- Tacoma News & Reviews -

[djhannu]

I'd like to see the end of the jump with the Tundra towing the boat. No way it was going to make the landing ramp. Must have been a hell of a crash.

[Mobil 1]

Four Wheeler magazine picked the Dodge Power Wagon as truck of the year but had a lot of good things to say about the Tacoma. Said it was the best in the sand and it's 4.0L V6 was their favorite engine among all of them. *They also said the Tacoma is very well built, not surprising bc it's a Toyota, but it's the only truck that they mentioned that about. Overall they liked it a lot and gave it 2nd place.

[thewzorm]

I got Stuck in the sand =-( but that was my fault, didnt deflate the tires enough

[Ric17]

http://motortrend.com/features/news/...ruckoftheyear/

[LGL002]

Nothing against the new Tacoma because it seems like a nice truck. But, I haven't paid much attention to Motor Trends car or truck of the year since they got caught taking a Ford Motor Company bribe or payoff to make the Mercury Cougar car of the year in the late 60's.

Larry

[Ryone]

Originally Posted by LGL002

Nothing against the new Tacoma because it seems like a nice truck. But, I haven't paid much attention to Motor Trends car or truck of the year since they got caught taking a Ford Motor Company bribe or payoff to make the Mercury Cougar car of the year in the late 60's.

Larry

That was almost 40 years ago. Has there been anything brought up about bribes since?

If it IS a fair and unbiased deal, the Tacoma beat some impressive competitors:

- All new Dodge Dakota
- Redesigned Ford F250/F350
- All new Hummer H2 SUT
- All new Nissan Frontier

Ryan

[chops]

The 2005 Tacoma is Motor Trend's Truck of the year. It just goes to show that Toyota knew what their customers (the majority) wanted. Not a lot of people are happy with the new design but the majority including myself are. It's my first truck ever and I couldn't be happier. Not a single complaint.

[TUNDRAVILLE]

went in to get my permanent tags for the tundra and my salesman showed me the tacoma, a very sweet looking truck, thank god they made the bed deeper the older ones were too shallow, i dont like the silver dash but all in all i think its smokin'

[LGL002]

Like I said the new Tacoma seems like a nice truck. Owners will determine if it's a truck of the year, just as we did with the 2000 Tundra another truck of the year.
I don't put a lot of credibility in publications that do awards and ratings and with the other hand accept income from the same same companys they rate. Seems like fox in the henhouse syndrome with a little P T Barnum thrown in.

Larry

[TundrastruckDave]

Originally Posted by LGL002

Like I said the new Tacoma seems like a nice truck. Owners will determine if it's a truck of the year, just as we did with the 2000 Tundra another truck of the year.
I don't put a lot of credibility in publications that do awards and ratings and with the other hand accept income from the same same companys they rate. Seems like fox in the henhouse syndrome with a little P T Barnum thrown in.

Larry

That's a pretty darn good analogy there, Larry! Couldn't have said it any better myself!

Dave

[belacyrf]

Well either way, I just ordered mine.
Black Pre-Runner DoubleCab with the TRD Sport Package, Towing, and Long Bed.

I'm very excited about it. I've always wanted a Tacoma (especially back when I was young) but never was able to get one because the resale prices were so stinking high hehe.

Hopefully the real drive is better than my last test drive where the sales rep was a bit of an arse.. but oh well. I'm still excited, and i'm totally banking on Toyota's rep to build a solid vehicle!

[LGL002]

Enjoy your new truck and you should be excited about your purchase. There aren't a whole lot of life experiences that surpass the feeling of driving out of a lot in a brand new vehicle. Can't go wrong in the long run with a Toyota.

Larry

[tundrabrad]

TruckSeries.com Report
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MOTOR TREND magazine, the world's number one automotive authority and part of the PRIMEDIA Consumer Automotive Group, announced December 15, the selection of the Toyota Tacoma as the 2005 MOTOR TREND Truck of the Year. Each year, MOTOR TREND evaluates all new eligible pickup trucks and awards the coveted Golden Calipers to the one that most clearly raises the bar in the category, specifically in terms of significance, superiority and value.

"The new Tacoma is a good example of Toyota listening to its customers and delivering the best materials, fit and finish for its price class," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of MOTOR TREND. "Buyers get Toyota's legendary durability and quality in a beautifully built little truck. Proving there is no penalty for buying a reasonably priced, more fuel-efficient truck, especially significant in this time of rising fuel prices, the 2005 Toyota Tacoma is truly deserving of the title of MOTOR TREND Truck of the Year."

Toyota has made the 2005 Tacoma's interior and exterior more engaging, while preserving the affordability that consumers have come to rely on. The new base 2.7-liter VVT-i four-cylinder engine produces 164 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, while the optional 4.0-liter V6 offers 235 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque. Buyers can choose from three cabin configurations, two bed lengths and two or four wheel drive to configure a Tacoma to suit their lifestyle or work needs.

"Toyota came out swinging from the get-go with a huge a roster of truck variants," added MacKenzie. "With 18 different configurations, the Tacoma is the broadband of the segment and full of surprise and delight features."

This year, the editorial staff of MOTOR TREND conducted testing on five new vehicles, searching for the pickup truck that best represented exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new-truck scene for 2005. All truly new or substantially revised trucks were considered with the condition that they be available for public sale by January 1, 2005.

For the 2005 MOTOR TREND Truck of the Year competition, the winner was selected from the following eligible models: Dodge Dakota, Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty, Hummer H2 SUT, Nissan Frontier, and the Toyota Tacoma.

