Toyota has been a mainstay, and it’s been able to build up a brand gradually rather than resetting with a product so different than its predecessor. -DT].
By the time the second-gen Tacoma was about to be superseded, the reputation was close to cemented: first truck? Tacoma. Downsizing from a full-size? Tacoma. Want to dabble in off-roading and overlanding? Tacoma. Cheap bastard who just wants a truck and doesn’t want to buy another one for 15 years? Tacoma.
So Tacoma prices started doing something akin to what market forces do to other icons. The new ones got more expensive—largely as Toyota added premium trim levels—and the old ones also went up in price. This in part because most of them were beat on and had rust issues, including a major frame recall in both the first and second generations, and were still driven two-hundred- or three-hundred-thousand miles, so there was some scarcity to factor in. Even accounting for the post-pandemic car pricing chaos, Tacos are carrying major price premiums today. A clean first-generation Tacoma with less than 100,000 miles costs half of what a new mid-tier Tacoma does today.
But here’s the thing: to me, the thing that makes a Tacoma great is that it’s simply fine. It’s okay! It’s an okay truck that does all truck things okay-ly. It’s your friend who isn’t much of a conversationalist and buys his clothes at Costco and doesn’t like mustard on his sandwiches because it doesn’t have any sugar in it. That friend is dear and valued. Because he’s reliable. He helps you move a couch. He pays his share of the bill. He listens to your stupid jokes and laughs. He knows who he is and is satisfied to meet his own standards—all too rare.
The Tacoma is “The Tacoma” not because it gets B-minuses across the board, but because it doesn’t ever get any C’s. Its frame isn’t the strongest. Its engine is boring and doesn’t make a lot of power. It looks nice enough, but needs another truck’s worth of parts to look neoclassically “badass.” It can go off-road to anywhere a normal person would need to go off-road, but isn’t hard to park.
I have every reason to believe that the fourth-generation Tacoma, which we’re going to see in on Friday, is going to be fine to fine-plus. Toyota is incredible at fine-plus. And there’s no reason to think it won’t be reliable. If we can trust any company to keep that promise, it’s Toyota, although they’re still just a big corporation and they have engineering and quality issues just like everyone else.
But what it probably won’t be anymore is affordable. The price will go. Maybe a lot. Two reasons:
- The brand’s reputation is approaching Porsche 911 levels of quintessence, where many shoppers aren’t comparing it to competitors—for better or worse—but instead cross-shopping trim levels within the line.
- Shit’s more expensive now.
I can’t fault dealers for marking up hot cars. I can loathe them and wish that their entire business model never existed in the first place, but a buck’s a buck. And I can’t fault Toyota for charging as much as they can for a product that is inarguably very good.
But there’s a space that the Tacoma used to fill—small, reliable, cheap…and readily available for purchase—that I suspect the Tacoma won’t fill anymore. Unibody trucks like the Ford Maverick could take its place, if enough ever get built. But they’re not body-on-frame, dirt-simple machines that are cheap to run and (usually) simple to repair.
It may be that the Tacoma can’t be the Tacoma anymore because new cars can’t be just machines anymore, and while the implications of cars getting more complex and expensive yet safer and more powerful is a discussion worth having, it’s hard not to get a little wistful when your stalwart, boring buddy decides to get a new haircut, take some night classes, and move to a nicer neighborhood. You’re happy for him, but you know you won’t hang out so much anymore. He started ordering the expensive mustard.
Photos: Toyota
Correction (May 18, 2023 12:50 PM ET): This article initial referred to the Tacoma as a “Texas-built” truck. However, as of a couple of years ago, Toyota no longer builds the truck in San Antonio, and instead builds all U.S Tacomas in Mexico.
Actually, you won’t find that out for years and hundreds of thousands of miles! Because THAT is why people like Toyota so much! They last a long long time with no problems 😀
A) giant eye roll. Until tomorrow, Tacos have never lived up to their reputation.
B) terrorists have better taste than this. They drive Hiluxes, come on.
If I’m not sitting on the floor behind a wheezy V6, then it’s not a Tacoma!
I want a Tacoma Prime, a good hybrid would be nice but a Prime would really be great. If I could combine my daily with a pickup I would be pretty happy.
I’d love a Tacoma Prime, but I also assume that would’ve already been teased. I’d be good with a hybrid focused on efficiency, but I am guessing we’ll just get the max power hybrid.
The real question, is whether or not Toyota is ever going to build a genuinely small, inexpensive pickup for North America again. Not whether or not the Tacoma is still a Tacoma. Of course it is. It is a desirable and much coveted market commodity, which people regularly pay WAY too much money for. This phenomenon will continue as long as ICE vehicles are produced. So Toyota won’t screw that pooch. There’s too much money riding on it. The need for trucks smaller than ‘mid-sized’ is where all manufacturers are currently letting us down.
