2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrids marry monster torque with off road chops (2024)

The outside temp has risen to 30-degrees Celsius and rattlesnakes have come out to warm themselves in sunny San Diego, California. Nearby, helicopters and U.S. border agents scour the mountainsides for anyone who crossed the nearby Mexico border illegally. The terrain is rocky, steep, scattered with scorpions and not without danger. What better place to test the 2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid.

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How much will the hybrid Toyota Tacoma cost in Canada?

First unveiled in Hawaii last year, ’24 Tacomas with gas engines started arriving late last year. Now come the Hybrid models, all of them double cabs, the first time a hybrid engine has been put into the venerable mid-size truck. The Limited, TRD Pro and new Trailhunter model are exclusively hybrids. The TRD Off Road can be optioned with the new hybrid powertrain — but only with a 5-foot shortbox. Indeed, the only hybrid with the popular 6’ long box is the new Trailhunter model that stickers for $86,581 with freight. The TRD Pro will cost $80,621, the TRD Off Road Premium $68,481, and the Limited $67,021 before tax, and they’re short-box only.

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How powerful is the 2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid?

While pricing has definitely jumped from the previous generation, so has the content and the materials to make the new truck. The hybrid is both a sophisticated bit of engineering and a marvel of modern propulsion — feeling very much like a powerful diesel without all the fuss to mitigate the pollution that comes with diesel. Yes, the 1.87 kWh nickel-metal hydride battery consumes precious cargo space under the rear seat, but it feeds a 48 horsepower motor between the engine and transmission to create a net output of 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque — the most power ever in a Tacoma. And, wow, is it obvious. The hybrid motor works in tandem with the eight speed transmission and 2.4-litre 4-cylinder gasoline engine, turbocharged with a single, twin-scroll turbo.

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The result is such powerful acceleration the hybrid Taco feels faster than the gasoline-only twin-turbo V6 in the bigger, heavier Toyota Tundra. Unlike the last generation Tacoma that had to be flogged like a constipated mule with bad feet, the new Tacoma jumps at the chance to run. Peak torque is available from a low 1,700 rpm — again much like a diesel — but it continues to pull hard right through most of the gears. In no time, speeds have long exceeded the point at which this truck could be confiscated. The frustration that came from trying to coax speed out of the old truck has been replaced by a long and thrilling band of power that flows with none of the old truck’s drama. It’s utterly addicting and returns decent fuel consumption, too, earning a combined rating of 10.2 L/100km when not driving with juvenile tendencies. The fuel tank is small, however, at 69 litres, suggesting even the most optimal driving might only return 670 km of range, while in real life, especially in winter, it will be closer to 400 km.

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Over rough terrain, the 2-inch lifted front suspension in the TRD Pro — equipped with machine forged aluminum upper control arms, adjustable Fox shocks with remote reservoirs and 33-inch Goodyear Territory tires on black alloy 18-inch rims — is a bit like a gecko crossing hot rocks, effortlessly ambling up rocky roads that have no right to be labelled as such.

Sheldon Brown, the chief engineer for Tacoma, likens the hybrid TRD Pro as a truck for those that want to go fast, either on road or off. He’s not kidding. Up a steep hill with plenty of deep dips, the Pro never wandered from its mission, its part time 4WD system with electronic transfer case (via an excellent knob near the shifter) and locking rear differential able to claw away at loose gravel and rocket up the road with ease.

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The Trailhunter, he adds, is for those who want to go far, its combination of standard forged monotube Old Man Emu shocks, high mount intake, 33-inch tires, skid plates, steel rear bumper with ARB recovery points, rock rails and 2.4-kW inverter part of the package. In Canada, Trailhunters also get a standard configurable ARB rack in the bed, a roof rack and sunroof. Off road, the Trailhunter and Pro felt pretty much the same other than in tight turns when the shortbox of the Pro allowed a slightly better turning radius.

No, there is no locking front diff in the hybrid Tacoma, but there is active traction control (A-Trac), locking rear diffs, and a standard sway bar disconnect on the TRD Pro and Trailhunter (optional on TRD Off Road). At the push of a button, the front wheels can be freed from the limitations of the sway bar and drop several inches to help front-wheel traction over undulating terrain.

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In the Limited, which will see most of its years on the street, an automatic 4WD and locking centre differential are standard, as is AVS (Active Variable Suspension), which constantly adjusts shock damping for changing road conditions. We did not get any seat time in the Limited, but the comfort has been widely lauded by Tundra owners who have AVS in their trucks. The Limited also gets extra drive modes, Sport+ and Comfort as well as Custom mode. Tow/haul mode is standard on all Tacoma Hybrids, which can tow 6,000 pounds.

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Payload in the Pro is 1,631 lbs, but only 1,323 lbs in the Trailhunter. The TRD Pro weighs 5,104 pounds and the Trailhunter 5,412 lbs. Out on public roads, the ride of the Pro is definitely on the firmer side; body lean and roll is negligible, especially in Sport mode — we never tried Eco. Some wind noise around the windows was apparent, but the cabin felt exceptionally tight and well contained, much like the previous generation trucks. The seating position is finally off the floor. Baja-inspired IsoDynamic front seats in either black or red softex use an air-over-oil shock absorber system and are power adjustable. They genuinely help mitigate turbulence on the body at speed, although in our pre-production unit the seats felt narrow, overly firm and they squeaked from time to time.

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Some flexing to the aluminum hood was also visible, off road and on. While the hood is plenty attractive with its chiseled contours and non-functioning hood scoop, it does obscure the view out front somewhat. Good thing the Pro and Trailhunter have a 20-inch light bar and Rigid fogs.

Now built in Mexico on the same TGNA-F platform that supports the new Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Tundra, Sequoia as well as the Lexus GX and LX, the hybrid Tacoma TRD Pro sounds fantastic when being generous with the throttle, although some of that sound is artificially generated through the speakers (it can likely be shut off by the dealer). There is even some satisfying sound from the engine outside at low speed, the truck mimicking a small diesel. Tire noise was negligible.

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As a hybrid, there were times when the transition between slow-going pure electric mode and the firing of the gas engine felt abrupt, perhaps because the TRD Pro’s exhaust is louder than the others; but again these were early, pre-production trucks that had been driven hard for days, so perhaps the handshake will become more seamless with time and software tweaks. Braking, however, now with disc brakes and coil springs in the rear, exhibits no signs of being hybridized, the booster working exactly like a non-hybrid truck. Electric power steering is pleasantly light and accurate with some actual feedback, good enough that we don’t pine for the old hydraulic set up.

The rest of the interior of the TRD Pro is equally pleasing, with good material selections and unique patterns throughout. The 14-inch central monitor could be the best on the market for visibility, ease of use and clarity. The 12.3-inch digital instrumentation is attractive and crisp, the rest of the controls easy to locate and operate: a big volume knob, fantastic toggle switches and knobs for the climate not only look smart, they are simple.

Final thoughts

There is a lot to love in the hybrid Taco, especially the Pro. Everything about the exterior and interior looks and feels ideal. If I could change one thing, it would be to make the entire rear window goes down like it does in the Tundra, instead of relying on a small square power-opening. Oh, that, and the ability to buy a long-box hybrid in something other than the most expensive Trailhunter.