Toyota gives the new 2024 Tacoma pickup truck some extra off-road chops

Enlarge / Yes, pickup trucks are used in work situations, but they’re also bought by people who want to drive them off-road. (credit: Kristin Shaw)

Toyota provided flights from Austin to Los Angeles and accommodation so we could drive the new Toyota Tacoma. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Between a new platform and the model’s first hybrid powertrain, the redesigned 2024 Toyota Tacoma is full of interesting tidbits and both off- and on-road enhancements. The refresh has been a long time coming, as the last time Toyota updated the Tacoma was for model year 2015.

The Tacoma line began in 1995 as a US-specific version of the global HiLux. Even Back to the Future‘s Marty McFly coveted a black 1985 Toyota HiLux SR5 Xtra Cab, and it appeared in his garage, complete with a kangaroo bar, off-roading lights, and more.

By design, the new Tacoma is larger than the last generation, sharing a platform with the full-size Tundra. Today, the 2024 Tacoma is more fuel-efficient than its smaller predecessor, notching between 20 and 26 mpg (9–11.8 L/100 km) in the gas-powered versions—a 1995 HiLux ranged from 14–22 mpg (10.7–16.8 L/100 km). We’re waiting to see what the hybrid powertrain earns from the EPA; the difference in mpg may be modest, but the horsepower quotient is impressive.