2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab – Review by David Colman +VIDEO

It's my 2026 King of the Road.

David Colman

Story and Photos by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

The 2026 $40,015 Toyota Tacoma, now into its third year of production after a major revamp in 2023, is a ferocious-looking bulldog of a pickup. Especially if you endow it with the optional $8,465 TRD Sport Premium Package, which raises your bottom line to $50,544. Paint yours Heritage Blue, a scintillating new pastel shade for 2026, and you'll have the meanest looking off-road challenger to circle a Home Depot parking lot. You see, those TRD Sport Premium accoutrements are designed more for curbside show than trailside go. Despite the fact that TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, the Sport Premium Package includes neither standard 4-wheel drive, nor the ultra-trick shock absorbers and suspension upgrades ound on Tacoma's priciest outback variants, the Sport and TRD Off-Road versions.

Rather, the 4x2 TRD Sport model I enjoyed for a week benefited from a slew of tasty upgrades that will make your life on paved roads much more amenable. These niceties include heated and ventilated SofTex trimmed front seats with power adjustable positioning and lumbar support. The oversize tiller of a steering wheel is beautifully finished in perforated leather and heated around the full circumference of its rim. Instead of the 8-inch multimedia display panel standard on lesser Tacomas, the TRD Sport upgrades the screen to a full 14-inch Audio/Multimedia display. This touchscreen primarily controls the Sport's Navigation operation as well as its upgraded JBL Premium Audio - a unit which even comes with its own FLEX portable speaker. Further TRD Sport refinements include a moonroof, Qi-compatible wireless charging pad, and dual-zone automatic climate control. One of Tacoma's nicest features is its power-operated tailgate, which raises and drops with the touch of a button on the keyfob remote. Too bad that Toyota didn't equip the ponderous front hood with similar assisted actuation.

Toyota has redesigned the entire dash layout of the new generation Tacoma with dial twisters and button pushers in mind. All essential operational functions have been assigned to sturdy oversized physical knobs and switches that control the HVAC system, the Drive Mode system, and the heater controls for the seats and steering wheel. All of these controls are big enough to be activated with gloved fingers, and all are clearly labeled and illuminated. The operation of this truck thus marks a miraculous retreat from the current brainless migration of cell phone iconography to automotive dashboards.

I spent a rather demanding 60 minutes driving the TRD through one of the worst rainstorms to hit California this winter. Believe me when I tell you that this massive 4,246lb. pickup performed so flawlessly in all manner of trying situations that it has been knighted my 2026 King of the Road. With its adhesive 265/60R18 General Grabber HTS 60 radials (mounted on spiffy machined spoke TRD alloy rims), the beautifully balanced Tacoma plowed through deep standing water with marvelous dexterity. One of the add-ons included in the Sport Package is a Digital Rear View Mirror. In the past, I have rejected these substitutes for the real thing because they distort your surroundings while also competing with prescription eyeglasses for clarity. But on this particular stormy drive, that digital image proved to be a lifesaving addition to the Tacoma's inventory of better ideas. It turned the dark and dreary day into a brilliant picture of the traffic pattern behind me. It effectively opened up the aperture of available light by two full f-Stops, recording the trailing roadside scenery with sunny day clarity.

Without 4WD and the exotic suspension upgrades present on the TRD Off-Road and Pre- Runner Tacomas, the TRD Sport comes off as somewhat of a Trail Busting Bunny. But you can upgrade the TRD Sport with a 4WD package that will bump your final price by $3,400-$4,000. However, if you're realistic about your daily driving needs, you will quickly discover that this more lightly optioned 2WD version will suit and exceed your requirements in almost every real-world situation you will ever confront.

2026 TOYOTA TACOMA SPORT 4x2 DOUBLE CAB

• ENGINE: 2.4 liter inline-4, turbocharged and intercooled, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 278hp@6000rpm
• TORQUE: 317hp@1700rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 20MPG City/24MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $50,544

HYPES: Dominant Performance in Terrible Weather, Power Tailgate

GRIPES: Get Rid of the Manual Hood Prop Rod

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2026 David E Colman