Toyota Tacoma grew up for 2005, going from compact to midsize, adding capability and boosting overall appeal.
In the Double Cab version, it also provides decent seating for five regulation-size humans, something the previous version tried to do but was really too small.
The new Tacoma contrasts greatly with compact Toyota pickups of the past, primarily in size. I’ve buzzed around in plenty of little Japanese pickup trucks, and the Toyota was always the class act among the minimalist breed. Preternaturally reliable, they were known for regularly getting better then 200,000 miles before breaking.
But things have changed, and even the Mini’s not so mini anymore. Both Toyota and Nissan enlarged their pickups at the same time and along the same lines, improving them greatly. Tacoma is 5 inches longer and 4 inches wider than last year’s model, with a corresponding increase in cab size.
Tacoma comes in three basic flavors: regular cab, Access Cab and Double Cab with a slew of variations. Some are short enough to still be considered compacts, while others, such as the Double Cab long bed, are nearly full-size.
I drove the Tacoma Double Cab four-wheel-drive short bed, enhanced with the TRD off-road package, that proved to be a sophisticated workhorse. Handling is much improved, feeling more stable than last-year’s model, and the V-6 engine has been upped 50 horsepower to a muscular 245 for strong acceleration and 6,500-pound towing capacity.
