It doesn’t matter what specs or features you are looking for, there is a Tacoma for you out there. A make that is exclusively built for you. Toyota Tacomas have a legacy of excellence in reliability, performance, and durability. Launched first in 1995, these pickup trucks had been introduced as the replacement for Hilux, the original Toyota pickup. Contrary to Hilux, they focused on performance, handling, ride quality, and comfort for personal use, to cater to the needs of the US and Canada market. Marketed as compact sized pickup trucks, they hit home at first sight. Since the very first generation, they have been selling like hotcakes.
Tacoma X Runner was launched by Toyota to keep themselves relevant in the muscle trucks market. A sporty variant of Tacoma, the package X Runner came with the second generation. It's one of the fastest non-American pickups that go 0-60 MPH in under 10 seconds. It aimed towards competing with the Ford SVT Lightning. The meatiest upgrades in the package were the V6 engine, six speed short throw manual transmission, and a standard limited slip locking differential. The engine churned 236 ponies and 266 lb-ft of torque. Interested drivers could get an optional TRD supercharger to boost the 236hp to a whopping 304hp. It could hit zero to 60 in six seconds. The back was two inches lower than the stock, which improved handling to a good measure. A lot of suspension modifications were available for further customization.
In spite of all these updates which a chunk of buyers loved, X Runner didn’t prove to be successful. Why did Toyota discontinue the Tacoma X Runner? Read along to find out.
Sales Had Slashed
Usually, Tacomas sell like hotcakes, but the X Runner did not perform as they expected, in the market. This special edition truck survived 2005 through 2013, with reportedly around 3500 trucks built every year. Since they did not possess much off-road ability, mainstream truck buyers were not very interested to buy them. The hoonigans, who like speed or muscle trucks, had options more powerful than the X-Runner, like Colorado SS, F-150 Raptor, Silverado SS, Ford SVT Lightning, etc. The other reason behind them not being mass favorite was they did not hold their resale value very well, which is very unlike Tacoma. Prone to abuses, ragged out easily and shaky mods did not help the case of used ones either. Toyota does not release the sales data for individual sub models, so extracting an accurate number of how many of these were sold is difficult. However, it is safe to assume that they did not sell as expected and hence, killed.
Generally Disliked Because Of Unfortunate Reasons
Tacomas are known for their off-road skills, but the X-Runner did not have much to flaunt in this department. Agreed they had a lot of updates, mods, and factory add-ons which attracted a chunk of buyers, but, in spite of all these upgrades, a huge segment didn’t like this package much. Other than a niche group who thought of it as a pickup that owned the drag strip, most people were not impressed.
According to Tacoma World forums, the most common tease people had for it, is that it is a chick’s truck. On top of that, it was extremely lowered and lowered trucks are not usually popular, not to mention considered inefficient. The lower bed, very low seats, and slightly poor visibility scared a chunk of serious pickup drivers. According to Motor Biscuit, early years were prone to paint and rust issues. On top of all this, marketing it as a sports truck further diminished the sales number, as there were other sportier options available in the market which hauled better too.
X Runner Was Fated To Die
The fact that it was not a hauler nor a serious off-roader, some way or the other, X-Runner was fated to die. Yes, it was fast, more so if you opted for a TRD package, but, then it got ridiculously expensive. A truck is a workhorse, not a car. It is not supposed to be way fun. Some people complain about the use of the bed if it can’t haul anything! All things said and done, a niche segment of buyers have loved the X-Runner for its handling and looks, and simply adore it.
X-Runner was a pickup we would buy over any sports car. It was the truck for you if you didn’t go off roads and didn’t have to pick up or haul. However, if you like the look of a truck, but want the functionality of a car, X-Runner is for you. But, then, there are lot more options which better suited than this, and that folks, is what doomed the fate of this brilliant piece of truck.