The Toyota Tacoma Configurator Is Live, and Boy, It Sure Gets Expensive

• The Tacoma configurator is live.
• It's going to be a very pricey truck once you select big option packages.
• Competitors are offering much better value propositions.

In short, those improvements aren’t going to come cheap. The Tacoma is now so expensive — once some options are applied — that it becomes less of a value proposition and more of a luxury item than ever before. Take the TRD Sport, for example. This isn’t a top-of-the-line Tacoma (it falls right smack in the middle of the trim ladder) and we still don’t know how much the optional hybrid powertrain will cost. But even so, a TRD Sport with a few desirable options (four-wheel drive, leather seats and the towing package, for example) costs a whopping $53,570. For something you can’t even consider top-of-the-line, that is a lot of coin. 
The competition either well undercuts the Tacoma or offers more for similar money. The Chevrolet Colorado in Z71 trim (also a midlevel model) tops out at $47,050 with all of its most desirable options selected. It offers similar power, more towing, and even features you can’t get on the Toyota's lower trims (like a head-up display once the Technology package is applied and even cooled seats). Not to make matters worse for the Tacoma, but the Ford Ranger Raptor — which offers a turbocharged V6 and a major bump in power — costs within 10% of the a maxed-out TRD Sport's price at $57,065.

Keep in mind, we still don't know how much the top-of-the-line versions of the Tacoma are going to cost or how much Toyota will ask for the hybrid powertrain. Based on just how much a TRD Sport can cost and the starting price of the Limited model ($53,595), it wouldn't be a huge jump to see the TRD Pro and Trailhunter trims get close to $60,000. When you consider that last year's TRD Pro was $52,235, that is a big jump for that trim alone, but the entire lineup is now far more costly than before. Bear that in mind if you had a Tacoma on your wish list for this holiday season.

Edmunds says

Toyota will likely still sell as many Tacomas as it can build, but competitors are undoubtedly offering their midsize trucks at a much better value.