It’s here! Take your first gander at the 2016 Toyota Tacoma

By Andrew Hard January 8, 2015

The 2016 Toyota Tacoma is debuting next week at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and as of now, we know very little about the all-new pickup.

We do know what it’ll look like, however, because the first batch of official images have surfaced online in anticipation of the compact’s full reveal.

Overall, the truck doesn’t look all that different from the current model, which has remained painfully unchanged for over a decade (the second generation debuted in September 2004). To be fair, the ‘Taco’ has been America’s best-selling mid-size pickup for the last ten years or so, so there was never any rush.

The new model features a sharper, more modern front end, with redesigned headlights and an angular grill not unlike the Ford Fusion’s. The styling of the Double-Cab 4×4 shown is congruent with the full-size Toyota Tundra, but to be honest, we’d take anything at this point.

The brand promises “new, rugged tech” on the all-new Tacoma, and it will definitely equip a V6 option. Hopefully, it will use the 3.5-liter unit from the 2015 Camry. The engine produces 268 horsepower, 32 more than the current Tacoma’s 4.0-liter mill.

If we’re to take the big air dam below the front bumper as evidence, the Toyota will likely prioritize fuel efficiency. To be top dog, it’ll have to beat the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon’s 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway benchmarks. The current model manages 21 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway.

The Tacoma’s main competition will remain the Colorado/Canyon and the Nissan Frontier for the 2016 model year. It is expected to debut on Monday, so count on full details early next week.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

Cars

Here’s why your Uber or Lyft car always seems to be a Toyota Camry

2018 Toyota Camry

Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft rely on drivers to provide their own cars, which should mean endless variety for riders. But drivers seem to prefer one car over others. The Wall Street Journal has confirmed what many riders likely suspected: Uber and Lyft drivers love the Toyota Camry.

A 2018 report by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, the agency that regulates for-hire vehicles in the Big Apple, found that 38 percent of the 72,000 app-dispatched cars in the city were Camrys, noted The Wall Street Journal. In comparison, the second-place Honda Accord only accounted for 11 percent of ride-share cars, according to the report.

Mobile

The 6 best car phone holders in 2024

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger with an iPhone 14 Pro.

Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Car Charger Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Installing a car phone mount in your vehicle is the best way to make sure that you have easy access to your smartphone when behind the wheel. While you shouldn't be using your phone while driving, having it mounted on your windshield, dashboard, vent, or anywhere else will let you take a quick glance when you're using a navigation app, or to change your playlist when you stop for a traffic light, for example. Instead of having to pick up your device, it will be easier and faster to get these done while it's on a car phone mount for less time of having your eyes off the road.

Cars

Should you buy a used EV? Maybe, but it’s complicated

Electric cars are slowly but surely getting cheaper. Over the past year or so, Ford and Tesla have been discounting their most popular electric cars while other brands, like Rivian, are laying the groundwork for all-new cheaper models.

But you'd still be hard-pressed to call electric cars cheap, and buying a completely new car in the first place is a hurdle in and of itself for many potential buyers. According to Statista, used car sales represented around 74% of all car sales in 2022, and while this figure is likely to change as electric cars get cheaper, the fact remains that most car buyers would prefer to save cash and buy used rather than buy something new.
Buying a new car ain't what it used to be
Buying a car with an electric powertrain doesn't necessarily need to be all that different from buying an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. But there's a little more to it than that.