If they dont get a better v6 in there,(power and hp) and upgrade to 4 wheel disc brakes, then the Tacoma will definitely lose sales to the Colorado.

They could give it a rattle-can paint job as a new option and it would still be better off road than the Colorado

low seating , feels like you're sitting on the floor
underpowered with horrible gas mileage
too expensive
wheel bearing and suspension issues
no sound and weather insulation
cheap chrome chipping
fuel system repairs
engine eats spark plugs
heater blower motor failures
Toyota doesn't honor the warranty
Toyota oil changes cost $90

This right here is the one everybody has been waiting for! Hope they have an engine like some of the luxury cars run. After driving some Lexus and infinity v6 awd cars, the possibility of a very powerful and efficient gasoline v6 is very high.

All they really need to do powertrain wise is update the motor to the 4 runner spec and add the 6 speed.

18/23 MPG wouldn't be terrible for a refresh.

The interior could use a refresh with better seating and they could brace or rework the frame to improve the ride and capacity a little.

It will have a similar body to the Global Hilux, with an updated V6 engine

The Tacoma already had its midcycle refresh, or what Toyota calls a "minor" (The Tundra just received its minor). This update will be a "major". The big question is if the Tacoma will continue to have a chassis derived from the mid-size Landcruiser or will, as has been widely speculated, once again share a chassis with the Hilux. Nothing with less than 6 gears will do for the higher spec trucks, but I wouldn't surprised at all if the 4speed auto continued for 2wd 4cyl's. I would be shocked if the V6 went away entirely, but I wouldn't expect the same Dual VVTi 1GR-FE that is currently in the 4Runner.
What the Tacoma ISN'T getting (sorry) is a diesel. Some variant of Toyota's new 2L gasoline Turbo has been rumored though.

That second picture ain't no Taco update. That's a Hilux.

Just bring the Global Hilux over and call it a Tacoma. That is all Toyota needs and with a diesel option it would sell.

@UncleBud,
Correct, it is the Hilux being tested. From what I gather it will have the same towing and payload abilities of the Ranger/Mazda, but will be much more carlike in ride /handling /accessories than either

I'm not sure what Toyota could possibly bring to the table but it needs to be substantial and they need to clean up their act. So much needs to be improved. Recently family has had issues with Toyota water pumps and wheel bearing and these vehicles have less than 60k miles. That's just plain ridiculous!

I believe the mid-size market is always going to be a fraction of the full-size market in the US, for at least the foreseeable future.

Why do mid-size trucks sell slowly here? When we still had the Ranger, people did buy them, but they were always outsold be a great margin by full-sized trucks.

Just because GM has offered a more competitive truck for the mid-size market does not mean the market will pick back up. If anything it is going to be saturated.

HEMI MONSTER

The mid size pickup pulls people into the truck market that never considered owning a truck before.
Then after that they are spoiled where they always have to own a truck.
When that mid size truck wears out they get a full size.

The mid size pickup is a perfect alternative to an SUV cause of the 4 doors and roomy interior and you still have a bed to haul household items.
The Colorado-Canyon is going to pull away those SUV customers and the SUV market is HOT !

Ram will never resurrect the Dakota cause their plate is too full cause they also own Jeep
Ford won't bring back the Ranger cause they can't make their F-150's fast enough.

In 2015 the monthly sales numbers will be very interesting to watch. I do know the Colorado-Canyon will be somewhere in the top 3 in sales but its unknown if Ram or the F-150 will be # 1
Safe thinking says the F-150 will be # 1 the Colorado #2, Ram #3 , Silverado #4, Canyon #5
but that's just a guess, it may surprise us all.

I'll be surprised if the mid twins make top 5. I know several guys here think it's akin to the second coming, but logic states otherwise. There is basically nothing wrong with toyota's mid size offering and it didn't actually set sales number records. With the high price and low mpg, plus less capability, what exactly is the draw? I don't believe the smaller package so easier to maneuver and park argument holds water either, else why would crew cab fullsize be the biggest sellers. We'll have to wait and see after the initial dealer orders settle down.

The undisputed KING of the pretend truck segment will be getting what sounds like something that could be called an extensive refresh as opposed to a complete overhaul.

It really is due for a complete overhaul even in a market that has been in decline for some time. If Toyota and GM really do think this is a market worth going after then the Toy has got a lot of catching up to do if its going to rely on more than its rep to stay the king of this shrinking and now more competitive segment.

The Toy already lags behind the Nissan frontier in that it lacks a fully boxed frame and rear disc brakes and the GM twins in just about every way except for reputation.

I don't see the midsized truck market working. Especially with additional competition crowding the market and diluting the pool of profits. Competition from formerly dead models and the light duty full size half ton. I do see a small size truck market working. A market where the competitors keep it light, small and cheap. One that focuses on cheap play over work/luxery/capability. One that a young single man or an old man could wheel around easily and still pretend they have a truck.

If the GM twins don't grow this market considerably by stealing sales from full size half tons and mid sized SUVs like GM thinks they can all that will be left is to take customers from Toy and Nissan. In time this could be possible but even then its a long term slow tough strategy as there aren't a lot of people talking about how horrible their last Taco or Frontier was.

There's a 100k in sales in the midsize market. If you assume there are a couple of American only buyers waiting for a domestic midsize truck and the vehicle appeals to SUV buyer then you have a potential for 150k in sales the first year. The true story will be told in year 2 when Toyota releases their truck. Either the midsize truck market is going to grow 50-100% or sales will drop back to the 100k mark and it may ONLY be Toyota and GM left with 95% of the midsize truck market.

