2009 Toyota Tacoma

Review

The 80 Percent Truck

By: Nathan D. Adlen

I’ll put my opening remark to bed right now. I believe that the Toyota Tacoma line should have a model to suit most of the truck buyers in the market. The Nissan Frontier can be in that category too. Add to that the very useful Honda Ridgeline and you have a majority stake in our nation’s personal truck market. I feel that 80 percent of the buying public can make do with a truck like this.

Full sized trucks are a bit of an anachronism given the sizeable capacities of their smaller brethren.

I’m not saying that the full size truck should go away; I am saying that this is where our nation seems to be heading. Gas prices are only temporally low and the expense of building and owning big trucks is becoming painful. Smaller is becoming chic – sizing down is the smart bet for many. What’s funny is that these smaller trucks I mentioned are not that small.

For instance, take the 2009 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab. With an overall length of about 17 feet and a width of just over 6 feet, in size alone, the Toyota Tacoma Access Cab is near full size truck dimensions. Yes, the bed is a tad over 6 feet as opposed to many full size truck’s 8+ foot beds, and they can tow more than the 6,500 lbs of maximum weight of the Tacoma, but that capacity is still impressive.

Let’s look at the Toyota Tacoma in a different way.

My friend asked me to drive his Tacoma. I should put it another way, he begged and pleaded for me to drive his truck. Please understand, he knows that I have stated many times my feeling that the current Nissan Frontier is the best small truck. Power, price, packaging and performance – the Nissan Frontier is hard to beat. It’s so good that Suzuki partnered up with Nissan to use the Frontier as the basis for their new Equator.    

He’s a Toyota fan.   

I warned him as he tossed me the keys to his brand new $31,232 –2009 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab 4X4 SR5 that I don’t play favorites for friends. Right off the bat, I did not see much of a change from the 2008 model. It takes a moment to see the new goodies to be sure, the real changes are inside.

I have always liked the way the Toyota Tacoma looked and thus-far (thank god) Toyota opted to keep its looks different from the hideous Tundra. There are a few tweaks to trim, front bumper and rear taillights that are the first clue that this is the 2009. The only obvious link to the Tundra, other than the badge, is the shape of the grill. This design element has carried over to all of the trucks and crossovers Toyota makes.

Given the many years the Toyota Tacoma’s styling has remained essentially the same, there is a major restyling due. If Toyota is smart, they will forgo drastic/polarizing changes that have dissatisfied so many with their new Tundra. Seriously, have you seen the new Tundra? Yuck!

Once I climbed into the Toyota Tacoma, I remembered instantly what I liked and disliked about its seating arrangement. There’s lots of front legroom with the feeling that you are sitting on the floor of the cab. I’m not saying that it is an eminently uncomfortable perch; rather that it is a tad odd to climb in and out of the driver’s seat. At the same time, I enjoyed the actual seating position once under way. It’s a matter of taste to be sure; when looking at the difference between the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, seating is a real factor.

“Camry like” is a popular term many sales people will coin when describing the interior of the Toyota Tacoma. I somewhat agree, with the exception of the silver center stack and 3 pod instrument gauge cluster. The two tone interior is handsome, logical and very well put together. I consider it to be slightly higher quality than the Nissan’s. I do wish the buttons and knobs of Tacoma’s center stack’s stereo controls were off color to the silver for easier identification.

Toyota stylists attempted to inject a more youthful styling bent to the rear of the access cab. In between the two jump seats (which are comfortable for short jaunts and short people) is an exposed subwoofer. It smacks of the Mitsubishi Eclipse’s rear subwoofer design and eliminates a potential storage bin. The sound system was decent, but I fail to hear anything other than an over-boosted thrum from the subwoofer. It may need a fine tuning adjustment greater than what is currently available. It’s either too much or not enough with the current setup.

One thing I truly enjoyed, the jewel of the Toyota Tacoma, is its robust 4.0 liter, 236 horsepower, DOHC, EFI V6 with, (get this) 266 lbs feet of torque! That’s a lot and it’s available at about 4000 rpm. For a vehicle of this size, torque is what it’s all about and Toyota didn’t skimp.

As I headed to my fishing hole (I should say “river”), hills and altitude begin to increase. I was easily passing full sized, big V8, un-laden trucks. The power was easily on tap in 3^rd through 5^th gear in any situation. 6^th gear allowed more leisurely driving and lower fuel consumption. As many know, I drive fast – real fast. The Toyota Tacoma averaged about 15 miles per gallon. This trip included some (very) high speed highway driving, off road driving (including mud bogs, rutted roads and a few miles of driving in 4WD “low”) and driving through downtown Denver in rush hour traffic. Given these driving variables, 15 mpg is not bad.

