2016 Toyota Tacoma specs: A midsize truck reincarnated

[photo: YouTube screen capture/The New York Times]

Toyota's Tacoma line may have been long quiet and almost forgotten, but it looks like a new and the first seriously revised edition will be out in the midst.

Although the previous version left a lot to be desired, it looks like the 2016 Toyota Tacoma is something that shows a lot of promise. It brings a combination of a total overhaul on the inside and that comes with overwhelming power when you think about a reliable off-road midsize truck.

Despite the fact that the Toyota Tacoma seems built for the rough roads, it will not be surprising to find it being used on city roads as well. Well, why not?

With a totally new stylish design and refined interiors, the Toyota Tacoma can certainly give other upcoming trucks some competition. This, of course, refers to the potential arrival of trucks such as the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier, pickups that should be hitting the marketplace pretty soon as well.

Inside, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma comes with a cozy cabin and a pretty comfortable feel.

Under the hood, the pickup is definitely lacking in power. Take for instance the SR entry-level variant which comes packed with a 2.7-liter, four cylinder engine that can render 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque with manual transmission. You get all that for about $25,000. Not bad at all.

Now if you want to pamper yourself a bit, the souped up version could be of more interest. There is a 3.5-liter, six-cylinder fuel-injected engine variant that is complemented with 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque with a smooth six-speed automatic transmission.

Making the ride even smoother are some high performance Bilstein shocks. Inside, you get a high-end JBL audio system to boot. Would $37,665 for such a setup be sanely reasonable?

From the looks of it, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma has improved immensely inside and out, and should be something to look forward to — particularly for the big boys who prefer the big bad trucks for their daily driving, both in the city and off-road.