So in your opinion the reason buyers chose crew cab full size is because mid size wasn't available. How do manufacturers force people to choose crew cabs. I bought an extended cab, many were available. Maybe better stop rolling so many empty beer cans.

You didn't finish my quote either. I was plainly talking about full size crew cabs. They are the top sellers, nothing midsize is. There, I did explain it to you so maybe you can understand.

When will everyone wake up? Do you guys seriously not understand why ford and Chrysler stopped making mid sized trucks? They cannot afford the hit to their CAFE average point blank, the other reason is profit margin. They make more on the full size. The tacoma for example is very expensive to build so lower margin on them, another reason for the 10 year wait for a redesign.

I see a lot of prejudice on the new model based on the old one. I think that's a mistake. Looking at the photo above, the new model is significantly larger than the old one--rising out of the "mid-size" range into the "near-full-size" class. The thing is bigger by far than the current version if that photo is a true example.

Somehow I think GM and Toyota are looking at making these new models their full-size platforms by 2020 and probably releasing a completely new set of mid-size trucks that are truly mid-sized or smaller around that time. There's no way they can keep full-sized trucks so large and meet CAFE regulations in 2025.

Weird (not really). People arguing about two different groups of buyers as if those groups would be cross-shopping.

Why are full-sized crew cab trucks so popular for non-truckers? Two words: Cabin Size. The full sized truck is the ONLY vehicle available in the US with the level of comfort and room that used to be the exclusive domain of the American luxury car like Cadillac and Lincoln. American full-sized crew cab pickup trucks have flat REPLACED those noted luxury brands because neither of them offers the ride comfort or the space in their new, smaller packages. Meanwhile, Lincoln and Cadillac both now focus more on sports-car level performance and handling as though their owners would prefer to race around the Nurburgring rather than simply enjoying the ride.

BUT... There is a group of people who want a truck to do truck things and neither need nor want the size of a full-sized truck. They want something that is easy to maneuver and doesn't need to take up four lanes of highway just to perform a U-turn. They want something they can park in the typical lot without hanging halfway out into the driving lane or park so far away they need a bicycle just to get to the shop door. They want something that gets reasonable fuel mileage (gas prices will NOT remain this low forever) while still offering reasonable performance (and yes, I do agree the old Tacoma's 4-cylinder is remarkably weak even on that smaller body size. Bloomin' 101hp is amazingly peppy in a 3,000# car; would be in a 3,000# truck, too).

Honestly, many of the people who buy mid-sized trucks now and even more who are buying CUV/SUVs really want something much, much smaller--in the range of the '70s/'80s-vintage compact trucks with either extended or crew cabs for REAL light-duty work.

Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a regular cab pickup with four wheel drive and a small, common rail turbo-diesel engine mated to a six speed manual transmission. Is that too much to ask?

The only way a long truck with 4 doors and a box will steel the SUV market is with Quadrasteer. Not 99% but 100% of Quadrasteer owners agree that Quadrasteer is the best option on a truck, that has ever been invented.

I traded my Denali for a midsize 4 door Tacoma because full sized trucks are too cumbersome without Quadrasteer and no SUV owner is going to buy a long vehicle without Quadrasteer

I didn't buy the GM twins because the front bumper is too low to the ground which has plagued GM sales for decades. The only GM vehicle to hold its value was the old S10 that had good clearance.

Tacoma is best because of its family friendly low step in with gobs of clearance, 4 true doors, high re-sale, known reliability and an awesome suspension package that acts like a mini Raptor, only the Tacoma has better approach angles and great lease plans. Just needs an AWD version. The Canyon will always need a snowblower to come to its rescue after the snowplow leaves a bank in the morning.

Canyon lost about 20% of their truck buyers who off road, right off the hop with that low bumper. Also, how many want their truck to look off road worthy regardless off whether or not they do off road, just on truck owners taste for a truck that looks off road capable loses them another segment of buyers right of the hop because of a low bumper design. That low bumper is not practical for a truck for a large segment of buyers, especially when this truck is geared towards lifestylers who go off road to hike, bike, camp, etc. Who wants to worry about bumper damage constantly.

Off road with a Tacoma; and not having the worry of "is my bumper going to hit" is priceless, not to mention the optional TRD suspension.

Sean, you're making a lot of assumptions there. Do you have any verifiable data to back it up?

"Canyon lost about 20% of their truck buyers who off road, right off the hop with that low bumper. " -- Where did you get this information?

"Tacoma is best because of its family friendly low step in with gobs of clearance, 4 true doors," -- And yet the driver's seat is too small for a single six-foot-tall driver, much less the rest of the cab being "family friendly". What? A family of two plus a dog? If so, then it's just too bloomin' big for the need despite still not able to comfortably seat a tall driver.

The fact that you're driving a Tacoma now... WITHOUT Quadrasteer, means that a pickup truck can do just fine with just two-wheel steering--as long as it's not a Road Whale of a full-sized truck.

Me? I'd happily trade my JKU Wrangler for a true, compact, 4x4 pickup truck with extended cab. But it would have to seat a six-foot-tall driver comfortably (if a Fiat 500 can do it, surely a small pickup truck can do it) and get a minimum of 35mpg highway.

stoppable tacoma and unstoppable hilux

stoppable tacoma and unstoppable hilux