Toyota Plays Coy on 2020 Tacoma Ahead of Chicago Auto Show Reveal

Toyota Plays Coy on 2020 Tacoma Ahead of Chicago Auto Show Reveal
2020 toyota tacoma

in february, the 2019 chicago auto show will feature the debut of a refreshed — or redesigned, or maybe facelifted? — 2020 toyota tacoma pickup truck. what i'm saying is, there's not much to go on by the photo you see above.

the new tacoma above seems to have revised and updated headlights — crucial for insurance institute for highway safety crashworthiness ratings — and the roof is missing the four lines that run from front to back on the current tacoma. the grille seems to be roughly the same shape, however. more significant updates likely took place below the grille, but we'll have to wait until the auto show to see everything.

2018 toyota tacoma specs & reviews find a 2018 toyota tacoma near you

the current-generation tacoma is getting up in age, at least for a mid-size truck. the chevrolet colorado, gmc canyon and nissan frontier are all older designs, but two all-new entrants — the 2019 ford ranger and 2020 jeep gladiator — have either entered or are about to enter the segment and have been grabbing all the headlines lately.

given the tacoma's position atop the mid-size truck sales charts and toyota's typical, uh, measured pace of updating its trucks, this is likely a mid- or even quarter-cycle update, so don't expect anything drastic in the new tacoma. the current powertrain offerings — a 2.7-liter four-cylinder making 159 horsepower and 180 pounds-feet of torque, or a 3.5-liter atkinson-cycle v-6 rated at 278 hp and 265 pounds-feet, each with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission depending on trim level — are likely to remain, though perhaps with minor tweaks to improve fuel economy or performance.

related: we let the 2018 toyota tundra fight the 2018 toyota tacoma

stay tuned here and to sister site pickuptrucks.com for any subsequent tacoma updates ahead of the chicago auto show, and check back feb. 8 when our team of automotive journalists will be reporting live from the chicago show floor with all the details on the tacoma and everything else you might want to know.

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