Oh boy, here we go, the truck showdown of 2015 is upon us folks, and it looks like we have a winner!

Yeah, yeah, we know this shoot-out is between the spankin’ new Colorado and the ancient last-gen Tacoma but it gives us an idea of what the new Tacoma needs to do to remain mid-size truck sales champ. Why bother? Because it showcases GM’s new Colorado against the current segment leader and shows what benchmarks GM improved on in the triple hot, mid-size truck segment.

The Colorado wins this round with more power, payload capacity, more rear seat legroom, better fuel economy, and the base price starts out $2,000 less than the Tacoma. The Colorado also has electronic steering compared to the Tacoma’s hydraulic set up and the road test guys say this is the most noticeable difference if you’re test driving a Colorado coming out of a Tacoma.

The 2016 Tacoma will close most of these gaps when it arrives soon, but after being gifted the mid-size truck market by the Big Three and most Japanese automakers for years, it will have to earn every sale from here on out.

This is a tremendously brand-loyal segment with each company claiming superiority. Both GM and Toyota have battled recalls as well so the old quality edge is cancelled out. What this means, especially for Toyota, is that a longtime safety net is no longer available.

Toyota had its work cut out for them in the full-size truck market as well and found out real quick how deep Big Three truck loyalty goes. Can GM wrestle away this market from Toyota like it fended off the Tundra?

When the new 2016 Tacoma arrives for public evaluation, we’ll have that battle for you then. For now, this test is a shot across the bow of Japan’s mightiest truck builder. Toyota, your move.

All images AutoGuide