Tested: 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD PreRunner Is a 4x2 in 4x4 Clothing

The 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD PreRunner is back, but perhaps you didn’t notice it left. When Toyota’s trucklet was introduced in 1995, you could buy a Tacoma as a high-riding, four-wheel-drive 4×4 or a lower-riding 4×2, but that was it. Then came 1998’s minor change, and the PreRunner trim emerged as a new high-riding, rear-drive 4×2 with the look and ground clearance of the 4×4 models for thousands less. You could even get a PreRunner with the then-new TRD Off-Road package that included a revised suspension and a push-button differential lock. This continued into the second generation, with rear-drive trucks available as the lower-height model or the high-riding PreRunner. But the third generation signaled the end of the nameplate because all 4×2 versions adopted an elevated stance. You might say the PreRunner was a victim of its own success.HIGHS: Costs at least $3680 less than a TRD Off-Road 4×4 model, compact dimensions with a generous cargo bed, still has a push-button diff lock.Today’s TRD PreRunner (it returned for 2024) is instead differentiated by its cab and suspension options. It’s only offered as an extended cab (XtraCab in Toyota parlance) with the longer six-foot bed option, but it doesn’t bother with rear seats or even any rear half-doors. There are some interesting storage bins behind the seats, though. The other thing that’s somewhat unique is the rear suspension, which like with the lesser SR and SR5 trims, uses leaf springs instead of the much-touted coil springs to suspend its solid rear axle. The PreRunner has the same wide stance and fender flares of the TRD Off-Road trim, as well as the same 265/70R-17 BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain T/A tires. And yes, it still has the push-button rear differential lock.Motivation comes from the same turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four found in the TRD Off-Road, but the available hybrid system is not an option here. That’s fine, because this is a money-saving package, as it was when it first came out. When placed against the crew-cab-only TRD Off-Road (also in nonhybrid form, but it’s at least available), the two prove nearly the same at our test track. The PreRunner and the TRD Off-Road have the exact same 60-mph time of 7.0 seconds flat. They both hit the quarter-mile stripe in 15.3 seconds, though the PreRunner is going 1 mph faster. There’s a little less slack in the passing times, with honors going to the PreRunner.LOWS: Leaf-sprung ride is firm, axle hop under hard braking, only seats two.In terms of braking, the TRD PreRunner gets the job done in 177 feet, a bit more than the 171 feet the TRD Off-Road required. As always, this was a full panic stop, but there is a lot more drama with the PreRunner, as its leaf-spring rear suspension hops and skips to a stop. It turns out that the rear suspension is not simply the same setup from last year. Instead, the leaf springs are lower and are mounted below the rear axle. Perhaps most unusual is that both dampers lean forward, rather than adopting the staggered layout seen on every other leaf-spring truck in recent memory. If you’re wondering how these shocks are supposed to combat axle windup, that’s a good question; it doesn’t appear to do that very well under braking, at least. Another downside of this suspension setup is ride quality, which is lacking against coil-spring trucks. There is a bit more thump over every bump, though it’s damped out well. It’s not bad when only one side of the truck thwacks an edge, but it can be jarring when both sides hit something simultaneously.Inside, the PreRunner looks like the front half of a base-level TRD Off-Road model. It has similar fabric seats, the smaller 8.0-inch central touchscreen, and no sunroof. The only option our truck offers (apart from dealer-installed accessories) is the $1310 TRD PreRunner Upgrade package, which includes a wireless charging pad, keyless entry with push-button start, a trailer brake controller, and an auto-dimming mirror with HomeLink capability. The back half of the extended cab is all storage, with a couple flip-up bins and a wide cab-spanning compartment that can either hide something or be left down as a shelf. Behind that, the PreRunner comes with a six-foot composite bed with adjustable tie-downs and front/side rails. The tailgate is damped, and it locks with the rest of the truck.Customers in the Snowbelt may be unfamiliar with the PreRunner, but there were many buyers in the South and West who wanted the look of a 4×4 but not the price. That’s a tougher sell today, as everyone seemingly wants an overlanding rig with room for a whole family, but the TRD PreRunner still offers Sunbelt soft-roaders something unique. You can’t get a TRD Off-Road model with two-wheel drive anymore, so this is the closest thing. But the decision to offer an underslung leaf-spring suspension with less clearance is a curious one, and the lack of a four-door cab is also odd. Still, the fact that this truck costs $3680 less than the least-expensive TRD Off-Road 4×4 variant gives the PreRunner a proper truckload of appeal.VERDICT: This budget mid-size truck still offers an off-road look, but with just two doors and two driven wheels.SpecificationsSpecifications
2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD PreRunner XtraCab
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door pickup
PRICE

Base/As Tested: $39,615/$40,925
Option: TRD PreRunner Upgrade package (integrated trailer brake controller, wireless cellphone charge pad, smart key, auto-dimming rearview mirror), $1310
ENGINE

turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection
Displacement: 146 in3, 2393 cm3
Power: 278 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 317 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm
TRANSMISSION

8-speed automatic
CHASSIS

Suspension, F/R: control arms/live axle
Brakes, F/R: 12.6-in vented disc/12.2-in vented disc
Tires: BF Goodrich Trail Terrain T/A
265/70R-17 115S
DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 131.9 in
Length: 213.0 in
Width: 77.9 in
Height: 74.6 in
Passenger Volume: 56 ft3
Curb Weight: 4246 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 7.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 15.3 sec @ 92 mph
100 mph: 18.6 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.1 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.5 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 106 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 177 ft
C/D FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 21 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/City/Highway: 22/20/24 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDDan Edmunds was born into the world of automobiles, but not how you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race-car-building shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. Engineering school followed, then SCCA Showroom Stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development jobs at two different automakers. His writing career began when he was picked up by Edmunds.com (no relation) to build a testing department.
Source: caranddriver.com