New Hybrid Four Outperforms Old V6

Toyota is rounding out its midsize 2024 Tacoma lineup with one final high-powered hybrid powertrain. The 2.4-liter i-Force Max will deliver 326 horsepower (hp) and 465 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

In our first drive of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma in November we talked about how the most popular midsize truck in America has been redesigned inside and out. The 2024 Tacoma is offered in eight versions starting at SR and SR5, moving through the TRD models and new luxury Limited and overland Trailhunter editions.

The hybrid Tacoma, like its traditionally powered stablemate, excels on trails and rocky roads with a disconnecting stabilizer bar and a 34.4-degree approach angle, 26.1-degree breakover angle and a 26.1-degree departure angle. On the most perilous of trails the off-road cameras were a huge advantage, showing where the tires are going and what’s at the peak of the next big hill.

Less expensive 2024 Toyota Tacoma models come with the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making between 228 and 278 hp but the new i-Force Max, also found in the full-size Tundra pickup, turns the yeoman-like vehicle into a true enthusiast truck.

In addition to clamoring over sharp boulders up steep angles it can also do a Ford Ranger Raptor impersonation going over rocks and desert scrub at high speeds without issue. And, with the new Bilstein remote reservoir shocks it can even handle a little air under all four tires with the right speed and ramp angle.

The i-Force Max pairs the company’s 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a 48-hp electric motor and a 1.87-kWh battery. With both powerplants working it delivers all 465 pound-feet of torque at a low rpm of 1,700 while returning an EPA-estimated 24 miles per gallon combined.

The eight-speed transmission uses a special shifting strategy in the Tacoma that lets it hold onto gears long when going up or downhill, which keeps the powertrain at its most potent range.

Tacoma TRD and new overland-ready Trailhunter versions have part-time four-wheel drive and a two-speed transfer case. An electronic locking rear differential is standard on TRD Off-Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter grades. The luxury-focused i-Force Max Limited grade features a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a center locking differential.

On the highway the i-Force Max Limited trim was smooth and quiet, like the non-hybrid, and passing power is expectedly excellent. The eight-speed shifts quickly and cleanly and will drop a few gears at once when the pedal hits the floor.

The Trailhunter is a little louder with its off-road tires snorkel intake near the passenger window. It pipes the whooshing turbo sounds and snorts right into the cabin if the window is down. Like the less powerful versions, the i-Force Max vehicles have drive modes for Sport and Sport+ Normal and Eco. The Limited grade and its adaptive suspension add a Comfort and a Custom mode.

At $46,300, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma with the i-Force Max is far beyond the truck’s base price of $31,500. But with that new engine the Tacoma ups its competition to the top trims of the midsize truck market like the 405-horsepower Ford Ranger Raptor at $55,470 and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 at $48,395.

Any of the three would be at home climbing rocky trails or bouncing through the desert. The Tacoma outsells all of them by a wide margin and for a good reason. Its combination of aggressive looks and stance, off-road credibility and relatively reasonable price make it tough to pass by for those that go over the hills and through the woods.