Will Toyota Wreck the New Tacoma? Our Wants, Needs and Wishes from the 2024 Toyota Tacoma

Hey folks and welcome to the Truck King YouTube channel. There is plenty to like about this Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro that's sitting next to me, but you need to know that next year, 2023, we're getting a brand new Tacoma and we want to talk about it. So in this video, we'll talk about what we like about this truck, what we don't like about this truck, and then what we think we know the new truck is going to have. Make sure you stay tuned. Powering the current Tacoma is a 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V6. Now one of the tricks of this engine is it can switch between the Atkinson and Otto cycles and that's supposed to help you save fuel. Now this engine is hooked to a six-speed automatic and if you love this combination, well get it now because I do not think we're going to see any of this powertrain in the new Tacoma. In fact, I don't think we're going to see six cylinders at all. I'm pretty sure that new truck is going to have a smaller turbocharged four-cylinder just like everyone else is doing in this industry. And then when it comes to six speeds, sure that's maybe just enough, but bumping up to an eight or even a ten speed makes a lot more sense in my book. There's two other things I'm pretty sure that are going to change about this Tacoma and they're over here. The first one, this truck still uses drum brakes in the rear. Now inherently drum brakes don't perform that much worse, but the entire industry has just moved away from them. So I don't expect that the new Tacoma will keep these drum brakes. Now the other thing that you might not see on the next truck, leaf springs. There's a good chance that the new Tacoma will move to a coilover setup for a whole bunch of reasons that we'll get into right now. Now we're here driving in the Tacoma and the first thing I want to tell you about is really going to shape this new truck. Now the reason I think it's going to lose its leaf springs in the rear is because the Tacoma is switching over to the new TNGAF platform from Toyota. Now this platform actually underpins every single body on frame model that Toyota builds. They've moved to a singular scalable platform. So TNGAF also underpins the brand new Tundra. It underpins the Land Cruiser, the Lexus LX600. This, like I said, platform is all of their trucks now. And basically for Tacoma and 4Runner, they're going to take the TNGAF platform for Tundra and they're going to shrink it down a little bit. So that's sort of the other interesting thing is we've seen maybe a preview of some of the things we're getting based on what they did with the Tundra. Things like a hybrid, things like turbocharging. Both of those things I expect them here in this truck, Dad. And then because it's sharing so much with the new 4Runner, that's why I think it'll lose the leaf springs and go with coilovers and that'll just make it ride that much nicer. The platform change is, like I said, it's going to define this new truck for sure. So new platform is exciting, but let's just hit pause for a second and talk about what we have here today and what we like about it and what we don't like about it because that should try to help us to decide what you'd like out of the new truck. So we've off-roaded in this truck a ton. We have multiple videos on the channel of us comparing it to the Nissan Frontier and other off-roaders. I'll put links to them below. You can see the footage here. So I guess I'll throw it to you, Dad. This generation of Tacoma, what's your kind of big takeaway on it? What's your good feelings and your bad feelings? Well, the first thing that I want to talk about is the size. The size of the truck. This is a very appropriate size for going off-road. It works really well. You know, it's small enough. It's narrow enough. On the other hand, it's big enough for your everyday usage and so I don't expect to see any really changes when it comes to size. A lot of people know that the mid-sizers really started to grow about 10 years ago. So much so that after a while it was very hard to distinguish, for instance, a Dakota, you know, from a full-size Ram which in itself was a mistake and probably also killed the Dakota. I don't think Toyota will make that mistake and so they're going to stay within this envelope and they're going to continue to offer the off-road goodies that really have made the Tacoma so popular. So yeah, all that's going to stay the same. Now, within the envelope, things are definitely going to change. Electronics, okay, better suspension. Yes, they're going to get rid of that rear drum brake if for the very only reason that why would you stock drum brakes for only one one unit in your lineup, right? So we're going to see a lot of that stuff. Screens, as I said, various other technologies and hopefully, for my purposes, a better seating position. Yeah, that is one thing that opens up with a new platform altogether is they have a chance now to remedy this seating position. In 2016, when the truck was redesigned, they didn't move to an all-new platform so they didn't really have the leeway to move it around. Now they do. I agree with that there. I do not like the seating position in the Tacoma. Let's just jump back to the powertrain real quick, Dad, because I do have a pretty good sense, I think, for what it's going to be. There is a 2.4 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the Lexus NX that's also paired with a hybrid setup. That makes a lot of sense. Now, in the Lexus models, the hybrid setup is the rear axle is hybridized and then the front axle is driven by the engine and there's no connection. That can't happen here. This has to be a traditional four-wheel drive system, right? So what will probably happen is, like the Tundra, they'll sandwich that electric motor in between the engine and the transmission, but it just makes all the sense in the world. And I think we can both agree, from the day that they released this 3.5 liter, we both said it's