Tacoma
Codex

Toyota's first US compact-truck V6, introduced as the halo powertrain for the 1988 model year and sold alongside the four-cylinder trucks as the new top of the lineup. The 3.0L 3VZ-E produced 150 hp and 180 lb-ft — more than fifty horsepower over the outgoing 22R-E — and was offered with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic in 2WD and 4WD. Only the final year of the 4th-gen body received it, making the 1988 V6 a one-year-only transitional truck and a genuine turning point in how the American market viewed Toyota pickups.

The top-spec 5th-gen Toyota Pickup — SR5 appointments, chrome trim, and the 3.0L V6 stacked into a do-everything family truck that finally matched domestic midsize offerings on paper. The 3VZ-E made 150 hp and 180 lb-ft and was available with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic in 2WD or 4WD, with optional limited-slip differential. Head-gasket issues gave the 3VZ-E a mixed reputation, but well-maintained examples routinely crossed 300,000 miles, and clean V6 4x4 Xtracabs now trade for more than they cost new.

The working-class Toyota that built the brand's American reputation — sold in Regular Cab and Xtracab, 2WD and 4WD, with nothing fancy inside and nothing weak underneath. The carbureted 22R and fuel-injected 22R-E (from 1985) are among the most durable four-cylinders Toyota ever built, paired with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto. These are the trucks that racked up 300,000-mile odometers and still show up running on job sites four decades later.

The enthusiast's first-gen Tacoma — positioned as the top-tier V6 before the Limited, pairing the SR5 appearance package with the 3.4L V6 that defined the platform. The 5VZ-FE produced 190 hp and 220 lb-ft and was offered with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic in 2WD, PreRunner, and 4WD, available in every cab style the Tacoma came in. Widely considered one of the most reliable V6 engines Toyota ever built, the SR5 V6 4x4 manual Xtracab is now the single most sought-after first-gen configuration and regularly trades for more than its original window sticker.

The luxury flagship of the first-generation Tacoma — debuted for the 1998 model year as a renamed top-of-line trim above the SR5 V6, with leather, unique 15-inch alloys, color-keyed bumpers, auto-dimming mirror, and the only factory-available power moonroof in the lineup. Powered exclusively by the 3.4L 5VZ-FE V6 with 4WD, sold as an Xtracab and later as a Double Cab (2001+), with either the 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. Produced in much smaller numbers than the SR5, the Limited was Toyota's proof that a compact truck could be genuinely upscale and is the direct ancestor of today's Tacoma Limited and TRD Pro halo trims.

The refreshed 5th-gen Pickup that carried Toyota's compact-truck line from the late 80s through the debut of the Tacoma — softer sheetmetal, a revised cabin, and the same base-workhorse mission. The 22R-E four now made 116 hp and 140 lb-ft, and 4WD models switched from a solid front axle to independent front suspension for a more livable on-road ride. Built in enormous numbers at NUMMI in Fremont, California, many were later recalled and scrapped for frame rust, which is why clean dry-climate survivors command a real premium today.

Toyota's fender-side retro bed option, introduced for the 2000 model year and continued through 2003 — a throwback to 1950s fleetside styling applied to the first-generation Tacoma. Sold on Xtracab trucks with either the 2.7L 3RZ-FE four or the 3.4L 5VZ-FE V6, a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic, and sharing trim levels with standard-bed trucks. The Stepside cost about 20% of its cargo volume to style and was quietly dropped before the 2004 model year — surviving V6 manual Stepsides are one of the genuine first-gen oddities today.