Toyota Tacoma |
|---|
|
| Topic Navigation |
|---|
|
Wikipedia: Toyota Tacoma
Page Sections History Photographs Article Index Documents |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Toyota Tacoma page on 18 September 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Toyota Tacoma is a pickup truck manufactured in the U.S. by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota since 1995. The first generation Tacoma, model years 1995½ through 2004, was classified as a compact pickup. The second generation was classified as mid-size. The Tacoma was Motor Trend Magazine's Truck of the Year for 2005.
As of 2015, the Toyota Tacoma is sold in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Bermuda, Chile, and the French territory of New Caledonia.
First generation (January 1995–August 2004)
The Tacoma was introduced in the US in February 1995 (March 1995 market launch) as a replacement for the Hilux, which prior to this was marketed in the US under the name Toyota Pickup. Compared with the Hilux, the Tacoma is engineered with a greater priority on ride quality, handling, comfort, and safety over ruggedness and payload capacity. The design is intended to better suit the needs of the US and Canadian pickup truck market, where pickup trucks, particularly compact and mid-sized models, are often used as personal vehicles, and less exclusively for commercial, agricultural, and off road use. The name was derived from the Coast Salish peoples' name for Mt. Rainier in Washington state.
Development began in 1989, following launch of the fifth generation Toyota Pickup in late 1988 and concluded in 1994. Design work was done at Calty Design Research in California from 1990 to 1992, when Kevin Hunter's exterior design proposal was chosen in the autumn of 1991 and in final form, frozen for production in 1992. Patents for the production design were filed in Japan in April 1993 and October 28, 1993 in the United States.
Second generation (August 2004–August 2015)
In 2000, Toyota began development of the second generation Tacoma under chief engineer Chikuo Kubota. The majority of development work was handled by Hino in Japan. Designers Shigeya Hattori and Hideo Karikomi of Hino, won the internal design competition in 2001. Final designs were frozen for production in 2002 and patents filed on July 3, 2003, with test mules being tested from early 2003. Prototypes were built later in 2003, with development ending in the second quarter of 2004.
On February 4, 2004 at the Chicago Auto Show, Toyota unveiled a bigger and more powerful Tacoma. This new Tacoma was available in eighteen different configurations, that included three cab configurations, four transmissions, two engines, and two bed lengths. The three cab configurations consist of regular cab, access cab, and double cab. The transmissions come in 4-speed automatic, 5-speed automatic, 5-speed manual, and 6-speed manual. Beds are: 6 ft (1.8 m) long bed, and 5 ft (1.5 m) short bed. The Tacoma's 4.0-liter 1GR-FE V6 took the place of the original 3.4-liter 5VZ-FE V6. The new V6 had many enhancements, such as a tow rating of 6,500 lb (2,948 kg), and a payload capacity of 1,650 lb (748 kg). It produces 236 horsepower (176 kW) and 266 lb⋅ft (361 N⋅m) of torque. The smaller, but all-new 2.7-liter 2TR-FE 4-cylinder alternative in less expensive models is rated at 159 hp (119 kW) and 180 lb⋅ft (244 N⋅m). of torque.
Third generation (September 2015–present)
The new Tacoma was officially unveiled at the January 2015 Detroit Auto Show with United States sales following in September 2015.
The truck has a new exterior profile taking styling cues from the 2014 model year 4Runner SUV and the 2014 model year Tundra pickup and features a much more aggressive and masculine look, with a larger grill and new projector beam headlamps. The tailgate and bed were redesigned and featured a debossed Tacoma logo as well as an infused spoiler. New character lines were also observed on the truck as well as an air dam in front of the vehicle – these new features will likely assist in added fuel economy.
Under the hood Toyota offers a 2.7 Liter I4 paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission or the existing 5-speed manual and a 3.5-liter V6 which runs Toyota's D-4S system switching from port to direct injection based on driving conditions and runs on the Atkinson cycle using VVT-iW variable valve timing. The 3.5-liter V6 delivers 278 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. This engine is offered in both a 6-speed automatic and manual transmissions. EPA-estimated city/highway/combined mpg for the 4x2 automatic is 19/24/21 and 18/23/20 for the 4x4 automatic. Based on the SAE J2807 tow guidelines the Tacoma can tow up to 6,800 lb (3,100 kg) with the added tow package.