What really blew me away was shifting the Toyota Tacoma into 4WD. Even without the optional locking rear differential (limited slip is standard), the Toyota Tacoma chewed its way through some very thick road ruts. It sank down to its axles and despite my forcing the medium weight steering left and right to gain traction, the only way through was deeper. I began to worry as I did not bring anything other than fishing gear (usually, I have essential off-road gear like rope, ratchet straps, high-lift jack etc.).

The watery, icy mud mixed with rocks and goo flowed upward as the front bumper dipped lower. Dropping a gear and slamming my foot down took care of that mess. Mud covered the entire truck as I continued, finally shifting into 4WD low at the very end of the huge rut where a boulder lay. Once clear, the Toyota Tacoma settled down and made no fuss out of its recent abuse.

I did note that the 4.0 V6 sounded rough near redline, but that is not how an average driver will usually experience the power-plant. Shifting the low effort 6-speed into a higher gear took care of the noise and the quiet cab soothed most of the rock-crunching noise outside. I dare say that this is one of the quietest mid-sized truck cabs – next to the Nissan Frontier’s.

Brakes are a bit off. Most of the competition has 4 wheel disc brakes. The Toyota Tacoma has rear drums. Considering the steep price, and that the main competition (Nissan’s Frontier) comes standard with discs; it’s a shame Toyota skimps on this. At least they have the new, integrated  Star Safety System™ which includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (with an off switch), (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist – standard.

Once I arrived at the slightly flooded fishing spot, laziness and a need for a semblance of cleanliness urged me to use the back of the Toyota Tacoma as a fishing dock. I backed it close, and washed off the easy to clean bed-liner before settling in. The optional storage boxes (which attach to the internal railing system) were perfect for storing my gear and cooler. The sliding railing system, which apes Nissan’s, is a very useful addition for anyone who intends to haul real cargo.

Backing up to the edge of the river was a breeze; there is an available backup camera which has a screen integrated into the rearview mirror. This is a fantastic addition for those who use trailers – or lazybones like me who need an instant dock. With a maximum payload of 1395 lbs the Toyota Tacoma would have no problem holding 3 more of my larger friends (they range in weight from 250 - 450 lbs – mighty BIG indeed). That’s enough to hold 2 dirt motorcycles, a big quad bike or a Harley with ease.

After a leisurely afternoon of lousy fishing, I took an unpaved country road back to civilization. When I used this route last year in a Honda Ridgeline, I was amazed at how compliant it was despite my rally-lust/sideways driving style. Leaving the Toyota Tacoma in RWD gave me an even greater sense of sport (the 6-speed manual helped). That being said, it’s not quite as sporting as the Nissan, but damn fun nonetheless.

What made the most notable driving impression for me was the sheer stability and solidity of the Toyota Tacoma. If you watch BBC America (or live on You Tube) Top Gear has an entire episode dedicated to trying to destroy the Toyota Truck. It’s a fun episode, I highly recommend it. The Toyota Tacoma is one of the toughest, most reliable and highest quality trucks made – period.

Driving the Toyota Tacoma like the idiot I am proves it.

You see, I didn’t know that the Department of Transportation decided to grade the dirt road I was on. This section, amid farms and ranches, is two lanes wide with hard packed dirt and gravel roads. Now there are deep, vertical slashes on various (hidden) sections of the dirt road which would shake any fool’s vehicle to bits if they crossed at over 20 mph. I was tearing it up at over 50 mph.

Imagine my surprise…

The Toyota Tacoma vibrated so violently that I thought it would fall to pieces. It was so rough that I had to find a bathroom – quickly. Once I made it to safety, I examined the Toyota Tacoma carefully and found the only broken item was my cooler (cracked in two!) as the Tacoma was 100%. Hard to believe, but even the paint looked a-o-k.

I could swear the Toyota Tacoma shrugged it off – with a grin.

You know what? I get it. With the Toyota Tacoma (some fans call it the “Taco”) I get it. The “Taco” is like Jason Borne… Tough, nay – near indestructible, knock it down and it keeps coming back, harder. Throw anything at it and it uses it against you. It’s smart, direct and eminently capable.  Unstoppable.

I brought back the filth covered Toyota Tacoma after hundreds of hard fought miles on its odometer. Other than some minor gripes about the interior (seating mostly) and acknowledging the steep price-tag, I have to say that this is more truck than most people deserve or need.

It’s one of the best trucks out there and worth the price of admission. Family types can get a great multipurpose vehicle out of the more expensive “double cab.” Economical types can get good mileage and Toyota quality out of the regular cab with the 4 cylinder. TRD builds incredible equipment for upgrading all models. You simply cannot go wrong with the Toyota Tacoma in any guise.

Why then do I still slightly prefer the Nissan Frontier? I guess it is a matter of taste.