This week, we bring you two pickups, each with different charms and abilities (and a few annoyances.) Each brings their top game. Let’s take a look.

The little Tacoma still doesn’t offer the tech of some other pickups in its price range, but its other attributes make up for it, and the 2022 model made a fun, rowdy week’s test over roads and dirt.

The base trim in the 2022 Toyota Tacoma lineup features a 2.7-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine with VVT-I that produces 159 horsepower at 5200 RPM and 180 pound-feet of torque at 3800 RPM. Both RWD and AWD drivetrains are offered. A 3.5-liter V-6 DOHC 24-valve engine is available as well, producing a maximum of 278 horsepower at 6000 RPM and 265 pound-feet of torque at 4600 RPM.

A six-speed automatic transmission also comes standard, but an optional 6-speed manual’s available as well. Changes for this year include the Trail Edition with its 16-inch bronze wheels with Goodyear tires, a lifted suspension, a tweaked grille and more cargo box storage. Opt for the TRD Pro and you’ll find an even greater suspension lift, new wheels and forged-aluminum upper control arms.

Where my TRD Pro tester excelled was in its power, delivering a deliciously rumbly and capable ride. Of course it also delivered crummy mileage at about 20 MPG city/highway combined, which in these days of skyrocketing gas prices isn’t good news for any of us, but you’ll also find that kind of mileage in similiarly-priced trucks.

But the handling! And the feel. Very good indeed. Passive shock absorbers with coil springs sprinkled everywhere ensured a smooth ride, even over potholed dirt roads. You can get rear air springs with four-corner adaptive shocks as an option.

A variety of packages are available courtesy of Toyota Racing Department - the spirited TRD Sport, the trail-centric TRD Off-Road and rock-crawler TRD Pro. The TRD Pro is actually its own trim level, in comparison to the TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road which are optional packages you can get on certain other trims.

It’s a good-looking gent, of course, despite the color of my tester being “Electric Lime.” It’s got a gargantuan grille that almost eats the hood, and whatever you think of this, it’s a hit with the public, who have been snapping up Tacomas as fast as Toyota can make them.

The only thing I didn’t care for was the vehicle’s shift, which didn’t respond as quickly as I wanted either in Normal or Sport modes. It also doesn’t really like to downshift at speed, when you’re trying to pass or otherwise handle a busy situation where instant response is crucial.

Another positive aspect is the truck’s new and standard aluminum-reinforced composite bed material, in case you were thinking about adding a separate bed as is required for some trucks. This new bed, they say, doesn’t dent or corrode as easy as with aluminum or steel.

Inside, my TRD theme continued with black leather-trimmed heated front seats (featuring TRD Pro logos on the headrests), TRD shift knob, and TRD Pro all-weather floor mats. The driver also gets a 10-way power adjustable seat. A power moonroof comes standard, and JBL Premium Audio is included on automatic transmission models.

I found the cabin quality reasonably high-end for what this truck is, meaning there are soft-touch surfaces aplenty, but also generous helpings of plastique here and there. Visibility is good and there’s plenty of room for the big and/or tall. Wireless integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard, and my Droid synced instantly with the system, unlike other vehicles where the thing can’t find your phone for 15 minutes and you have to turn phone and vehicle off and on.

Standard features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, plus lane departure warning with steering assist. Impressively, adaptive cruise control and hands-on lane centering, two features typically optional among half-ton pickup trucks, are standard here.

Price: My tester topped out, with all options, at $50,733. That’s not chump change, but it is right there around what some others are charging for similar vehicles. But if you’re a huge Tacoma fan, as I am after this test, you’ll find much to like.

The Frontier received its first major update in over 15 years this year and now possesses a compact ferocity and gorgeousness, looking almost nothing like the outgoing model. Things are more comfy, onboard software is simpler to use – except for the Nav system, but we’ll get to that - and there are more storage nooks and there is lots of trucky-atmosphere, particularly at night. It’s a gas.

I test-drove it in and around Nashville for a week, enjoying eating various quick meals in the back seat when necessary. There’s lots of room back there.

One aspect I really liked is that the truck feels big but not gargantuan – you can actually park it where you wish and not worry so much about getting tapped on either side by someone’s door.

My Frontier had a 3.8L, V6, 310 HP engine making 281 lb-ft of torque. It felt mighty-mighty whether on the highway or rolling in the neighborhood, providing lots of control, lots of power and that ruff-tuff pickup flavor you want and pay for.

The Frontier looks like its own truck, rather than, say, a “smaller Titan.” The body arrangement is particularly cohesive. You know how on some vehicles, it seems like you’re looking at a different vehicle when you look at the front, and then the sides? It’s all sweetly merged here – from fenders to bumpers to grille and LED headlights, it’s more seamless than it was, more thought put into it.

Four trim levels are available, and you can also opt for King and crew cab models - check ‘em all out there. A 5-foot bed is standard with the crew-cab model, while the 6-foot bed usually comes with the King-Cab short body.

The Frontier’s nine-speed automatic transmission is the only transmission available, and it’s smooth as one would hope, with no grabbing or hesitation. Rear-wheel drive comes standard, with part-time four-wheel drive an option on your S and SV trim levels. There are other modifications, too, that you may not notice. The body mounts for you cab are now hydraulic, for example, which lessens vibration. New urethane jounce bumpers have been fitted as well, and newly retuned suspension bushings provide better isolation and improve your ride quality. A bigger front stabilizer bar and a new rear stabilizer bar have been added.

The Frontier’s steering system is tweaked with a more up-to-date hydraulic rack-and-pinion system, meaning there is no electronic power steering as we understand it. This surprised me the moment I got behind the wheel and drove, thinking “Why is the steering so labored?” I quickly got used to it, though, and by the end didn’t even notice it.

The maximum tow rating is a healthy 6,720 pounds. A factory spray-on bedliner is optional, as well as a 110-volt bed power outlet and LED lighting.

It’s definitely more upscale than the outgoing model, with a more seamless integration of materials. You’ve got an 8-inch touchscreen or an optiona, 9-inch touchscreen; a 7-inch display screen is standard in the gauge cluster. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard. The climate and sound system worked fine, but the nav sys was a disaster straight out of 2005 – slow, clumsy, difficult to read and missed so many of my exits due to its snail-like performance that I just gave up and used my phone.

On the plus side, there is storage aplenty, just like we love, including 4.0 litres in the center console, 6.5 liters in the front door pockets and 5.7 litres in the rear door pockets. There’s also a lot of room under the second-row seats, and two USB ports come standard, with two more as optional. There’s a second 110-volt, 400-watt household outlet available in the cabin.

Pricing: The Frontier begins at $29,440 and winds up at $46,965 when it’s all tricked out. Assorted trims, of course, will affect price.

All the standard safety systems are in place here, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, high-beam assist and rear automatic braking. There’s also, now, an available Intelligent Around View Monitor with a 360-degree picture of what’s going on around the vehicle, but it also features an Off-Road mode allowing it to operate at low speeds when 4-Low is engaged.

The Frontier is not as flashy as the new Tacoma, but it was a great mudder and city-roller, and is by all means worth a tire-kick and a test-drive.