They said Toyota was working on a truck smaller than the Tacoma to compete with the Maverick. Everything seems to be moving up a class.
who’s they? I have not seen this
It’s been a number of completely unconfirmed reports, mostly. There was an event last year in which Hollis said there was a market to slot something smaller in and an engineer said something about working on something, but that’s not a real confirmation.
The rest of the rumor has just been on the assumption it would print money.
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/toyota-stout-coming-dethrone-ford-maverick/
Nissan Frontier standing by, ready to take that “small, reliable, cheap…and readily available for purchase” spot (well sort of cheap)
I think this is the thing…but they’d have to price it right.
If Nissan were run by anyone savvy, they would aggressively market the Frontier on exactly that schtick. They’ve got a cheaper, lighter, reliable BoF truck with a solid drivetrain and an off-road option package that adds a Dana 44 axle. It would sell itself if they worked harder to promote it. For comparison, they used to accidentally sell Xterras to everyone on earth who went 4Runner shopping, blanched at the finance terms, and noticed the Nissan dealer up the street had something smaller, cheaper, and nearly as capable off-road. Then someone in Nissan came along and killed it.
…And this is why I think Nissan is insane, because they are not doing that, and as a result, the Frontier is not really in the conversation any more. I looked up the previous ancient version just before the refresh, and was shocked to find that their prices were right in line with the competition. That truck was probably fully amortized 15 years ago, but Nissan was still not budging on the sticker price.
They should have gone the totally opposite way, and marketed it as a fun bargain (and priced it to match). “Yeah it’s got an archaic plastic interior, but you can beat the hell out of it for thousands less than a Tacoma or Colorado.”
No manual transmission option…
I would have bought a previous gen Frontier if my Toyota gave up the ghost, I wouldn’t by a current gen Frontier for any amount of money though.
I had a 2015 Frontier for 7 years, bought when you could get a manual. Did everything I needed it to do and more. It was a good truck, did truck things well, but couple of things needed fixing under warranty that probably should have been problems in the first place. So yeah, unless it’s notably cheaper than the competition, no sense going to Nissan, and even then be wary. Sold it for way more than it probably should have gone for in the peak of the used car price spike because I really didn’t need it or use it after I moved.
Glad to hear it. The only issue I had with the previous gen Frontier was the abysmal turning circle.
it is awe inspiring. tried pulling a U turn in California in a rental frontier. 3 lanes on the other side of the divider and i had to make it a 3 point turn. liked it well enough besides that.
Toyota lost me on the Tacoma when they tried to tell us, the truck buying public, that it NEEDED drum brakes for towing or some nonsense while the 4Runners and Tundras parked immediately adjacent with the same or better tow capacity sported disc brakes. This is 2023. If you have that little respect for your customers’ intelligence, you don’t need my business. There were other examples of this same mentality, but that was the most in your face, galling example.
they are doing just fine without your business as you drive your chevy
Look at the rating the Tundra TRD PRO got yesterday vs the other trucks. It’s a pig with lipstick and a gen behind, even as a brand new truck.
I FULLY expect the same result on the Tacoma.
Toyota has lost its reliability with this new gen, their designs are meh and there is 0 reason to grab one vs the competition since reliability was the only reason before.
Setting aside potential reliability and QC issues (which I’ve also heard on the Tundra, so not setting aside to ignore them) – the Tundra has always found itself distantly behind the Big 3 in the full-size truck segment, with every new gen – both as a product and in sales.
I think Toyota knows it will never make a significant dent in the large truck market, but they have enough brand loyalists to make it worth their while to field something (unlike Nissan with the Titan). Tacoma, OTOH, has had the sales crown for the segment even as others got back in the game with arguably better products. Toyota has more to lose there.
It could also be said that even within their own respective showrooms, GM and Ford are going to protect the sales and profits brought by the full-size trucks. They’ve reduced the midsize cab/bed combinations or, in GM’s case, powertrain options – if you want more, step up to the full-size for a little more coin. That the Tacoma still will offer some of that variety should keep it in the running for a lot of folks.
I agree with the tacoma they have more to lose. I only partially agree with the first part though. Tundra historically was always behind and thats okay, hell, I bought mine for that reason. This new model was supposed to be different, Im on the tundra forum and kept up on the news. The dealers and toyota were spreading rumors of a “class leading” “ground breaking” new truck. This one was supposed to compete and it doesn’t.
