2005 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab

[BMWDave]

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2005 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab
Taskmaster: Midsize Tacoma makes work fun, sort of
ROGER HART
Published Date: 6/6/05
2005 TOYOTA TACOMA ACCESS CAB
ON SALE: Now
AS-TESTED PRICE: $27,639
POWERTRAIN: 4.0-liter, 245-hp, 282-lb-ft V6; 4wd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3950 lbs
0 to 60 MPH: 7.7 seconds (mfr.)
FUEL MILEAGE: 20 mpg city/30 mpg highway (EPA), 19.28 mpg (AW observed)

For most of us there comes a time you need to haul something big or messy, and a sport/ute or minivan isn?t up to the task. Maybe it?s that bargain antique you found at a garage sale or some firewood. Maybe you spotted some landscaping material you need, along with a yard of pea gravel.

A pickup truck is the right tool.


Recently one of our editors took on a deck-demolition project, which presented a perfect opportunity to sample Toyota?s Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab. Because hauling needed to be done over a new lawn, we were looking for one of the smaller pickups for the task, thinking a lighter truck would do less turf damage. When we compared the Tacoma to the bigger Tundra, the physical differences between the two trucks were not as great as we first thought.

The Tacoma Access Cab rides on a 127.8-inch wheelbase while the Tundra Access Cab has a 128.3-inch wheelbase. Curb weight is also close: 3950 pounds for the Tacoma, 4170 pounds for the Tundra.

Our Tacoma was equipped with the TRD off-road package that loads the truck up with a class IV hitch, off-road-tuned suspension, Bilstein shocks, 16-inch alloy wheels with 265/70R BFGoodrich tires, locking rear differential, engine skid plate, front tow hooks, 115V/400W bed-mounted power point, transmission and supplemental oil coolers, heavy-duty battery, 130-amp alternator and special trim.


The TRD package adds just about everything you would want in a truck and more, and it also adds $4,405 to the $22,785 base price. Throw in a six-disc CD changer with six speakers and steering wheel audio controls ($200), along with front and rear carpeted floor mats ($130) and a bed mat ($119), and you wind up with a $27,639 truck.

Our test Tacoma was fitted with the 4.0-liter, dohc 24-valve V6 with VVT-i making 245 hp at 5200 rpm and 282 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm?the same engine found in the base Tundra. The V6 is the biggest engine in the Tacoma line, which offers a 2.7-liter inline four as the base engine. The V6 was mated to a six-speed manual transmission. A five-speed automatic is also available.

The low-end grunt of the V6 coupled with the low first-gear ratio is more than up to the task of hauling heavy loads of scrap wood to the local recycling center. We piled the 73.5-inch-long bed high with lumber, many times wondering if we were exceeding the 1480-pound payload limit. And each time the suspension looked barely affected. With all the weight on the springs, the truck rides a bit more softly, not quite car-like, but much softer than the stiffly sprung off-road package gives you with the bed empty.

The composite-lined bed is ideally suited to handling a variety of cargo without damaging the bed itself, and the rubber bed mat does its job protecting the bed floor. Once our work was done, a trip to the carwash and a few minutes of high-pressure water made the truck look like new.


Inside the Tacoma are all the creature comforts you would want: air conditioning, cruise control, a good stereo and comfortable seats. The Access Cab has two jump seats, but your passengers better be on the small side. The space is better suited for hauling cargo that you would like to be able to lock up if you?re in the midst of shopping at several stores. We found the space easily accommodated a couple of golf bags.

We initially balked at the hefty price of the TRD package, wondering if skid plates and extra oil coolers are necessary. Not for our task, but we can see where those features would be put to good use. But if you are just profiling, the cost goes deeper than money. The trim accents make the truck look sporty, but the ride of an empty truck can be harsh over heavy bumps. It?s a very firm ride.

Taken as a whole, this truck has a lot to offer: power, off-road abilities, comfort and convenience?everything you?d want in a work truck, even if you just work hard at playing.

[TBR]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.  

[BMWDave]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

[TBR]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

Daily driver, she likes big trucks but her circumstances have changed considerably for the worse since she bought her Ram 2500 4x4 so she had to get something more economical this time around.  

[BMWDave]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

Daily driver, she likes big trucks but her circumstances have changed considerably for the worse since she bought her Ram 2500 4x4 so she had to get something more economical this time around.

A truck isnt really economical though..

[TBR]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

Daily driver, she likes big trucks but her circumstances have changed considerably for the worse since she bought her Ram 2500 4x4 so she had to get something more economical this time around.

A truck isnt really economical though..

Yes, both she and I know that, but she wanted a big truck and a small truck was the closest she could get to one so that is what she got.  

[BMWDave]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

Daily driver, she likes big trucks but her circumstances have changed considerably for the worse since she bought her Ram 2500 4x4 so she had to get something more economical this time around.

