I picked this guy up about a week ago. 500 miles and some significant off-roading under my belt, I have a lot to say.
Short version: HOLY SH!T this is a spectacular product. I mean, like GOOD good. Toyota got things right that Toyota never gets right.
(Context: I'm a current owner of a 2025 LX700h Overtrail and Toyota got a lot wrong on that truck. So much is wrong with that truck and so much is right with this Tacoma, it almost seems like two different companies built them).
Pros:
-Exterior design. Looks mean, purposeful, and functional. Factory viper-cut front bumper is the chef's kiss (sorry for the cliche), and it's just brilliant. The bronze wheels (style and color) and chase rack are a level of risk I've never seen Toyota take, and I applaud them for it.
-OEM capability. Not just good, but spectacularly great. More context: I'm also a Jeep guy, I've run all the tough trails in Colorado and the Rubicon in CA twice. I know capability when I have it.
-OEM armor. REAL rock sliders. Real skid plates. Even a rear differential skid!
-Snorkel. Say what you will, it sounds cool, looks cool, and it's hardly even noticeable with no radio and windows up.
-Interior design. Amazing. It's beautiful, to my eye. Unique-looking materials and textures that at once say rugged and also unmistakably good quality. Everyone who has gotten in the truck has commented on how nice it is. Again, these are people who get in my LX700 and are indifferent.
-Interior functionality. Knocked it out of the park. It's a small-ish truck, but they managed to give us intelligent, robustly constructed storage everywhere. Sunglasses holder? Check. Pit near USB ports for the cables and other items to sit? Check. Smart door pockets? Check. There's even space behind the rear seats for a couple of jackets. Buttons are everywhere you would want them. View button right by your right arm - smart. All the buttons are large and very well thought out in terms of placement. People who know trucks and know off-roading designed this interior; that much is obvious to me.
-Driving dynamics. I literally have zero complaints here. It's smooth. It's quiet. Power delivery is linear, and power is prodigious. Another homerun is the drivetrain and how it's tuned. 465 lb ft of torque at 1700 RPM is beyond impressive. I love the (fake) sound when you're under acceleration; sounds very beefy, on the inside anyway.
-Towing. Well, I haven't towed yet, but I can see they actually programmed a tow-haul mode and put the trailer brake controller in an intelligent place. That's already head and shoulders above the LX.
-Fuel range. It's a sad state of affairs when 330 miles of range is something to brag about, but that's fully 100 miles more than my LX will get on a tank. I will take it.
-Bed functionality. The LED scene lights are brilliant. The tailgate buttons on either side are brilliant. The compressor warrants its own post (deflating and airing up all 4 tires at once, set it and forget it, and 6 presents is just another level). The power in the bed is great, while not unique to Toyota, it's appreciated. Tie downs everywhere. Great bed camera. No complaints.
-Sound system. It's pretty good. Better than I expected, decent amount of base from the subwoofer behind the back seat.
-Aux switches. Brilliant. 4 total. Prewired: 2 under the hood, 1 in the cab, 1 under the bed. Again, this is just smart. Not phoned in - they carefully mapped out what people might do with these trucks.
-Comfort. The seats are phenomenal. All day comfortable. Great looking and just so much adjustment, 4 way lumbar, heated and ventilated. Steering wheel controls are so smartly laid out and they are contoured to help you learn their location by feel.
Cons:
-I still would like exact temp readouts on my guages.
-Other than that? I guess they could have given it trail turn assist? HUD was discontinued on the 2026 models?
-I don't have any real complaints. I've owned about 75 vehicles, most of them new. This is the best vehicle from a product execution standpoint I've ever experienced. They really learned their market here and crushed it.
Next steps:
-I'm thinking 35s with the OEM wheels and that's probably it. This thing rips.
Short version: HOLY SH!T this is a spectacular product. I mean, like GOOD good. Toyota got things right that Toyota never gets right.
(Context: I'm a current owner of a 2025 LX700h Overtrail and Toyota got a lot wrong on that truck. So much is wrong with that truck and so much is right with this Tacoma, it almost seems like two different companies built them).
Pros:
-Exterior design. Looks mean, purposeful, and functional. Factory viper-cut front bumper is the chef's kiss (sorry for the cliche), and it's just brilliant. The bronze wheels (style and color) and chase rack are a level of risk I've never seen Toyota take, and I applaud them for it.
-OEM capability. Not just good, but spectacularly great. More context: I'm also a Jeep guy, I've run all the tough trails in Colorado and the Rubicon in CA twice. I know capability when I have it.
-OEM armor. REAL rock sliders. Real skid plates. Even a rear differential skid!
-Snorkel. Say what you will, it sounds cool, looks cool, and it's hardly even noticeable with no radio and windows up.
-Interior design. Amazing. It's beautiful, to my eye. Unique-looking materials and textures that at once say rugged and also unmistakably good quality. Everyone who has gotten in the truck has commented on how nice it is. Again, these are people who get in my LX700 and are indifferent.
-Interior functionality. Knocked it out of the park. It's a small-ish truck, but they managed to give us intelligent, robustly constructed storage everywhere. Sunglasses holder? Check. Pit near USB ports for the cables and other items to sit? Check. Smart door pockets? Check. There's even space behind the rear seats for a couple of jackets. Buttons are everywhere you would want them. View button right by your right arm - smart. All the buttons are large and very well thought out in terms of placement. People who know trucks and know off-roading designed this interior; that much is obvious to me.
-Driving dynamics. I literally have zero complaints here. It's smooth. It's quiet. Power delivery is linear, and power is prodigious. Another homerun is the drivetrain and how it's tuned. 465 lb ft of torque at 1700 RPM is beyond impressive. I love the (fake) sound when you're under acceleration; sounds very beefy, on the inside anyway.
-Towing. Well, I haven't towed yet, but I can see they actually programmed a tow-haul mode and put the trailer brake controller in an intelligent place. That's already head and shoulders above the LX.
-Fuel range. It's a sad state of affairs when 330 miles of range is something to brag about, but that's fully 100 miles more than my LX will get on a tank. I will take it.
-Bed functionality. The LED scene lights are brilliant. The tailgate buttons on either side are brilliant. The compressor warrants its own post (deflating and airing up all 4 tires at once, set it and forget it, and 6 presents is just another level). The power in the bed is great, while not unique to Toyota, it's appreciated. Tie downs everywhere. Great bed camera. No complaints.
-Sound system. It's pretty good. Better than I expected, decent amount of base from the subwoofer behind the back seat.
-Aux switches. Brilliant. 4 total. Prewired: 2 under the hood, 1 in the cab, 1 under the bed. Again, this is just smart. Not phoned in - they carefully mapped out what people might do with these trucks.
-Comfort. The seats are phenomenal. All day comfortable. Great looking and just so much adjustment, 4 way lumbar, heated and ventilated. Steering wheel controls are so smartly laid out and they are contoured to help you learn their location by feel.
Cons:
-I still would like exact temp readouts on my guages.
-Other than that? I guess they could have given it trail turn assist? HUD was discontinued on the 2026 models?
-I don't have any real complaints. I've owned about 75 vehicles, most of them new. This is the best vehicle from a product execution standpoint I've ever experienced. They really learned their market here and crushed it.
Next steps:
-I'm thinking 35s with the OEM wheels and that's probably it. This thing rips.
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