I wish they still made mid-sized pick-ups that were actually mid-sized.
A Tacoma is nearly the size of Tundra was twenty years ago, and a Tundra today is like the size of a damn schoolbus.
But no, a new Tacoma isn't even close to the size of an old Tundra (212 vs 230 inches length, 75 vs 79 inch width). Also a new Tundra is right there with the size of an old Tundra (233 vs 230 inches length for double cab, same width)
length bed
2002 Tacoma 2-door 184.4" 74.5"
No 2022 model --- - -- -
2002 Tacoma Xtracab 202.9" 74.5"
2022 Tacoma 4-door access cab 212.3" 73.7"
2002 Tacoma 4-door 202.9" 61.5"
2022 Tacoma 4-door double cab 212.3" 60.5"
2002 Tundra 2-door 217.5" 98.2"
No 2022 model --- - -- -
2002 Tundra 4-door access cab 217.5" 74.7"
No 2022 model --- - -- -
No 2002 model --- - -- -
2022 Tundra 4-door double cab 233.6" 77.6"
But with Tacomas, you can see that in the same category, they've gotten about ten inches longer (while losing some bed length!).
A 2022 Tacoma access cab is 212.3", less than five inches shorter than a 2002 Tundra access cab.
And I miss my manual (1980's?) Chevy Luv.
- safety standards (eg crumple zones)
- emissions and efficiency regulations that vary with the footprint of the vehicle. Vehicles with larger footprint (= width x length) are allowed to have lower fuel economy numbers, which perversely means that one solution to a truck having poor fuel economy is to make it… bigger.