2026 Toyota Tacoma Review
Our automotive expert shares opinions and new photos of the 2026 Tacoma.
Tim Stevens
Pros: Toyota's latest Tacoma TRD Sport looks sharp and has plenty of power with the i-Force Max hybrid system.Â
Cons: Harsh on-road manners and a too-busy interior won't win everyone over.
The Takeaway: Toyota's latest Tacoma is its best-looking and most capable yet, but the TRD Sport may be a little over the top for some.
The 2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport with its i-Force Max engine offers big style and big power, but its harsh ride and busy interior won't win everyone over. Toyota's Tacoma has been the bestselling midsize pickup in the United States for more than 20 years, and in that time, Toyota has expanded the lineup to include a wealth of different configurations.Â
What's New for the 2026 Toyota Tacoma
QuickTake: New colors and a few tweaks are all that's new for the 2026 Tacoma.
Toyota's Tacoma was fully redesigned for the 2024 model year, so the changes in 2026 are minor. The biggest is probably the color you see here, Heritage Blue, which I quickly fell in love with, as did seemingly everyone else who saw it. There's also a new bright teal called Wave Maker for the TRD Pro trim, plus some minor changes to the option packages.
Tim Stevens
About the 2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Review Vehicle
QuickTake: TRD Sport remains the choice for those who want big style but not big off-road performance.
The 2026 Toyota Tacoma comes in SR, SR5, PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, Trailhunter, and TRD Pro trim levels, and base prices range from about $34,000 to roughly $66,000, including the destination charge for shipping the truck to a dealership from the Guanajuato, Mexico, assembly plant that builds it.
For this Tacoma review, I test-drove an i-Force Max-powered TRD Sport 4x4 Double Cab in upstate New York. Optional equipment included the TRD Sport Premium Package and all-weather floor mats, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) to $57,119, including the $1,595 destination charge. Toyota provided the vehicle for this Tacoma review.
Tim Stevens
Design, Quality, and Interior Layout
QuickTake: Despite the chill color, the TRD Sport's styling is about as aggressive as it gets, both inside and out.
The new Tacoma, especially in TRD Sport trim, is a properly striking machine. This new Heritage Blue color may be on the gentle side, but it does nothing to soften the truck's harsh creases and aggressive stance. If you're the sort who likes angular lines and all the vents and grilles, this is the truck for you.
On the inside, things get even more visually intense — to my eyes, harsh surfaces and shapes overlap to create something discordant. There are pockets and cubbies everywhere up front, but most are framed with hard plastic, meaning whatever you put in there is likely to rattle. The mix of modern, angular textures and old-school leather-embossed patterns on hard plastic struck me as jarring.Â
That said, I do appreciate the chunky knobs and toggle switches for most controls. The rows and rows of buttons are a bit much, but I appreciate not having to reach for the touchscreen all the time.
Tim Stevens
Comfort, Convenience, and Cargo Space
QuickTake: Front seating is very comfortable, but don't expect to sit anyone of large stature in the rear.
The Tacoma in Double Cab guise seats five officially, but putting three across in the rear won't win you any fans. Legroom out back is at a premium, and headroom isn't much better. I stand 6 feet tall and had to angle my neck uncomfortably to get back there. The rear seatbacks fold forward, but there's only a small storage compartment behind, just enough room for the included jack.
Seating up front is far more comfortable. The SofTex seats not only feature a cool pattern but also offer extremely powerful heating and capable ventilation. The leather-wrapped steering wheel was also heated on this Premium Package-equipped truck.
My Double Cab Tacoma test truck had a 5-foot bed with a power tailgate, which you can trigger with the key fob or a dedicated button on the dashboard. It makes opening or closing the tailgate easy, but it's extremely slow to operate.
Tim Stevens
2026 Toyota Tacoma Infotainment System Review
QuickTake: Toyota's latest Audio Multimedia system is quick and easy to use.
Sitting up high on the dashboard is a touchscreen running Toyota's latest Audio Multimedia infotainment system.
Standard features include:
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity
- 8.0-inch touchscreen
- Six-speaker sound system
- Toyota Connected Services with Wi-Fi hot spot
- Integrated Apple Music and Amazon Music
Adding the TRD Sport Premium Package gets you:
- 14.0-inch touchscreen
- 10-speaker JBL premium sound system
The interface is extremely simple to use, with a column of buttons on the left for accessing major features, including integrated navigation, media, and settings. Connect your phone with either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and icons for those services appear as well, making it easy to jump into and out of smartphone projection.
