Toyota offers larger-than-ever 2005 Tacoma

[fidgits]

Small, wimpy trucks are out. Bold, larger trucks -- very nearly busting out of the "compact pickup" category -- are in.

For 2005, Toyota joins the trend toward bigger compact trucks with a larger-than-ever 2005 Tacoma that's upgraded inside and more powerful and better handling than before.

The new Tacoma, recently named 2005 Motor Trend Truck of the Year, also is offered in more configurations than ever. There are 18 models available, using 4X2 and 4X4 drivetrains, three cabs -- Regular, Access and Double -- and two bed lengths. There's a choice of engines, too: a new, 164-horsepower four-cylinder and a 245-horsepower V-6.

Toyota still doesn't offer a V-8 in the Tacoma. Buyers must move up to the full-size Tundra pickup for that.

But Toyota retained the base two- to three-passenger Regular Cab, which helps explain why the starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is just $13,980 for a base 2005 Tacoma. This is a Regular Cab 4X2 model with four-cylinder engine and manual transmission.

In comparison, the 2005 Dodge Dakota, which no longer offers a regular cab or a four-cylinder, starts at $19,510 for a base Club Cab 4X2 with V-6 and manual transmission, and Nissan's base 2005 truck is a King Cab 4X2 with four-cylinder engine and manual transmission and starts at $16,060.

Consumers may not be able to tick off the fact the Tacoma is about 4 inches wider and about 2 inches taller now and has an unheard-of maximum length of 208.1 inches. But they can quickly see that the Tacoma looks beefier than its predecessor. The test Tacoma, a PreRunner Double Cab with TRD sport package in bright Speedway Blue paint, even sported an air intake on the hood and rode on 17-inch tires.

There was no lag in the engine power of this V-6 truck. I moved through traffic without fuss and passed others on the freeway without exertion. I heard confident engine sounds every time I pressed on the accelerator. Yet, the Tacoma wasn't overtly brawny or difficult to control.

Note this 4-liter V-6 is the same one used in Toyota's 4Runner sport utility vehicle, and the 245 horsepower generated with premium gasoline is close to the 250 horsepower of the 4.7-liter, high-output Magnum V-8 that's the top engine in the Dodge Dakota.

The Tacoma's torque is a bit less, though -- 282 foot-pounds at 3,800 rpm vs. 300 foot-pounds at 3,600 rpm in the Dakota. Nonetheless, the Tacoma's towing capacity now is up to 6,500 pounds with the V-6, compared with 5,000 pounds in the 2004 truck. The Tacoma's towing capacity is 3,500 pounds with the 2.7-liter, four-cylinder engine that generates 183 foot-pounds of torque at 3,800 rpm.

As you'd expect, this base power plant gives the best gas mileage: a combined 23.5 miles per gallon in mixed city/highway travel for a 4X2 model, according to government figures. The best combined mileage rating for a V-6 Tacoma is 20 mpg for a 4X2 with automatic transmission.

Both the five-speed automatic, which was on the test truck and worked well, and the six-speed manual are new and are offered with the V-6.

The four-cylinder has a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

Nissan's Frontier, which also is redesigned and larger for 2005, is offered with four- and six-cylinder engines, and the Frontier's new 4-liter V-6 ranks as the most powerful V-6 in the segment, with 265 horses and 282 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm.

The Tacoma continues to ride like a truck, with jiggles and vibrations that came through to passengers in the PreRunner 4X2. It didn't matter if the Tacoma was off road or on uneven pavement in town.

But remember this truck had an optional sport package that included a sport-tuned suspension and Bilstein sport shock absorbers, so models without this combination will ride softer. And no matter the sport package, it was evident the new Tacoma has less flexing and overall loose feel in the body, thanks to the fact the Tacoma now rides on the more modern platform of the 4Runner and Lexus GX 470.

The PreRunner comes only with rear drive, but it sits up off the road as high as a 4X4 truck, so I had to climb up to get inside. Once there, I found the seats were rather low to the floor. I didn't sit in buslike fashion. Instead, my legs jutted out in front of me. This provided great headroom -- I estimated at least 8 inches of clearance above my head -- but wasn't the most comfortable riding position.

In fact, I preferred the back seat, which, besides getting more shoulder room because of the new, increased cab size, sat up a bit higher than the front seats do. The high-riding position gave good views out, and I noticed the separate front seats had nice, long cushions that reached all the way to the backs of my knees.

The dashboard has been dressed up with some silver accents in the center.

The upgraded stereo in the test truck had strong sounds, but many of the other amenities also were optional, including the keyless remote entry, cruise control and intermittent wipers. Thus, the test truck topped more than $27,000.

In addition, the material on the ceiling of the Tacoma is the old-style, fuzzy stuff and not real rich-looking, and there was a good amount of head bob over bumps and in curves.

Toyota officials retained the less-expensive, rear drum brakes on the new Tacoma but made anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist standard on all models.

Executives expect to sell about 170,000 Tacomas annually. That compares with about 150,000 sales in calendar 2004. Most buyers of pickup trucks are men. With the broad selection of prices and configurations for the Tacoma, buyers can range from young singles going for the low-priced Regular Cabs to baby boomers who use Double Cabs for both family and work chores.

Annual household income, overall, is expected to be about $62,000.

Toyota officials said the majority of Tacomas are likely to be sold with the V-6, and the largest segment -- 45 percent -- will be the Double Cab. In the past, about 40 percent have been 4X4s.

There have been no safety recalls of the new Tacoma, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has no reports of government crash tests.

But NHTSA said the 2005 Tacomas rollover rating is four out of five stars for rear-drive models and three out of five stars for four-wheel-drive trucks.

Consumer Reports said predicted reliability for the new Tacoma is "very good."

By ANN M. JOB

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS