2005 Toyota Tacoma

Other new styles for 2005 include a long-bed version of the Double Cab and the high-performance X-Runner. The latter, designed as a sport truck for street duty, features a special X-shaped frame reinforcement (hence the name), tuned suspension and aero body styling.


This new model is far sportier than any truck ever offered by Toyota, with a cornering grip in excess of 0.90 g, more than a Nissan 350Z, the engineers' handling target. They achieved this surprising feat by lowering the suspension an inch, and adding 255/45R Bridgestone Potenza tires on 18-inch wheels, along with Bilstein shocks, stiffer springs and a rear anti-roll bar. A special brake package is also included on the X-Runner. The chassis feels a tad tighter than on the other Tacoma models, especially in hard cornering, and the suspension grips like a limpet on decreasing radius turns.

For power, the X-Runner boasts a 245-hp 4.0-liter V-6, also found under the hood of the Double Cabs. This larger engine supplies 55 horses more than the 3.4-liter engine, which was the previous max power offering. Such a substantial increase isn't surprising, considering the increased bulk of the new design.


Not only that, when equipped with the V-6 engine, the Tacoma's maximum tow rating is now 6,500 pounds, up from 5,000 pounds in the previous model. Toyota claims that a 4x4 V-6 equipped with the automatic transmission can run from 0-to-60 mph in just 7.5 seconds, and on the manual-tranny X-Runner, that time drops below seven seconds.


While the Double Cab offers either 5-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmissions, the stick-shift is the only option on the X-Runner. That makes sense, given the performance persona of this model. In addition to allowing you to divvy up the powerband, the tranny's overdrive is remarkably tall. You can cruise at 75 mph with the tach showing only 2,500 rpm, and at 90 mph the revs still stay well below the 3,000 mark. This setup makes for smooth running and a comparatively quiet highway cruiser. (If there was anything to fault on the older Tacoma, it was that the engine seemed a bit buzzy at high speeds.)