2017 Toyota Tacoma Overview
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma ranks at the bottom of the small class of compact pickups. While it's still a solid package with a great payload capacity and off-road capability, it can't match the overall performance, interior features, or capabilities of most of its rivals.
Is the Toyota Tacoma a Good Truck?
Don't let the lower ranking fool you; the Toyota Tacoma is still a very impressive truck for its size. It's arguably the most formidable off-road vehicle in the class in its standard configuration –and especially in the several off-road-focused trim levels. It has a relatively high towing capacity and can handle heavier payloads than its rivals. The Tacoma is also refined enough for everyday use, with a comfortable cabin and many standard and optional features.
While the 2017 Toyota Tacoma is a good truck, there are a few drawbacks. The standard cab configuration only has seating for four, with a cramped back seat. The base four-cylinder engine also delivers a low amount of horsepower and unremarkable fuel economy.
Should I Buy the Toyota Tacoma?
You should only buy a compact pickup if you don't need the large towing or payload capacities that full-size pickups can provide. These aren't heavy-duty, dedicated work vehicles, so if that's your aim, the Toyota Tundra may serve you better. You'll be able to tow more than 10,000 pounds and haul over a ton of cargo in its bed.
Among trucks for everyday duty, the Tacoma is a well-balanced package. It has the best suite of standard features in the class and is fairly refined, but the Honda Ridgeline has much more passenger space and a nicer interior. The Tacoma is the most capable off-road vehicle in the class, so you should definitely consider it if that's something you want. However, the Chevy Colorado delivers better performance in some areas, like towing and fuel economy.
Starting at more than $24,000, the Tacoma is far from the cheapest offering in the class. However, once you start upgrading less expensive competitors, their prices come into line with comparable Tacomas. For a well-rounded truck that you can drive comfortably every day but still charge with tough tasks, the Tacoma is worth a look.
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To help you make the best possible decision when car shopping, we analyzed 21 pieces of data and research to form an expert analysis of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma. This includes reviews from professional auto journalists, as well as hard facts like crash test results and reliability ratings.
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How Much Does the Toyota Tacoma Cost?
The Tacoma has the second-highest starting price in the class – but it's one of just five trucks, so that doesn't say much. You'll pay $24,120 for a base Tacoma. The Honda Ridgeline is the most expensive at $29,475, and the Chevy Colorado is representative of the rest of the class at $20,055. Meanwhile, Toyota's full-size truck, the Tundra, has one of the highest prices among its competitors: $30,020. For that price, the Tundra will only get you a three-person front bench seat, while the Tacoma has four seats in two rows in its standard configuration.
The Tacoma comes standard with a four-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive, and a four-seat Regular cab. You can upgrade to several combinations of a V6 engine, four-wheel drive, and a Double cab that seats five, but these options can quickly bring the Tacoma's price above $30,000. In fact, four of the six available trim levels start north of $30,000. A fully loaded Tacoma comes in at around $43,500.
Check out our U.S. News Best Price Program for great savings at your local Toyota dealer. You can also find excellent manufacturer incentives on our Toyota deals page.
Toyota Tacoma Versus the Competition
Which Is Better: Toyota Tacoma or Toyota Tundra?
The only other truck Toyota makes is the full-size Tundra pickup, in contrast to the compact Tacoma. Unlike the Tacoma, the Tundra scores well below most of its competitors in its class. It's hard to recommend the Tundra over the Tacoma. The Tundra is only a better choice than the Tacoma if you place a premium on truck capabilities like towing and payload capacity. You'll be able to haul a few hundred pounds more cargo in the Tundra's bed than in the Tacoma's, and the Tundra can tow almost 4,000 pounds more. Those improvements are a result of the Tundra's standard V8 engine. However, the Tundra stands out from its class for its lack of a diesel option. The V8 also gets much lower fuel economy than the Tacoma's standard four-cylinder, at 15 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway compared to the Tacoma's 19 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway. If you opt for a more powerful V8, that mileage drops even more. Another drawback of the Tundra is that it can only hold three people in its front bench seat. You'll have to upgrade above the roughly $30,000 base price (which is already the highest in the class) to get a second row. The Tacoma in its standard form has seating for four, and though its back seat is pint-sized, it’s probably still preferable to sitting three-across in the front. You can also opt for an extended cab Tacoma for much less than any Tundra.
Which Is Better: Toyota Tacoma or Honda Ridgeline?
The all-new 2017 Ridgeline returns after a two-year hiatus, marking the return of a truck model to Honda’s lineup. The result of this redesign is an excellent vehicle overall that outperforms the Tacoma and all its class rivals in nearly every category. The Ridgeline comes with a standard V6 engine that has about 120 more horsepower than the Tacoma's base four-cylinder, along with slightly better fuel efficiency. You'll also get a nicer cabin with the Ridgeline and smooth, supple ride quality. Honda made sure to provide plenty of passenger space (especially in the rear) in all Ridgeline models – something you'll only get in the Tacoma if you spring for a Double cab. That said, the Tacoma still makes for a better traditional truck than the Ridgeline. It has a higher towing capacity and can handle a heavier payload. The Tacoma beats out the Ridgeline in off-roading ability; it offers specific trims with upgraded off-road equipment and is available with four-wheel drive, something the Ridgeline does not offer. However, all-wheel drive is available in the Honda. In short, if you're looking for an everyday ride that only goes off-road or hauls things occasionally, the Ridgeline is more up your alley. If you need to tow and haul or go off-road regularly, give the Tacoma a look.
