Whether you are looking for an everyday workhorse, an off-road plaything, or an on-road style machine, Toyota has a Tacoma for you. This one, the TRD Sport, falls into that last category: a midsize pickup truck oozing with style but with a preference for smooth pavement.
Photo: Tim Stevens
Not much has changed for 2026 in the Tacoma, which just saw some major updates for the 2024 model year. For the 2026 model year, there is a new color (the striking Heritage Blue you see here), plus a few minor options and design tweaks across the lineup.
The 2026 Tacoma is available in SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, TrailHunter, and TRD Pro trim levels, with two engines and either rear- or four-wheel drive (4WD). Base prices range from $34,190 to $66,395, including the destination charge.
For this 2026 Tacoma review, Toyota provided a test vehicle equipped with TRD Sport 4WD Double Cab trim and the i-Force Max engine, along with the following options:
The test vehicle’s manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $57,119, including the $1,595 destination charge to ship the truck from the Guanajuato, Mexico, assembly plant to a local dealership. The price does not reflect any current rebates, incentives, or price adjustments since Toyota manufactured the test vehicle.
Photo: Tim Stevens
This new, muted shade of blue may be the Tacoma's biggest change in 2026, but it is a good one. It is a subtle color, yet it still turned heads wherever I went. It also works incredibly well with the TRD Sport's extremely angular lines and abundant black trim.
The interior, however, is a little more discordant. Toyota's designers selected a mash-up of clashing textures and materials for the Tacoma's new interior. It is all too busy and clunky for me, and other than the Softex seat upholstery, the material selection here is mostly hard plastics. In other words, it is not pleasant to look at and is not much better to touch.
That said, I do respect Toyota for maintaining a wealth of tactile controls. From the stacked knobs that select drivetrain modes to the chunky temperature controls, you will not find yourself reaching for the 14-inch touchscreen too often. I also appreciated the dedicated buttons for the surround view camera and even a row of auxiliary switches for adding more lighting or other powered accessories.
The TRD Sport is tall, so getting into the driver's seat may require a bit of a hoist, but there are two grab handles mounted inside the truck to easily pull yourself in. Once there, the driver's seat is extremely comfortable, with plenty of support and heating that had me sweating even on very cold test days. There is ventilation, too, for those warmer days.
Sadly, rear seating is not nearly as generous. I stand six feet tall and struggled to wedge myself into the back after setting the driver's seat the way I wanted it. My knees were pressed against the back of the seat ahead, and my head was touching the ceiling.
The Tacoma seats five, but you will struggle to fit five adults in the cab, at least for anything more than a quick run to pick up lunch. The rear seatbacks do fold forward, but there is little room behind them, just enough to fit the truck's standard jack.
You will find plenty of other storage cubbies throughout, including multiple pockets in the doors, the center console, and even the dashboard. The best place to put your cargo, though, is out back in the bed.
My Double Cab TRD Sport had a five-foot bed, which Toyota says can carry up to 1,620 pounds of cargo. The bed is made of a rust-resistant, strong composite material, so you probably will not need a bed liner. Every 2026 Tacoma features a power-release tailgate that you can open directly from the key fob. The TRD Sport I tested also had a power-close mechanism.
When it comes time to tow, the TRD Sport is rated for 6,000 pounds, with a 640-pound tongue weight. There is a trailer brake controller in the cabin, and when you connect a trailer, the blind spot warning system extends to cover whatever you are towing. The Tacoma also includes a variety of aids and guides on the digital dashboard to help you connect your trailer and make backing up a breeze.
Photo: Tim Stevens
Beyond all those buttons and knobs, the 2026 Tacoma features a 14-inch touchscreen mounted high on the dashboard, running the company's latest Audio Multimedia infotainment software.
Visually, it is clean and easy to use, a stark contrast to the extremely loud and glaring design elsewhere in the interior. On the left, vertically arranged controls make it quick to jump from media playback to vehicle settings to the integrated navigation system. There is nothing flashy or particularly impressive here, but it is all responsive and has all the features you would want.
