Final Thoughts About the Tacoma PreRunner Pickup Truck
The compact pickup truck market used to be very competitive and much broader than it is today. Full-size pickups have taken over, and have gotten all the attention from manufacturers. All of the innovative features and ideas have been devoted to the big guys, and there's been little trickle-down. For the $24,000 that my test vehicle listed out, I could come close to ordering a base full-size truck that would come with a V6 and lots of features, and a very small MPG penalty. That doesn't bode well for Tacoma.On the other hand, I'm a big advocate of getting a vehicle that's sized right for every day use, not for the rare big hauling days. In that case, there are a few compact (or mid-size) pickups to consider beside Tacoma. Nissan's Frontier is formidable, with a more recent makeover than Tacoma. Suzuki also sells the Frontier as an Equator -- with a longer warranty. Ford's Ranger is in its last year, but it's still a decent value. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon haven't gotten much love over the past few years, but can be quite a good deal if you can find one in the back corner of your local lot.
I do think that there's a place for the compact pickup truck, and I think that the company that starts paying attention to the segment will get to reap the benefits. Fuel economy is more important than ever, and people and businesses still need to move stuff around from one place to another. That hasn't changed, but there's definitely room for change in pickup design. I look forward to the next Tacoma, even as the current one sits on showroom floors. The Hi-Lux hasn't been around for 42 years just to fade away.
