Today, if you produce and sell truckand you want to add a performance variant, there is obviously only one option: make an off-road monster. Hot trucks all have maximum ground clearance, huge tires and plenty of armor. Sometimes more power if you have cash. But it was not always so. Hot trucks used to tend to drop lower with better handling and more body style. And one of the rare examples of applying that strategy to a smaller truck is from 2005 to 2014 Toyota Tacoma X runner.
Technically, it’s not the first sport Tacoma. That belongs to its predecessor, the S-Runner. But the X-Runner looks much more like a sport truck with its large hood, side skirts and aggressive front fender. It chose other improvements from the new one generationsuch as more power.
Why is the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner a futuristic classic?
The thing about the Tacoma X-Runner is that it combines a pickup truck with pretty much everything we, and maybe you, love about sports cars. Rear-wheel drive? Check. Six-speed manual transmission? Check. Limited slip differential? Check. The suspension is stiffer, lowered? Check. Sporty styling? You guessed it, check.
And it’s not just a case of a cheap lowering kit and some extra plastic. Toyota proudly declares the fact that it has evaluated Nissan 350Z to handle. It also claims that the truck can manage 0.9 g above a skidpad.
To achieve this, Toyota fitted an X brace (the reason it’s called the X-Runner instead of the S-Runner), stiffer springs and shock absorbers that lower it by 0.6 inches and a rear anti-roll bar. The 255 mm Bridgestone Potenza tires, the widest available on the Tacoma of that generation, did no harm either.
We’ve mentioned that it comes with a six-speed differential and limited slip, which improves the fun factor, but we haven’t mentioned the engine yet. It’s a 4.0-liter V6 that makes 236 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. It’s a solid improvement over the S-Runner’s 195-horsepower 3.4-liter engine, though it’s not much different from any other Tacoma V6 of its time. Still, a 0-60 mph time of about 7 seconds isn’t too bad. No more power, wild brake Nor does it seem to be an oversight.
And if you want more, there’s a factory-supported option. TRD has sold a turbocharger for all Tacoma 4.0-liter V6s that can be installed by seller that will bring up to 304 horsepower and 334 pound-feet of torque. Sadly, you can’t get it from Toyota anymore. But there is a company called Underdog Racing Development still produces and sells the same basic kit. So if you see yourself as an X-Runner, you can still upgrade your pickup.
And like we said, it’s still a pickup. it will be drag 3,500 pounds and has a large bed with a load capacity of 875 pounds. OK, that’s not great, but good luck getting a bookbox or patio worth of mulch z or one eighty six.
What is the ideal example of the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner?
In the nearly decade that X-Runner has been offered, it has never really changed much. That means the most obvious example you can find for making money is your ideal choice. And one that comes pre-loaded with a supercharger is sure to be the most interesting.
But if you are picky, one thing to note is that the Tacoma line has been refreshed for 2012 model. Styling has been tweaked very little, but the big bonus is the addition of USB and Bluetooth connectivity for phone and audio. It’s nice to have, but it won’t be a deal breaker for us.
Our list of used cars It can be helpful to find a good deal near you. Narrow services down to the radius around your ZIP code and pay attention to the offer rating on each listing to see how the vehicle compares to others in a similar area.
Are there any good alternatives to the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner?
One of the X-Runner’s differentiators was that it was a smaller sports pickup truck at a time when the main alternatives were full-size cars like avoid Ram SRT-10 and Chevy Silverado SS. And the manual transmission is relatively unusual.
But there is another sporty minivan alternative: the first generation Chevy Colorado. There’s an option package called the ZQ8 that offers lower suspension and some styling tweaks. It is also available on both four- and five-cylinder trucks. But the real attraction is the 5.3-liter V8 model introduced in 2009 that makes 300 horsepower. You can’t get it with the manual, but the rumbling exhaust and extra power can make it easy to forgive.
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