It's looking mighty grim for the Dakota replacement. Just sayin'

wanna be Ford raptor

Toyota might as well just keep the Tacoma line up and kill off the Tundra line up.

It will be a good seller, getting a refresh at a great time. I had to laugh though, looking at the skid plates. Geez they look even weaker than the Raptor's plates... you know the ones that Oxi and Jake denounced last week.
Overall a good looking truck though.

fully revised exterior? looks the same to me.

Beautiful.......................Country Picture!!!

ok...
ford is killing ranger,
gm is killing colorado/canyon,
dodge is killing dakota.
tacoma is the best selling midsize truck.
GO FIGURE....

That's the 2011 model pictured at top. New one will likely be 2012MY.

Can we get a small diesel like the Hilux yet?

A small turbo-diesel, please! There are 2.8 TDs that make over 300 pound feet of torque from 1,500 rpm up and get great mpgs.

New engines will be the key here.

I'm a weekend warrior, so id prefer the smaller size of the Tacoma.. but if I can get an F-150 Ecoboost that gets better fuel economy.. why would I pass that up?

Especially with gas prices that will only increase over the life of the vehicle, 20mpg hwy doesn't cut it.

Why Do they still make these trucks

they get the same fuel economy like the bigger trucks
it no point buying them now

@Kamijou,

That's about to change with the new engine!

Great news for Tacoma fans. Will the updated model be in the next 1 ton truck shoot out? ;)

haha your right the background looks nice... they need a different set of rims on that truck tho and it would look a lot nicer just my 2 cents worth... its a nice looking truck either way.

Mike and PUTC always seem to capture great background pictures!

Not only are they truck enthusiast, but great photographers as well.

As usual, this leaves Nissan bringing up the rear.

Seriously...when can we get some real info on the next-gen Frontier and Titan?

@ oxi - you could run your Taco on methane.

Is it still going to be as big as a house ? just give us the dam Toyota Hilux already and be done with it .

Yeah I'd take the hilux with a small diesel.

@Frank, I agree, the mountains look great. Nice pines in the foreground too. Somebody's car got in the way of a good photo though.

I agree with CB. The Nissan's seemed to be looked over. The Tacoma is nice but it is almost as big as a full size used to be. We need a small truck in the market to compete with the Frontier. Dodge are you listening... Bring back the D-50.

A diesel would be slicker than owl sh!=. Hard to think about trucks tho with this mess in Washington. I freaking hate our government.

@UncleBud - agreed. I just read the news. Scary. Who's running the government? General Motors?

Now the Tacoma is going to be the size Fullsizes were a decade ago...lol

@Lou, NOBODY is running our government! It's unbelievable. Know anybody hiring in Canada?

@ Mike Levine

When can we expect to see the new motors for the Tacoma?

When you say new motors does that mean completely new to Toyota or just new to the Tacoma. I've been wondering why they haven't put the updated 4.0 Liter V6 (Dual VVT-i) that is used in the 4Runner, FJ, and Tundra (More hp, torque and fuel economy, what's not to like?)? Instead they have kept the single VVT-i 4.0 in the Tacoma.

Thanks for the great update!

I am a Ford guy, but I like the Tacoma. Perfect size, serious offroad capability, and offered in 4-door. The only problem is that it doesn't get significantly better fuel economy than the full-size trucks. If Toyota gets the 4x4 Tacoma to 23mpg hwy, then it would wake up the mid-size truck market.

There's no reason they can't get better fuel economy vs half ton pickups. There're small, lighter, less aero drag. In the past the oversized tires/wheels had to be a drag on mpg.

Spy shots take on a look of the Tundra. More aerodynamic, softer angles.

http://tinyurl.com/3thljue

New exterior? Hopefully they ditch those horrible "half D" wheel wells for some proper circular ones. And could Toyota stop making the fronts of their vehicles look like a cross-eyed pig?

Those are my only two requests, the rest should be fine.

Ford, GM, and Chrysler are making a big mistake not making a smaller truck. Toyota and Nissan will be the only ones to make midsize trucks unless GM follows thru with the Colorado/
Canyon replacements which would still be too big and too expensive. All the manufactures have abandoned the compact truck market. Ford should update the Ranger with side airbags, more efficient motors and transmissions and keep the size where it is. Toyota and Nissan would do well to come up with a compact truck no bigger than their 80s versions and sell these with their current trucks. Reduce the prices and update them but do not load them with too many options. The right compact trucks at a competitive price.

@Kamijou- because they can sell over 100k of them a year, giving only small discounts. DUH!
@Taylor- ARGH! apples to apples, the hilux isn''t really smaller than the Taco.
@Bob- when Toyota introduced the the 1UR for the Tundra, they called it a new engine, although it had been in use in the Lexus for some time. When they uprated the 1GR, they did NOT call it a new engine, so we can hope for that, and something more. I would expect the V6 to show up with Direct injection, adding some power and economy. There's no reason they couldn't offer the A760 six speed with it, instead of the A750. Could also be the TR 4 cyl with direct injection- that would be sweet! We can only dream that they will bring the 1 or 2KD diesel- Toyota did buy diesel emissions equipment for their Ann Arbor facility a while ago. Maybe they'll finaly get some product.

