The Next Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner Are Going Global

It’s no secret Toyota trucks don’t get updated often, and when they do, it’s not always a big change. The differences between the second- and third-generation Tacoma weren’t huge, and the third-gen has been on sale since 2015 with a minor facelift last year. The mechanically related 4Runner? It’s been mostly the same since 2010. That all changes for the next generation of each, when they move to an all-new global platform shared with the legendary Toyota Hilux pickup.

While fans are perfectly happy with the 2021 toyota tacoma and generally think the 2021 Toyota 4Runner only needs a few updates, both are in line for some major changes. Industry watchers will be aware Toyota has been moving all its cars and SUVs onto various sizes of its Toyota Next Generation Architecture (TNGA) over the past decade, and now it’s time for the pickup trucks and old-school SUVs to follow suit.

The Tacoma and 4Runner already share a platform, and hardcore Toyota fans will know they share a common ancestor with the Toyota Hilux. Originally mechanically related to the Toyota Pickup, the two diverged in the mid-1990s. Now, the Tacoma and 4Runner are sold in the Americas and the Hilux and Fortuner (a global 4Runner-like SUV based on the Hilux) are sold elsewhere. Now, as Toyota consolidates its various global platforms for similar vehicles, the Tacoma, 4Runner, Hilux, and Fortuner are all moving onto a new next-generation platform.