Toyota is reviving the street truck with the Tacoma X-Runner concept

The 426-hp low-riding pickup will be on display at SEMA.

Younger Motor1.com readers may not remember how popular street trucks were in the 1990s and early 2000s. These modified pickup trucks generally have ground-scraping suspension, big wheels, and eye-catching custom paint schemes. Toyota is bringing this idea to life with the 2024 Tacoma X-Runner concept for the 2023 SEMA Show.

Toyota already offers powerful versions of the 2024 Tacoma, such as the Trailhunter and TRD Pro models, so the R&D and design team went in the opposite direction for this year’s SEMA build. Additionally, it lets the company know if there is any consumer interest in reviving a sporty pickup.

Gallery: Toyota Tacoma X-Runner concept

“There were a lot of street trucks in the early 2000s, and they’ve all faded away, so, on the one hand, this was a curious check to see if there was any market for street trucks at all, or if the market had completely shifted To what we wanted.” “See today – vehicles that are powerful, durable and elevated,” Adam Rabinowitz, chief designer at Toyota Culti Design Research, said in announcing the X-Runner concept.

Toyota gave the X-Runner Concept a suitably aggressive stance by widening the track by 3.0 inches. The team modified the Tundra’s air suspension to allow this truck to ride on 21-inch carbon fiber wheels. There’s also a set of 2.5-inch Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs.

The X-Runner Concept receives a significant power upgrade over the regular truck by getting a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 with 421 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. For comparison, the most powerful Tacoma engine available in showrooms is a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. To handle the extra muscle, Toyota installed the rear axle from the Tundra, including an electronic differential lock.

Most of the truck’s body is Speedway Blue. The concept features a trapezoidal front fascia with large openings and a light strip in the middle. The satin black lid features a functional scoop with red accents. A rectangular side exhaust exits from the car’s body in front of the rear wheel on the driver’s side. Hard tonneau cover hides the bed. The tail gets smoked rear lenses and a bumper with a fake diffuser at the bottom.

The cabin receives a pair of vibrant red seats with the X-Runner logo on the headrests. The paddle shifters are located behind the steering wheel.

The original Tacoma X-Runner was available from 2005 to 2014 and offered buyers a street truck straight from the factory. It features a lowered suspension, a sport body kit and a hood scoop. The 4.0-liter V6 generates 236 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels, with a limited-slip differential standard. TRD even offered a supercharger available as a dealer add-on for buyers wanting to boost engine output to 300 horsepower.