A Mid-Size Pickup with Big Personality
Some vehicles feel like they were built to satisfy a checklist, while others carry a certain spirit — an attitude you can sense the moment you slide behind the wheel. The 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Double Cab, equipped with that sadly rare six-speed manual transmission, falls firmly into the latter camp. It’s not just another truck. It’s a reminder that driving can be fun, even in a segment often more about utility than enjoyment.
This week’s Tacoma, painted in its crowd-pleasing Terra exterior color, drew compliments all week. Whether pulling up to a grocery store parking lot or pausing at a trailhead, people stopped to comment: “That’s a great color” or “You don’t see many good colors like that anymore.” Toyota has long understood that buyers want capability, but also presence. And presence is something the Tacoma has in spades.
For 2025, the Tacoma enters its second year after a full redesign, carrying only subtle tweaks. Front tow hooks are now standard across trims, and the optional auxiliary switches jump from 30 amps to a hearty 95, giving owners more room to plug in lights, compressors, or whatever kit they fancy bolting on. It’s incremental progress, but in the Tacoma world, such refinements matter.
Exterior Design: Rugged by Intention
The Tacoma TRD Off-Road trim is a truck that looks like it wants to be dirty. And I for one loved that! With 17-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires, a front skid plate, and Bilstein remote-reservoir dampers, it announces its readiness for trails. Even standing still, it carries a purposeful stance. Upright. Muscular. Maybe a little topheavy?
That last trait isn’t merely visual; on the road, you do feel it in higher-speed corners. The Tacoma’s body leans more than some rivals, a reminder that its heart belongs to rutted paths more than sweeping asphalt curves. But hey, buyers in this segment expect a bit of that. It’s part of the truck’s character, and frankly, it suits it.
And again, the Terra paint is a triumph. Earthy yet distinctive, it underscores Toyota’s knack for offering colors that feel natural in outdoor settings. Park it against a backdrop of sandstone (or autumn woods), and you’ll swear it was color-matched by Mother Nature herself.
Interior: Function with a Few Surprises
Step inside, and the first thing people notice is the infotainment screen. Large, crisp, and well-placed, it draws immediate attention. In fact, it was the very first comment from nearly everyone who climbed aboard at a local car show. The rest of the cabin follows Toyota’s familiar playbook: straightforward layout, solid ergonomics, and just enough rugged touches to reassure you it can handle trail dust and muddy boots.
There’s also a bit of fun: a removable JBL Bluetooth speaker, cleverly stowed until you feel like carrying the tunes beyond the cab. Toyota lifted this trick from the 4Runner, and it’s the kind of feature you don’t think you need until you have it. Tailgate gatherings and campsite evenings just got a soundtrack.
That said, the Tacoma isn’t without its quirks. Headroom feels limited — and that’s coming from someone of an average 5’11 stature. Taller drivers may find themselves brushing the headliner. And then there’s the gearshift knob: oversized, awkwardly shaped, and somehow less ergonomic than the more natural designs of previous Tacomas. It works, of course, but if you buy this truck, do yourself a favor: swap it for something slimmer, or even personalize it. A truck this engaging deserves a shift knob that feels like a proper handshake, not a clumsy fist bump.
Performance and the Joy of the Manual
Beneath the hood lies Toyota’s i-Force 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, producing a stout 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. On paper, those are healthy numbers for the mid-size class, and in practice, the Tacoma feels lively enough.
But the real story here is the six-speed manual transmission. In an era when automatics dominate — and not just dominate, but have become nearly universal — finding a stick shift in a new pickup feels like unearthing buried treasure. Driving it is an event, a tactile experience that connects you more deeply to the truck’s rhythm.
Is it perfect? Not quite. First gear is absurdly short, so much so that you’ll rarely use it unless towing or tackling a steep incline. Most of the time, you’ll simply start in second, which the Tacoma handles with ease. It’s a quirk, yes, but one easily adapted to. Once in motion, the gears slot cleanly, and the engine’s broad torque curve ensures you’re never caught flat-footed.
Fuel economy is respectable for a truck of this size: 18/23 mpg officially, with an observed 22 mpg average during a week of mixed driving. For something that can tow 6500 pounds (roughly 10 grizzly bears, if you’re measuring in wildlife), that’s not bad at all.
Capability and Practicality
Capability is where the Tacoma earns its reputation. As mentioned, properly equipped, it can tow up to 6500 pounds and haul a payload of 1705 pounds. Rest assured, that’s more than enough for most weekend toys — boats, campers, or a trailer of dirt bikes.
The TRD Off-Road’s hardware isn’t for show. Those Bilstein dampers soak up uneven terrain, while the all-terrain tires bite confidently into gravel and mud. What’s missing, oddly, is a multi-angle camera system or even a quick-access button to call up the views it does have. In tight trails or crowded parking lots, a single press would be a blessing.
And yet, the Tacoma’s greatest practicality may lie in its size. Like the Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeline we’ve covered this year, the Tacoma occupies that sweet spot: big enough to haul, small enough to live with daily. In a world where full-size pickups have grown into near-commercial vehicles, the mid-size Tacoma feels refreshingly approachable. It fits in normal garages, navigates city streets without drama, and doesn’t overwhelm the driver.
Pricing and Value
Here’s where the numbers tell their own story. The Tacoma TRD Double Cab manual starts at an MSRP of $41,800. As tested, with options and extras, the sticker climbed to $54,400. That may raise eyebrows, especially given this isn’t the top-spec trim. It is 2025 afterall.
Yet consider what you’re getting: a body-on-frame, trail-ready pickup with real off-road hardware, Toyota’s hard-earned reputation for durability, and one of the last manual transmissions standing in the market. That combination is rarer than it first appears. Viewed through that lens, the price makes more sense.
Lifestyle Fit: Who Buys This Truck?
This is not a luxury buyer’s truck. It’s not meant for the valet stand at the country club, nor for the executive who views a truck purely as a tax write-off. The Tacoma TRD Double Cab manual is for people who actually like to drive. For those who camp on weekends, who want a truck that feels equally at home carrying kayaks as it does lumber, who smile when they downshift into a corner simply because they can.
It’s also for those who appreciate practicality with personality. The Tacoma offers both, with the Terra paint drawing admiring glances and the manual transmission offering rare engagement. It’s a truck that sparks conversations, whether at the fuel pump or the trailhead.
Verdict: The Perfectly Sized, Imperfectly Perfect Truck
The 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Double Cab manual isn’t flawless. The headroom is tight, the first gear too short, the shift knob oddly shaped, and the body a touch top-heavy. And yet, those quirks are part of what makes it memorable.
In a segment increasingly dominated by homogeneity, the Tacoma stands out. It’s capable without being oversized, rugged without being crude, fun without being frivolous. It’s the kind of truck you buy not just because you need it, but because you want it.
For those who value engagement over ease, personality over polish, and the satisfaction of rowing their own gears in a world that’s largely forgotten the art, the Tacoma TRD manual is a rare gem.
Toyota may not have built the perfect truck but they’ve built a truck with character. And in the mid-size pickup world, that’s worth celebrating.
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