What feels clumsy on the road makes total sense out here in the wild. I was impressed by how well the shocks absorbed the hits as the Tacoma caved in under its weight at the bottom end of the bumps. Thanks to the manual transmission, you can really grab this sport truck by the scruff of the neck and glide through the lumps at a decent, steady rate. With the all-wheel drive system set to high and traction control off, I had the right level of capability to attack the first bumpy sections of the trail, where each dip was submerged in fresh spring puddles. On this day, our trail has the right number of chasms and obstacles to put any good truck or SUV to the test. All that game time now has me wanting to throw any off-road machine in the mud to test out their gear. That virtual platform game gave me a massive amount of knowledge about locking differentials, 4×4 low, winching and off-roading in general. One of the activities the global pandemic had me doing the most due to Quebec’s 9:30 pm curfew, is playing video games, more specifically the acclaimed Snowrunner off-road simulator. But on the road, it does feel like the front is too soft and the rear is too stiff (more on that later). It basically reacts to road imperfections and bumps in a much more mature and refined matter. While this truck is starting to show its age on the road due to its choppy ride, high fuel consumption and awkward seating position (the cabin is high and the roof is low, so getting inside requires climbing, then ducking), the upgraded Fox suspension totally transforms the overall driving experience. The Tacoma TRD Pro isn’t as extreme as a Colorado ZR2 in the sense that it can’t jump over dunes at high speeds nor withstand the same kind of impacts, but it is a seriously capable machine if you simply want to venture out in nature without being thwarted. With the manual transmission, you essentially need to do all of that yourself. It helps you get out of thick mud or snow. The only thing you’ll be missing with the manual transmission, is Toyota’s Crawl Control system, which is some form of cruise control device designed for off-roading. My tester had the latter, which gave it extra desirability points. That engine can either be mated to six-speed automatic or manual. It’s good here for 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. In the power department, nothing changes, meaning it’s still powered by Toyota’s tried and tested 3.5-liter V6. There’s also Rigid Industries–branded fog lights, and a TRD exhaust system, just to make sure people know you’re heading their way. Upgrades include Fox 2.5-inch-diameter internal bypass shocks, a one-inch lift in the front, progressive-rate leaf springs in the back, beefy off-road tires, an electronic locking rear differential, a front skid plate and a slew of TRD Pro badges, as well as the infamous classic TOYOTA grille. So, TRD Pro: the package is only available on a Double Cab four-door, four-wheel-drive short-bed Tacoma. While a $54,330 price tag (CDN- as tested) could also have you sitting in a well-equipped full-size rig from Ford, GM or RAM, there’s no denying Toyota’s unquestionable desirability in the truck world. 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD ProĪ lot of this hype has to do with Toyota’s stellar reputation for reliability and the Tacoma’s unquestionably high resale value. What began as a pilot project ended up being one of its most profitable trucks, with consumers lining up at dealerships to have one in their driveway. It’s fair to say then, that the TRD Pro package, which can now be grafted onto a Tacoma, a Tundra, a 4Runner and a Sequoia, has been doing well for the brand. Like that cool, popular kid in high school, Toyota’s midsizer is the one everyone wants, even if most of its rivals beat it in towing, payload, fuel economy and overall cabin comfort. Perhaps what’s most fascinating about a Tacoma TRD Pro is that while a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 offers better gear at a similar price point, TRD Pro sales have been dominating its rivals. Is Toyota trying to tell us its seemingly indestructible truck can operate on the moon’s surface? We couldn’t try it, so we focused our adventure on some good old fashion mud slinging. For 2021, the colour is called Lunar Rock. We couldn’t bring a Tacoma to the moon, so we threw it in the mud instead.Įver since Toyota introduced the TRD Pro lineup in 2017, a new theme colour has been added to the model range with each new year.
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