Does an expected sub-$25,000 price tag, hybrid powertrains, compact dimensions but truck-utility have you excited just yet?

Pickup trucks rule the roost stateside, no question about it. It’s quite telling that a pickup truck like the Ford F-150 still makes the cut as the best-selling car in America in 2022, though its numbers have slipped compared to previous years in near-double digit percentages. It’s a similar story for the second and third place Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram. Leading up the rest of the best though is the Toyota RAV4 compact crossover. Soon, that spot may be taken by the 2025 Toyota Stout compact pickup.

Everyone now knows that Toyota’s working on a compact pickup to take on the likes of the Ford Maverick, the Blue Oval’s breakaway success of recent times. There’s probably no better formula for Toyota than a sedan with a bed that can serve as a work truck too, while offering better efficiency than a Toyota Camry! Expect the compact Stout pickup to offer exactly that. Which begs the question, do you even need an SUV once the 2025 Stout arrives?

The 2025 Toyota Stout Compact Pickup Will Be The Size Of A Crossover

Further down the list of best-selling cars in America sits the mid-size Toyota Tacoma truck, somewhere down the rear of the pack. It’s still the best-selling mid-size truck in the country by some margin, but it does seem like the US market is ready for a truck to fill in the gaps between the big ‘uns and the Tacoma, in terms of sales. Which is exactly where the 2023 Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Camry sit. Not to mention the huge leaps forward the Tesla Model Y has taken to land in the middle of the pack.

This is exactly where the 2025 Toyota Stout can hope to land up. Details on the Stout, other than the fact that Toyota is working on a compact pickup, are scarce. But it makes sense that the Toyota Stout would be based on Toyota’s TNGA architecture, specifically the GA-K platform that also underpins the Toyota Camry and Toyota RAV4. Another less likely possibility is that the GA-C platform for smaller cars and crossovers, like the Toyota Corolla Cross (available with AWD), is utilized to keep costs in check. Remember, the Japanese manufacturer has confirmed that it is working on a compact pickup truck to slot in above the 2024 Toyota Tacoma, but it hasn’t said just how small it could go. The original 1964 Toyota Stout was a small truck, after all.

As a reminder, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross comes in at 176 inches in length, while the 2023 Toyota RAV4 is marginally longer at about 181 inches. But while the Corolla only offers towing capability up to about 1,500 pounds, same as the front-wheel drive RAV4, the RAV4 TRD Off-Road grade does bump that up to 3,000 pounds. Or more than enough for the casual user’s needs. Remember, the 2023 Ford Maverick offers up to 4,000 pounds of towing capacity, but only with the Max Tow package specced.

Since the numbers are on the table, the Maverick has an overall length of 200 inches, accounting for the bed out back. Expect very similar exterior dimensions with the Toyota Stout, which should give it more space inside the cabin, even for taller drivers, and acres more storage in the pickup bed area for bikes, equipment or moving house.

Bulletproof Toyota Stout Pickup With More Versatility Than Any SUV

If there’s one reason SUVs became the more popular choice over hatchbacks and sedans over the last decade, it’s that they’re seen to offer more room in the cabin (especially for taller drivers), and more luggage capacity in the boot. Of course, it didn’t hurt that SUVs give drivers a more commanding view out over traffic, and look more butch and substantive while at it. You know what’s better than an SUV at all that? That’s right, a truck.

The Ford Maverick compact truck has a bed length of 4.5 feet, or about 5.6-inches shorter than the mid-size Ford Ranger pickup. That’s still plenty for most people and if the Toyota Stout has similar dimensions, should fit people’s needs perfectly. All this while still being able to fit in most standard garages and driveways, another consideration that’s easy to overlook in the search for the perfect do-it-all car. Especially for someone who will primarily drive around in a crowded city, something that gets a little harder to do with mid-size and full-size pickups, and SUVs.

Expect Great MPG From A Hybrid Toyota Stout

So, you don’t need all the off-road capability, payload and towing abilities of a full-size truck. Maybe a mid-size truck is still overkill. But what’s important is being able to use your truck as a daily driver/work truck/recreational vehicle, and get good gas mileage while at it. That’s where something like the Toyota Stout Hybrid will come in, which is most definitely going to be a powertrain on offer.

Because right now, the Ford Maverick is available with a standard 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain, and a 2.0-liter turbo EcoBoost motor. The hybrid is front-wheel drive only, and offers 191 horsepower combined and 155 lb-ft torque. If that sounds low, that’s because the electric motor’s torque doesn’t go towards the Maverick’s total strangely. But, the Ford Maverick Hybrid does get an EPA combined rating of 37mpg, which is impressive.

Depending on which direction Toyota decides to go with the platform underpinning the Stout pickup, there are a couple of hybrid powertrains that could go in it. Everything from the 2.0-liter hybrid in the Corolla Cross with 196 horsepower, or the 2.5-liter hybrid Dynamic Force motor with 219hp could power the new Toyota Stout to success. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has an EPA estimated 40mpg, which should put it ahead of the Ford Maverick — and put it in the running over nearly every other SUV or crossover out there.

The Toyota Stout Is Expected To Be Priced Under $25,000

If the 2025 Toyota Stout sounds like it’s too good to be true, remember that this is all speculation and pretty much a wishlist of what everyone wants from Toyota’s new compact pickup. When the Toyota Stout is actually revealed, things may be worse, or better than expected. One thing’s for sure though, with prices on the 2023 Ford Maverick starting at $22,595 for the standard hybrid FWD model, Toyota will have to pull one out of the bag with the Stout’s pricing, especially considering Dodge is said to be readying their own Ram Rampage (or Dakota) compact pickup.

Now, the Toyota Stout is meant to slot in under the Toyota Tacoma. Pricing on the 2024 Toyota Tacoma mid-size truck hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s estimated to start around $29,000. The Corolla Cross starts at $23,000 and the RAV4 starts at $28,275, meaning pricing on the 2025 Toyota Stout could be just under $25,000. Some people don’t get the appeal of compact pickups like the Ford Maverick yet, but with a price that’s right and with Toyota’s badge of reliability, the upcoming Stout could be the compact truck to change all that.