Driving Experience
Includes acceleration and handling
What Owners Say
"Lousy turning radius!"
Jack B., OR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"adequate pickup accelaration satisfactory"
Anonymous, FL (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"It's a rude crude dude."
J G., NC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"good: styling, on road and off road performance, small size makes parking better, Bad: gas mileage"
Anonymous, NM (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"4 cylinder engine sometimes struggles in hilly terrain."
John Y., CT (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"acceleration and it handles well like a truck"
Anonymous, KS (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"With weight in the bed, it handles as well as could be expected. Its off-road suspension makes it only an adequate choice for long drives on the highway."
Anonymous, WY (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"This is 4 cylinder model. Underpowered, but more economical. Most of the time it's OK. With a load, not so great."
Dale N., NC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Good acceleration. Transmission a little quirky during down-shifting. Handling at highway speeds seems very secure."
Anonymous, WA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"It is a great heavy duty use truck. It Carrie's heavy loads and pulls a trailer loaded down really well. Driving on difficult roads in the mountains is a delight in this truck."
Jean C., TX (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"I opted for the 4 cylinder this time, but my next Tacoma will be a 4 door, and V6 for better passanger comfort, and better performance."
William G., VA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"It still handles the way it did when I drove it off the dealers lot and I have 175000 miles on it."
Steve K., CO (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"six cylinder engine supplies plenty of power even when hauling loads in hilly terrain"
William S., CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Acceleration is more than what you would expect from a 4 cylinder engine."
Edwin W., NY (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"After enjoying driving manual transmission vehicles most of my life, I find the jerky shifting of the truck rather off-putting. I no longer enjoy driving a vehicle that is slow on the uptake on shifting and the downshifting when braking is also jerky and slow to shift to the next gear, up or downshifting."
T P., ME (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Great handling for a truck"
Anonymous, NJ (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Has good acceleration, good brakes, steering is not as responsive as I'd like. Without a load can be a bit skittage on hard acceleration."
Anonymous, AZ (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Great in handling in all types of weather"
Anonymous, TX (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"try good in the snow even without 4 wheel drive/."
Anonymous, MA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"4 cylinder is not enough power to easily pull a small utility trailer.Sometime it doesn't even get into the highest gear on the transmission especially if driving into a strong wind."
Anonymous, IL (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"It has smooth acceleration. It handles like I expect a truck to handle."
Anonymous, SC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Turn radius, noise and ride need improvement."
William D., MT (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"I drive often off road, very heavy winters (25 feet snow), rocky trails, carry lots of stuff, skidoos, ATV, construction materials, gaz bottles, moose, dear, etc etc, this truck never breaks down ever, always starts at minus 40, unstoppable 4x4 system, I plan to keep it another 5 years and looks great. I plan to keep it another 5 years. It looks great!"
Anonymous, QC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Quick, smooth acceleration and easy, reliable handling"
Linda W., OR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Only 4 cyl, but adequate."
R A., CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Pleasant to drive. Plenty of power with V6. nice steering response and good brakes."
David H., WV (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Its small 4-cyl. engine has only 159 hp, so it's inadequate for highway travel but excellent for off-road travel. The suspension is very harsh off-road, however."
Anonymous, MN (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"vehicle lacks acceleration when entering freeway. It doesn't kick in to a suitable gear. Rather, it slowly gains speed."
Anonymous, OR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"4 liter engine has power and uses no oil. A little noisy at start up, probably due to variable cam. Great acceleration, handles great, now improved with Michelin tires."
David H., WI (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"good visibility through windows and mirrors. Easy handling. We do no sudden accelerating, drive carefully by habit."
Anonymous, CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"The Tacoma feels powerful and solid, but it's not sporty."
Doxey H., MT (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"It has good clearance and a reliable 4 wd system. It is not a great crisp handling truck but it is also not supposed to be. great off road capability."
Michael T., AK (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Ok but lacks acceleration of a 6cl"
Anonymous, FL (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"This is the best part of this small and cheap car."
Anonymous, MO (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Handles very well, quick response to turns, accelerates quickly."
Anonymous, AR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Weak acceleration. That was the trade-off with getting the 4 cylinder, but got better gas mileage. Just wish it had more gears, only 3. Mileage and acceleration could be better if that were the case."
