Toyota Tacoma Wins PickupTrucks.com's 2012 Midsize Shootout

CHICAGO, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PickupTrucks.com, the authority for new and used pickup truck buyers, announced today the Toyota Tacoma as the winner of its 2012 Midsize Shootout. Toyota's Tacoma won the first-place prize in the competition between seven popular midsize trucks.

"Of all the small trucks we tested, the Tacoma was the clear winner in this Shootout," said Mark Williams, PickupTrucks.com editor. "A strong bang-for-your buck value, combined with refinements to the ride quality and interior cabin helped the Tacoma trump the other competitors by a pretty good margin. The Toyota Tacoma just continues to get better and better."

Experts from PickupTrucks.com and USA TODAY put these midsize trucks through 10 tests that included a four-wheel drive capability challenge to gauge vehicle suspension and off-road driving confidence; acceleration and braking at maximum cargo capacity to determine each truck's cargo-carrying abilities; and an extremely diverse 203-mile drive to analyze fuel economy and on-road driving comfort. Maximum load capacity, horsepower and overall value were also calculated and scored.

The Nissan Frontier finished a relatively close second with a top three finish in most tests. "The Frontier was our all-around backup utility player, earning solid points in just about every challenge we could throw at it. It had plenty of grunt to pull and haul when called upon, yet enough comfort to allow you to relax," Williams said.

Other competitors in the 2012 Midsize Shootout included the Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado, Suzuki Equator and the Honda Ridgeline. More information and detailed results can be found online at PickupTrucks.com.

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SOURCE Cars.com