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Unofficial 2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner Is the TRD Sport Truck You Can't Have

The pickup truck market is loaded with cool options in 2022, but have you noticed how you can no longer buy a proper sports truck? Yeah, I'm talking about low-riding, street-spec haulers like the GMC Syclone, Dodge Ram SRT-10, and Ford SVT Lightning.
2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner rendering 6 photos
Photo: jlord8/Instagram
2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner rendering2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner rendering2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner rendering2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner rendering2022 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner rendering
Granted, demand is probably way too low for automakers to even consider reviving such legends, but it would be cool to have them alongside high-performance off-roaders like the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX. If you don't agree, maybe you should take a look at this 2022 incarnation of the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner.

Yes, it's just a rendering and not a preview of an upcoming revival, but it's proof that the current-generation Tacoma would look fetching as a track-oriented pickup. The lowered suspension, the low-profile tires, and all those TRD goodies do a great job turning a workhorse into a super truck that could easily conquer the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Okay, maybe I've gone too far because Toyota will never drop a beefed-up V8 in the Tacoma, but an upgraded 3.5-liter V6 with more than 350 horsepower would be nice enough.

As you might have already guessed, this rendering is a tribute to the sporty Tacoma X-Runner that the Japanese company produced from 2005 to 2013.

Fitted with a lowered double-wishbone suspension, Bilstein shocks, and frame X-bracing, the X-Runner was not only more agile than the regular Tacoma, but it also looked decidedly more aggressive thanks to its bumper and side skirt extensions.

The sporty hauler came with the regular 4.0-liter V6 under the hood, but it got a six-speed short-throw manual instead of the usual five-speed gearbox. A limited-slip differential was also included in the package and traction was restricted to the rear wheels.

While the standard X-Runner wasn't impressively powerful at 236 horsepower, the optional TRD supercharger squeezed 304 horses out of the V6 mill. Not as powerful as the Ford SVT Lightning, but good enough for the mid-2000s.

Would you like to see the Tacoma X-Runner return? Let me know in the comments.
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Editor's note: For illustrative purposes, the photo gallery also includes images of the 2006 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner

About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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