The system includes a voice assistant that not only responds quickly but is also comprehensive in its capabilities. When I said "I need some coffee," it presented a list of local coffee shops within 5 seconds. "I'm hungry" and "I need a hospital" were handled just as quickly. It even turned up the temperature when I said, "I'm cold."
In addition to the usual AM/FM and Bluetooth audio sources, the system also supports Apple Music and Amazon Music. The media plays back through a 10-speaker JBL sound system that can easily shake the seats. It isn't the most nuanced sound system I've ever heard, but it did a great job playing back every track I threw at it. You can even pull the center speaker out of the dash and take it with you.
Tim Stevens
Safety Features and Ratings
QuickTake: The Tacoma TRD Sport is particularly well equipped with active safety features.
Toyota equips the Tacoma with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, a generous collection of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) as standard equipment:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Forward-collision warning
- Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Traffic sign recognition
- Automatic high-beam headlights
- Lane-departure warning
- Lane-keeping assist
- Lane-centering assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
In addition to those features, my test vehicle added a surround-view camera as part of the TRD Sport Premium Package. While the Tacoma is far from the biggest truck on the road today, it still fills up most parking spaces. That camera made parking easy.
The lane-centering-assist system worked well on the highway, keeping the Tacoma in the middle of its lane, but struggled on secondary roads, wandering left and right when markings were less clear. The adaptive cruise control, at least, had no problem detecting traffic and keeping the truck at a good speed.
The 2026 Tacoma earned four stars out of five for overall safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As of publication, the pickup has not been fully tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Tim Stevens
2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Specs and Fuel Economy
QuickTake: The Tacoma, with its i-Force Max powertrain, may be a hybrid, but fuel efficiency is not its priority.
The 2026 Toyota Tacoma is available with either the base 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine or the i-Force Max engine found in my test vehicle. This system adds hybrid power, if not typical hybrid efficiency. Its output is 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, and EPA-estimated fuel economy is 23 mpg in combined city and highway driving. In my mixed testing, I did substantially worse, netting just 18.7 mpg.
That engine is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and a selectable four-wheel-drive (4WD) system. The Tacoma is rated for up to 1,705 pounds of payload in the back and up to 6,000 pounds of towing with the i-Force Max engine, down from 6,500 pounds with the base engine. There's also a dedicated Tow/Haul mode, and the rearview camera has a line intended to make the trailer-attachment process easier.
Tim Stevens
2026 Toyota Tacoma Test Drive
QuickTake: The road-oriented TRD Sport still has a decidedly truck-like ride.
The TRD Sport will boldly go as far as the asphalt will carry you — and probably not much farther. Yes, with the aforementioned 4WD system, it'll do you just fine on light trail duty, but the factory all-season tires are a strong indicator of this thing's intended purpose.
Given that, you might expect a truck with a comfortable, road-optimized ride, but I did not find that to be the case. The TRD Sport was stiff during my test drive, bouncing over frost heaves and other asphalt imperfections. It's a far cry from the road-going manners of something such as a Ford Maverick.
Still, the TRD Sport is certainly engaging off the line. The hybrid system does a stellar job of improving the truck's responsiveness and drivability. The Tacoma accelerates smoothly and has great throttle response at any speed, especially in Sport mode. This truck is genuinely quick, and its stiff suspension at least makes for more fun in the corners than you might expect.
The harsh ride quality is a drag, though, and the transmission can likewise produce some bucking and shuddering when coming to a stop. The brakes are easy to apply evenly, however, and despite square shoulders and plentiful vents, the TRD Sport isn't overly noisy on the highway.
Tim Stevens
Alternatives to the 2026 Toyota Tacoma
QuickTake: The TRD Sport is the rare road-minded performance truck, and it's a compelling one.
Near this 2026 Tacoma's as-tested price of $57,119, you have your choice of desirable alternatives, such as a well-equipped Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and even a base Ford Ranger Raptor. Those, though, are intended more for off-road than on-road duties. That makes the TRD Sport distinct, and while its ride quality could be smoother, its curb presence and performance continue to excel.
Tim StevensTim is a freelance automotive and technology journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He is a frequent contributor to major domestic and international online, print, and broadcast news outlets, sharing his insights and perspectives on everything from cybersecurity to supercars. Tim also serves as a juror for the World Car Awards and regularly acts as speaker and moderator at major industry events such as CES, Web Summit, SXSW, NAIAS, and AutoMobility LA. He formerly served as editor-at-large and vice president of content at CNET. Before that he was editor-in-chief of Engadget and editorial director at AOL Tech.
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