Test Drive
Written by Marco Carvajal
The Tacoma
The Toyota Tacoma is a beautiful mid-size pickup truck with a fascinating front look similar to the design of vintage pickup trucks, inspired by iconic Toyota trucks. The front of the Tacoma is very wide side to side and it has a mix of a sporty and vintage look, ready for any adventure or action in the city.
This mid-size pickup truck is designed for travel, better ground clearance, maximal damping and wonderful fade-free performance. The cargo area of the Tacoma has more than enough space.
The Tacoma has a very nice size, not too big and not too small, perfect for city or country and perfect for any type of road with an engine with a 278 horse power.
The Toyota Tacoma is proudly designed in the United States. It is manufactured in the United States since 1995. The first generation Tacoma was the model year 1995, and until 2004 it was classified as a compact truck. The second generation starting in 2005 was classified as medium size pick up truck just like the current third generation.
2018 Toyota Tacoma Limited Double Cab
The 2018 Toyota Tacoma is the third year of the new Tacoma generation. The 2018 version includes several new safety features. It also includes some small changes on the design of the front grille, a new Satin Chrome front grille on the Limited version. The interior of the 2018 model is very similar to the previous one but it has some interior updates.
Previous years of the Tacoma included a 5-speed manual transmission that now has been discontinued. New Tacoma models include 6-speed automatic transmission and some trims include a manual 6-speed transmission.
Fuel consumption for the Tacoma Limited is MPG 18 city and 22 highway, with a 21.1 gallons tank.
Interior Design
The Tacoma Limited is offered with a comfortable Double Cab with seating for 5 passengers. The interior is enhanced with a new black leather-trimmed interior.
The interior in general is very well designed and looks more modern than previous versions, with easy to understand, practical and effective controls. The cabin has a lot of space but it is not huge.
A nice premium feature on the Tacoma, is great quality audio standard Entune Premium JBL, with 6 JBL speakers and a subwoofer, providing amazing sound for great music on any adventure onboard.
Bed
The Bed of the Tacoma is just perfect, because even if is not huge, it is very large. Considering that the Tacoma is a mid-size the bed is pretty large, and perfect for anything you may need, from cargo transportation of construction materials, to carrying all the sport equipment and fun accessories for a weekend adventure on the country side, or just anything you may need. The 5 foot Short Bed has 60.5 inches long, 56.7 inches wide (41.5 inches between the wheelwells) and 19.1 inches deep. Fiber-reinforced Sheet-Molded Composite (SMC) inner bed with a deck rail system and an easy lower, lockable and removable tailgate. This composite bed of the Tacoma has many intelligent cargo management features, and there is also a good amount of space for items in and around the cabin.
Engine
The 2018 Toyota Tacoma Limited Double Cab is offered as 4×2 or 4×4, both tractions using the same engine and same automatic transmission. These are some of the technical specs of the engine:
- 3.5L V6 Engine with 4×2
- 6-Speed Automatic Transmission
- 278 hp @ 6000 rpm
- 265 lb.-ft. @ 4600 rpm
- DOHC 24-Valve direct-injection Atkinson-cycle engine
- VVT-i D4S self-cleaning injectors
- Electronically Controlled automatic overdrive Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i)
The 4 x2 has Rear-Wheel Drive with Automatic Limited-Slip Differential (Auto LSD) and the 4×4 has 4WDemand part-time 4WD
The engine is quiet for a truck, it is a pleasant for driving long distances.
For first time in its segment, the tacoma features an Atkinson-cycle 3.5-liter V6 engine, featuring Toyota’s innovative VVT-iW technology. It includes Toyota’s D-4S injection system, which incorporates both direct injection and port fuel injection. This powerful engine can produce 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft torque, more than enough for any adventure, cargo, towing, or just to feel the confidence of its power on the highway. It can carry up to 73.7 cubic feet of cargo on trailer.
