Sneak peeks for the 2024 Tacoma are finally here, which is sparking renewed interest in the truck once again. There must be tons of truck lovers, especially Toyota pickup enthusiasts, sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for a chance to buy the newly designed truck. What does it have to offer, how many prototypes did it take to settle on a design, and what will customers think about it? 

What can we expect from Toyota’s 2024 Tacoma?

You can expect brawny styling, two cab and bed configurations, the same platform as the Tundra pickup, and eight different trim levels with estimated prices of $28,000 to $50,000, according to Car and Driver. Powering it up is a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 228 hp on the base only. 

Most of the other trims will be tweaked to generate 278 hp and 317 lb-ft. The iForce Max Hybrid model (found only on Trailhunter and TRD-Pro) offers an output of 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. 

The SR, SR5, and TRD PreRunner continue sporting leaf spring suspension systems, while the rest of the trims offer coil springs instead. Tacoma’s Trailhunter and TRD-Pro, the model’s off-roading versions, get underbody protection and 33-inch tires. You can also expect a towing capacity of 6,500 lbs on the non-hybrid trims and 6,000 lbs on the hybrid model. 

How did Toyota’s production team arrive at the 2024 Tacoma build?

The newly designed build comes after four years of hard work and lots of challenges to smooth out. Toyota Motor Company made the call to transfer all decision-making responsibilities for its North American vehicles to its Research & Development team in York Township in Michigan as well as the North American Structural Reform (NASR) team in Plano Texas, according to Toyota. 

When the pandemic hit, the teams tackled the challenge of not being able to have face-to-face meetings by utilizing conference calls from each participant’s home office. The teams were able to work together this way and still meet the brand’s necessary goals for getting prototypes up and running. They managed to go through 400 of these before settling on the last one, which will be the 2024 Tacoma model. 

Some of the components the team hammered out with the new design are the removable JBL speaker, eye-catching exterior styling, and the IsoDynamic Performance seats, which will be standard on the new Tacoma. In the end, 473 employees had worked on all 401 prototypes, while the Mexico plant became experts on the assembly of the truck. 

How well will drivers respond to the new design?

With all the changes for the fourth generation of the 2024 Tacoma, we feel many potential pickup buyers will be anxious to get their hands on the new truck. Some exciting changes include the new disc brakes, coil springs suspension system, and the new engine outputs promised for the various trim levels. 

You’ll also be able to add a six-speed manual transmission to the higher trims of the vehicle instead of the eight-speed automatic of the lower models. Other promising features are strong shock absorbers, a better responsive infotainment screen, and more comfortable seating.

One particular Toyota tester, who was on the Research and Development team, became a major Tacoma fan as a result of working on this truck. He’s excited to see the pickup launched because he feels it will perform great when camping, fishing, and off-roading trips, which he plans to do plenty of in the future. 

The new 2024 Tacoma is set to come out later this year, except for the hybrid models, which are reportedly not going to hit dealerships until the spring of 2024. After 401 prototypes, it will be interesting to see how customers receive the whole new design after years of being beloved for the way that it was.