2020 Toyota Tacoma is the same ol' truck with much better tech
Most of the update's focus on tech, but it does look a little different, too.
No truck has withstood the test of time quite like the Toyota Tacoma. When everything else is burned and broken, there will still be Tacos roaming the land. But Toyota's done a good job of keeping its midsize pickup fresh year after year, and for 2020, the Tacoma gets a huge upgrade in the onboard tech department.
The most notable update on the 2020 Toyota Tacoma is a new infotainment system. With a standard 7-inch touchscreen, growing to 8 inches on the SR5 trim and up, this new head unit will carry Android Auto , Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility, that last coming in handy if you didn't remember to turn on lights or set the thermostat.
Other tech upgrades are relegated to specific trims. The TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro trims get Multi Terrain Monitor, which is borrowed from the Land Cruiser and adds cameras to help the vehicle maneuver off-road. Limited trims get a surround-view camera system as standard, but it also makes an appearance on the TRD Pro trim, and it's available on lesser trims as an option.
On the safety front, every Tacoma comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense-P, which adds forward collision warning, automatic braking, lane departure warning, automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control. As of this writing, it's the only midsize truck to have all that as standard equipment, but the Jeep Gladiator will soon double that company.
Functional upgrades help protect the Tacoma when you head off the beaten track.
The visual changes are light. Just about every trim gets a new grille and new or updated wheel designs. The base SR and SR5 trims also gets new, darker taillight housings, and the SR5 also picks up new seat fabric designs and available daytime running lights. The TRD Sport gets chrome taillight inserts, LED fog lamps and a new LED bed lamp. The top Limited trim gets standard LED headlights and the same chrome taillight inserts.
As for the 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro, the most off-road-capable variant Toyota makes, it gets a new set of wheels that are about 4 pounds lighter than the last set. The Fox shocks and rear springs have been retuned to accommodate the lighter wheels, to boot.
As before, two powertrains are available. There's a 2.7-liter, naturally aspirated I4 putting out 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, as well as a 3.5-liter V6 putting out 278 hp and 265 lb-ft. A six-speed automatic is standard, but the V6 can be mated to a six-speed manual, too. All V6 Tacomas come standard with a tow kit that includes a hitch, an engine oil cooler, a power steering cooler, an automatic transmission fluid cooler and a 130-amp alternator.
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