The updated version of the most popular mid-size pickup truck in North America is here. A lot of changes have been introduced, but not the 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel, which was one of the most anticipated novelties for this year. Tons of reports were suggesting novelties under the hood. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The new models continue with two familiar gasoline units under the hood, despite all the benefits a diesel version would bring.
At this point, we can only hope that Toyota didn’t say all with the current generation and that more changes are about to come in the next year as well. Once again, there will be a lot of reports that suggest a diesel version of the popular truck, maybe already for the 2021 model year. How likely is this to happen, we will speculate in this article. Other than that, you will find a lot of information about the recently updated 2020 model year.
2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel Diesel Didn’t Happen, But Next Year…!?
The Japanese manufacturer has introduced a new version of the popular truck. As we can see, the amount of changes is quite modest and definitely doesn’t meet the expectations of most truck enthusiasts. Not only that we won’t see 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel, but the styling is pretty much the same. This all indicates that changes may come in the next year as well. At this point, it is still early for predictions, but we can bet that many reports that suggest a diesel version will appear soon.
How likely is this? Probably not too much. Simply, the Toyota management is aware that U.S. drivers prefer gasoline engines and that the Tacoma Diesel 2020 would be a too big investment at the moment. Simply, the current generation is the most popular in the segment and sales numbers are constantly growing. Therefore, investing in something that will soon approach the end of the production cycle doesn’t make any sense.
2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel Specs
Despite that the new version didn’t come, there’s no doubt that such an engine would bring various benefits. Of course, the engine that was expected is a well-known 2.8-liter turbodiesel. This engine is pretty familiar to Toyota drivers. You can find it in models like Land Cruiser Prado and also in the legendary HiLux, which already shares a lot of things with Tacoma. That was one of the main reasons for all those reports that were circulating in the past several months. Of course, the two benefits that come to mind first are fuel economy and towing capacity.
When it comes to 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel mpg ratings, there’s no doubt that the numbers would be much higher compared to current gasoline engines, which aren’t particularly efficient. In the best case, the current model can return around 20 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. The oil-burner would probably be able to return more than 25 mpg combined.
Of course, the 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel towing capacity is another important issue. The current models aren’t particularly great in this aspect. The V6 model can tow up to 6.800 pounds, which is decent but still far away from class-leading numbers. With a 2.8-liter turbodiesel, Tacoma would probably be able to reach 7.700 pounds, which are the class-leading numbers currently hold by Chevy Colorado Diesel. The HiLux with the same engine already meets these numbers with ease.
2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel TRD Pro
Another rumor that has been around for months was the 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel TRD Pro. The most capable version of Tacoma comes exclusively with a V6 engine and it is characterized by numerous mechanical upgrades, as well as by several distinctive styling details. However, many enthusiasts found that a version with an oil-burner would be interesting as well. With all that additional torque, we would see a truck that can deal with hard terrains with ease. Still, most of us still believe that a gasoline version is a way better solutions, due to the much better driving experience.
2020 Toyota Tacoma Update
The 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel didn’t happen, but many changes did actually come. Some would say that this refresh is pretty modest, considering that there are no bigger styling changes. However, the company focused on the most critical things, so we can see a plethora of smaller but very useful updates. Most of them refer to interior novelties, but you may also notice some interesting details on certain versions.
Exterior
The exterior didn’t receive too many novelties. This update has brought a new grille design. Once again, things are a little bit different on the TRD Pro model, which comes with a distinctive grille, as well as various other details, including new wheels and a new color option called Army Green, which looks really amazing.
Interior
Interior changes are far more interesting on this model. Once again, the overall layout is pretty much the same, but you can notice loads of new interesting features. First of all, there is a new infotainment system, which is faster and features better graphics. Of course, it comes with more features, including smartphone integration. All models now come standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa. Another big novelty is that this truck finally offers a power-adjustable driver seat.
Engines
As we already mentioned, 2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel didn’t happen. So, you may count on two familiar engine options. Base models are equipped with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder unit, which is good for about 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. This seems okay if you’re looking for a daily workhorse, but the V6 model is a much better deal. You get a familiar 3.5-liter V6, which in this case delivers around 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. With this engine, a max towing capacity goes up to 6.800 pounds.
Safety
When it comes to safety features, all models come standard with things like lane departure warning, automatic high-beam headlights, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, forward automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. That’s a pretty generous list but you can also get blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and parking sensors.
The biggest novelty in this aspect is a couple of new, camera-based systems. They are called Panoramic and Multi-Terrain View monitors, something we’ve already seen in the internationally-offered Land Cruiser Prado. These two systems consist of multiple cameras and provide you with everything that’s happening around and underneath the vehicle.
2020 Toyota Tacoma Diesel And Beyond
As the 2020 Toyota Tacoma didn’t come, we expect to see rumors about the 2021 model year soon. Still, the more interesting will be rumors about the redesign. The Tundra is about to receive a complete overhaul in the next year and it will bring a lot of novelties. Among them, we will see a completely new platform, codenamed F1. This is a modular architecture, which will be used for the next-generation Tacoma as well.
This means we could see a new model earlier than you would probably expect, maybe already in a couple of years. The new model will definitely bring a lot of novelties, including a hybrid version. On the other side, a diesel engine in the next generation doesn’t seem that likely.