The one place that most people will never refuse to go to is the great outdoors. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life where we are all confined in a small space, running around like there is no tomorrow in an attempt to get as much done as possible before the sun drops down to finish off another day. There is simply nothing more calming and healing than getting away from it all and going on some back roads and trails meant for only the true of hearts and the toughest of rides.
Until recent years these types of areas were limited to those vehicle owners that drive classic Jeep CJs or Wranglers, or even one of the first mass-produced four-wheel drives (the Dodge Power Wagon), with an occasional brave soul with a Bronco or Blazer, but today the Toyota Tacoma, particularly in TRD Pro guise has stepped up to the plate. The TRD Pro has become one of the all-time favorite trucks embraced by off-road enthusiasts.
If you are unfamiliar with the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, you have come to the right place to learn why it is a true off-roader as we'll take a look at what the new 2024 model packs. If you already know, maybe it is a great time to refresh your memory. Either way, let's disappear into the wilds and discover some of the best things about the capable off-road TRD Pro beast that is taking over the mid-size pickup truck market.
10 Toyota Tacoma TRD Has Plenty Of Suspension Lift
Traveling off-road is often limited by the clearance of the vehicle you are traveling in because you simply cannot drive over something that will cause the vehicle to be high-center. As you have probably noticed from the advertisements by most of the truck brands, one of the main selling points is the ground clearance of the pickup. The suspension lift on the New Tacoma TRD Pro for 2024 has increased slightly to 9.5 inches of clearance with the stock tires and suspension, which is higher than the industry average of seven to nine inches off the ground. This gives the Toyota Tacoma a decent advantage over the rivals trying to jockey for the top dog position in the off-roading world.
9 Skid Plates Protect The Under Side Of The Tacoma TRD
Even with the higher suspension, bigger tires, and better clearance, there will still be times when every off-roader comes across areas in their adventures when spots are higher than expected. Aluminium Skid plates help prevent these unexpected areas from causing damage to vital components of the truck, leaving you stranded in an area that may require days of hiking to get out of. The Toyota TRD Pro pickup has skid plates under the front of the truck, transmission, and an electronic locking differential, protecting all of the most vital areas of the truck to ensure that you and your passengers do not end up stranded. Additionally, you also get red tow hooks and an ARB metal bumper.
8 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Has First Ever IsoDynamic Front Seats
To make the Tacoma midsize pickup truck, the Tacoma TRD PRO, better than the Ford Ranger Raptor, the company had to make the truck able to launch and propel itself over rough terrain at high speeds. The greatly improved tires, suspension, and handling have that covered, but until 2024, that left for a wild and bumpy ride for the occupants in the front seats. For the new model, Toyota has added four-way shock absorption to the front seats, labeled the system as IsoDynamic Performance Front Seats, and filed for a patent which at this moment in time is still patent pending.
7 Toyota TRD Has An Electronic Locking Rear Differential
The Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, along with almost every other off-road pickup truck marketed out there, has had electronic locking rear differentials installed for a few years. That means that even though the 2024 TRD Pro has it built in that it is nothing especially new, it is still an exciting feature because it offers a truck built for some serious off-roading. It works simply by locking both rear tires to ensure that they turn at the same amount of torque, giving truly equal amounts of power to both of the rear drive tires as soon as it is needed, such as the moment you plow into a mud pit and your wheels start churning up some mud tails.
6 Crawl Control Gives The Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro A Big Advantage
Rock crawling is not something that is all that new, either, but it is an aspect of off-roading that has become much more popular over the last few decades. Maybe that is because of technological improvements, or perhaps because people have begun to get outside their comfort zones. Either way, even though the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro does not come with a V-8, the new 2.4 turbo-charged Hybrid works in tandem with the crawl control setting to get you into places that only a mountain goat would dare venture to, or at least a Jeep until recent years. When equipped with the TRD Pro tow package, the Tacoma offers approach, departure, and break-over angles of 33.8 degrees, 23.5 degrees, and 25.7 degrees respectively.
5 Internal Dampeners Help With Off-Road Travel On The TRD
Even though you will not be able to buy the 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD until late in the fall of 2023 or in the early spring of 2024, the last few years of the TRD have the same quality of internal dampeners that put the Tacoma TRD Pro over the top. For many, these shocks (as they have been mistakenly called) help absorb the impact of the terrain and disperse it evenly throughout the truck to make the ride within the cab smooth and comfortable. The TRD Pro comes fitted with FOX’s new QS3 three-way adjustable internal bypass shocks with remote reservoirs for improved high-speed off-road performance and FOX Internal Floating Piston (IFP) rear bump stops to improve bottom-out feel. Fortunately for you, that is not all they do. That leveling of impact keeps the tires on the ground and keeps the truck from bouncing out of control, creating an off-road truck built for the harshness of the conditions that you throw at it. Additionally, you also get red aluminum forged front TRD upper control arms.
4 Tacoma TRD Pro Or Trailhunter Depending On Your Style
Even though the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and the Tacoma TRD Trailhunter are both built for off-roading, they have subtle differences to fit your specific style and needs. For one, the Pro has 33-inch Goodyears while the Trailhunter has exclusive wheels. Plus, the Trailhunter has an air compressor in the bed to offer a way to add air to the tires after a hard day of driving off the beaten path. The Pro does not have a snorkel like its more water-ready sibling, but under the hood, it does have a turbo-charged hybrid four-cylinder as standard equipment that can achieve up to 25 mpg (this has yet to be tested by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.)
3 Beefy All-Terrain Tires On The TRD Pro Are Made For Mud And Gravel
If you have been alive for more than a couple of decades, you are well aware of the days when trucks came off the factory lines with basic fifteen and sixteen-inch tires. If you wanted to tear up some mud or sand dunes, you would have to get your own 33-inch tires to go with the rest of the suspension upgrades, sitting on 18-inch TRD Pro wheels. Now, the TRD Tacoma comes straight off the sales lot with one of two brands of 33-inch tires, both of which are already beefy all-terrain versions made for maximum grip in mud and gravel (most off-road surfaces that you will run into while out in nature.)
2 Sophisticated Stability And Traction Control On The TRD Pro Tacoma
Many of you have already gotten used to traction control systems on cars and trucks because many newer vehicles have it built in. It is actually a great safety feature because it automatically adjusts the torque of the drive wheels according to how it is needed, such as when they begin to slip on a steep embankment. Now, when you add sophisticated stability control systems as well, which is a group of sensors that monitor the direction you are steering compared to the direction you are going, things get awesome. If you are not going in the direction of the turn, the stability controls adjust by using brakes, the traction control adjusts by using torque, and the Toyota TRD Pro rockets in the direction it is pointed.
1 Toyota Tacoma TRD Has An All-Around Trail View Camera
The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro may have a base price of around $50,000, but since it is the best mid-sized truck out there, it is well worth the money. If you still have your doubts, there is one more thing to check out. The Tacoma TRD Pro has an all-around trail view camera that helps you avoid rocks and obstacles that may pop up out of nowhere, especially when traveling through rough terrain. If you have never been a fan of camera technology, you will be after taking advantage of this amazing innovation. Given how exuastive the changes are, not just to the TRD Pro, but the entire Tacoma range, the new TACO has once again climbed up to the top spot leaving the competition in its wake. Toyota may have taken forever to bring an all-new Tacoma, but the wait was well worth it.