Does if finally get the 6 speed automatic version of the 5 speed automatic (the extra gear is a taller overdrive, which allows for a shorter axle ratio)

Will Toyota's new 2.7 replace the old 2.7?
Possible 8 speed automatic with the 4 cylinder?

@ joe "The Tacoma is nice but it is almost as big as a full size used to be. We need a small truck in the market to compete with the Frontier."

How is tacoma any bigger than a frontier??

i don't see y peeps keep saying the taco is almost as big as a fullsize. the dimensions rn't even close.

taking a crewcab short bed 4wd

taco:
width = 72.2(w/out flares)
length = 208.1
height = 70.1

f150:
width = 79.2
length = 231.9
height = 75.9

tundra:
width = 79.9
length = 228.7
height = 76

a couple months away for the 2012 Tacoma's to start hitting the lots. Dealers should start showing them in "A" status in the next couple weeks. production if on schedule should start the first week of Sept. in the San Antonio plant and in Baja for the small handful that they build down there for our market. I cant wait to see the changes, the new entune system should be available making it one of the first Toyota vehicles to offer it.

@ uh huh

I think its because the truck has bold broad lines that make it appear bigger than it really is. and givin the length of a double cab long bed its not as far off. although that truck isnt super popular. length is 221.3" and its wheelbase is a huge 140.6 vs. the standard 127.4 wheelbase on the normal length bed. by comparison the Tundra's normal setup wheelbase is 145.7.

@ Mrknowital
The Hilux may not be smaller than the Tacoma but its a dam lot better looking and the Hilux is actually world rated and used in roughest places on earth while the Tacoma is mall rated .

@Taylor- I don't know if you should talk that way about oxi's beloved Tacoma. The one global market truck I'd like to have in the States is the L200, as it actually IS smaller and has a full time T-case.

Get the MPG's above 25 on the 4 door with a new engine, possibly diesel, and you'll have a winner.

Very interested but not with the old motor.

@Taylor,

Mall rated

That must make the F-150 Wal-Mart rated then!

I agree with many of the posters - there needs to be a significant increase in MPG. That is why I bought an F150 over a Tacoma. Similar MPG and cost but superior capacity and versatility.

I shopped the little trucks before, even had a Dakota for a few years. The engine was part of the reason I didn't even consider an (overpriced) Taco, plus towing up to 6,000 might be in it's rating but it's pushing it. They still have flat springs. Oh well, they just don't serve MY PURPOSE. Ram is missing it big. They could be putting an aluminum (they need to move forward on that) 5.7 Hemi in a Dakota and if they fixed up a few things. Like better shocks on the front. Leaks in the cab. A better auto trans 6 speed. Add a long bed to the quad/crew cab, instead of the little 5'3 bed. Such as Taco and Frontiers have. And the Pentastar V-6. Put that in there with a 6 speed manual available (and cheaper!) Part of it is that truck has such a heavy frame, almost too strong. Too heavy.

@Lou,

"That is why I bought an F150 over a Tacoma. Similar MPG and cost but superior capacity and versatility."

You will end up having higher operational and maint. costs of the F-150 over the long term. The Tacoma is lower when it comes to costs and better at reliability...

Also the Tacoma will retain its value better than an F-150 over 5 years!

The 4.0L in the current 4Runner will be the top motor for the next Tacoma...

I am guessing they will enhance the 2.7L as the base...

The new motor could be a diesel but I am guessing it will be a hybrid of sorts, good for small businesses like courier services, etc...

By the end of this decade their will be a diesel in a Tacoma, 4-cylinder with the new CAFE standards Obama has laid out...

The chassis and drivetrain works, so why change it right?

Well they could freshen it up likewise. They need to go back to 4 or 5 leaf springs and enhance their front coils sprung suspension but when the competition is heading to the border and leaving this great nation, I guess Toyota will change the body, interior and maybe a new engine...

Thanks Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota and GM Colorado for being lousy competitors! Toyota is slowing its developments in the Tacoma because you guys suck!

Some of the notable refresh items will be:

Engine oil cooler...

Upgraded alternator, whatever that means...

Class IV weight distribution hitch, towing will be increaded to 6,500 lbs. rating...

Water repellant seats and some other sheep goodies inside...

Their is rumored to be a Baja edition Tacoma next year!

As far as a total redesign, sorry another 3 years thanks to the lack of competition in this segment. Wayy to go Ford, GM and that other brand!

@oxi: I think all 2012 SR5 models will be able to tow 6,500 lbs. Before, it was an option package to tow 6,500 lbs.

As for a redesign, my understanding was 2015 but it's been pushed back to 2017 or 2018 because of the economy.

"it's been pushed back to 2017 or 2018"

Oh snap.

oxi, who the heck buys a truck thinking about its resale value? and every truck needs some kind of work done to it from time to time. My F150 has needed nothing but oil and gasoline for the 3 years and 30,000 miles i have owned it. I bought it used in 08 with 54000 on it. No problems at all, and the last time i was at the dealer i got offered almost as much as I paid for it on a trade in for a new truck, so it seems to be holding value pretty well...