2005 TOYOTA TACOMA Review - Base Price $13,415
All-new pickup is bigger, better, more refined.
Introduction
Toyota has introduced an all-new Tacoma for 2005. It's new from the ground up and it's a winner. The 2005 Toyota Tacoma improves on all the attributes its loyal owners have cherished in past models, while increasing interior roominess and refinement.
Nearly the entire class of compact pickups is new. Nissan, Dodge, Chevrolet and GMC all have new models, redesigned from the ground up. (Only the aging Ford Ranger remains from the old school, competing almost entirely on price.) This newest generation of trucks is no longer compact, and many manufacturers now consider them midsize.
Their increased size brings roomier cabs, improved ride quality and increased stability. But manufacturers have gone well beyond that. More power and increased refinement are now part of the picture as well. All of them are available in the increasingly popular crew cab configuration, and their larger size makes this a more compelling choice; the newest crew cab models are practical alternatives to a sedan, something that wasn't really true with the previous generation of compact pickups. These trucks still offer more maneuverability than a full-size pickup, while providing serious hauling and towing utility.
With so many good trucks available, this is a fine time to be shopping for a compact pickup. And the Tacoma may be the best of them, with its comfortable cab, excellent handling, and rugged off-road capability. The Tacoma also enjoys Toyota's reputation for quality, durability and reliability. Properly equipped V6 models are rated to tow up to 6,500 pounds.
The 2005 Toyota Tacoma comes in a wide range of models and body styles, ranging from a $14,000 work truck to a 4x4 Double Cab that tops $30,000. The TRD PreRunner models may make you feel like Ivan "Ironman" Stewart getting ready to win another Baja 500, while the sporty X-Runner may make you feel like Rod Millen preparing to blast up the Pike's Peak Hillclimb.
Interior
All of the newest trucks in this class have decent interiors, but the quality of Toyota's interior materials seems just a little better than that of the other midsize pickups. The dimpled material on the dash and upper panels and the textured material on the lower dash and door trim look and nice; it's hard plastic, but it looks soft. The cloth upholstery is decent in the SR5 trim. Not everyone loves the perforated silver plastic used for the center stack, though. Solid cup holders are provided in the center console area.
The Tacoma offers a comfortable driving position. We found the bucket seats on the uplevel models comfortable, though the seat bottom could be bit longer and have more thigh support. The seats in our SR5 were manually adjustable; lumbar adjustment was provided but there was no adjustment for seat height or the angle of the seat bottom; the power seats available on the new Nissan Frontier have these features. The front seatback on some Tacoma models flips down to form a tray table or to make room for long objects, a nice feature. And big mirrors afford a good view rearward.
The switchgear is easy to operate and everything is where you expect it to be. Big rotary knobs make it easy to adjust cabin temperature even with gloves on; the knobs are electronic, so they're easy to twist. The radio is fully integrated into the upper center stack and it's easy to operate, though the display is nearly impossible to read through polarized sunglasses. CDs sound good through the JBL speakers.
The back seats in the latest generation of crew cabs are far more habitable than those of older trucks. And the rear seat in the Tacoma Double Cab is particularly comfortable for the class, offering good leg room and shoulder room and decent headroom. The seatback is angled back slightly, making it more comfortable. A younger rider should be okay to ride across the state back there and even adults won't complain too much on short trips. The rear windows go all the way down.
The rear seat area in the Double Cab good for carrying cargo as well. The back seat is split 60/40. Flip the seat bottoms forward and fold the two sections down to form a flat platform for gear. It takes two hands to do this and you first have to remove the headrests, a hassle though Toyota has provided a place to store each headrest. The seatbacks are hard, and form a sturdy cargo floor. It's not a bad spot for a dog, better than the bumpy floors in the Nissan and Dodge, but it's a big jump down.
The Access Cab has rear seats, but they're pretty hopeless for humans. It's best used for small cargo that you don't want to put in the bed.
We'd prefer a handbrake lever to the prehistoric pull-out handbrake that comes with manual transmissions. Automatics come with a foot-operated parking brake.
Walk-Around
The redesigned 2005 Toyota Tacoma exudes a stronger appearance than before, with its big, bold headlights and grille. Flush rear surface glass and flush surface structures between the bumper sides and body give the Tacoma a more sophisticated and higher quality appearance. PreRunner and 4x4 models are distinguished by bold overfenders. Overall, it's a very attractive truck, perfect for Toyota, though not overly stylish.
The length of the Tacoma varies by body style: Regular Cab trucks are the shortest, measuring 190.4 inches overall on a 109.4-inch wheelbase. Access Cab and Double Cab short-bed models share the 127.2-inch wheelbase and 208.1-inch overall length. Double Cab long-bed models are quite long at 221.3 inches overall on a 140.9-inch wheelbase. All models have six-foot beds except the Double Cab short-bed configuration, which has a five-foot bed.
