The redesigned 2005 Toyota Tacoma exudes a stronger appearance than before, with its big, bold headlights and grille. Flush rear surface glass and flush surface structures between the bumper sides and body give the Tacoma a more sophisticated and higher quality appearance. PreRunner and 4x4 models are distinguished by bold overfenders. Overall, it's a very attractive truck, perfect for Toyota, though not overly stylish.

The length of the Tacoma varies by body style: Regular Cab trucks are the shortest, measuring 190.4 inches overall on a 109.4-inch wheelbase. Access Cab and Double Cab short-bed models share the 127.2-inch wheelbase and 208.1-inch overall length. Double Cab long-bed models are quite long at 221.3 inches overall on a 140.9-inch wheelbase. All models have six-foot beds except the Double Cab short-bed configuration, which has a five-foot bed.

How to choose: Regular Cab models offer lots of cargo space in a relatively small package, good for maneuverability in the big city; because they are shorter, PreRunner and 4x4 Regular Cabs have the best break-over angle and therefore offer the best capability off road. Access Cab models feature large dual rear access doors, no good for people but very good for gear. Double Cab models have long rear doors that open 80 degrees for ease of entry or loading gear. Double Cabs offer the comfort of a sport-utility; the long-bed Double Cabs can carry more stuff but are unwieldy in tight places.

The 2005 Tacoma features a composite inner bed, lighter than steel yet tougher and more durable. The bed features two-tier loading and integrated deck rail utility with four adjustable tie-down cleats. The rails are compatible with Genuine Toyota Accessories, including cargo bed cross bars, a fork-mount bike rack, and diamond-plate storage boxes.

All of the newest trucks in this class have decent interiors, but the quality of Toyota's interior materials seems just a little better than that of the other midsize pickups. The dimpled material on the dash and upper panels and the textured material on the lower dash and door trim look nice; it's hard plastic, but it looks soft. The cloth upholstery is decent in the SR5 trim. Not everyone loves the perforated silver plastic used for the center stack, though. Solid cup holders are provided in the center console area.

The switchgear is easy to operate and everything is where you expect it to be. Big rotary knobs make it easy to adjust cabin temperature even with gloves on; the knobs are electronic, so they're easy to twist. The radio is fully integrated into the upper center stack and it's easy to operate, though the display is nearly impossible to read through polarized sunglasses. CDs sound good through the JBL speakers.

The Tacoma offers a comfortable driving position. We found the bucket seats on the uplevel models comfortable, though the seat bottom could be a bit longer and have more thigh support. The seats in our SR5 were manually adjustable; lumbar adjustment was provided but there was no adjustment for seat height or the angle of the seat bottom; the power seats available on the new Nissan Frontier have these features. The front seatback on some Tacoma models flips down to form a tray table or to make room for long objects, a nice feature. And big mirrors afford a good view rearward.
The back seats in the latest generation of crew cabs are far more habitable than those of older trucks. And the rear seat in the Tacoma Double Cab is particularly comfortable for the class, offering good leg room and shoulder room and decent headroom. The seatback is angled back slightly, making it more comfortable. A younger rider should be okay to ride across the state back there and even adults won't complain too much on short trips. The rear windows go all the way down.

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The rear seat area in the Double Cab is good for carrying cargo as well. The back seat is split 60/40. Flip the seat bottoms forward and fold the two sections down to form a flat platform for gear. It takes two hands to do this and you first have to remove the headrests, a hassle though Toyota has provided a place to store each headrest. The seatbacks are hard, and form a sturdy cargo floor. It's not a bad spot for a dog, better than the bumpy floors in the Nissan and Dodge, but it's a big jump down. The Access Cab has rear seats, but they're pretty hopeless for humans. It's best used for small cargo that you don't want to put in the bed.

We'd prefer a handbrake lever to the prehistoric pull-out handbrake that comes with manual transmissions. Automatics come with a foot-operated parking brake.