All-New N400 Toyota Tacoma Drags V6 Predecessor, a Chevy Colorado Dares to Intervene

That's an excellent time to spend between Christmas and New Year's Eve, right? We think so, too, especially since they managed to find one of the few 2024 Tacoma pickup trucks on the market. A word of caution, though. As always, the folks over at TFL Truck are conducting non-scientific tests at an altitude of about a mile above sea level, which will definitely impact their trucks' performances.

But let us meet the contestants first. The show's star is, without a doubt, the crimson 2024 Tacoma (N400) they brought to face off with its naturally aspirated V6-powered predecessor. They are both level in terms of pony count, but the torque advantage is for the new generation. Plus, it's turbocharged and has more gears – eight instead of six. On the other hand, the old Taco is much lighter, so this will be pretty balanced.

As it turns out, the old Taco can't stand up against the new one's higher torque from lower revs and the fact that it's turbocharged – but the difference is also not that great, either. They also did a rolling start, just to be thorough, and the gap was about the same. Thirdly, it was only natural to put those new rear disc brakes to the test, and the 2024 Tacoma faired pretty well – about ten feet better than its predecessor. However, consider that the trucks had different tires, which could also impact the performance.

Interestingly, since the Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel got retired and because the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor is not yet on sale, the high-output 310-hp Chevy Colorado is currently the most potent and torque-tastic mid-size pickup truck on the market. It also made an appearance to show Tacoma who's the current sales boss and swiftly beat the 278-hp opponent. Of course, things might change when the 326-hp i-Force Max hybrid Taco comes out. But until then, it's not the best on the market.

Last but not least, someone also brought a first-gen single cab Tacoma on the improvised, non-prepped 'dragstrip,' and it didn't come alone. Instead, the little Taco came equipped with the latest Magnusson supercharger, churning out around 305 horsepower and nowhere near as much weight as the modern Tacoma. Curiously, when racing in 4WD, it even beat the higher-powered Colorado! So, to sum it up, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma is marginally better than its predecessor (in a quarter-mile drag race) but still needs to work stuff up before reclaiming the overall mid-size pickup truck throne from Chevy's new Colorado!