2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid

The all-new, 4x4-only Tacoma Hybrid is positioned as the premium offering in the 2024 Tacoma lineup, starting about $15k higher than the standard truck. Even so, it packs a lot of value for the right kind of shopper, delivering the most power and torque of any Tacoma as well as the highest fuel economy. As expected of a hybrid, the Tacoma i-Force Max (that's what Toyota calls the hybrid powertrain) shines in the city, where it's rated to return 22-23 mpg — numbers that the regular Tacoma 4x4 would do well to put up on the highway.

If there's a concern about the Tacoma Hybrid, it's that despite its gaudy output figures, it doesn't out-accelerate the far cheaper Tacoma 2.4T 4x4. Third-party acceleration tests have these siblings running neck-and-neck, as discussed in Driving Performance below, with the non-hybrid Taco actually recording a significantly higher trap speed (speed at the quarter-mile mark). The Tacoma Hybrid's edge in fuel economy is beyond dispute, but Toyota's sales pitch would be a lot easier if the Hybrid left the regular truck behind when given the beans.

Driving Performance: 8.5/10

The Tacoma Hybrid starts with the excellent low-end torque of the regular Tacoma's 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and adds the lag-free boost of an electric motor. The result is 326 horsepower and a whopping 465 pound-feet of torque, matching this powertrain's output in the new 2024 Land Cruiser, with which the Tacoma shares its TNGA-F platform. But the Land Cruiser hasn't exactly lit drag strips on fire with its tested acceleration numbers, and the Tacoma Hybrid's base curb weight (5,030 lbs) is just shy of the Land Cruiser's (5,038 lbs). In general, we project that the Tacoma Hybrid will weigh about 400 pounds more than the equivalent non-hybrid Tacoma 2.4T, and early testing indicates that the hybrid's acceleration fails to raise the bar.

Different publications on different days, for sure, but the trap speed usually doesn't lie. The fact that the Tacoma Hybrid is moving 3 mph slower at the quarter-mile tells you how hard that fancy powertrain must be working to move the extra weight.

Of course, it's not just an engine swap; the hybrid lineup also promises unrivaled off-road capability if you go nuts and get the TRD Pro or Trailhunter, which are hybrid-only trims. But if you're considering one of the trims that offer either the 2.4T non-hybrid engine or the hybridized i-Force Max — namely, the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited — you should ask yourself how much the extra fuel economy is worth to you, because you're not getting a faster truck by going with the hybrid.

Still, the Tacoma Hybrid's diverse driving talents help it earn a high score here. It's a peach on the pavement, pairing that maneuverable midsize feel with a newfound coil-sprung compliance that's as welcome on busted city streets as it is out on the trail. Testing numbers aside, the hybrid power plant is always ready with a firm shove of torque to get you moving or whisk you past slower traffic. This is a great-driving truck across the board, one we'd happily tool around in every day. We just wish it had more acceleration to show for all that complexity under the hood.

Comfort & Interior: 8.0/10

The new coil-spring rear suspension — standard on every Tacoma Hybrid — smooths out the unladen ride and makes the truck feel supple and planted on the road. The driving position is a revelation compared to the previous Tacoma, as you no longer feel like you're sitting on the floor with your knees splayed out. Since the hybrid only comes as a Double Cab, you'll get the roomier Tacoma cabin no matter which trim you choose, but note that the gonzo IsoPerformance seats in the TRD Pro do take a bite out of rear legroom, even though Toyota's official specs don't acknowledge it.

Whether the Tacoma Hybrid feels upscale depends to some extent on which trim you select. Even the "base" TRD Sport i-Force Max and TRD Off-Road i-Force Max are pretty nice inside, but they come standard with the 8-inch touchscreen and its chunky gray plastic housing, which calls attention to the fact that you didn't upgrade to the 14-incher (easy to do in either trim). Step up to the Limited or above, of course, and Toyota pulls out all the stops with standard niceties galore. But to us, if you just add the larger touchscreen to the TRD Off-Road i-Force Max, you're most of the way there in terms of feeling like the interior looks price-appropriate.

Towing & Payload: 6.5/10

There's no way around the fact that the Tacoma Hybrid falls short of the Colorado's and Ranger's maximum towing capacities — and the Jeep Gladiator's, too, if you're cross-shopping Jeep's truck. Not only that, but the Tacoma Hybrid also trails the non-hybrid Tacoma by 500 pounds of max towing capacity. At least the i-Force Max Hybrid lineup tows 6,000 pounds across the board (except the long-bed Trailhunter, technically, at 5,950 lbs), so you can buy any Tacoma Hybrid knowing it'll tow that much.

