i-FORCE Exam: A Closer Look at the Engines That Will Power the 2024 Toyota Tacoma

The i-FORCE MAX will be the top dog in the new Tacoma lineup and don’t let the fact that it is a hybrid fool you into thinking it isn’t powerful.

It has been a couple weeks since the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma was unveiled in Hawaii. Now that we have had some time to digest the news, we are taking a closer look at some of the details. Today we are focusing on the i-FORCE engines that will be under the hood of each of the eight different Tacoma trims. The 3.5L V6 is no longer the most powerful Tacoma engine in the lineup. In fact, the 3.5L V6 is not in the lineup at all. The new top engine will be a hybrid 4-cylinder. Yikes. Should we be concerned? Well, based on the stats of the new i-FORCE MAX there is truly nothing to worry about. Actually, we should be thrilled.

Even the regular i-FORCE engine in the 2024 Tacoma makes more power than the outgoing 3.5L V6. Both i-FORCE variants are 2.4L turbocharged units. The standard engine makes 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque (270/310 with manual transmission). Those numbers represent a boost of 119 and 137 in the horsepower and torque department over the old base 2.7L V6 engine. The 278 horsepower number matches the old 3.5L V6 but torque is up by a healthy 52 foot-pounds over the older engine. The i-FORCE MAX ups the ante with a 48-hp electric motor integrated into the 8-speed transmission. With that engine you get 326 horsepower and a massive 465 pound-feet of torque. At the other end of the spectrum is the entry level 2.4L which comes in the base SR trim trucks. This base engine makes a respectable 228 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque.

i-FORCE MAX

Let’s focus first on the top-of-the-line i-FORCE MAX hybrid. While this engine is new for Tacoma, it is not the first time we’ve seen a 2.4L Turbo Hybrid in a Toyota product.

You’ll also find it in the 2023 Toyota Crown, the 2023 Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance, as well as the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. But in those front-wheel-drive vehicles, the Hybrid system works a bit differently than it does in the Tacoma. There, engineers utilize rear “e-axles” where two to three electric motors are housed in the rear axle assembly. This is good for not just more power but results in an all-wheel drive without having to run a driveshaft.

However, Tacomas, as most of you probably know, are rear-wheel-drive architecture body-on-frame vehicles that allow for rear-wheel or four-wheel drivetrain configurations. (On 4×4 models, power routes through a part-time four-wheel-drive transfer case. This transfer case has low-range gearing that can send power to all four tires.)

Therefore, the i-FORCE MAX system is more akin to what we’ve seen in the Tundra, where a single large electric motor sits between the engine and transmission (in the place of the torque converter on the automatic transmission). This makes the engine a class-leading torque monster, almost as if Toyota had put a twin-turbo V6 under the hood instead of a turbo 4-cylinder. The resulting 465 pound-feet is not just a massive hike from the old 3.5L V6, but it outperforms the base Tundra motor and also easily trumps the 430 pound-feet found in the Ford Ranger Raptor which uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6.

The i-FORCE MAX is available on the TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and standard on the TRD Pro and Trailhunter models.

i-FORCE

The regular i-FORCE engine might not have quite the same grunt as the MAX version. But it does offer something pretty special. A 6-speed manual transmission with automatic rev-matching and anti-stall technology can be paired up with this engine. The manual transmission does result in slightly lower power numbers but the ability to get a manual transmission in a model year 2024 truck is pretty special. And as we mentioned before this engine without the hybrid assist is still more powerful than the old 3.5L V6.

Why Hybrid?

Why did Toyota decide to make the most powerful Tacoma a hybrid? Because hybrid is what Toyota does. It started decades ago with the Prius. Other manufacturers have been rushing to build EVs. But Toyota has been perfecting the art of building hybrids. And they are pretty darn good at it. The MSRP and MPG ratings will be announced closer to the on-sale date. But based on just the new engine lineup alone, it looks like the Tacoma is going to be a smash hit.

Images: Toyota

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