I think Ford is going to dominate the mid size market with the Maverick and Ranger options until Toyota gets back to basics and delivers a truck people need not the one people want to show off on instagram. Fingers crossed for the new Taco, but I cant get hyped about this until I see it
Very fair – I feel like the past Tundras, they still were trying to match the Big 3 even if they wound up behind, and maybe with the current one they shifted a bit because they knew they wouldn’t truly match it. Some of that seems to be more acute in the new Sequoia too (like that folding third row “platform” – that’s the best they could do?). Hopefully they do get it more right with the Tacoma, as it might negatively affect any buzz around other even longer-awaited redesigns like the GX and 4Runner.
How could they release this on any other day than a Tuesday?
Because Taco Johns owns the rights to the words Taco Tuesday.
VERY excited about the potential hybrid version of the new Tacoma, that will really set it apart from the competition. In the next few years id like to downsize my truck but there isnt much of a point in doing so if there aren’t significant fuel economy gains, the hybrid fits perfectly with this. The biggest problem that I see it that Toyota hybrids are just non-existent here at dealerships, not even used. They sell before they even hit the lot.
More like Talco amirite?
I am sorry David, but the 2011 and up Colorado/Canyon sisters were definitely no longer compact trucks, they were definitely Mid-sized trucks by that point.
Did I say otherwise?
If a Tacoma contains more than 55% technology newer than 2015, is it really a Tacoma?
Maybe it has an extra-bendy frame?
Gotta support your Taco with two hands.
Ah the Ship of Tacothesius paradox
As a huge Tacoma advocate (I’ve owned 2.5 first gens), they are and continue to be right sized truck for most. Pretty stoked about the 4th gen dropping tomorrow.
As an owner, and it seems a long time owner, AKA old guy in the room, how do you feel about the reliable, and easy to repair V6 being removed altogether and replaced by a turbo 4? Literally from the start the Tacoma has had a v6 option.
as a two tacoma owner and a current tundra owner (2.5 gen right before redesign), I think this is a huge first step to people abandoning toyota trucks.
Seems like Greg simply doesn’t like Toyotas
I’ve owned 4! But I cant deny I’m a bit salty as you can tell about their new trucks and car designs!
legitimate question: why?
I think the new Tundra isn’t that good looking, too bro-dozer, and then they shrunk the cabin. The camo print on the pro’s is disgusting to me and it seems to be their new “thing”.
Also, I liked my tacoma’s, 4runner and current Tundra because they were basic. These new ones are not, and I expect the tacoma won’t be either. The Sequoia, I like the exterior better, but the inside and price point makes me wonder who it’s for.
Their cars…I like more boxy, or at least defined language in my car designs. I find them now a lot like the old space ship Ford Taurus. Just weird blobs of different sizes. The new Prius I do think is very nice though.
Oh, and their infotainment screens being pop ups basically, I hate that trend and have marked a lot of cars off for that, luckily most seem to have stopped it already.
I know I’ve been salty on this thread or I guess entire blog, but I really loved Toyota and its like watching a friend slowly lose their way and you can’t do anything to stop them. I’ll survive and so will they I suspect.
I am excited for the Turbo-4 now that they are keeping the manual. Toyota’s biggest mistake was getting rid of the torquey 4.0 and replacing it with a peaky 3.5 with less torque. Turbo’s generally fix the torque problem. Should also help with the pretty pathetic MPG’s, that haven’t really improved much since its debut in 1995.5.
I thought never being updated was a defining characteristic of the Tacoma and 4Runner.
3 generations of them kind of say otherwise, but you know, whatever I suppose.
I don’t understand your comment, as they are often very long in the tooth when they finally get updated
The Swiss Army knife of vehicles. I think the 3rd gens look great.
Needed something that could fill a lot of roles for our family. Wanted something I could go exploring in.
I could see myself buying the next one at some point if the issues I had with the last one are corrected.
Very capable, look great, fantastic value retention (sold for $500 less than I paid new, after 4.5 years and ~55k miles)
Aspirational purchase.
I wrote this before I sold mine recently:
I’m a Tacoma owner (2018 4×4 manual) and have put 50k miles on it. As much as I want to like it, it’s just the wrong truck for me. I’m 6’1″ with long legs, and despite putting risers on the front of my seat for more thigh support, my back does not like it at all if I drive the truck a few days in a row (in hindsight, I probably should’ve gotten a Sport instead of an Off-Road).
If I never had to go faster than 65, I’d probably like it more, but it sucks at 85 (the speed limit on the highway closest to our place is 80). It’s very capable and I’ve never had an issue, and when I sell it, I’ll likely get more than I paid for it, so all that’s amazing.
The engine’s not a truck engine. No torque down low; pair that with a very low 1st gear, and starts from a dead stop are annoying. Even a rolling stop at 7 mph in 2nd is not great.
My son learned to drive manual on it, but thankfully his first car is a Mazda 6 in which he might actually learn to love driving a car with 3 pedals.
