Toyota Tacoma

The Tacoma is not only a stalwart of the midsize truck segment but also of the off-roading community. For decades it has offered buyers a competent canvas for countless off-road upgrades, and Toyota has been steadily offering more and more aggressive off-roading options to the Tacoma lineup. For 2022, Toyota has given its relatively new Trail Edition some aesthetic as well as mechanical tweaks, while the extremely capable TRD Pro gets even more so with unique suspension parts.

Introduced last year, the Trail Edition was a limited-production model based on the budget SR5 trim level and featured a few off-road and practical goodies, such as lockable bed boxes. For 2022, Toyota has made a limited-slip rear differential standard equipment and a slight suspension lift (1.1 inches of lift in front and 0.5 inch in the rear) compared to other Tacomas to give the truck a little extra capability and clearance when off-roading. And hey, do you like trendy bronze-colored wheels? It's got those too. As for the TRD Pro, it gets a slightly higher suspension lift than the Trail Edition (1.5 inches in front, but still 0.5 inch in back) plus a new wheel-and-tire setup.

We expect most of the 2022 Tacoma lineup to carry over, which should be just fine. We think highly of this truck, but there are also solid reasons to go with the well-rounded Chevrolet Colorado, rugged Jeep Gladiator or updated Honda Ridgeline. Is the Tacoma the right midsize truck for you? Check out our Expert Rating to get our test team's in-depth take.

What's it like to live with?

When the Tacoma was redesigned in 2016, we wanted to know what it was like to live with, so we bought one. Specifically, we purchased the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road and lived with it in our long-term fleet for nearly two years, putting over 40,000 miles on the odometer. The Tacoma has received some updates since its redesign in 2016, but it's the same generation truck so most of our observations apply. To learn about everything from seat comfort to reliability, check out all the details in our long-term Tacoma test.

Toyota hasn't released official information on the 2022 Tacoma as of this writing, and we'll update our recommendation if anything changes. Based on last year's Tacoma, the TRD Off-Road is our pick. It enhances the truck's off-road ability yet keeps the cost reasonable. While the deletion of the airdam comes with a slight fuel economy penalty, we think it's offset by the more comfortable ride provided by the smaller wheels and Bilstein shocks.

[Editor's note: The following information is based on last year's 2021 Tacoma. We expect the 2022 model will have a similar lineup and we'll update this section once we have complete information.] The Toyota Tacoma is a midsize pickup truck offered in six trim levels: SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited and TRD Pro. The SR and SR5 come standard with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine producing 159 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. Optional for those trims — and standard on all others — is a 3.5-liter V6 with 278 hp and 265 lb-ft on tap. A six-speed automatic transmission is common across the lineup, though some trims offer a six-speed manual transmission in conjunction with the V6.

Other choices include an extended cab (Access Cab) configuration with a 6.1-foot bed or a crew cab (Double Cab) with a 5- or 6.1-foot bed. Rear-wheel drive is standard on most trims, with part-time four-wheel drive (with a low-range transfer case) an option.

SRThe SR is the work truck of the bunch and kicks things off with:

16-inch steel wheels
Sliding rear window
Power-adjustable and heated side mirrors
Tough composite bed that needs no bedliner
Movable bed cleats
Locking/unlocking vehicle remote (V6 only; can be added to four-cylinder models via Convenience package)
Dual-zone automatic climate control (V6 only)
7-inch touchscreen
Six-speaker audio system
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Satellite radio
Three USB ports
Wi-Fi hotspot

The base Tacoma also comes with a suite of driving aids that include:

Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)
Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Toyota and the car in front)

SR5 The SR5 will be a little more palatable for most non-commercial buyers. Among its upgrades are:

Alloy wheels (V6 only)
Chrome exterior trim
Locking/unlocking vehicle remote
Power-sliding rear window (V6 Double Cab only)
Power-adjustable driver's seat (V6 only)
Auto-dimming mirror (V6 only)
Leather-wrapped steering wheel
8-inch touchscreen

The Tacoma SR5 is available with a number of option packages, including:

Dynamic Navigation package (V6 only)

Navigation system
Rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible behind the vehicle when parking)

Technology package (V6 only)

Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while reversing)

Trail Special Edition (V6 Double Cab only)

All-terrain tires
Unique seat trim
All-weather floor mats
120-volt outlet in bed
Locking storage bins in bed

TRD Sport The TRD Sport is the mildest of the off-road Tacomas. Because it's powered by the V6, all non-optional features listed above designated "V6 only" are standard here. On top of the SR5 features, it adds:

17-inch wheels
Sport suspension
Hood scoop
Heated mirrors
Body-colored fender flares and rear bumper
120-volt outlet in bed
Keyless entry and ignition (automatic transmission only)
Power-sliding rear window (Double Cab only)
Wireless charging pad

A number of packages and stand-alone options are available for the TRD Sport, and many can be mixed and matched with one another. In a nutshell, these include:

Technology package

Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert
Rear parking sensors

Premium Audio and Dynamic Navigation package

Navigation system
JBL premium audio system

Premium Sport package

Sunroof
Heated front seats
Leather upholstery

Advanced Technology package

360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Tacoma and its surroundings for tight parking situations)

LED headlights

TRD Off-RoadThe TRD Off-Road is equipped similarly to the TRD Sport but adds genuine off-road performance bits. Upgrades include:

16-inch wheels
Removes the Sport's hood scoop
Chrome rear bumper
Textured black fender flares
Removes front airdam
Lockable rear differential
Bilstein shock absorbers
Advanced off-road traction control system with multiple terrain settings and rock crawl (4WD only)

The TRD Off-Road's option packages are generally the same as those for the TRD Sport. The available Multi-Terrain monitor adds front and sideview cameras for fine-tuning the Tacoma's position off-road.

Limited The Tacoma Limited primarily adds luxury features. It includes most of the TRD Sport's equipment, minus the sport suspension and hood scoop. Also added are: