The 2024 Tacoma Hybrid … would you buy one “

[AbleGuy]

Hmmm…the Taco is available as a hybrid for the first time. Would you buy one?



Toyota claims the Tacoma’s new i-Force Max hybrid powertrain, an option on the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited trims and standard on TRD Pro and Trailhunter models, is the most powerful powertrain ever offered on a Tacoma.

If you’re interested in more info, go to:

Toyota just electrified its popular compact pickup

A hybrid engine-motor combination boosts the torque on the latest-generation pickup truck. It's what we want out of a pickup.

www.popsci.com

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

Too little too late at this point. Put a plug on it, maybe.

I’m not falling for this incremental, parts bin reshuffling, foot dragging anymore. These manufacturers could have done this years ago. Often they already do in other markets.

 

[skrypj]

No. The electric portion of the hybrid powertrain is lifted straight from the Tundra iforce max and the performance there has been a very solid, meh. Acceleration is pretty much the same due to the 600 lbs added to the vehicle, and the efficiency is barely improved if at all.

Basically, you get a heavier, more complex, and more expensive vehicle so that you can get a little more oomph off the line.

Now if Ford put the Powerboost setup in the ranger, I would be more interested in that. The Powerboost is a lot more efficient than the standard 3.5L Ecoboost and the performance is very good. And you get that 7200 watt generator capability. The Powerboost has a lot more benefits than the iforce max seems to.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I'll wait for a PHEV. So for the only electrified truck I have any interest in is the Ramcharger.

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

No. The electric portion of the hybrid powertrain is lifted straight from the Tundra iforce max and the performance there has been a very solid, meh. Acceleration is pretty much the same due to the 600 lbs added to the vehicle, and the efficiency is barely improved if at all.

Basically, you get a heavier, more complex, and more expensive vehicle so that you can get a little more oomph off the line.

Now if Ford put the Powerboost setup in the ranger, I would be more interested in that. The Powerboost is a lot more efficient than the standard 3.5L Ecoboost and the performance is very good. And you get that 7200 watt generator capability. The Powerboost has a lot more benefits than the iforce max seems to.

The PHEV Ranger with Pro Power is available in Australia now. From my understanding we aren’t getting it because they don’t want to hurt Lightning sales. The PHEV Ranger is only going to be available in markets with low or no F150 sales.

Infuriating.

https://www.ford.com.au/showroom/electric/phev/ranger/

 

[Moyshe Kapoyer]

Nope...but I also wouldn't buy a regular Tacoma either.

As another poster said, of Toyota would have modeled their hybrid system after Fords, they would have a much more functional and useful product.

 

[dstefan]

Basically, you get a heavier, more complex, and more expensive vehicle so that you can get a little more oomph off the line.

I loved my ’09 Tacoma, but as I’ve said before, didn’t fit well in it. But beyond that,
I recently got to camp near a guy with ’22 Hybrid Tundra and my same camper, so we compared a lot of notes. He didn’t use the H word, but pretty clearly hated the hybrid system and was sorry he bought it, except for the minor mileage increase (not that much with a camper).

He showed me the engine bay and the batteries stuffed under the seats of the crew max. No room at all in the engine bay. Where I have a ARB twin compressor, he had hybrid system stuff, as well everywhere else.

Showed me the rear seat area where ALL the floor space under the seat cushions was battery/hybid stuff. He really hated the space hogging.

Can’t imagine it would be better in a Tacoma . . .

 

[skrypj]

The PHEV Ranger with Pro Power is available in Australia now. From my understanding we aren’t getting it because they don’t want to hurt Lightning sales. The PHEV Ranger is only going to be available in markets with low or no F150 sales.

Infuriating.

https://www.ford.com.au/showroom/electric/phev/ranger/

Lightning sales are already hurting, bad. They may wanna rethink that.

 

[skrypj]

I loved my ’09 Tacoma, but as I’ve said before, didn’t fit well in it. But beyond that,
I recently got to camp near a guy with ’22 Hybrid Tundra and my same camper, so we compared a lot of notes. He didn’t use the H word, but pretty clearly hated the hybrid system and was sorry he bought it, except for the minor mileage increase (not that much with a camper).