The MOTOR TREND Evaluation Process
MOTOR TREND editors spent several weeks with the contending vehicles, exploring their performance, features, and functionality. Thorough testing was done on each vehicle with a specific focus on the following: engineering and technology, performance, ride and handling, styling and design, interior fit, finish and materials, utility, and value. Special attention was paid to the "pickup" aspects of loading and securing cargo, performance with a payload, and towing. Once the testing and evaluations were completed, MOTOR TREND editors chose the Toyota Tacoma to receive the coveted Golden Calipers.

MOTOR TREND evaluates the eligible vehicles based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority, and Value. Significance refers to the vehicle's impact on the market and innovation in engineering, technology, design, safety and packaging. Superiority balances the playing field and looks for class-leading levels of performance, style and functionality within its specific competitive set. Finally, the all-important Value question asks, "What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?"

The complete report on the 2005 MOTOR TREND Truck of the Year testing and selection will be published in the February 2005 issue of MOTOR TREND (on newsstands January 4, 2005.) Multimedia coverage of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on MOTOR TREND Radio, hosted by Bob Long.
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http://truckseries.com/cgi-script/cs...061/006123.htm
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Motor Trend Selects 2005 Truck Of The Year

Toyota Tacoma wins the coveted accolade, offering 18 different configurations full of surprise and delight features.
December 15, 2004

Motor Trend

Motor Trend magazine, the world's number one automotive authority, and part of the PRIMEDIA Consumer Automotive Group, today announced the selection of the Toyota Tacoma as the 2005 Motor Trend Truck of the Year. Each year, Motor Trend evaluates all new eligible pickup trucks and awards the coveted Golden Calipers to the one that most clearly raises the bar in the category, specifically in terms of significance, superiority and value.

“The new Tacoma is a good example of Toyota listening to its customers and delivering the best materials, fit and finish for its price class,” said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. “Buyers get Toyota’s legendary durability and quality in a beautifully built little truck. Proving there is no penalty for buying a reasonably priced, more fuel-efficient truck, especially significant in this time of rising fuel prices, the 2005 Toyota Tacoma is truly deserving of the title of Motor Trend Truck of the Year.”

The new base 2.7-liter VVT-i four-cylinder engine produces 164 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, while the optional 4.0-liter V6 offers 245 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque.
Toyota has made the 2005 Tacoma's interior and exterior more engaging, while preserving the affordability that consumers have come to rely on. The new base 2.7-liter VVT-i four-cylinder engine produces 164 horsepower and 183 pound-feet of torque, while the optional 4.0-liter V6 offers 245 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque. Buyers can choose from three cabin configurations, two bed lengths and two- or four-wheel drive to configure a Tacoma to suit their lifestyle or work needs.

“Toyota came out swinging from the get-go with a huge a roster of truck variants,” added MacKenzie. “With 18 different configurations, the Tacoma is the broadband of the segment and full of surprise and delight features.”

This year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend conducted testing on five new vehicles, searching for the pickup truck that best represented exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new-truck scene for 2005. All truly new or substantially revised trucks were considered with the condition that they be available for public sale by January 1, 2005.

For the 2005 Motor Trend Truck of the Year competition, the winner was selected from the following eligible models: Dodge Dakota, Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty, Hummer H2 SUT, Nissan Frontier, and the Toyota Tacoma.

The Motor Trend Evaluation Process
Motor Trend editors spent several weeks with the contending vehicles, exploring their performance, features, and functionality. Thorough testing was done on each vehicle with a specific focus on the following: engineering and technology, performance, ride and handling, styling and design, interior fit, finish and materials, utility, and value. Special attention was paid to the “pickup” aspects of loading and securing cargo, performance with a payload, and towing. Once the testing and evaluations were completed, Motor Trend editors chose the Toyota Tacoma to receive the coveted Golden Calipers.

Motor Trend evaluates the eligible vehicles based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority, and Value. Significance refers to the vehicle’s impact on the market and innovation in engineering, technology, design, safety and packaging. Superiority balances the playing field and looks for class-leading levels of performance, style and functionality within its specific competitive set. Finally, the all-important Value question asks, “What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?”

The complete report on the 2005 Motor Trend Truck of the Year testing and selection will be published in the February 2005 issue of Motor Trend (on newsstands January 4, 2005) Truck Trend magazine will also provide detailed coverage on the contest and winner in its March/April issue (on newsstands February 1, 2005). Multimedia coverage of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on Motor Trend Radio, hosted by Bob Long. Also, a video has been posted online.

About Motor Trend
Motor Trend, a PRIMEDIA publication, was founded in 1949 and has a circulation of 1.1 million and a total readership of 7.1 million. Internationally recognized as the world's number one automotive authority, Motor Trend is one of the leading brands in automotive publishing. The Motor Trend brand is comprised of motortrend.com; Motor Trend Television; Motor Trend Radio; Truck Trend; Motor Trend International Auto Shows; Motor Trend en Espanol; and the renowned Motor Trend Car, Sport/Utility and Truck of the Year Awards program.
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http://motortrend.com/features/news/...ruckoftheyear/

[vic_ny]

reading the motor trend article got me thinking

"models with the off road package have a differential lock, and those without the off road package offer a system that uses the ABS to simulate a limited-slip differential"

so if i am reading this correctly the trd sport package does not have a real clutched type differential?

if that is true does the trd off road package have an open diff when not locked or is it a real limited slip until the locker is engaged

trying to figure out if i want the off road or the sport package, the limited slip is the deciding factor. my dodge ram has limited slip and i rarely have to put it in four wheel drive. my chevy work van has an open diff and if it did not have 3000 lbs in it, it would not go anywhere in the snow

[dickinsonj]

The TRD Sport has a real LSD - the only one availble on this truck. My dealers say that means you can't get the traction control option (which includes electronic "LSD") with the Sport package. Not sure if that is true or not.