Nightshade | Another Trim For Toyota's Long Running Tacoma

Despite its age, the Tacoma is still the best selling small truck in America and while we all wait patiently for a next-generation of the venerable Taco, Toyota keeps tossing out new trim after new trim. Today we have the Tacoma Nightshade, because Tacoma Tomato Edition just sounded wrong.

[jmjj]

Seems like a A- for economy is kinda generous if you got 15 mpg in driving. I still miss the smaller trucks like the mid 2000's Ranger and Tacoma etc. that still could get mid 20 mpg with no problem for light hauling. 150 hp for kicking around town and to get to work, Home Depot, Lowes etc.

[stevenkim]

When I testdrove “new” Tacoma SR5 with TRD off road package, I couldn’t deal with the “bouncing” at freeway speed. Even though the road was smooth, the truck kept bouncing while cruising, and I can just imagine how uncomfortable it would be for longer drive. Came back to the dealer and testdrove Tundra SR5 TRD off road package, and the ride was noticeably more refined than Tacoma and no bouncing on same road. But still it wasn’t as nice as new Ram1500s in terms of ride refinement and NVH.

[danielmahoney]

I am sticking with Tacoma ...Bought new 20 years ago, still running smooth... Consistent oil changes with synthetic... outstanding engine.

[jasonfreel]

Alex, your observed fuel economy blows my mind. I have a 2021 SR5 quad cab 4x4 and I consistently get above 20 on short trips and on longer ones (30-50 miles) I get 23-24mpg. (Speed limits at 60-65mpg) I’m not sure your driving style or if you are above sea level or not but here in rural Michigan I am getting great fuel economy with my Tacoma. Couldn’t be happier.

[luckycharms]

A- for fuel efficiency? Hmmm, possibly the worst in its segment, so a C or D seems more appropriate.

[James-iltq]

Eagerly awaiting redesigned Tundra, Taco and 4Runner! New Gen TNGA RAV4 has been a big improvement over previous models. Far more rigid frame, better suspension, interior and fuel economy. Hopefully these improvements and more make their way to new trucks!

[BryceLovesTech]

I used to own one. Having that sitting position is really hard on your back. Your legs are almost straight out in front

[belowme]

SO YOU WAITED FOR CINCO DE MAYO TO RELEASE THE "TACO"?

[galacticvol]

The Ranger now has a corollary option to the TRD Pro in the Tremor package.

[pmx]

I thought the Ranger was offering a FX4 Off-Road package from the assembly line, to compete against TRD.

I’m 6’1” and bought the Ridgeline just for cabin comfort and Honda’s standard tri-zone climate control available on all of their midsized models and trims. The Ridgeline’s payload is of far more functional use to me than towing capacity. I’d much rather carry more on the truck, rather than get stuck using a trailer every time I have something that’s heavy.

[KayBertoss]

Love my 2020 Tacoma TRD Sport 4X4. The compromise with the squat cab and seating is due to the awesome factory ground clearance. Let’s not forget that this is a truck. This is what I wanted. Not a car like ride of the Ridgeline. QDR is what keeps me coming back to Toyota. MPG’s can be much better depending on how you drive.

[alliejr]

Alex, how often do you get a new review vehicle and notice that reviewers you know forgot to delete their Bluetooth cellphone settings? 🤔😄

[samaanalkhaldi]

18:25 Nissan's new 9-speed transmission (JR913E) is definitely the Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic transmission because if we look at the images of the internal design they look identical even the torque converter design.
Regards.

[mattolfson]

Personally I more interested in the upcoming Hyundai Santa Cruz. Sure, it's no off-road rock crusher, but it looks like a great blend of practicality and everyday livability.

[atmartens]

The Ridgeline you gave an A and got 21mpg, but you gave the Tacoma an A- for getting 15. Doesn’t seem right...

[swanblake]

The 60-0 MPH braking score should just say "eventually". The economy score is incredibly generous

[SilverScarletSpider]

9:59 proofread please Alex. It’s hard for this channel to be a novel way to solve insomnia if I’m waking up half confused at the script 😂👍

[robertyoung]

You left out resale. My 2020 PRO is worth 3k more than I paid for it a year and a half ago! GREAT TRUCKS.

[james]

I want to bash toyota for the engine/trans choice but honestly it's not that bad in comparison to the competition, especially from 2015. You had the last gen colorado (which ended in 2012), the ranger (which ended in 2010) and the dodge dakota (rip 2011). So when the taco was refreshed in 2015, it's only competition was from Nissan actually with the 12 year old frontier, so the bar really didn't have to be high for this to dominate. But chevy shocked everyone by bringing over the holden colorado with the 3.6v6 and the 8 speed, which absolutely demolished this in terms of power, as well as the diesel, which just took the crown for midsize towing. Still it took until 2019-2020 to get a refresh on the frontier powertrain as well as a "new" ranger and the gladiator. But all of these use regular car engines too, with the ford having the 2.3 ecoboost, the gladiator having the standard pentastar and the frontier getting a naturally aspirated version of the GTR engine (which is a really weird place to pull an engine from). I won't even mention the ridgeline here as the powertrain is straight out of the pilot as the front half of the ridgeline mechanically is a pilot.

Toyota needs to give this a newer trans and a torquier motor, the 4.7v8 would be an awesome fit here, thing is a beast. Same goes for the 4runner, this engine base but an optional 4.7. The platform supports it they had the 4.7 in this platform at one point.

[jimmykhokhar]

Alex with his "Tacoma tomato edition, sauce" 🤣🤣