The all new Tacoma has been released at the end of 2015 as a massive improvement over the older model. In fact, it is the first true new model from Toyota’s truck division to hit the US market in nearly ten years. The vehicle features a new chassis, redesigned body, and improved engines. All of these make for a much nicer package than before that now is more capable, efficient and quite a bit better looking as well. While the truck is great so far and it manages to offer pretty much anything you could want, it is still missing some features that prevent it from being one of the best choices on the market. Probably one of the most important things that we miss here is the new engine.
2017 Toyota Tacoma Price
This made many people believe the rumors about a 2017 Toyota Tacoma diesel to be true. New engine in the lineup would perfectly fit the current US market where many people are starting to adopt the diesel trucks. Unfortunately, Toyota said not that long ago that adding diesel to the Tacoma would cost too much.
They stated that the vehicles would become around $3,500 more expensive than usual due to the added gear, and this is the main reason why they are not adding it to the range. Rumors say though that Toyota might have realized that people would gladly pay a premium for diesel. This would mean that in the near future we might get a $30,000 Tacoma sporting a nice diesel, a truck which has been long awaited in the US.
2017 Toyota Tacoma Diesel Engine and Transmission
So far there haven’t been any official details about a 2017 Toyota Tacoma diesel but considering we are talking about Japanese carmaker, there are plenty of places to look for information. Let’s start with the engine which will power the new model of the truck. Toyota currently has out there quite a few all new diesel engines, all more than capable of meeting all the emission standards in the US. In our opinion, the most likely unit to be installed under its hood would be their 2.8-liter turbocharged inline four. Despite its displacement, the engine doesn’t have anything in common with the 2.8-liter Cummins. In fact, it has been developed from scratch by Toyota to use in their Hilux. The US version would get extra emissions equipment such as a urea injection system as well as an improved injection system. These should make the engine slightly less powerful than the international version, but this is needed for it to comply with the emission standards in the U.S.
We expect Toyota to aim for around 175 horsepower and up to 350 lb-ft of torque. This would be more than its competitors, and it would certainly give them a head start. With the diesel, all the advantages of diesel are also going to be offered. The tow rating might get close to 8,000 pounds, and the highly efficient unit might allow the Tacoma to hit up to 30 MPG on the highway, better than any other truck out there. You might need more than few years to repay the price difference with saves on fuel bills, but we also need to add that diesel versions will be more expensive when you try to sell it.
Design
Like with most other small revisions of a car, the 2017 Toyota Tacoma diesel is likely going to be pretty similar to the current model. This is mostly because the truck has been recently released and it already offers pretty much everything Toyota has to offer. We do expect some minor tweaks on the outside, though. The new engine might have a top-mounted intercooler in which case it will most definitely bring a hood-scoop. This will be needed in order to feed cool air to the engine bay. On top of that, the diesel might get a new exhaust system with slightly larger pipes than the regular petrol engines. Its cabin, on the other hand, will likely be identical to the current model with the only real changes being the addition of a new instrument cluster.