Will I sell it? Maybe, probably, eventually? I bought at the right time at the right price, so inertia’s pretty strong right now. Thankfully I get to drive my SS most days, but it’s handy to have the Tacoma as my Swiss Army Knife when I need it.
I want to love my truck. I love the way it looks and how capable and versatile it is (not to mention reliable and depreciation-resistant). But there’s too many things in the negative column…
Recent discussion on OPPO, if interested:
https://opposite-lock.com/topic/75563/tacoma-owners-i-desire-your-help
I hope the seat positioning is better in the new gen, and feel like it surely has to at least be different since it will be on the new architecture. I haven’t been in one from 2020-on when they added the power driver seat with height adjustment but even so think that probably only helps so much.
I do agree with this. the low seat height was an issue even in the McFly days (pre-Tacoma Badge). You basically had to stretch your legs straight in front of you and that was not fun on long trips, still is not. It did give these and the datsun/nissans of the era as well as today a lot better off road chops though. nothing sitting too low or hanging below the frame too much.
My Tacoma has 200,000 miles. Besides shocks, pads, oil changes, usual maintenance items just needed a $30 brake sensor so far. It’s lived a hard life either getting beat on offroad or constant stop and go city driving.
I hope new one gets an efficiency style hybrid system. Prius has proved you can make a bulletproof one.
I’m waiting to see the size and efficiency. I’m hoping they don’t make it too big.
I do wonder if they’ll raise the price much, given the competition from both smaller and larger options now. Not to mention that a portion of their buyers probably won’t want to spend more on a (more powerful and efficient) 4 cylinder when the V6 was so popular. And, given sales volumes and time between redesigns, they could expect to see their development costs recouped relatively early in the lifecycle, so they might not need to increase as much as people are bracing for.
But, yeah, people buy the Tacoma, so they probably can and will raise the price.
I was thinking we hadn’t seen any articles from Mercedes in a few days and was wondering where she was, makes more sense if she’s out on the scene.
I went from not really caring about the new Tacoma to being very interested – I think it’s the powertrain rumors that have done it for me, with an iForce Max setup and manual transmission on offer. Even as other automakers brought back competing trucks that were arguably better, Toyota was still better at “something for everyone” with the Tacoma, and seems like that’s going to be even more true with the new gens of trucks now that GM and Ford have gone down to a single cab, GM just has one engine in different tunes…can’t fault them for that since that’s the bulk of the market, but nice to see Toyota won’t just defer to that here.
Welcome, Joel! Brilliantly written article. I think you’re spot-on although I wish you weren’t. Honestly, if I needed a small-ish (by modern standards) reliable truck that fits in my garage and goes anywhere I need it to, I’d buy another first-gen Tundra like the one I recently transferred to my son. Sure it’s technically full sized, but it handles like a (large) car, performs great off-road (for normal purposes) and it’s just a great truck. And while it’s held its value pretty well it doesn’t have anything near the enormous Taco tax.
My first truck, 4×4 and and toyota was an 82 SR5 truck. I loved it. I got rid of it because I could not afford the transmission replacement and it was RUSTY. I would love another small 8ft box body on frame 4×4 truck. That will never happen short of importing something.
We won’t know if it’s still a Taco until it goes 300,000mi
I always thought I’d get a Tacoma to replace my first gen Tundra but every Tacoma just keeps getting bigger and more expensive to the point where it doesn’t make sense. Would love to see a Maverick-sized Toyota truck.
There is a sweat spot for me in midsize trucks. They still fit in the garage and any parking spot, they haul and tow about as much as any normal person needs in week. Good space inside for most trips and not approaching $80k in top trim.
GM and Ford lost sight of that while they focused on making their full-size offerings more of everything. Toyota reaped the benefits in this segment. They make a nice truck and don’t give people too many reasons not to buy one. Hopefully the next iteration the Tacoma doesn’t get too big for its britches.
That’s my focus on the announcement. I want to know how much it has grown. With the Ranger getting another 2.3 inches of width, I’d love to see Toyota stay close to the same size and be capable without getting too bloated.
“I can’t fault dealers for marking up hot cars.”
Why?
“All these people are willing to throw extra money at me to buy something I can’t get enough of to satisfy demand. Out of principal, I won’t charge them any extra money, that’d be wrong.”
-Out of business car dealership
why are they out of business if they charge enough to have healthy profit but not take advantage of their communities? They probably would be popular through a recession which is here and heating up and deal with a lot less anger from customers over small things because they weren’t robbed at the start.
Greg continues to have problems with things on this discussion
The same reason they can’t fault me for buying their cars well under MSRP when demand is low.
Pre-pandemic sure. I’m not holding my breath for incentives to return anytime soon.