December 15, 2004 - Since when did trucks start competing with sports cars? Who knows and the answer might not matter. The same automakers that design go-fast monsters like the GT and Viper occasionally dabble with body-on-frame, turning normally utilitarian trucks into speed machines that can keep up most anything on two wheels.

Cyclone, Lightning, SRT-10, they're all examples of trucks taken to the next level when it comes to straight-line performance. Toyota apparently sees this as a trend of increasing popularity. The number one Japanese brand showcased the X-Runner at the 2004 Chicago Auto Show. Not a whole lot has changed on the Tacoma X-Runner since its debut last year, but it changes a whole lot in the truck segment.

For Toyota the X-Runner concept isn't necessarily something new. This new truck picks up where the previous S-Runner left off. But this shift from S to X isn't merely a cosmetically difference. Compared to the previous-generation Tacoma S-Runner the Tacoma X-Runner rides on a wheelbase that has been extended by a full five inches and a track that has been widened by four inches. The increased size translates to an extra four-and-one-half inches of interior shoulder and hip room.

X-Runner rides on what Toyota calls X-Brace-tuned rear suspension with a reinforced frame. This setup provides additional torsional rigidity versus traditional trucks. Firmer and shorter springs are mounted at all-around, positioned out board of the frame rails for increased stability. The chassis sits one full-inch lower than the standard Tacoma frame courtesy of the exclusive Bilstein gas shocks. Large-diameter stabilizer bars with firmer bushings are at both front and rear. Limited-slip differential is standard, but it feels like a one-legger. Stock rollers are some sporty-looking 18-inch factory alloys with sticky-compound rubber.

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