On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, May 20, 2000

Small refinements make for fine 2000 Tacoma

When it comes to Toyota trucks, all the ink these days is going to the new! new! new! full-size Tundra pickup, which has basically taken the Truck World by storm: First, because it represents a quantum leap from its previous sorta-full-size-but-not-really T100 pickup, and, second, because by any reasonable standard it is just one heck of a truck, what with its silken but authoritative V-8, its nimble suspension, and . . . well, you get the idea.
   However . . . this does not alter the fact that - at least for the moment - the smaller Tacoma pickup looms larger for Toyota in the long term than does big brother, if only because Toyota's capacity for stamping out Tundras is limited.
   So: What's shakin' in Tacoma-land? Well . . . refinement. Honing. Incremental improvements.
   That, of course, is just another way of saying: Not Much. The 1999 Tacoma was a worthy, virtuous, well-built little pickup. The 2000 Tacoma is a worthy, virtuous, well-built little pickup.
   New colors, new lights
   Oh, all right: For 2000, the Tacoma gets (bleah) daytime running lights. And a new appearance package, and some new paint hues. Satisfied?
   Our tester, as it happened was a mid-line SR5 Xtracab (i.e., extended-cab) Stepside (i.e., featuring a retro-look cargo bed with bulges for the rear wheels). It toted enough options to drive the bottom line up from a shade over 16 thou to a cool 20 grand.
   Of all the add-ons, by far the most worthwhile was the 3.4-liter, 190-horsepower V-6. This is not to say it delivers volcanic performance; rather, it's enough to keep the truck from being a real slug. The other two engines available - 2.4- and 2.7-liter fours producing 143 and 150 hp respectively - would be too grim to contemplate unless fuel economy were your be-all and end-all. (In that regard, the V-6 gives a better-than-decent account of itself: With the automatic transmission in our tester, it returned 25 mpg on a trip to the Valley - and on regular, at that.)
   The driving experience is . . . businesslike. Let's face it: Pickups being configured as they are, with most of the weight concentrated up front (unless you're hauling a couple of dozen bags of concrete mix) and a stiffly sprung rear, exhilaratin' handling just isn't in the cards.
   Even taking that into account, however, it did seem to me as though our tester was a little more averse to sharp steering inputs than your average bear. Granted, we're not talking lightning-like reflexes in any pickup, but the Tacoma tended to stagger a bit in the serpentines.
   Another point - not, admittedly, a big deal, but mildly bothersome: The gearshift lever for the AT and the wand for the wipers share space on the right side of the steering column. Additionally, the cruise control hitches a ride on the right side of the steering wheel. This can make for a certain amount of angst: activating the wipers when you want to shift into Reverse . . . you get the picture.
   Big radio knobs
   However . . .Ergonomics-wise, the Tacoma boasts one feature that almost brought tears of gratitude to my eyes: The stereo/tape player/CD deck offers two great big old knobs: One for on/off and volume, the other for manual tuning. (The previous week's Solara convertible had the same arrangement, I should point out.) Hot dang! One small, but immensely valuable, step away from fiddly, flat-faced radios.
   The stretch-cab format is a plus, too. Indeed, in these trucklets, the extra space is virtually mandatory. The padded fold-down rear bench was pretty grim, but the space available when you fold it up does make the Tacoma a lot more useful and accommodating when it comes to stowing gear.
   Excellent, supportive seats, by the way. Nothing spectacular to look at - covered in rugged-looking fabric on our Tacoma - but there's lumbar support right where you need it, and plenty of legroom.
   Reliability, quality, longevity
   Withal, the Tacoma remains what it has been from its inception. a rational, adult vehicle.
   Note: If you're feeling silly, you can go the PreRunner route, which gets you a 2-wheel-drive pickup with the "rugged look" (quoth Toyota) of a 4WD truck: In other words, the jacked-up suspension and stiff-legged ride of a 4WD, but without the 4WD capability. Is that a deal, er whut?
   Something like our tester, though, makes far more sense. And if you need a little more room inside, I hear a crew-cab version is in the pipeline.
   Either way, you get that bulletproof Toyota reliability, build quality and longevity. And if that costs you a few friends down the road in the roadside-mechanic community . . . well, that's the price you pay. Nobody rides for free.
  
   Toyota Tacoma Xtracab Stepside