A lot of you have recently asked us whether Toyota will add a turbo-diesel option to the Tacoma. From all of the information we gathered from Toyota and other sources, it is highly unlikely that a Tacoma diesel will arrive at your local dealership any time soon. Are there other options to improve fuel economy, while maintaining off-road, payload, and towing capabilities? A gas/electric hybrid could be a solution in the interim, before we are able to get hydrogen fuel-cell or full-electric battery-fed pickup trucks.
Both turbo-diesels and gas/electric hybrids bring addition curb weight and initial cost. Both offer improved fuel economy and additional torque. However, the gas/electric hybrid may be a simpler solution to meet stringent emissions standards.
Note: Check this out for the latest of 2018 Toyota Tacoma specs and options.
The question is: would you buy a Tacoma Hybrid if it delivered significantly better city fuel economy (around 6 MPG more than you are getting now), while potentially costing about $2,200 extra? Where am I getting these numbers? It’s based on the current 2017 Toyota Hilander V6 AWD and Hilander Hybrid V6 AWD.
Hilander V6 AWD: 20/27/23 MPG and starting price: $34,140
Hilander Hybrid V6 AWD: 30/28/29 MPG and starting price: $36,270
Toyota has not made any official announcements about a Tacoma Hybrid at this time. However, your feedback in this poll and the comments below could help them make a business case for such a truck.
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Here is the Tacoma TRD Pro, tackling the difficult Cliffhanger 2.0 trail.