powerful enough, but it has a bit of a tendency to feel underpowered. Right off the line, there's just this weird dip in power. It's never felt like a robust engine. No, right through the mid-range, there's always been a lag, but that's the whole thing with the Atkinson. You know, they sat there and somebody made a decision. They said, we've been getting a lot of crap for poor fuel economy on the old sixes. So by doing this, you gain fuel economy, but what it does is it bogs out the mid-range. Gives it an feeling. And once again, we can base off the Tundra hybrid, that they'll tune this hybrid for power, and that totally eliminates that you're worried for power. So I think that that's the way they'll go. That'll cure the power issue right away. That setup is already paired with an eight-speed automatic. I think that pairs with the truck excellently. And now the other thing I think we have to discuss, Dad, is whether or not the manual stays. No, I think it's done. I think you're right. I think engineering it with a hybrid, first of all, just costs a lot more. Manuals and hybrids don't often go together. And yeah, I wonder what the take rate is. It's low, despite the fact that those people are very vocal. So even on our channel, you'd think everybody wants a manual based on the comments, but it's not true. I mean, it's single-digit percentages that take the manual. So in fact, as Steve I think alluded to before, if you particularly like this setup and you want a manual, buy it now. Yeah, I think that's really the biggest selling point. If you want that manual, go get it now, because I don't expect it'll be here either. And you know, that is sad. I love that they offer the manual with the TRD Pro. It's the most fun truck with the most fun transmission. One other thing we should mention is timing. Now, from what we've heard, and it is speculation, we should see the truck summer of 2023 as a 2024 model year. So we'll see it next year. As far as I know, the 4Runner actually has been pushed back further. So 4Runner might not get here until 2024, maybe even as 2025. But yeah, Tacoma, it's going to be next year. We just don't know exactly when, but hopefully sometime in the middle of the year, we'll have the truck. And then one other thing we also haven't mentioned yet, Dad, is this truck. Toyota did show off an all-electric midsize truck concept. Now, this thing's already about a year old, but it does bring up the question, hey, will the Tacoma actually have a full EV variant? And if it does, will it be ready when the new truck launches? Maybe that's the surprise that Toyota has for us. But once again, we're going to have to wait and see. Agreed. And no, it won't be ready when this one, the new one's ready. Just saying. We'll see. Okay, we'll see. They teased it. That's it. Other things on the interior, I would anticipate that the infotainment system will get ripped directly out of the Tundra and put into the Tacoma. Screen size and all, they just redesigned that system. That's also usually what Toyota does. They wouldn't bring another system out next year. So here's the infotainment system in the Tundra. I bet you that screen will be here in the Tacoma. So I guess, Dad, that's, you know, it's a lot of the things covered. New powertrain, definitely, new suspension, hopefully new seating position, new technology. If I can go out there on a limb now and just say my one kind of big wish, and I know this might be a little out there, but I want to put it out there anyways. I hope that the TRD Pro Tacoma gets the twin turbo V6 from the Tundra. It's the same platform. Now, it's not the same dimension, so I don't know if it'll fit, but some of it has to work together, right? I think it should fit. How cool would it be if the next Tacoma TRD Pro had that twin turbo? That thing would be a rock. Well, or at least make it optional within that package. Yeah, that would be cool. But yeah, the big things they have to solve, that's just a wish, is fuel economy. That hybrid powertrain would solve that right away. And that's kind of it, really. Tacoma owns this market. It has owned this market forever. So you got to keep up, and you got to bring that fuel economy up to snuff. But dad, I think Tacoma will continue to own the market because just the cachet it has. People love this truck. And we cannot forget resale and reliability, and that likely will not change. Tacoma's always the best in those two areas, and yeah, I think that'll keep going. You are correct. However, I always got to throw it out there. You get this kind of buyer loyalty based on the fact that it's a good truck, which means you have to continue building a good truck. So you can't just sit back and keep building the same old thing. And I'm sorry, if you take a look at what else is out there now in ZR2, ZR2, Tremor, etc. The other guys, the things they're doing with, particularly in the off-road, Toyota has to not only keep pace, but throw in something that nobody else has seen yet to give it that wow factor. That's what'll keep them on top. I hope so, yeah. Well folks, we're coming to the end of this video. Now Toyota is generally the conservative company. They usually don't jump ahead of everyone else in terms of technology. Although with this Tacoma, this thing is a segment leader. So I do hope that we are surprised by Toyota when this truck drops by some aspect of it. Most of the things we discussed in this video are fairly conservative, but I am hoping that Toyota has some big surprise for us. But of course, we're going to have to wait and see. And as soon as we have information on when we're going to see that new truck, the exact dates, and what it's going to be, of course we will tell you. So like I said, that's the end of this one. Now please go below into the comments, let us know what you think of this Tacoma and what you'd like to see in the new Tacoma. As always, while you're down below, don't forget to hit like, hit subscribe, hit join to become a member of our channel, and then come back here to Truck King to see what we are testing next. See ya.