In addition to this, Toyota updated the truck's frame by adding more high strength steel in order to increase the truck's rigidness and to drop weight. The body is also constructed using ultra-high strength steel that will be integrated using a new hot stamping process that reduces weight. Toyota also updated the suspensions, rear differentials and rear axle to improve the truck's road manners while still keeping it off-road capable. The truck is available in 6 distinct trims, these are the base SR, mid-level SR5, TRD Off Road, TRD Sport, Limited, and range topping TRD Pro. The truck is offered in Access Cab and Double Cab configurations with the long or short bed sizes. The Regular Cab model was not carried over for the new generation pickup. The interior of the pickup gets a complete overhaul as well. Using a handle-bar theme, Toyota made the interior of the Tacoma more luxurious and added a larger touchscreen display as well as an all new instrument panel. Soft-touch materials also replaced the previous generations hard plastics. A leather option was added. Toyota has also used an acoustic windshield, better insulated doors, as well as more weather stripping to reduce road and wind noise. For the first time Toyota will offer dual climate control in the newly refined Tacoma.
 |
Subject: 2012 Toyota Tacoma
Source: Parts.OlatheToyota.com Event: 2012 New York International Auto Show 
View photo of 2012 Toyota Tacoma - 292KB |
 |
Subject: Toyota Tacoma modified by Scosche
Source: Scosche Date: 2 February 2018 License: Pexels View photo of Toyota Tacoma modified by Scosche - 2.2MB |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 6 November 2005 | 2006 Toyota Tacoma | Stuart Simpson |
| 6 April 2012 | Lift Kits and Your Toyota Truck Warranty - What You Should Know  | Jason Lancaster |
| 11 March 2014 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance | Federal Register: NHTSA (Claude H. Harris) |
| 17 June 2015 | Toyota fixes Tacoma’s most annoying issue for 2016 | John Goreham |
| 8 July 2015 | Consumer Reports - 2015 Toyota Tacoma ride like being stung by wasps | John Goreham |
| 24 August 2015 | 2016 Tacoma TRD - Goodyear beats out BF Goodrich K/O Michelin ORP | John Goreham |
| 24 September 2015 | Why is this 2016 Tacoma tackling tire piles? | John Goreham |
| 3 January 2020 | Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance | Federal Register: NHTSA (Otto G. Matheke III) |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| October 1998 | Remote, Redesigned Air Bag Special Study 1998 Toyota Tacoma National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |  PDF - 601KB - 9 pages |
| March 1999 | Remote, Redesigned Air Bag Special Study 1998 Toyota Tacoma pickup National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1,203KB - 9 pages |
| 31 March 2003 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 201: Occupant Protection in Interior Impact 2003 Toyota Tacoma Pick-Up National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 2.1MB - 53 pages |
| 14 May 2003 | Vehicle Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 208 for Occupant Crash Protection: Sled Test 2003 Toyota Tacoma National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 6.9MB - 194 pages |
| 20 December 2003 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 201: Occupant Protection in Interior Impact, Upper Interior Head Impact Protection 2003 Toyota Tacoma Pick-Up National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 8.9MB - 204 pages |
| 26 April 2004 | Vehicle Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 208 for Occupant Crash Protection: Sled Test 2003 Toyota Tacoma Truck National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 3.2MB - 225 pages |
| 20 May 2005 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 201U: Occupant Protection in Interior Impact, Upper Interior Head Impact Protection 2005 Toyota Tacoma Pick-up National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 13.2MB - 182 pages |
| 3 August 2005 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 225: "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems" 2005 Toyota Tacoma National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 4.8MB - 87 pages |
| September 2005 | On-Site Certified Advanced 208-Compliant Vehicle Investigation Vehicle - 2005 Toyota Tacoma National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 442KB - 13 pages |
| November 2005 | Certified Advanced 208 Compliant Vehicle Investigation / Vehicle to Vehicle 2006 Toyota Tacoma National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1,982KB - 18 pages |
| 22 November 2006 | Vehicle Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS 208, Occupant Crash Protection; FMVSS 212, Windshield Mounting; FMVSS 219, Windshield Intrustion (Partial); FMVSS 301, Fuel System Integrity 2006 Toyota Tacoma Truck National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 18.4MB - 334 pages |
| 23 November 2007 | Safety Compliance Testing for FMVSS No. 124: Accelerator Control Systems 2007 Toyota Tacoma, Truck National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 7.5MB - 92 pages |
| December 2007 | Calspan Sudden Acceleration Investigation Vehicle: 2007 Toyota Tacoma National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 372KB - 14 pages |
| January 2010 | On-Site Office of Defects Investigation Potential Unintended Acceleration Investigation Vehicle - 2008 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | PDF - 1,972KB - 18 pages |
