Toyota Tacoma (2020–2023) review: a Hilux alternative you have to work harder to own
3.4/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The 3.5-litre V6 Tacoma is a genuinely capable, well-liked mid-size truck, and the private-import market keeps decent examples flowing into Bahrain. But it exists here in the shadow of a Hilux that Toyota's own dealer network sells, warranties and stocks parts for — buy the Tacoma because you specifically want the V6 TRD Off-Road character and are comfortable with independent-workshop ownership, not because it is meaningfully better than the truck sitting in the same showroom.
Pros
- 3.5-litre V6 is eager and cabin feels closer to a passenger SUV
- TRD Off-Road grade brings genuine locking differential and low-range hardware
- Strong cult following makes aftermarket support internationally excellent
- Well-documented examples command real interest for their scarcity
Cons
- No factory warranty or dedicated dealer parts support in Bahrain
- Competes directly with the officially sold, better-supported Hilux
- Thirstier V6 petrol versus a diesel Hilux in real-world use
- Pre-purchase inspection must specifically screen US import history
Toyota sells the Hilux, not the Tacoma, through its Gulf dealers, so every Tacoma on Bahrain's roads arrived as a private import — mostly from the United States, where it has been the best-selling mid-size pickup for years. The 3.5-litre V6 with the six-speed automatic and part-time four-wheel drive is the combination most buyers here end up with, borrowed largely unchanged from the Camry and Highlander parts bin.
What the import buys you
Genuine off-road hardware — a locking rear differential on TRD Off-Road grades, a proper low-range transfer case, and suspension tuning that has a cult following among overlanders — is the honest reason to seek one out rather than take the locally sold Hilux. The V6 is noticeably more eager than a diesel Hilux, if thirstier, and the cabin feels closer to a passenger SUV than a working truck.
The ownership trade-off
None of that comes free. There is no factory warranty in Bahrain, no dealer parts counter stocking Tacoma-specific components, and a used example needs the same import-history scrutiny as any US-spec car — accident and flood records, matching VIN plates, and a pre-purchase inspection at a workshop that has actually seen a Tacoma before. Independent specialists exist in Bahrain who know these trucks well, largely through the same customer base that imports Tundras and 4Runners, but the support network is thinner than Hilux owners take for granted.
Resale sits in a similar place to other private imports: a smaller, more specific buyer pool, but one willing to pay a premium for a genuinely clean, well-documented truck because so few come up for sale.