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The Santa Cruz offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a remote starting system.
The Santa Cruz’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Tacoma has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.
The power windows standard on both the Santa Cruz and the Tacoma have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Cruz is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Tacoma prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.
The Santa Cruz’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Tacoma’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.
On a hot day the Santa Cruz’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tacoma can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.
The Proximity Key standard on the Santa Cruz SEL/SEL Premium/Limited allows you to unlock the driver’s door, tailgate and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading cargo, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The Toyota Tacoma’s available Smart Key System doesn’t unlock the tailgate.
The Santa Cruz has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.
The Santa Cruz Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Tacoma’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.
The Santa Cruz has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Tacoma only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.
Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Cruz Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Tacoma doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.
On extremely cold winter days, the Santa Cruz Limited’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Tacoma doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.
Both the Santa Cruz and the Tacoma offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Santa Cruz Limited has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tacoma Double Cab doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.