There was a second the place, with all 4 wheels of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma hybrid hovering by the air, I felt firmly invincible. I used to be leaping a pickup truck, in any case — if I may do this, then by god, I may do something. With all of its off-road capabilities, the brand new Taco hybrid is precisely the sort of car that may allow you to dream massive, then hit the path and truly see these goals grow to be a actuality.

In case you’re a pickup truck fan, you already know that Toyota launched a full redesign of the trusty Tacoma for the 2024 mannequin yr, and it got here with a brand new body-on-frame TNGA-F platform, gorgeous bodywork, top-of-the-line options, tons of trim choices, and a complete slew of trim and powertrain choices to select from. Earlier in April, I had an opportunity to check every of the hybrid-powered trims (excluding the TRD Sport) earlier than they make their solution to their designated truck-buying viewers, with every trim being paired to a set of situations that finest suited it. Right here’s what I realized.

Full disclosure: Toyota invited me to Coronado Island in San Diego, California for an all-out journey take a look at driving 4 new or refreshed Toyota fashions in simply two days. It was a formidable show of occasion group, although I believe I used to be most taken by the ducklings and flamingos residing within the pond exterior the lodge. Toyota supplied its full slate of hybrid pickups for us to strive all through the weekend.

2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid TRD Sport

Whereas I didn’t have an opportunity to check drive the TRD Sport trim, this does give me a superb alternative to notice the options that come commonplace on the Tacoma’s hybrid trims:

• Toyota’s i-Pressure Max hybrid powertrain, which pairs a turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-4 engine with a 48-hp electrical motor
• 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque (a 75-percent enhance in torque in comparison with the V6 within the Taco’s earlier era)
• 8-speed automated transmission
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Half-time 4WD with a two-speed switch case
• Energetic traction management
• Hill-start help management
• Drive modes together with Regular, Eco, and Sport; and Tow/Haul settings
• Toyota Security Sense 3.0 driver-assist stuite

2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid TRD Off-Highway

Toyota had us take the TRD Off-Highway trim out on a course it known as the “playground,” which lived as much as its identify. This was a reasonably simple off-road loop that featured large elevation modifications, sharp turns, and a few easy rocky outcrops to supply a way of what’s potential for even the extra base trims of those hybrid vans. Along with the options listed above, you’ll be able to go for an accessible entrance stabilizer disconnect mechanism that gives a formidable quantity of suspension articulation, in addition to an electronically locking rear differential, monotube Bilstein distant reservoir shocks, and an finish cease management valve to extend damping drive.

I used to be impressed with the hybrid TRD Off-Highway and its efficiency on the playground loop. It is a well-rounded can-do trim that’s acquired simply sufficient of the great things to make it a extremely nice car for folk like me, who stay in rural Texas. It’s an ideal truck for working to the grocery retailer, however it will probably additionally capably deal with the tight, rutted, one-lane rural roads that make up the area I stay in. For what it’s value, that is additionally the Tacoma trim I’ve seen most within the driveways of the ranchers close to my home — and if the earlier era V6 has left that a lot of an impression, I’m certain the much more highly effective turbo hybrid will additional outline the Tacoma’s legacy as a no-nonsense, succesful truck.

2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid Restricted

If you’d like a pleasant road-going truck that may additionally capably hit the path while you get the occasional off-road itch, you then’ll finest profit from the Restricted trim. I had an opportunity to drive this trim just a few instances, because it frequently ended up as my shuttle from Coronado Island to Vogt Ranch.

Since this isn’t an off-road–particular trim, the Restricted is slightly completely different than the opposite fashions on this record. It’s a premium car with full-time four-wheel drive, an digital locking heart differential, adaptive variable suspension that frequently adjusts to highway situations, and extra drive Sport S+ and Consolation drive modes, together with a Customized drive mode that house owners can curate themselves. Inside, you get heated and ventilated artificial leather-based seats, a head-up show, walnut-look accents, a 14-inch touchscreen, a premium JBL sound system, a digital rearview mirror and an influence moonroof.

The Restricted was an ideal on-road machine. There’s slightly little bit of turbo whine that makes its approach into the cabin, however I’m fairly sure the one cause I targeted on that sound is as a result of all the pieces else felt straightforward. As a mid-size pickup, the Tacoma doesn’t really feel too massive to function a snug freeway driver. It additionally boasts responsive dealing with, speedy get-up-and-go acceleration, and sufficient visibility that it made each congested San Diego visitors and sharp mountain turns really feel equally snug.

2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid TRD Trailhunter

In case you’re searching for a from-the-factory overlanding rig, Toyota can have simply the precise possibility to fulfill your wants. Newly created for this new era, the Trailhunter mannequin is the one Taco trim that’s solely accessible on the hybrid fashions. It’s wholly designed with long-distance off-road journeys in thoughts, which implies it contains commonplace Previous Man Emu monotube shocks, a low-profile high-mount air consumption, 33-inch Goodyear Territory Rugged-Terrain tires with 18-inch bronze-finish alloy wheels, and tons of neat aesthetic options like Toyota’s bronze heritage-inspired grille.

Additionally commonplace are options like part-time four-wheel drive, an electronically managed two-speed switch case, and a entrance stabilizer disconnect mechanism, all of that are designed to make your experience as succesful as it’s snug. You possibly can choose completely different terrain choices in each 4WD-Excessive and 4WD-Low, and you need to use Crawl Management to function your off-road model of cruise management.

These capabilities alone are unbelievable. We had an opportunity to take the Trailhunter out for a sluggish cruise round a really technical off-road loop that featured steep inclines, sharp rocks and river fording, the place the trim proved itself as an immensely adept off-roader. However I’ve to offer a particular shout-out to the Multi-Terrain monitor, which reveals you a number of digital camera angles throughout the outside of the truck that will help you finest place the truck for oncoming obstacles. There’s one key distinction on this Multi-Terrain Monitor when in comparison with the one within the Land Cruiser: Within the Tacoma, it options shadows of your tires.