The leather-wrapped solid steering wheel of the Tacoma always shows itself as predictable and reassuring, with a smooth and progressive effort it guides you through the curves and through difficult roads. It feels stable and connected when you navigate though any type of road. The Tacoma has robust building quality, excellent reliability and modern electronic amenities.
Trims
The 2018 Toyota Tacoma is offered in 6 trims, with a price range from $25,400 for the SR base model, going up to $41,720 for the top model, TRD Pro. I like that Toyota gives car buyers a wide price range with the option to stay in a low budget around 25K, or pay a higher price and go for the top of the line around $41K.
You have the choice of selecting one of the 6 Tacoma models, depending on how much you want to pay and what you want to get in return.
- SR
- SR 5
- TRD Sport
- TRD Off-road
- Limited
- TRD Pro
The model that I am test driving is the last trim before the top of the line TRD Pro. It is ideal for those who want a premium truck but want to pay less than $38K on the 4×2 model.
The Limited is the most urbanized version of the Tacoma models, with 18-inch wheels with low-profile tires, automatic dual-zone front climate control and the June Entune Premium audio system of higher specification with a 7.1-inch screen. Six JBL speakers and a subwoofer also come for the ride, along with integrated navigation and a suite of applications.
The Limited lacks the specialized off-road features of TRD Off-Road and instead is updated with almost all optional Off-Road and Sport features as standard equipment.
Prices
| Model | Starting Price |
| 2018 Toyota Tacoma Limited Double Cab 4×2 6-Speed Automatic | $37,340 |
| 2018 Toyota Tacoma Limited Double Cab 4×4 6-Speed Automatic | $40,415 |
Limited Warranty and ToyotaCare
The Tacoma includes ToyotaCare free during 2 years or 25,000 miles. This complementary plan will give you all the regular maintenance and also 24-hour roadside assistance free of charge.
The basic warranty for the Tacoma includes a 36-month/36,000-mile that applies to all car components except for normal wear. It doesn’t include regular maintenance.
The Tacoma also includes an additional 60-month warranties to cover the powertrain for 60,000 miles and corrosion with no mileage limit.
This is a good warranty, especially because it covers major repairs like the powertrain and also unlimited corrosion. However the basic new car warranty is only 36 months, what is standard with many other car manufactures, but if we compare with certain car manufactures that offer more aggressive and attractive warranties, then Toyota’s warranty could be more extensive.
Besides the period of time of the warranty, most truck buyers buy a Toyota with confidence, the best warranty is the brand name Toyota, very famous for low cost maintenance, inexpensive parts and repairs, and great quality long lasting.
Safety
The Tacoma is ready for adventure on the city or on the country, and in order to perform well and keep everybody onboard safe, he 2018 Tacoma models include several safety features.
- Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) includes
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
- Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Sway Warning System (SWS)
- Automatic High Beams (AHB)
- High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC).
- Automatic emergency braking system is standard on all Tacoma trucks.
Conclusion
If you like to buy a beautiful pickup truck with plenty of cargo space, a good horsepower of 278, space for 5 passengers so it can serve as a family car or as a cargo truck, but with a price for less than $38,000, then the Tacoma Limited is a great choice. Even if you have a lower budget there are Tacoma models starting around $25K.
Toyota is the vehicle that retains most of its value among all the cars on the market what makes it a great investment.
The 2018 Toyota Tacoma Limited Double Cab was designed to help provide more travel, ground clearance, maximal damping and fade-free performance. Besides the power an large cargo space, I personally love the front look design, that remind me of the retro pickup trucks from a few decades ago, elegant, classic and with a lot of personality, almost ready to talk.
Competitors of the Tacoma on the its mid-size segment can be Ford with the Ranger, the Nissan Frontier. However the Toyota Tacoma is hard to match, I think that it will continue as a leader on the mid-size pick up trucks market.
The Toyota Tacoma Limited double cabin, is modern but with a vintage look, and can be a good choice instead of an SUV, especially if you need a large rear open space and more towing power.