A truck isnt really economical though..

Yes, both she and I know that, but she wanted a big truck and a small truck was the closest she could get to one so that is what she got.

Cool.

[Tom]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

Daily driver, she likes big trucks but her circumstances have changed considerably for the worse since she bought her Ram 2500 4x4 so she had to get something more economical this time around.

A truck isnt really economical though..

Yes, both she and I know that, but she wanted a big truck and a small truck was the closest she could get to one so that is what she got.

Does she like the spaceship interior.  And why did she go for the Tacoma and not, say, a Frontier?  I don't mean to be intrusive or anything, just curious.

[TBR]

I agree, it is a very nice truck and probably the best choice for most midsize buyers. My aunt just bought one.

Does your aunt use its abilities, or is it just a daily driver for her?

Daily driver, she likes big trucks but her circumstances have changed considerably for the worse since she bought her Ram 2500 4x4 so she had to get something more economical this time around.

A truck isnt really economical though..

Yes, both she and I know that, but she wanted a big truck and a small truck was the closest she could get to one so that is what she got.

Does she like the spaceship interior.  And why did she go for the Tacoma and not, say, a Frontier?  I don't mean to be intrusive or anything, just curious.

I don't know that she even looked at the Frontier, but I did try to get her to. My dad pretty much told her not to bother looking at the domestics, but she did look at the Ranger anyway and thought it felt cheap.

[pnwbeers]

It's a good truck - second place in it's class by a significant margin, imo - but a good truck.

[mazda6er]

It's a good truck - second place in it's class by a significant margin, imo - but a good truck.

Second to the Frontier, I would assume? That truck has come a long way in one redesign.

[pnwbeers]

It's a good truck - second place in it's class by a significant margin, imo - but a good truck.

Second to the Frontier, I would assume? That truck has come a long way in one redesign.

Yep.

Other than interior quality (not design), I don't see anything better about the Tacoma.  But both are really great mid-size trucks and I wouldn't kick either out of my garage.

[TBR]

It's a good truck - second place in it's class by a significant margin, imo - but a good truck.

Second to the Frontier, I would assume? That truck has come a long way in one redesign.

Yep.

Other than interior quality (not design), I don't see anything better about the Tacoma.  But both are really great mid-size trucks and I wouldn't kick either out of my garage.

I personally wasn't that impressed with the Tacoma's interior quality. No better than the Dakota's or the Frontier's imho.  

[Catman]

They're nice trucks.  But, does it seem a Tundra could be had for not much more?  It seems the mileage wouldn't be drastically different either.  I actually think the shape of the Frontier is better as the Toyota just looks a little odd from some angles.

[BMWDave]

They're nice trucks.  But, does it seem a Tundra could be had for not much more?  It seems the mileage wouldn't be drastically different either.  I actually think the shape of the Frontier is better as the Toyota just looks a little odd from some angles.

Toyota tried to make it very truckish, and I mostly like the look.  But from the side, it looks a bit oddly proportioned.

[Catman]

They're nice trucks.  But, does it seem a Tundra could be had for not much more?  It seems the mileage wouldn't be drastically different either.  I actually think the shape of the Frontier is better as the Toyota just looks a little odd from some angles.

Toyota tried to make it very truckish, and I mostly like the look.  But from the side, it looks a bit oddly proportioned.

I think it might be the wheel wells.  Way overdone.

[TBR]

They're nice trucks.  But, does it seem a Tundra could be had for not much more?  It seems the mileage wouldn't be drastically different either.  I actually think the shape of the Frontier is better as the Toyota just looks a little odd from some angles.

Yeah, the nose sticks up too much in profile, plus the wheelbase is too long on LWB models and the wheel wells are shaped oddls. A Tundra Doublecab really isn't much, if any, more expensive.

[TBR]

They're nice trucks.  But, does it seem a Tundra could be had for not much more?  It seems the mileage wouldn't be drastically different either.  I actually think the shape of the Frontier is better as the Toyota just looks a little odd from some angles.

Yeah, the nose sticks up too much in profile, plus the wheelbase is too long on LWB models and the wheel wells are shaped oddls. A Tundra Doublecab really isn't much, if any, more expensive.

Looked up the carsdirect prices (ifcar would be so proud ):

Tacoma Doublecab V6 4x4 SWB
Base Target Price- $24460
Automatic Tranismission- $880
SR5 Package #3- $1525
Final Target Price- $26865



Tundra Doublecab SR5 V8 4x4
Base and Final Target Price- $26873

The Tundra is definitely the best fullsize value right now and the Tacoma is definitely the most expensive midsizer, other than our favorite sissy truck of course .  

[R33 GT-R]

I love the Taco, it has alway been and will always be one of the best out there even with it's hefty price.  Hell it's always had a hefty price but you get what you pay for with this truck.