Romping Around and Driving Through Town in the 2016 Toyota Tacoma
Tacoma. That name brings many things to mind: rails and sails, whitebark pine trees, Mt. Rainier, and the Pacific Northwest. That being said, you might think Toyota’s new-for-2016 midsize pickup would be far away from home in Texas, a land of oil and gas and cowboy hats and boots.
Don’t do that, though. The Lone Star State is also a mini nation of pickup lovers and the (southern) home of Tacoma production. Toyota flew me out to the Rio Bravo Motocross Park in Houston to see what kind of welcome the 2016 Tacoma would receive from me and my colleagues in the Texas Auto Writers Association.
The day started with a walk-around of the truck’s most notable features, such as its all-new wind-cheating bodywork, available 3.5-liter Atkinson-cycle V6 with direct and port fuel injection that produces 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, available six-speed automatic, composite bed, and optional rugged tri-fold hard tonneau cover.
Then it was time to get behind the wheel of what Tacoma buyers have been looking forward to since the 2005 model year. Two recently rain-soaked off-road circuits were waiting to have ruts dug into them by a quartet of TRD-prepped 4X4 models. My first pass through both courses was in the back seat of one of them as one of my friends in the TAWA drove. I’m 5’10” and with the front passenger seat pushed far back, the 32.6 inches of rear-seat leg room shrunk to a thin strip of empty space in front of my knees. A little push forward of the front seat would’ve left both the front rider and me comfortable. I ultimately didn’t mind riding in the back because I knew my mind would be unburdened by focusing on driving and that I was sitting in a spot that would give a great feel for the truck’s ride quality. Given the uneven dirt paths and peaks and troughs we were going over, I expected to be jostled violently. I was pleasantly surprised by how unbruised my head and elbows remained.
The Tacoma’s Crawl Control feature was another unexpected strong suit. At the bottom of a steep hill I was about to ascend in low range, a course instructor pushed the overhead button to engage it. All I had to do was steer; Crawl Control managed the throttle and the brakes on the way up and on the downhill stretch. You can even adjust the speed with which the truck moves along with the turn of a ceiling-mounted dial. The phrase “cruise control for off-roading” was uttered more than once – and I knew exactly why. Is Crawl Control necessary? No. Is it a helpful feature that actually works and does so without complications? Absolutely.
After a proper Texas lunch of BBQ, it was time for the on-road portion of the day. I saddled up a Magnetic Gray Metallic Limited model with a fellow TAWA member for a drive out to Dwight D. Eisenhower Park. As I got myself situated in the driver seat, I noticed a lack of electric adjustments, which I considered an odd omission in a top-of-the-line trim package. It was more of a head-scratcher than a deal-breaker, though. However, you can probably break a lot of things against the abundance of hard plastic that makes up the dashboard and door panels. On the other hand, the quiet of the Tacoma’s interior allowed me to fully enjoy the experience of passing through a giant hallway of trees that wound through the park, the green of their leaves as rich as their trunks were tall.
Over the rough pavement occasionally found on access roads and suburban streets, the Tacoma definitely rode like a truck, but not in the worst sense of the phrase. I’ve been in cars with harsher suspensions. I made liberal use of the right pedal on the highway back to Rio Bravo. The new V6 handled the Tacoma’s 4,230-pound curb weight without wheezing or embarrassing itself.
My driving partner and I returned to the motocross venue after roughly 45 minutes. A JBL spokesman demonstrated the Limited’s standard Entune Premium JBL Audio system. It was easy to clearly hear both soft and loud tones simultaneously and listen to the six-speaker/one-subwoofer set-up at max volume without feeling the beginnings of a headache.
I can’t speak for my fellow writers in the TAWA, but I found the 2016 Tacoma to be a capable, innovative, well-powered off-roader with civilized road manners. It’ll face the ultimate Texas test later this week in the Texas Auto Writers Association’s 2015 Truck Rodeo. If the Tacoma is named the “Mid-Size Pickup Truck of Texas,” I’ll be sure to bring you all the news. Correction: Y’all.
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