2015 Toyota Tacoma Road Test and Review

by Benjamin Hunting

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June 15, 2015

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6 min. Reading Time

2015 Toyota Tacoma front 3/4 ・ Photo by Benjamin Hunting

It's hard not to like the 2015 Toyota Tacoma. This mid-size truck has stayed true to its roots for the past ten years, which is a polite way of saying that it's seen little or no development during that entire period. Of course, the class-leading Tacoma hasn't had to change all that much because the mid-size segment it inhabits has been remarkably stagnant. Only recently have signs of life from the redesigned GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado indicated that maybe it was time for Toyota to take the Tacoma off autopilot.

Going through the motions or not, it's important to remember that the Toyota Tacoma has absolutely dominated mid-size sales during its decade-long reign - and that hasn't happened by accident. The Tacoma still presents a strong utility and value package for pickup fans, even if it's starting to feel a little nostalgic when compared to its more modern rivals.

Models and Prices

Like most of its pickup brethren, the 2015 Toyota Tacoma is available in a dazzling array of models, including four-door Access Cab and Crew Cab models (with the latter offering a second set of full-size doors to replace the former's rear-hinged units) as well as the choice between six-foot, one-inch or five-foot cargo beds. Toyota doesn't offer 'trims' per se with the Tacoma, preferring instead to divvy things up based on drivetrain selection, but there's a certain level of standard equipment that comes with each model.

Base editions of the Tundra Access Cab feature a limited-slip rear differential, air conditioning, a bedliner, Bluetooth connectivity via the Entune touchscreen infotainment interface, power windows and door locks, 15-inch steel wheels, a CD player, and cloth seats. If you opt for the entry-level Double Cab you get power mirrors to go with the extra interior space, but adding four-wheel drive (or selecting the PreRunner package) installs 16-inch steelies, a skid plate, and mud flaps.

The rest of the Toyota Tacoma's equipment is accessible via a long list of options packages, with a few stand-alone features thrown in for good measure. The pickup I drove for a week was a six-cylinder, 4x4 Double Cab long bed outfitted with the Limited package (chrome grille, body-color front bumper, intermittent wipers, keyless entry, leather-wrapped steering wheel, rearview camera, 18-inch chrome rims, leather seats with heaters up front, navigation, satellite radio, upgraded audio with a nicer LCD touchscreen) and the V6 Tow package. The total MSRP for fully-loaded tester came to $36,345.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Design

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma does not introduce any new design elements.

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma is the visual equivalent of comfort food: it's familiar, pleasant, and well-portioned. Toyota's mid-size model reminds me of a time when trucks weren't quite as enormous as full-size models have gotten today, but that being said the Tacoma is no mini-hauler, and with the long bed tacked on to the Double Cab's extended body you still need to keep your wits about you when parking. Overall, the top-tier Tacoma Limited's long, lean look offers a nice blend of brightwork and body-colored paneling, especially when seen in profile.

Were it only so easy to praise the Toyota Tacoma's cabin. The word that springs to mind when assessing the array of plastics that make up its passenger compartment is "functional," which is not the epithet it might at first seem. Nothing's out of place inside the Tacoma, but the fit and finish of the truck is distinctly task-oriented, with not much thought given to matching the styling effort or materials quality found inside its larger Tundra sibling. Interior refinement is one area where the new GM twins really eat Toyota's lunch, as the General made sure to offer a more car-like environment for pickup buyers in a bid to separate itself from older Japanese designs like the Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Comfort and Cargo

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma does not introduce any new comfort or cargo features.

There's no question that the 2015 Toyota Tacoma is useful: I hauled eight-foot planks home in its six-foot, one-inch bed with only a couple feet sticking over the top of the tailgate, which is a refreshing change from the more precarious five-foot cargo holds presented by larger crew cab trucks. You also get a lot of value from the Tacoma's available tie-down system and built-in 110-volt power point in the bed, which is paired with a protective bedliner that features a small compartment built into the inner bed wall that can store items you don't want to get too wet.

Inside the truck there's an acceptable amount of room for rear passengers, but I wasn't as happy with the amount of cabin storage behind the front seats. Yes, the back bench flips forward, but the floor underneath isn't flat - and I get the distinct feeling that if the seat folded up instead, I'd have more usable room for hauling. Heated seats are a nice add to the truck, but the leather hides used front and rear aren't much of an upgrade over the entry-level buckets.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Features and Controls

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma does not introduce any new features or controls.