Which Is Better: Toyota Tacoma or Chevrolet Colorado?
Unlike the Ridgeline, which has a base price of over $5,000 more than the Tacoma, the Chevrolet Colorado starts at about $4,000 less. You might expect a drop in quality with that price difference, but the Colorado's cabin is replete with quality materials and is more impressive overall than the Tacoma's interior. While the Colorado doesn’t come with a standard touch screen like the Tacoma, its optional 8-inch interface is intuitive and advanced. The Colorado also offers features that aren't available in the Tacoma, like Apple CarPlay and a built-in Wi-Fi hot spot. When it comes to performance, the Colorado beats the Tacoma handily. You'll be fine sticking with the standard 200-horsepower engine, or you can upgrade to a 305-horsepower V6. There is also a turbodiesel engine that returns a best-in-class towing capacity of 7,700 pounds – more than the Tacoma can handle. With the turbodiesel engine, the Colorado gets excellent fuel economy for the class at 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. The Tacoma can handle a heavier payload than the Colorado, but unless that’s a major factor for you, the Colorado is a better pick.
Tacoma Interior
How Many People Does the Tacoma Seat?
The Tacoma seats four or five people, depending on which cab configuration you get. Access cab (aka extended cab) models have two rear seats and smaller rear doors for entry. Like most extended cab pickups, this is a cramped zone – only 24.6 inches of legroom – that's best left to smaller passengers. A full bench seat and full-size rear doors are added into Double cab models. Passenger space in the rear expands somewhat in these larger Tacomas, adding an extra 8 inches of legroom. Even so, the Tacoma has one of the smaller back seats of this class. The seats are pretty comfortable in the front, and there's a fair amount of room. You can't alter the height of the seats, though, and the steering wheel’s limited range of adjustments can make it hard for some to find an optimal driving position.
If you need a back seat that caters to more than just cargo, take a spin in a Honda Ridgeline. Not only does its back seat provide enough room for adults, but you can expect all-day comfort from all of its seats. The Tacoma's big sibling, the Tundra, only seats three in its standard configuration (a front bench seat), but if you go with the optional rear seat, you'll be rewarded with accommodations for up to six people and plenty of space and comfort.
Tacoma and Car Seats
The Tacoma has two complete sets of LATCH child-seat connectors and three top tether anchors. The lower anchors are easy to find and use, but the tether anchors will probably give you some trouble. They’re located on the back of the rear seats, so you'll have to fold the seat slightly forward to find the attachment point. To fit most car seats in the rear, the front passenger seat will have to be moved significantly forward. That results in very little room for anyone wishing to sit up front.
Tacoma Interior Quality
Most of the Tacoma’s cabin materials are high quality, which imparts not only a feeling of durability but also one of sophistication. Surfaces are soft to the touch, like the rubber or faux leather that adorns the dashboard (depending on the trim).
As nice as the Tacoma's interior is, the Honda Ridgeline still sets the high mark in the class for comfort and quality. It has elegant materials that would be more at home in a sedan. That added style comes at a price, though – the Ridgeline's base price is over $5,000 more than the Tacoma's.
Tacoma Cargo Space
For the occasions when you need your small truck to handle a big job, the 2017 Tacoma has the capacity and flexibility to help you out. It can haul 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood, heave a payload of up to 1,620 pounds, and haul all sorts of outdoor gear. Both a 5-foot and a 6-foot bed are available, and every model is outfitted with fixed and movable tie-down cleats, a composite bed liner, and storage compartments in the bed. Dampers in the tailgate lower it gently every time. The tailgate can also lock or be removed completely. An optional 120-volt outlet built into the bed lets you turn your truck bed into a work zone or tailgate party central.
The Tacoma's 1,620-pound payload capacity is the highest in the class. It beats out the very similar maximums of both the Honda Ridgeline (1,584 pounds) and Chevy Colorado (1,580 pounds). If you need the ability to haul more stuff than that, you’ll want to upgrade to the full-size Tundra, which can carry up to 2,080 pounds. The caveat with that is that you’ll have to stick with the Regular cab and get a long bed with a V8 engine. Most other configurations of the Tundra have payload capacities between 1,550 and 1,700 pounds.
Tacoma Infotainment, Bluetooth, and Navigation
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma has a few features you won't find in many small trucks this size. For starters, every model comes with a mount on the windshield for your GoPro camera, so you can capture all your off-road antics on video. Among its safety tech is a standard rearview camera; images are displayed on the base 6.1-inch or upgraded 7-inch touch screen.
The Tacoma uses Toyota's Entune interface, which comes standard with Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free, a USB port, and six speakers. Four different levels of Entune infotainment centers are available, with the best being the model that comes standard in TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and TRD Pro trims. The standout skill for this Entune Premium Audio system is its ability to link with your phone to run apps like Pandora, Yelp, Facebook, iHeart Radio, and Slacker. It also comes with navigation, HD Radio, and satellite radio. Test drivers like the Entune interface better than most, saying it’s a very responsive system.
While the Tundra comes identically equipped to its smaller version, the Tacoma is the only truck in the class with a standard touch-screen infotainment system. All its rivals employ a 4- to 5-inch display screen and require an upgrade to get a better system. "Better" is subjective, though, as the Honda Ridgeline offers exciting features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but on a convoluted display screen with poorly arranged icons. Conversely, the infotainment system in the Chevy Colorado operates smoothly and has features like a built-in Wi-Fi hot spot.
For more information, read What Is Apple CarPlay? and What Is Android Auto? Then, see the Best Cars With Apple CarPlay and Best Cars With Android Auto.
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