2015 Toyota Tacoma beats Colorado in Pickup of the Year voting
Talk about a tough year to be a stand-out pickup truck. The F-150 is all-new, and now its skin isn’t magnetic, the GM fellas decided to re-enter the mid-size market, and Ram is simply kicking and taking. Given that, a Tacoma TRD Pro in the last year of its design cycle taking home second overall in Pickup of the Year voting is not a bad thing. FourWheeler Network chose the Ram as its number one truck, but what the magazine said about the Tacoma is what caught our attention.
Let’s face facts, GM’s new Colorado, and GMC Canyon are good trucks. Maybe great. These trucks will not only be great for GM buyers, but also for Tacoma buyers tired of lousy gas mileage. Competition breeds excellence and the 2015 Canyon/Colorado are going to as much to improve the Tacoma as any event in the Tacoma’s history.
That said, the Tacoma TRD cannot be equaled by the Canyon and Colorado yet. GM has shown a ZR2 concept that may give the Taco TRD Pro a run for its money, but by the time it arrives the Tacoma will be an all-new 2016 model.
The Z71 Colorado earned the highest score in the FourWheeler voting for its on-road ride. However, off road it was just not as good as other trucks in the competition. FourWheeler summed it up as saying “We’d love to see GM get serious with the Colorado’s Z71 package and add tougher shocks, body protection, and more aggressive tires. Maybe even a front suspension height increase.” Sounds a lot like a Tacoma TRD description doesn’t it?
Speaking about the Tacoma TRD Pro, FourWheeler Network said, “We think the Tacoma TRD Pro is the best Tacoma yet for those who want a smaller pickup with big off-road capability, and we think it’s possibly the most capable small pickup available in the U.S. today.” Read the full report here. Another nice surprise for Toyota fans is that the Tundra finished third. The Silverado and F-150 didn’t make the podium.
Main story image courtesy of Tim Esterdahl.