He showed me the engine bay and the batteries stuffed under the seats of the crew max. No room at all in the engine bay. Where I have a ARB twin compressor, he had hybrid system stuff, as well everywhere else.

Showed me the rear seat area where ALL the floor space under the seat cushions was battery/hybid stuff. He really hated the space hogging.

Can’t imagine it would be better in a Tacoma . . .

Thats another thing about the Powerboost that is better, the battery is under the truck, not in the cab. Ford also doesn't put dual intakes on the 3.5L Ecoboost, which is another giant space suck on the Tundra, but that wont be an issue for the Tacoma since its not a TTV6.

 

[ITTOG]

No chance!

 

[calicamper]

The non plugin hybrid thing is pretty pointless. You get penalized with weight and complexity but can’t EV mode around town. As mentioned the power boost feature by Ford is pretty damn useful for power tool needs, backup power to the house, rv etc.

But 7yrs with a plugin hybrid Ford Fusion has definitely shown me how useful the 10-20mile EV range is for local around town stuff. Big reduction in the wear and tear worst case use for the ICE stuff short cold trips etc. Big bump in average mileage given the crap mileage use is generally all EV which is efficient and lower cost per mile.

Would have bought a plugin hybrid power boost Expedition in a heartbeat had they offered one in 2019.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

The non plugin hybrid thing is pretty pointless. You get penalized with weight and complexity but can’t EV mode around town.

Exactly.

 

[skrypj]

The non plugin hybrid thing is pretty pointless. You get penalized with weight and complexity but can’t EV mode around town. As mentioned the power boost feature by Ford is pretty damn useful for power tool needs, backup power to the house, rv etc.

But 7yrs with a plugin hybrid Ford Fusion has definitely shown me how useful the 10-20mile EV range is for local around town stuff. Big reduction in the wear and tear worst case use for the ICE stuff short cold trips etc. Big bump in average mileage given the crap mileage use is generally all EV which is efficient and lower cost per mile.

Would have bought a plugin hybrid power boost Expedition in a heartbeat had they offered one in 2019.

They all seem really stupid in that regard. Like lets half ass the hybrid and go full in on the Lightning(Ford) which is a sales failure it seems. Or lets not do a hybrid at all and put all our chips in the EV Truck basket and then realize that all those free reservations we had people sign up for were BS since there was no skin in the game, and we way overestimated the EV truck market(GM). Or lets build a hybrid that's not even good even though we've been building hybrids for 20+ years(Toyota).

 

[calicamper]

They all seem really stupid in that regard. Like lets half ass the hybrid and go full in on the Lightning(Ford) which is a sales failure it seems. Or lets not do a hybrid at all and put all our chips in the EV Truck basket and then realize that all those free reservations we had people sign up for were BS since there was no skin in the game, and we way overestimated the EV truck market(GM). Or lets build a hybrid that's not even good even though we've been building hybrids for 20+ years(Toyota).

I suspect it’s Marketing, at one point not today but in the past battery availability was also a factor.

Most brands have quite plugin hybrids completely they are more $ to make and more complex but offer the best of both worlds when done well. Mercedes dumped plugin hybrids however they were heavy piggies and mileage advantages didn’t surface due to retaining the idea of making heavy piggy SUVs fast like a sedan😆.

Ford said they would phase out plugins but I suspect those will actually be their best option for sales performance vs full EV at least for the next 5-10 yrs.

The biggest issue with full EV which really reared its ugly head during COVID lock downs when people who don’t typically “drive to travel locations” decided to drive!! Was charging locations getting absolutely crushed with traffic. Even all my big EV buddies have a hybrid ICE or straight up old school ICE rig laying around for road trips beyond 300 miles. Even being experienced road trippers in the EV before the crap hit the fan they skip the EV today because charging access is trash right now.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

As an owner of a 2023 highlander hybrid I am a big fan. Toyota does hybrid better than anyone IMO. We get 36mpg in a large midsize SUV with AWD.