The system includes support for:
There is an impressive built-in voice assistant system as well, which handled every request I threw at it, whether asking for coffee or hospitals. The system figured out what I wanted and presented options in seconds. It even turned up the temperature when I said I was feeling cold.
My test truck featured the upgraded 10-speaker JBL sound system, which delivers plenty of power to match this truck's aggressive look. If you are the sort who likes to feel your music as much as hear it, you will want this upgrade. That is paired with a digital gauge cluster loaded with information on everything from drive modes to efficiency and towing.
Photo: Tim Stevens
On the base side of the equation, the 2026 Toyota Tacoma is available with a turbocharged 2.4-liter engine that produces 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque on trucks equipped with the eight-speed automatic transmission, or 270 hp and 310 pound-feet on the base SR with a six-speed manual transmission.
On the other end of the spectrum is Toyota's most powerful Tacoma offering, the i-Force Max, which powered the truck you see here. That i-Force Max system delivers 326 hp and 465 pound-feet of torque by adding a hybrid system to the 2.4-liter four-cylinder. But unlike most hybrids, efficiency was not the priority here. Toyota tunes the engine to improve torque and throttle response.
Still, you will do a bit better than the base truck. My truck, as configured, was rated at 23 mpg combined, compared with 20 mpg combined for the base SR with 4WD. In my mixed testing, I did considerably worse, scoring 18.7 mpg.
So if you are looking for efficiency, this is not your truck. However, if you are looking for power, you will not be disappointed. The TRD Sport with the hybrid engine is quick off the line and delivers strong power and throttle response at any (reasonable) speed. The eight-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and quickly, keeping the engine in its power band when you press the accelerator.
That all makes it good fun when driving around town, and the stiff, street-tuned suspension makes the truck even more engaging through the corners. However, you will pay for it with a loss of ride quality. The Tacoma crashes over bigger bumps and road imperfections, which will not earn many points with your passengers, especially if they are stuck in the back.
Photo: Tim Stevens
Toyota equips the 2026 Tacoma with Safety Sense 3.0, a reasonable suite of active safety systems, including:
My test vehicle also featured a surround view camera, included in the TRD Sport Premium package. That is a useful feature given how large the modern Tacoma is.
On secondary roads, the Tacoma's active lane keeping system occasionally struggled to identify the lane and keep the truck between the lines. But on the highway, where markings were clearer, it tracked straight and true.
The adaptive cruise control had no trouble matching the speeds of other vehicles, and you have the option to disable it entirely and use old-school cruise control.
Regarding safety ratings, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated the 2026 Tacoma Good in most categories, with its headlights and child safety LATCH access rated Acceptable. As of this writing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet tested the 2026 Tacoma.
According to the JD Power 2026 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Hyundai Santa Cruz ranks highest in the Midsize Pickup segment, with the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Maverick ranked second and third, respectively.
According to the JD Power 2025 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, the Hyundai Santa Cruz ranks highest in the Midsize Pickup segment, with the Chevrolet Colorado and Nissan Frontier ranked second and third, respectively.
Other 2026 Tacoma competitors include the Ford Ranger and GMC Canyon.
According to verified owners, the Tacoma earns an award as the highest-ranked model in its segment in the 2026 Vehicle Dependability Study and the 2026 ALG Residual Value Awards.
Toyota's 2026 Tacoma TRD Sport with the i-Force Max engine is fun to drive, and a pleasure to look at, but its harsh on-road manners will not woo everyone. It offers plenty of power and enough buttons and knobs to keep you entertained, but if you live somewhere where rough roads are the norm, you may prefer something with a softer suspension.
Tim Stevens is a veteran automotive and technology journalist with nearly 30 years of experience covering a wide range of topics, from smartphones to supercars. In addition to jdpower.com, his expert perspectives have appeared in numerous national and international outlets, including print, online, and broadcast television.
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