A mid-size muscle truck with style and comfort
The Toyota Tacoma has been a perennial favorite in the mid-size truck category and was awarded the 2012 Canadian Blackbook Best Retained Value Award. As gas prices continue to climb, mid-size trucks continue to attract buyers as they’re the right size of truck that balances power and practicality. With the Tacoma you can still park easily in downtown Winnipeg and haul a small boat out to the cottage on the weekend.
The 2012 Toyota Tacoma is available in a wide array of body styles and trim levels. The Tacoma is offered in a regular, extended cab with rear hinged doors (Access Cab) and a crew cab with four fully hinged doors (Double Cab) versions with options for short or long cargo bed.
Optional packages vary widely based on body style and engine options. The SR5 package comes with chrome grill, foglights, rear-view camera and power options from the Convenience package. The Tacoma road test vehicle we drove this spring came with the TRD Off-Road package comes with 16” alloy wheels, front skid plates, sports seats, fender flares and various options from the previously mentioned Convenience and SR5 packages.
The Tacoma base model has a 4 cylinder 2.7L engine with 159hp 180lb-ft of torque. The larger and less fuel efficient 4.0L V6 engine delivers 236hp with 266lb-ft of torque. Engine efficiency in the Tacoma is 10.9L/100km (city); 7.8L/100km (highway) and 9.5L/100km (combined). Other options include manual, automatic transmissions with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD).
This year’s model got a slight refresh with a bolder hood, a new grill, headlight features and bumpers. The interior offers a sporty gauge console, new trim along the dash, re-designed centre console, Toyota Entune services and full AM/FM/XM audio options with enough power plugs to power multiple devices.
Competitive models in the mid-size truck segment include the Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota, Chevy Coloroda, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier and the Honda Ridgeline. MSRP ranges from the base Tacoma at $22,440 to the Tacoma V6 Double Cab with the TRD Sport and Leather package at $37,125.
