The 2016 Toyota Tacoma Has Not Lost Its Touch

Something’s happened to the pickup truck market in the US. They used to be rugged, bare-bones, powerful machines that can get a job done. When you look at what’s on the market, are you left scratching your head? You should be – what we see today is not what should be there.

Instead, we see expensive, high-riding, luxury vehicles built for consumers who won’t carry anything more than a couple of groceries in an oversized bed. OK, that last statement might be a little biased. At any rate, pickup trucks are not what they used to be.

(Which may have many outside the US scratching their heads as to how a utilitarian vehicle like a truck can make the leap to being a luxury vehicle. It certainly is rather odd.)

It’s a nice breath of fresh air to find out the 2016 Toyota Tacoma has not lost touch with the roots of pickup truck history. About the only other truck that hasn’t done that is the bare-bones, commercial-grade Ford F150.

Don’t get me wrong, the truck still looks sleek. On the outside, it looks just like every other luxury pickup truck you might see in any car lot. When you look under the hood, that’s where you see that the Toyota Tacoma has not lost touch with what made pickups such great vehicles.

The Toyota TRD Sport Double Cab reviewed outfitted with four-wheel-drive, brake assist technology, 17-inch alloys, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, and a 7-inch touch-screen with navigation. It’s nice to see that they still include a tow package and the tonneau bed cover.

Don’t worry, it can still compete with everyone else – especially with the Premium and Technology Package for an additional $2360. This adds dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, heated front seats, a moonroof, automatic headlamps and blind spot monitoring.

Now, this is still a midsize pickup, which means that it has a V-6 engine, not a V-8. Still, it still packs 278 hp and 265 lb.-ft. of torque. It doesn’t do much when you compare it to a V-8, but for Toyota’s smallest truck, it packs more than enough heat to meet the mark.

The interior is still lined with rental-grade plastics and cloth seats with the classic zigzag pattern. Like we said, it’s not a $40,000 luxury truck. However, it is an honest truck that will still bounce with every bump on the road – and that’s just the way you like it.