The Tacoma Hybrid's max payload figures are more variable. Although the TRD Off-Road Hybrid wins the payload prize at 1,705 lbs, it's the only hybrid model at 1,700 lbs or higher, while the Trailhunter drops as low as 1,425 lbs. As for the cargo bed itself, well, it's five feet long unless you spring for the six-footer on the Trailhunter, so don't expect to have the handiest truck at the construction site. We would have liked to see a Tacoma Hybrid XtraCab, which would combine the shorter wheelbase with the longer bed, but Toyota positions the XtraCab as the entry-level configuration, so that wasn't going to happen.

MPG & Range: 8.0/10

Some will be disappointed that the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain doesn't return mind-blowing fuel economy, and we'll cop to being slightly bummed ourselves about its 24-mpg maximum. Nonetheless, it's the most fuel-efficient midsize truck you can buy as of this writing, and that's impressive considering how much power and torque the hybrid system pumps out. To be precise, it's the Tacoma Hybrid Limited trim that nabs the top combined rating of 24 mpg, while the other Hybrid trims are right behind it at 23 mpg combined (22 city/24 highway). What really jumps out is the i-Force Max's city fuel economy, which no rival can touch.

On the range front, every Tacoma Hybrid is rated at 24 mpg highway, so the 18.2-gallon fuel tank means you're looking at a healthy 437 miles on a road trip until the tank runs dry. But again, the hybrid's most compelling trick is providing almost the same efficiency in the city. You could be flirting with a 400-mile tank even if you're just puttering around locally, and that's a big difference from how non-hybrid trucks operate.

Technology Features: 8.5/10

To an extent, it's a tale of two Tacoma Hybrids on the technology front: The ones with the 14-inch touchscreen (standard on Limited and above; optional in some cases below) and the ones with the base 8-incher, which looks a bit sad embedded within that gray plastic housing. If you want the 14-incher on the TRD Sport i-Force Max or TRD Off-Road i-Force Max, which come standard with the 8-inch unit, you'll have to consult the options list and shell out more cash. The Limited, TRD Pro and Trailhunter all come standard with the bigger screen, but they are all relatively expensive, too.

Regarding safety technology, every Tacoma Hybrid comes standard what Toyota refers to as "Safety Sense 3.0," a package that includes adaptive cruise control (ACC) — a most welcome standard feature. Also standard is lane-keeping assist, which combines with ACC to get you pretty close to autonomous driving, albeit with your hand on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Possibly less welcome, depending on your perspective, are the standard lane-departure warning and forward collision alert systems with emergency braking, but Toyota does tend to calibrate these systems better than most, minimizing false alarms.

Value & Warranty: 8.0/10

We downgraded the Tacoma Hybrid a bit here relative to its non-hybrid stablemates, simply because it's not a faster truck, and it's not a dramatically more fuel-efficient truck, but it is a significantly more expensive truck. On the other hand, you get a generous 10-year/150,000-mile warranty on the hybrid battery, so there's extra peace of mind to balance out the extra complexity of the powertrain.

The rest of the factory warranty is nothing special, even if the 2-year/25,000-mile free maintenance program is a nice perk. But Toyota knows it doesn't have to pump up its warranty to give buyers confidence, and the Tacoma's astronomical resale value has historically been like a separate warranty against depreciation. We don't expect the hybrid variants to buck this trend.

X Factor: 8.5/10

Toyota clearly killed it with the new Tacoma's styling, giving the Tundra's designers an object lesson in how to make a truck look right. Having said that, our X Factor score is slightly lower for the Tacoma Hybrid, because it could have been a perfect 10 if the hybrid powertrain had laid waste to the standard 2.4T setup. The fact that the acceleration isn't clearly better gives us a mild case of sadface. Seriously, if you're gonna call it "i-Force MAX," it had better dominate the regular i-Force engine, right? Nonetheless, the hybrid lineup is still a bunch of awesome trucks that look great, drive pretty great and go just about anywhere. Gotta tip your cap to that.

Bottom Line

You could look at the Tacoma Hybrid as a Land Cruiser pickup truck that trounces the non-hybrid Tacoma on power, torque and fuel economy — or you could dismiss it as a significantly pricier Tacoma that doesn't move the needle on acceleration, towing or payload. Or maybe you're somewhere in between. In any case, it's still one of the coolest trucks on the road, even if it won't be everyone's cup of tea.