Review: TRD OR DC 4x4, 2 week old, 4000 miles, 2700 of which towing

Picked up my 3rd gen, DC TRD OR V6 4x4. It has every package available for the TRD OR. JBL premium package, moon roof, radar driver assist, crawl control, and the tech package.

Here it is at the dealership. I had to travel 400 miles to find it! Which means I put 400 miles on it on day 1.

Almost immediately, I started hauling stuff. First load, a couple of cases of Monster

Then I used it to move my bike around

Next, I picked up a trailer rental and began on my cross country journey from the Pacific and to the Atlantic. I weighed the rig at a truck stop with less than a quarter tank of fuel. This is a 4' x 8' trailer. Relatively small.

The trailer was carrying 2000 lbs which tells me I was probably loading up the rear 300 lbs (front loaded). Add another 440 lbs for myself and my passenger, total weight is around ~7400-7600 lbs depending on the fuel level.

Towing was very easy. Other than the gas mileage, it was not noticeable that I was towing. The new engine is definitely up to this task. Average mpg towing was 13.2 mpg. I am now getting between 19-22 depending on how I drive. This is controversial, but I tried a full tank of 93 octane just for fun, and it seemed like it was pulling slightly better. Hard to tell since i don't have enough butt-in-seat in this one yet.

Coming from a 2nd gen TRD OR, pretty much everything has been improved. I believe they took the 2nd gen and just made it 20% better in every way.

My thoughts on the 3rd gen improvements:
* Very quiet and smooth ride
* blind spot alert is a very useful feature. I relied on it a few times while towing.
* Driver's seat improved. I clocked over 160k miles on my 2nd gen, so I know the driver's seat very well. The 3rd gen seat is more comfortable for me.
* Engine seems just as capable as the 4.0L
* JBL audio is much improved, music and phone calls are both great for my needs. IMHO, it's better for phone calls than the Bose system I have in my GT-R.
* Bed lights is great! It's about time. Very useful when carrying a load.
* I really like the door unlock feature by touching the handle
* Heated seats are great now that I'm in cold weather.
* Cup holders worked just fine even with 44oz thirstbuster drinks
* Trip computer is nice to have. I no longer need the Scan Gauge II.
* New towing 4-pin plugs are great, I no longer have to use the circular converter from Uhaul.

Gripes:
* No sunglasses holder in TRD OR 4x4. Crawl control takes over the space.
* Passenger door doesn't have the unlock feature via the door handle (annoying)
* I really wanted the Homelink mirror. With the tech package, we should have the Homelink mirror. That's ridiculous that it's not included. Toyota really cheaped out on that.

Don't care:
* Foot emergency brake is now a handle. First few times I parked, I kept trying to engage the parking brake via my foot and caught nothing but air.

All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase. Can't wait to try it Off-Road and in the snow.

Cheers

 

Nice truck bro. Thanks for the review!

 

Also... it's nice to hear real-world reviews from a 2nd Gen driver instead of a "test drive" review. I'm noticing a ton of customer satisfaction w/ 3rd gen (i know it's still early). Cant wait to get mine.

 

So in this test, I filled up the tank, and jumped right on the freeway, went 55 mph and pissed off everyone else. But I guess it is possible to get 23+ mpg driving like grandma.

 

Wow! Very nicely set up! Congrats!! Hauling my bike is the main reason I'm getting one.

Please answer this: Where do you buy Monster Zero Ultra by the case? It's my favorite and can't find any place in Colorado that sells it by the case.

 

Thanks for review!

 

Well done.

 

Both Sam's club and Smart & Final have it.

 

My camper trailer you see in my profile image is about 2500 lbs dry. So I imagine it would be 3,000 lbs loaded (worst case scenario). Plus two passengers and extra stuff all my cargo would be equivielant to 3500 lbs. How do you think it would perform? Also, did you drive through the Rocky Mountains? If so, how did it do on the high altitude climbs?

 

The max elevation I went to was 5000 ft but that was for a brief time while traveling between AZ and El Paso, Tx. Otherwise, it was fairly level. I actually had the truck in cruise control and let it do it's thing.

 

ROTFLMFAO, omg, I almost died, HAHA

 

My only complaint with my 16 TRDORDC is towing MPG. Its like my 13 TSSDC was. 13 to 14 mpg at highway speeds with a 1500 lbs or greater load. Mine is usually a fishing boat.

 

Thanks for info.

 

With a 5' bed using an extender as you did, it's a tight fit - did you use a sport chock to hold in the front wheel or is it just directly up against the front of the bed?

 

I only read enough to find out what he said he added, didn't read the whole thread. But that is hilarious if he really added it.

 

@oelakkad Basically summed up the Gen 2.5 Tacoma as being 20% improvement over the Gen 2.

 

I use the Baxley sport wheel chock and a handle bar strap. I only need to tie down the front with that setup. I've towed my bike upwards of 500 miles just like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG1L5r9A6y0

 

Baxley makes a great chock - I used them in my van for years.

One bike fits pretty good - I've seen photos of 2 R6's in the bed of a Taco - probably a tight fit but it can be done!

I assume you used the OEM tie down points?

 

I have a gsxr1000 so an R6 will fit for sure. Yes you can use stock tie down points on the bed wall. My truck didn't come with front Drings. Damn Toyota.

 

What bed extender are you using? The OEM Toyota version isn't as 'square' as the one you have in the pictures - and every bit of room counts.

I have a trailer, but sometimes it's easier to just roll the bike into the bed. I might even try to get 2 in there - I've sen pictures but it must be a PITA to do...