A Closer Look at The 2022 Toyota Tacoma

For decades, Toyota has been steadily offering its buyers more and more competent off-road options. The 2022 Tacoma has not only proven to be an aggressive off-road upgrade, but also a reliable and efficient member of the Toyota off-roading community. In addition to its relatively modern mechanical upgrade, this new Toyota Trail Edition comes installed with unique and extremely capable suspension parts that are well suited for off-road driving. This article will help you determine if the 2022 Toyota Tacoma is the perfect midsize truck for you.

Quick Overview

The 2022 Toyota Tacoma is the only off-road truck providing manual gear transmission. It also comes with a 270-hp V-6 and an anemic four-cylinder engine that delivers outstanding performance. Like most of Toyota’s off-road optimized vehicles, the Tacoma has a flexible suspension that helps the vehicle move easily on the trails and in damp areas. Moreover, this midsize truck comes with a rugged exterior that helps preserve the vehicle’s parts. The most notable downside of the 2022 Toyota Tacoma is that it has a smaller interior when compared to most of the other midsize trucks in the class. It is also less customizable than the Chevy Colorado, Jeeps, and the GMC Canyon. Nonetheless, the Toyota Tacoma is the perfect pickup truck for when performing your work duties and for an off-road driving experience.

2022 Updates

All Toyota’s Tacoma models get impressive updates every year. For instance, the TRD Pro and Trail Edition is currently lifted to 1.5 inches taller in the front and 1.1 inches in the back. The main reason for this height advantage is to give the vehicle better breakover, approach, and departure angles, making driving over rugged terrain much more effortless. According to Motor Biscuit, the Tacoma Trail Edition now comes with a new and exclusive electric lime paint color that was previously limited to TRD Pro Models. This wild-looking coat helps highlight the truck’s 16-inch bronze rims and the brandings on its grille. The TRD Pro is now further upgraded with new and sleek hood graphic designs and a distinctive “TRD Pro” logo attached on its rear sides.

Performance, Engine, and Transmission

The 2022 Toyota Tacoma has a powerful V-6 engine that provides excellent off-road performance and increased towing abilities. Unlike the pickups with 6-speed automatic gear transmissions, the Tacoma comes with a six-speed manual gear transmission that ensures your engine works at its best. Just like the other TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro versions, the 2022 Tacoma is mostly slow. However, it provides quality and comfortable handling even in rough road terrains – it can be driven through rougher roads or trails with ease. What sets the 2022 Toyota Tacoma apart from the other off-road models is that its engine is quieter and smoother even driving through steep roads.

Fuel Economy

Although there are other more fuel-efficient competitors in the class, the 2022 Tacoma is averagely rated in the EPA’s fuel-rated economy. Its powerful V-6 engine with the manual gear transmission has the worst fuel rating, but the car is exceptionally fun and comfortable for off-road driving. In a real-world MPG fuel-test by Car and Driver, the 2022 Toyota Tacoma had an EPA highway estimate of about 23 mpg, which is slightly less than the diesel GMC Canyon. The EPA has prepared an extensive report on the truck’s real-world fuel economy analysis.

Interior Updates

The 2022 Tacoma comes with a practical cabin layout and modern materials. It has adequate space in its six-foot or five-foot bed, but the cabin’s interior lacks enough storage cubbies aside from the center-console cabin. It also has limited carry-on room. Though the raised trim levels of the Tacoma mainly depend on minimalistic materials and hard plastics, this mid-sized pickup provides an efficient power-adjustable driver’s seat. Several tests were done to determine the storage capacity of the truck’s cabin. It was found that it could store nine carry-ons in the cabin.

Connectivity Features

The manufacturing Company, Toyota, decided to include a touchscreen in each 2022 Tacoma model. All the trim levels feature 8.0-inch touchscreens, while the base model has a 7.0-inch screen display. As an upgrade to the previous infotainment system, Toyota also included Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility into the truck. Furthermore, the Tacoma comes installed with a wireless charging option and several USB ports, although it lacks the mobile hotspot option of its competitors.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Toyota Tacoma has the most standard driver-assistance tech of most of its rivals. More details of its crash-test scores have been extensively recorded by the NHTSA and IIHS. Below are some of the notable safety features of the 2022 Toyota Tacoma:

• Standard adaptive cruise control
• Standard lane-departure warning
• Standard automated emergency braking and forward-collision warning
• Maintenance Coverage and Warranty

The Tacoma’s warranty and maintenance coverage include the following:

•  Powertrain warranty, 5-year coverage or 60,000 miles
•  Limited warranty, 3-year coverage or 36,000 miles
•  Complimentary maintenance covers 2 years or 25,000 miles

Payload and Towing Capacity

Unlike most four-wheel-drive models with a towing capacity of 6500 pounds, the Toyota Tacoma has a towing muscle of up to 6800 pounds with rear-wheel drive. Moreover, it has a payload capacity of 1685 pounds that is only limited to the two-wheel-drive version fitted with four-cylinder engines. Other Tacoma versions with the powerful V-6 engine have reduced payload and towing capacities.

Pricing

Unfortunately, the Toyota company has not announced any pricing details for the 2022 Tacoma. There is a high probability that the price of this pickup will be released on the launch date closer to the end of this summer. As we anxiously wait for the sale date of the 2022 Toyota Tacoma, another worthy off-road truck is the TRD Off-Road cab, popularly known as Double crew cab. It is an optional 4-wheel drive featuring an electronic-locking rear and a four-cylinder base engine.

Conclusion

One notable difference between the 2021 and 2022 Tacoma versions is that the most recent Tacoma version includes a wild-looking Electric Lime paint. This is in addition to all the updates we have discussed here. Knowing all this, you can now decide whether the 2022 Toyota Tacoma is the ideal truck for you.