Within the Land Cruiser, the extra digital camera views displayed on the infotainment display had been actually useful, however I additionally felt that it’d take me some time to get used to the size of the car as translated on a wide-lens digital camera shot of the trail in entrance of me. The Tacoma eliminates that studying course of totally by merely that includes two black shadows designed to signify your tires, which provides you an instantaneous sense of the place your truck is aiming and what you would possibly run into. That’s an enormous profit for folk who aren’t tremendous acquainted with the entire off-roading factor, or for these of us who are sometimes too quick to see across the bodywork of a giant ol’ truck.

Toyota refers to each the Trailhunter and the TRD Professional trims as “halo” trims, which implies they’re each designed to take a seat on the very prime of the Tacoma lineup. Nevertheless, they’re designed to serve extra particular wants. The TRD Professional trim is impressed by high-speed Baja racing, which prioritizes a light-weight machine that’s nicely fitted to speedy jaunts throughout the desert. It’s not completely fitted to the slower tempo of overlanding, which frequently additionally entails a truck weighed down with provides. Because the overlanding development continues to develop, Toyota determined that it wanted a trim just like the Trailhunter to assist cater to that particular market — and it’s a winner.

2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid TRD Professional

For a succesful truck that may do absolutely anything — together with launching by the air — then you might want to take a look at the TRD Professional trim. That is the top-of-the-line providing for the Taco hybrid, and the hybrid powertrain is commonplace right here (although you’ll be able to go for a purely combustion engine in the event you select). You’re getting a ton of nice off-road tech, however there’s one part I wish to spotlight: the entrance seats.

For this trim, Toyota is introducing commonplace IsoDynamic Efficiency Entrance Seats — that’s to say, seats which have a built-in air-over-oil shock absorber system. These seats are designed to cut back all that jostling round you do while you’re bumping alongside the path, and so they completely rip.

Let me illustrate the capabilities of these seats with a narrative. One of many TRD Professional fashions at Toyota’s take a look at day had an IsoDynamic seat for the motive force, however not for the passenger. Throughout his first few laps of the high-speed take a look at course, stunt-driver-turned-off-road-Toyota-instructor Artwork Haynie advised me he had the misfortune of using shotgun in a kind of commonplace seats — however he didn’t comprehend it. When it got here time for him to drive, he joked with me that he thought he will need to have been a approach higher driver than the man who took him out for these preliminary laps, for the reason that experience was a lot smoother. It wasn’t till later that he realized it was a seat situation, not a abilities situation.

I haven’t achieved a ton of high-speed off-roading, however I’ve achieved simply sufficient that I’ve a wholesome, barely terrified respect for the self-discipline. It takes a whole lot of effort to take care of excessive speeds over bumpy terrain while you’re being rattled round in your seat, however after leaping the Tacoma TRD Professional, careening it by a banked flip, and flying by hairpins, I used to be fairly rattling assured that I may win the Baja 1000 tomorrow — so long as I used to be driving a Tacoma TRD Professional. Even relative novices like myself can grasp the finer factors of high-speed off-roading with these rattling seats.

Additionally particular for the TRD Professional are different commonplace off-road upgrades like FOX QS3 adjustable shocks with rear distant reservoirs which were specifically tuned for the Tacoma, a efficiency air consumption, and 33-inch Goodyear Territory Rugged-Terrain tires with 18-inch black alloy wheels. On the appears to be like facet of issues, you’ll be able to go for a TRD Professional–particular paint shade, in addition to two-tone paint. You’ll have a floor clearance of 11.5 inches, together with 35.7-degree method, 24.6-degree breakover and 22.6-degree departure angles, that are particular to this trim.

Let’s Speak About Mid-Dimension Pickups

I’ll be totally trustworthy — I can’t consider a extra spectacular mid-size pickup in the marketplace than the 2024 Toyota Tacoma, and these hybrid powertrain choices make an already-great machine even higher. The up to date Tacoma feels actually generational because of its wholesale enhancements in all the pieces from aesthetics to suspension, whereas the hybrid choices present a giant enhance in energy. Toyota affords extra trims and a extra various array of powertrains than its rivals within the mid-size truck market, and this new Tacoma era will drive different automakers to reevaluate simply what makes an excellent truck.

Not Prepared For The Hybrid Revolution?

Toyota is nicely conscious that the bounce to electrification may not enchantment to all of its loyal prospects, which is why you’ll be able to nonetheless nab a full slate of trims powered by its turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-4, untouched by the addition of a battery and electrical motor as an integral a part of the powertrain. In that configuration, you’ll have entry to cheaper, extra base-level trims, just like the SR, SR5, and TRD PreRunner. Until your buy is primarily dictated by price, although, I believe potential Taco consumers will probably admire the enhance in functionality provided by the extra superior hybrid trims.

Different trims, just like the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Highway and Restricted all include the choice for the usual four-cylinder or the turbo hybrid, however you’re taking a look at a lower in energy in the event you go for standard combustion. With non-hybrid energy, you’ll max out at 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque in your Taco; bump as much as the hybrid, and also you’re taking a look at 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. If you’d like the all-new Trailhunter trim, although, your solely possibility is the hybrid powertrain.

Full pricing for the Tacoma Hybrid trims haven’t been launched but, however Toyota did inform us that the MSRP for the base-level hybrid TRD Sport trim ought to begin just below $48,000, together with dealing with charges. Anticipate the ultra-capable TRD Professional to start out someplace within the mid- to high-$60,000 vary.