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Posted: 2019-02-07 05:01:01

When all that's left on Earth is scarred terrain and microplastics, the landscape will still be littered with Toyota Tacomas. Such is the staying power of Toyota's midsize pickup, and for the 2020 model year, there's even more to dig.

Toyota unveiled the 2020 Tacoma at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show. The visual refresh is on the light side, which is fine as the truck still looks plenty fresh, but one area where I had some gripes in my review of the 2019 Tacoma -- tech -- is getting some much-needed love.

The most notable update on the 2020 Toyota Tacoma is a new infotainment system. With a standard 7-inch touchscreen, growing to 8 inches on the SR5 trim and up, this new head unit will carry Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility, that last coming in handy if you didn't remember to turn on lights or set the thermostat.

Other tech upgrades are relegated to specific trims. The TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro trims get Multi Terrain Monitor, which is borrowed from the Land Cruiser and adds cameras to help the vehicle maneuver off-road. Limited trims get a surround-view camera system as standard, but it also makes an appearance on the TRD Pro trim, and it's available on lesser trims as an option.

I'll never get tired of looking at the Tacoma TRD Pro, especially with that gnarly snorkel bolted onto the side.

Toyota

On the safety front, every Tacoma comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense-P, which adds forward collision warning, automatic braking, lane departure warning, automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control. As of this writing, it's the only midsize truck to have all that as standard equipment, but the Jeep Gladiator will soon double that company.

The visual changes are light. Just about every trim gets a new grille and new or updated wheel designs. The base SR and SR5 trims also gets new, darker taillight housings, and the SR5 also picks up new seat fabric designs and available daytime running lights. The TRD Sport gets chrome taillight inserts, LED fog lamps and a new LED bed lamp. The top Limited trim gets standard LED headlights and the same chrome taillight inserts.

As for the 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro, the most off-road-capable variant Toyota makes, it gets a new set of wheels that are about 4 pounds lighter than the last set. The Fox shocks and rear springs have been retuned to accommodate the lighter wheels, to boot.

As before, two powertrains are available. There's a 2.7-liter, naturally aspirated I4 putting out 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, as well as a 3.5-liter V6 putting out 278 hp and 265 lb-ft. A six-speed automatic is standard, but the V6 can be mated to a six-speed manual, too. All V6 Tacomas come standard with a tow kit that includes a hitch, an engine oil cooler, a power steering cooler, an automatic transmission fluid cooler and a 130-amp alternator.

Chicago Auto Show: Stay up-to-date on everything from the Second City.

2019 Toyota Tacoma: Check out our latest review. 

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