In the United States, the best selling compact pickup truck for years has been the Toyota Tacoma. In 2010, the “indestructible” pickup sold more than 106,000 which was more than its closest competitor by nearly two-to-one. For the 2012 model year, as North American Toyota is getting back into its stride with 100 percent production, they plan to continue that right-size truck success with an extensive refresh. The exterior, interior and media features may be new, but inside the 2012 Tacoma is still the ‘never-fail’ Toyota it has been for decades.
Differences between the 2012 and 2011 can first be seen on the outside. The front end has been revised as every panel from the A-pillar forward is tweaked. The hood has been sculpted to offer better visibility. The head lights are much more shapely than before, now resembling a pair of eyes. The grille has been retooled to share a similar appearance to the Tacoma’s big brother, the Tundra and the front bumper now features up-to-date integrated fog lights. In all, it is still a Tacoma but now looks more mature and less adolescent.
The interior has also received a special reworking. The instrument gauge cluster is sleeker than before and now integrates with sharper center console. The biggest upgrade for 2012 can be found inside that center console as Toyota’s “Entune” multimedia system is now available. Offered on DoubleCab V6 models, Entune connects a driver’s smartphone to the Tacoma, making most of its features available by hands-free voice recognition. Bing, Pandora Radio, real time traffic, weather and fuel prices can all be accessed via Entune. A JBL sourced stereo system is included with Sirius XM satellite radio available. And finally offered on a Tacoma is navigation.
Mechanically, nothing has changed for the 2012 model year. Two engines are offered: a 2.7 liter DOHC inline four cylinder making 159 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque is the base. A 4.0 liter DOHC V6 with 236 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque can be fitted under the hood and both engines can be fitted to a manual or automatic transmission. In the V6 models, a six speed manual and five speed auto are featured while the four cylinders have to make do with either a five speed manual or a four speed automatic. The Tacoma may out sell its closest competitor, the Nissan Frontier, but the other Japanese pickup boasts more gears and more power from its drivetrain options. More power for the Tacoma can be found by a factory-backed, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) supercharger kit for the 4.0 liter. When equipped, power jumps up to 304 horsepower and 334 lb-ft of torque, or where it should be straight out of the box.
At first, two special edition Tacomas will be offered. The X-Runner, a street-tuned hyper handling version with the V6, six speed manual, two wheel drive and a lateral road holding rating of .9 gs will still be available. For the other truck enthusiast, the T/X and T/X Pro packages will be offered to make the Tacoma even more capable in the muck. An electronic locking rear differential, Bilstein shocks, specially tuned springs, 265 BFGoodrich Rugged Terrain tires and a 28mm stabilizer bar round out the off road T/X packages.
Pricing for the 2012 Tacoma starts at $16,875 for a Regular Cab, 4X2 with the 2.7 liter and five speed manual. Compared to the 2011 model year, that’s a $510 increase. The V6 is not available with a Regular Cab and the least expensive 4.0 liter model starts $22,760 for a four-door PreRunner 4X2. The most expensive model, a long bed four-door V6 4×4 with the five speed automatic starts at $27,835.
Source: Toyota
