2018 Toyota Tacoma: What's Changed
- Most significant changes: The Toyota Safety Sense suite of active safety features is now standard on all Tacomas; the five-speed manual transmission is discontinued
- Price change: Most increases are in the $505-to-$1,475 range depending on configuration while prices for some trims and configurations went down; destination charge increased to $1,045
- On sale: Now
- Which should you buy, 2017 or 2018? The 2017, unless the standard safety tech package is a selling point for you; the price increases are significant in some cases, while slight in others
Redesigned for the 2016 model year, the Toyota Tacoma mid-size pickup truck adds the Toyota Safety Sense suite of active safety features as standard across the 2018 lineup. Safety Sense includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and automatic high-beam headlights. Some of the grille designs have been changed.
The Toyota Tacoma can be had with an extended Access Cab with rear half-doors or a four-door double cab. Two bed lengths are available. With six trim levels — SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited and TRD Pro — 30 variations can be configured.
A 2.7-liter four-cylinder is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission for lower trim levels. Most Toyota Tacomas with the 3.5-liter V-6 engines come with a six-speed automatic; a six-speed manual is available for some off-road TRD configurations.
Toyota has claimed mid-size pickup sales leadership for the last 11 years, though it is facing increased competition in this growing class from the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon as well a few new and redesigned mid-size pickups that are on their way to dealer lots. The Ford Ranger is likely to debut sometime this year as a 2019 model and an all-new Nissan Frontier is set to debut next year, likely as a 2020 model. Other companies like , Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai are exploring the class as well.
Cars.com photos by Mark Williams
