Toyota expands
its pickup truck lineup with the introduction of the all new, four
door 2001 Tacoma Double Cab.
Expected to
arrive at dealers this October, the Tacoma Double Cab will offer
buyers the same combination of cargo hauling capability and passenger
room found in the Nissan Frontier and Dakota Quad Cab.
The Tacoma Double Cab sports a unique and distinctive grille among
Toyota's compact trucks.
The Double
Cab's heritage is rooted in the internationally popular Toyota Hi-Lux
four door work pickup on sale today in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Toyota chose specifically to reengineer and develop an entirely
new truck specifically for the US marketplace where consumers are
much more likely to use their compact four door pickup trucks for
lifestyle and recreation use as they are for work related purposes.
The Double Cab is expected to appeal to a wide range of buyers serving
as an 'active' alternative to the SUV and minivan.
The
Tacoma Double Cab offers a longer bed than its competitor the Nissan
Frontier. Note the lengthy rear overhang which is the same length
as found on the extended and regular cab Tacoma pickups. Only the
portion in front of the rear wheel well has been shortened to accommodate
the larger cabin.
The Tacoma
Double cab will be positioned as the image leader among Toyota's
trucks. It will be offered in SR5 and Limited trim levels with an
available off-road package, in either the two-wheel drive PreRunner
series with four- or six-cylinder engines, or as a 4x4 powered exclusively
by the 190 horsepower DOHC 3.4 liter V6. The 2.7 liter, four cylinder
DOHC engine produces 150 horsepower. The only transmission offered
will be a 4 speed automatic.
The 61.4-inch
cargo bed found on the Toyota Tacoma is 6 1/2-inches longer than
the 2000 Nissan Frontier's. Overall wheelbase on the Tacoma Double
Cab is 121.9-inches and overall length is 203.0-inches. Its eleven
inches of ground clearance are best in class for compact trucks.
Inside the
truck is a large rear, 60/40 fold-down bench seat. The truck can
accommodate up to five adults.
