The Toyota Tacoma is one of the most beloved pickup trucks ever to exist. People love their Tacomas. However, car reviewers have regularly found glaring issues with the Tacoma over the years. Now that the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is here, there is another small truck to compare to one of the small truck legends. However popular the 2022 Toyota Tacoma maybe be, it got whopped by the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz on Consumer Reports. 

Did the 2022 Toyota Tacoma get redesigned? 

The 2022 Toyota Tacoma is still the same pickup truck we know all too well, left unchanged since its mild refresh in 2020. However, the all-new Tacoma and Toyota Tundra are said to be revealed sometime in mid-2022. So the redesign isn’t here quite yet, but it’s coming soon. Until then, we got the same old, hard-headed Toyota Tacoma that has rattled spines and conquered all working environments for years. 

Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz worth buying? 

Consumer Reports gave the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz a 59/100. This score might seem shocking to those who know Consumer Reports’ preferences. Still, given the model’s newness, CR is didn’t feel confident enough in its reliability to score it higher than a two out of five for predicted reliability. That said, Consumer Reports seems to like nearly everything else about the little Hyundai pickup truck. 

The Hyundai scored a 77/100 overall on the preliminary road test. According to CR, the 281-horsepower, 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powering the Santa Cruz offers plenty of snap and boogie when coaxed by the right foot. 

The Santa Cruz’s power output bests the V6 Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma, even if by just a little. The base model comes with a less exciting naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter four making 191 hp. But the real joy comes from the fact that Santa Cruz’s little engine can yield 24 mpg overall. 

“Think of the Santa Crus as a small SUV with an open bed in place of a typical hatch.”

Consumer Reports

“Think of the Santa Cruz as a small SUV with an open bed in place of a typical hatch.” – Consumer Reports

CR had few bad things to say about the ride or driving profile of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Other than the poor predicted reliability rating, the testers at CR have loved the Santa Cruz thus far. It is contemporary, has a killer engine option, it’s fuel-efficient, comfortable, nimble, and ultimately a much better and more useful Subaru Baja. 

Is the 2022 Toyota Tacoma worth buying?

The 2022 Toyota Tacoma landed a 51/100 on Consumer Reports. This is a pretty standard pickup truck score from CR, but it still stings. CR values reliability, useability, and comfort above anything else. The Toyota Tacoma has the reliability part in spades. However, the comfort and versatility aspects aren’t the strongest with the Tacoma. Basically, CR loves the Tacoma’s two engine options – 2.7-liter 4 (159 hp), 3.5-liter V6 (278 hp) – and the six-speed automatic and manual transmissions, and almost nothing else. Of course, it stills rips off-road, but CR is not impressed by fun things like that. 

In every “Comfort and Convenience” test, CR gave the 2022 Toyota Tacoma a two out of five across the board. The list of pros and cons is a rough red sea churning with Xs. The pros list includes only two points; it’s excellent off-road and has a high resale value. That is a tough review. 

The cons list, on the other hand, is quite comprehensive. CR found the 2022 Toyota Tacoma to be outdated, uncomfortable, clumsy, stiff, and all-around cumbersome and unwieldy. 

All of that being said, the Tacoma is one of the toughest trucks in the game. The people who need a Tacoma will always buy them because few options cover what it does. But as far as Consumer Reports is concerned, it is a bucket with wheels. 

Which is the best mid-size pickup truck according to Consumer Reports? 

The newness of the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz leaves much to be seen, but CR seems to like what they’ve seen so far better than the same old song and dance from the 2022 Toyota Tacoma. While the Hyundai has the upper hand, for now, something tells me that when the redesigned Toyota Tacoma drops, CR might have a new recommended truck.