plying their trades on our highways and backroads, but the rest of the world relies on smaller pickups to do work. Most of those trucks proudly wear the iconic tri-oval Toyota badge on their grilles, though American automakers have been making a dent in Toyota ’s global dominance over the past decade or so by exporting models such as theChevy’s been battling Toyota both here and abroad while riding a wave of critical acclaim for its stout midsizer.
For starters, their constructions are different. The Tacoma, as it has since 2005, features a composite plastic bed. The pros for this approach are that it's rust-proof, resistant to damage, and avoids the need for customers to drop a couple hundred bucks on a bedliner. It’s also lighter than steel, though our test Taco’s 1,407-pound payload capacity is middling.
The Colorado also features a hidden storage compartment in the tailgate for use as a cooler for a few cans of your favorite beverage or more purposefully to stash ratchet straps and other odds and ends. And unlike the Toyota at this price point, our test Colorado came with outlets in the bed to power everything from circular saws to camp fridges.
Not all that’s new is improved, though. Despite the belated shift from rear drum brakes to discs at all four corners, the Tacoma’s brake pedal feel leaves much to be desired. The stroke is long, with most of the pedal’s bite not occurring until you’re well into a third of its travel. It’s something you’ll get used to after a few stops where you wind up standing the Tacoma on its nose, but it wouldn’t instill us with confidence when towing or hauling heavier loads.
Overall road manners tip in favor of the Colorado. But things are much more even when we look at their cabins.
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