How to choose: Regular Cab models lots of cargo space in a relatively small package, good for maneuverability in the big city; because they are shorter, PreRunner and 4x4 Regular Cabs have the best break-over angle and therefore offer the best capability off road. Access Cab models feature large dual rear access doors, no good for people but very good for gear. Double Cab models have long rear doors that open 80 degrees for ease of entry or loading gear. Double Cabs offer the comfort of a sport-utility; the long-bed Double Cabs can carry more stuff but are unwieldy in tight places.
The 2005 Tacoma features a composite inner bed, lighter than steel yet tougher and more durable. The bed features two-tier loading and integrated deck rail utility with four adjustable tie-down cleats. The rails are compatible with Genuine Toyota Accessories, including cargo bed cross bars, a fork-mount bike rack, and diamond-plate storage boxes.
Impressions
The new Tacoma offers more power, better handling and improved refinement over earlier models. The track (the distance between left and right wheels) on the 2005 Tacoma models is four inches longer than that of the 2004 models, and the wheelbase is five or six inches longer. Even so, the chassis are more rigid and the trucks are more maneuverable than before. They ride nicer than before. And off-road models offer better capability and increased comfort over rugged terrain than before.
The new V6 engine feels refined and delivers responsive performance. Using variable valve technology, the double overhead-cam 4.0-liter V6 produces 245 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque, a 55-horsepower increase over the old 3.4-liter engine. More to the point, the Toyota V6 is more powerful than the five-cylinder engine in the Chevy Colorado or the V6 in the Dodge Dakota. The V6 works well with the five-speed automatic, and it's our first choice. The automatic is super smooth and very responsive, quickly downshifting when you mash the throttle, and it offers five ratios to better keep the engine at the proper revs. The six-speed manual transmission is easy to shift. First gear is a low gear and it seems like a stretch between first and second gears. Toyota recommends 91 octane gas for the V6. Preliminary fuel-economy estimates were 17/21 for a V6 4x4 Double Cab with the five-speed automatic.
The new 2.7-liter VVT-i DOHC four-cylinder engine produces 164 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, about average for the class but more than the old overhead-valve V6 in the Ford Ranger. Toyota recommends 87 octane. Preliminary fuel-economy estimates were 22/28 mpg City/Highway with the five-speed manual.
The Tacoma handles well, with surprisingly little body roll (lean) in corners and it feels steady in sweeping turns. The Tacoma feels big on the road when compared with older compact pickups. In fact, it is big, wider and longer than previous-generation models. Parking a long-bed crew cab pickup is particularly challenging. The Tacoma Double Cab long bed requires 44 feet to complete a circle, nearly four more feet than a Double Cab short bed. We'd vote for the shorter bed unless we really needed the long bed. A base Tacoma Regular Cab boasts a turning circle of less than 37 feet.
On pavement, the 4x4 and TRD models seemed smooth and refined. The TRD 4x4 is smooth and highly capable off road. The TRD suspension is excellent on rough, rugged terrain. It handles well on rough dirt trails, something we learned while charging up a ski run at Alyeska. It never bottomed on the rough terrain even when we pushed it well beyond socially acceptable standards. The Tacoma TRD model easily handled an off-road course that featured steep ascents and descents, moguls and a log step. We'd feel comfortable in tackling just about anything in one of these. And all of this is accomplished in relative comfort. These trucks don't generate as much uncomfortable head toss as earlier 4x4 compact pickups.
Switching into 4-wheel drive and 4WD Lo is as easy as twisting a rotary knob. We tried to confuse it by switching the knob around and succeeded. The low-range lights wouldn't turn off until we stopped, shut it off and restarted, the old Microsoft reboot.
The Tacoma's brakes are smooth and easy to modulate and can bring it to quick halt without drama. The rear brakes are drums, however, less desirable than the rear disc brakes that come on some of the other pickups in this class.
The X-Runner is a lot of fun to drive and handles like a sports car. It corners flat and generates lots of grip in corners. We drove it hard up a hill climb and were not able to reach its limits. It tracks well and is very stable in tight corners even when spinning the inside rear tire under full throttle. The ride is firm, but seems to ride better than our recollection of the SVT Lightning. However, we didn't care for the feel of the clutch pedal, the steering was vague on center, and there was that inside rear wheelspin. Wind noise seems higher in the X-Runner than in the other models. But this is a tight, sporty truck. There's no cowl shake. The exhaust sounds cool. If you want a truck that can hang with a sports car, then look no farther.
Summary
The all-new Toyota Tacoma is among the best of a crop of new midsize pickups. The Tacoma features a comfortable cab trimmed with quality materials. The 4x4 models offer crisp handling, a nicely balanced ride quality, and excellent off-road capability. The TRD models are terrific trucks for rugged terrain. The new X-Runner drives and performs like a sports car.
New Car Test Drive editor Mitch McCullough filed this report from Alyeska, Alaska.
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