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma's spartan interior design translates to its Entune infotainment system, which pairs workable, if not always logical hard shortcut buttons with a touch-sensitive LCD screen. The stereo's bass was enough to vibrate the truck's mirrors, but accessing the system's various features through the menu system - and plopping most functionality into the 'Apps' section - felt a little old fashioned.

The rest of the Tacoma's control surfaces consisted of big buttons, rotary controls, and large dials - not all that pleasing to the eye, but very easy to grip while wearing work gloves or winter mitts, which most truck owners will appreciate. It's a sharp contrast to the Entune screen, which feels almost aftermarket in comparison.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Safety and Ratings

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma does not introduce any new safety equipment.

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma doesn't offer any advanced safety gear, which is a function of the age of its platform more than any nefarious plot from the automaker. You still get side curtain airbags, dual forward airbags, and side-impact airbags up front, along with electronic stability control and traction control. A novel addition to the Tacoma's suite of safety features is a button on the dash that allows you to disable the rollover detection system, which prevents airbags from deploying should the truck be tilted at an unusually aggressive angle while off-roading.

The IIHS has awarded the Tacoma a rating of 'Good' in every major test except roof strength, where it scored 'Marginal' (small overlap testing has yet to be performed on the model). The NHTSA gives the Toyota pickup a four out of five star overall safety rating.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Engines and Fuel Economy

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma carries-over the previous year's engine choices.

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma starts out with a 2.7-liter, four-cylinder engine that generates 159 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque. You can pair this mill with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive is optional. Expect fuel mileage of 21-mpg city and 25-mpg highway with the small motor under the hood.

Stepping up to the Tacoma's available 4.0-liter V-6 introduces 236 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque, which is a significant boost in grunt for the mid-size truck. Unfortunately it obliterates fuel economy, which drops to 17-mpg around town and 21-mpg on the highway for rear-wheel drive models. Selecting four-wheel chops efficiency even further, as does the decision to go with the vehicle's six-speed manual gearbox over its five-speed automatic.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Driving Impressions

The 2015 Toyota Tacoma drives very much like a truck, which is perfectly OK with me. What I mean by this is that its suspension and chassis have been tuned to tow, haul, and claw its way off-road, with things like ride comfort and handling very much secondary considerations. Don't get me wrong: the Tacoma's not going to beat you up during daily driving, but charm and grace aren't exactly in its vocabulary, so you can expect lots of chatter from the solid rear axle over bumpers as well as surprisingly wide turning radius that makes things a bit of a chore should you need to switch directions in an urban environment.

Personally, I found the pickup easy to live with, but it's clear that by staying the course with the Tacoma over the years, Toyota has allowed competitors like the Colorado and Canyon to surpass it from a driving experience perspective. While those trucks feel more like crossovers from behind the wheel, the Tacoma presents a utilitarian face to prospective buyers.

In any case, those who plan to use the Tacoma as it was originally intended won’t be disappointed. The truck's ability to conquer trails is semi-legendary, especially when ordered with the TRD Off-Road package, or in the more hardcore TRD PRO edition. The pickup is also rated to tow up to 6,500 lbs when equipped with its V-6, which is a number that bests several mid-size SUVs and which I had no trouble believing given the respectable thrust provided by the unit. I could find no real fault with the Tacoma's 4.0-liter motor aside from its near-insatiable thirst for gasoline, but I did often lament the absence of a sixth cog in its automatic transmission, along with the shifter design's annoying tendency to lock me into fourth gear rather than drive.

Photo by Benjamin Hunting

Final Thoughts

In some ways, choosing the 2015 Toyota Tacoma is sort of like settling. Yes, you get great reliability and a rugged reputation, along with real-world utility and decent power. Unfortunately for Toyota, Chevrolet and GMC now match or better most of those same attributes at a similar price point, but without asking you to sacrifice nearly a decade of technological advancement in drivetrain development or chassis refinement. They also boast interiors that put the Tacoma to shame, along with high tech features that weren't even dreamt of when Toyota pulled the wraps off of its mid-size pickup in 2005.

There's hope on the horizon, of course: a redesigned 2016 Toyota Tacoma that should smooth out one or more of the current model's rougher edges. If you can wait, I'd recommend doing exactly that before signing on the dotted line. If you can't, well you're getting a good truck, but as GM has recently proven - and the updated Tacoma will no doubt bear out - you could be driving so much more.