Typically, pickup trucks don’t come much tougher than Toyota’s Tacoma, unless of course they’ve been afforded the TRD Pro treatment. Combing ruggedness and reliability, for more than a decade, the Tacoma has been the nation’s most successful mid-size pickup, so this is one of the most awaited additions to the brand’s latest Off-Road Series.
The truck was created to tackle the steepest of gradients and the most stubborn of terrain and will continue to chew up trails with ease thanks to the 3.5-liter V6 that delivers 278hp and 265lb.-ft. of torque. positively purring through the TRD Pro unique cat-back exhaust. There’s enough ground clearance to park another truck under, buoyed by the likes of those most formidable of Fox shocks, deep-tread tires, a front skidplate, and a mammoth 6,800-lb. towing capacity.
The crawl control feature offers some really neat tricks over tougher tracks, the truck taking over the throttle and braking controls allowing you to pick and stick to the best line while never feeling anything less than 100 percent in control—and safe. On the subject of safety, its suite of features includes pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams—all part of the standard Toyota Safety Sense P.
The fun tech arrives in the form of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa, along with front, back and side cameras (the front one being especially handy over those more gnarly routes). The touchscreen is eight inches, the seat leather (the driver’s 10-way adjustable and super-comfortable) and the moonroof otherworldly.
There have been few tweaks regarding the ever-muscular exterior—why change a winning formula?—though there are new LED headlamps and a reimagined grille and taillights, with options such as a dust snorkel adding to its take-no-prisoner appeal. A couple of cool new colorways include a magnificently macho Army Green sure to bring out your inner kid—and GI Joe—and a Magnetic Gray that’ll have you conquering mountainous terrain with the confidence of Hannibal crossing the Alps atop his elephant! This truck’s crown ain’t a slippin’ anytime soon.