Dale N., NC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"We bought it to haul a 5500 lb trailer but it does not have enough torque for hills or headwinds. We will have to sell it."
Ken P., AB (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"It handles very well in traffic."
Anonymous, ME (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Only get about 16 mpg"
Anonymous, TX (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Very slow acceleration."
Kathryn M., NC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Tow package pulls trailer with ease."
Ray H., NV (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Acceleration is good but handling is not."
Carlos S., PR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Good engine."
Desley A., TX (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"I have the 4 cyl. It is totally gutless. Can't tow anything and is pretty much useless as a truck to haul anything. Gas milage is bad."
Mahlon W., AL (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"handles very well for a pickup truck, smoother ride when there is a full load on"
Anonymous, PA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"The acceleration could be better, but lots better than the 4 cycle."
Glenn D., MS (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"The handling and acceleration are very positive features for this vehicle"
Howie B., MA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"4 cyl is adequate for around town, but a little lacking for highway."
Anonymous, KS (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Poor acceleration and resulting erratic operation of cruise control on hills"
Anonymous, AK (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"I purchased a 4-cylinder engine for mostly in town commuting. The last year my job changed and I drive on longer trips. The 4-cylinder engine is under powered for that."
CHARLES C., IA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"First project was a trailer tow to North Carolina with a net load weight of 4000 pounds and gross total of 5050 pounds. Truck pulled this with AC and head wind @ 60 mph and returned 23mpg, empty return of 25 mpg @ posted allowed speed. 6343 miles total trip distance."
Anonymous, CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Low acceleration, no power"
Anonymous, MA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Blind spots on side and side mirror placement when turning especially in the dark."
DAVID N., VA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"4 cyl gas mileage is poor and the truck is underpowered. Wish I had bought the V6, which would probably get the same or better overall gas mileage. Overall will not consider another Tacoma unless rear disk brakes are offered. Incredible that they were left out yet again in the most recent truck redesign"
Anonymous, CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Starting uphill in Summer takes same time."
Anonymous, MO (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Compared to modern (last 10 years) drive systems, the Tacoma seems antiquated. The automatic transmission is slow to respond, the engine keeps running when the vehicle is stopped (granted it is not a hybrid, but it should be), the cruise control is the worst I've experienced in my 45 years of driving."
Anonymous, CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Weak acceleration"
DALE N., NC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"4 cylinder extra cab - doesn't accelerate well. Could be fixed by changing the final drive ratio..."
Anonymous, CA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"No guts. Slow to accelerate and respond, but I accept that in this model. It does what I want it to."
Anonymous, NC (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Good acceleration. Ride is a little rough and a little jittery on rough roads. But it is a 4x4, it is supposed to be a little rough riding. I love my Taco!"
BILL S., TX (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Not as comfortable as a full size pick up. Still more reliable than any other."
Anonymous, PR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"I have the 4 cyl engine. Power is terrible !!!!!!!"
MAHLON W., AL (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Powerful for a 6"
JAMES J., GA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"The 4 cylinder is underpowered. Constant downshifting and engine roar."
STEPHEN L., MA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Poor turning radius. I installed anti-sway bars to improve handling. Driver's seat not comfortable."
Anonymous, OR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Acceleration poor. Handling in snow bad if not using 4 wheel drive. Fairly good with 4 wheel drive"
DOROTHY O., MA (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"The Tacoma is under powered with the 4 cylinder engine. Should have purchased the model with the V-6 engine."
Anonymous, HI (2011 Toyota Tacoma)"Very capable vehicle, especially in winter driving conditions. This is very important considering we can experience winter conditions 9 months of the year. Ride comfortable, great sightlines, feel very confident and safe driving this truck"
JOHN M., AB (2011 Toyota Tacoma)
"With the 4-banger it is not a rocket ship but is very economical - my old 1994 Toyota truck never got over 20 MPG, while this 2011 often get as much as 26 MPG on the highway even though it is longer, wider, higher, and heavier than the old one. Not to mention many more creature comforts in the cabin. Hard to believe."
Lary H., OR (2011 Toyota Tacoma)