About to order a Tacoma some questions

I’m about to order a 2018 and was pretty much all set with the off-road with all the packages except tonneau then started wondering about the TRD Pro which is about 3.7K more roughly. I know this topic has been beaten to death but my main question is on the suspension since I don’t have the technical knowledge to distinguish between the bilstein and fox. Is the fox suspension better or worse on road? Is the suspension better in all off-road conditions? Will it require more maintenance, etc?

I’m going to be spending more time on road than off and have only test driven the OR and wouldn’t want the on road quality to be noticeably worse then the OR.

I like the pro grill better but found out that it’s not as easy to replace the OR with the 2018 as before because of TSS. I do like the wheels better but can live with the OR wheels.

Bottom line since I’m getting it very close to invoice is the pro worth it over the OR given my considerations?

Any info appreciated.

 

The Pro has more lift over the OR. The tires are different (larger) I believe. Your salesman should be able to tell you the exact differences.

 

OR is a great truck. I don’t have a pro, but people seem to b happy with it. With this new TSS stuff the pro should b good to go from the factory and the OR would b also, but without a lift. There r people saying it will b something that vendors with have to adjust for (TSS), but at the same time if something happens is Toyota gonna have your back? I have a 17 thanfully, but having it ready to go with the grille u want etc, may b a pivot point for u. I am sure the vendors will adapt to the TSS, but I find it to b risky considering if something happens u may not b covered regardingbthe safety stuff. If u can find a left over 17 OR, that may b an option for u. Let us know what u get!!!

 

I just went through this exercise. The Pro has the non functional hood scoop, homelink, 1” lift in the front and a TRD skid plate. All other differences are cosmetic.

What is your goal with the truck? If keeping it stock, Pro is worth it.

I decided to get the OR so I can spend that $3.7k on better upgrades. Sliders, skid plates, and lift and tires come in under that price point. If I watch for sales, I’ll even be able to squeeze in an iPad mount to this budget!

The only thing I’ll be missing out on is the hood sticker (scoop), but I can live with that.

 

Thanks guys all good info. But before anyone goes further down this get a car or SUV, I know exactly what the Tacoma offers and used to own a 4Runner with some off-roading under my belt. I’m not a naive first time truck buyer and I’m very happy with the ORs ride quality.
I also had looked at the brochure carefully but it didn’t have much info on the suspension. I did just realize that the pro doesn’t have a moonroof, and some guys out there may scoff at me, but I do like a moonroof.

 

Is that the only lift difference between the Pro vs the SR5, OR, and Sport?

 

When you look at all the things the Pro comes with over the Off Road, the main "big" difference is the suspension. The Fox setup is much nicer than their previous attempts at equipping the Tacoma with an upgrade, and it is a good upgrade. The "lift" is not much of a lift, it really only raises the front about 1 inch. The Pro comes with Goodyear Wranglers with Kevlar, and depending on where you are, the Off Road may not come with those same tires (same size wheels and tires, but lower-end tires, I hate that Toyota does this). The Pro rides great on road, have not taken mine off road yet. There are a lot of other minor things that you may or may not care about, some of which you can get in the Off Road -- but once you start adding those options to get it closer to the Pro, you start to creep into the Pro price range.

There are more differences than just the suspension. The suspension is a good upgrade, and going with an aftermarket equivalent or slight upgrade is not going to be significantly cheaper like people would like to believe. Maybe a little cheaper if you do the work yourself, but maybe more if you have to pay someone to do the work.

I got mine for 3K under MSRP, so it was worth it to me at that price. I don't think it was worth it at MSRP, but that's me.

Make a list of the differences (including all the details like bed lights, which is one of my favorite upgrades) and how much you care about each one, and price it out. To me, looking at ALL of the differences, it's actually a pretty good value. I'm not finding any options that aren't actually useful options and just gimmicky.

 

Not quite. The OR has bilstien shocks (upgraded from SR5) and the Pro has fox with reservoirs. Again, I will be getting a 2.5” lift so I’d be pulling those parts off anyway.

Also, the Pro and OR both come with a rear locker.

 

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm talking about ride height only. I realize the OR and Sport trims have upgraded, yet different application, suspensions. I was just wondering what the difference in body clearance was. I parked next to a Sport at work yesterday and couldn't see much of a difference between that and my SR5. (Other than my bigger tires)

 

good luck with that--"should" and "can" are two different scenarios -- good luck with that -- if it were me I would not rely on a vehicle salesperson. That's not to say there are not any really good sales people out there -- but having one in your particular dealer is the tricky part. Just call me a pessimist -I suppose.

 

Or experienced!!

Hahahaha

 

Agree -- I had to educate the salesperson on the differences of the 4Runner Limited and why I wanted my wife to have the center diff (she won't know when or when not to use 4WD or what mode to use, and it's better for the conditions she might face when driving). I still don't think he understood, and he drives a 4Runner.

 

FYI, some taller people (~6.2) are having issues with head room with a moon roof. ​

 

You could build a virtual pro relatively easy from a OR, with the exception of the moonroof (which isn't a relatively easy addition to a pro).

I was deciding between the sport and the pro, and I actually did not like looking over the scoop of the sport, and doubly so because the scoop is purely for aesthetics.

 

In most of the reviews I've seen, especially when comparing to competitor vehicles, the Tacoma's tires lose a few points. They're highway tires that get clogged too easily off road.

 

OP, another thing to keep in mind is that while MSRP is only +$3700, actual market price is usually much different. I ran the same analysis and it seemed like a $6k difference since you can get about $2k off an OR and you're lucky to get a Pro for MSRP, usually $1-3k over.

 

If you can get a deal like @TenBeers go pro hands down. Yes it won’t have a moon roof or Jbl speaker system, but it’s a pro with an upgraded suspension and hold its value because they are “special”.
He says he got it 3k below msrp making it a hell of a deal especially how the market is for pros.
Even if you can get msrp it’s really not worth it. I ended up going OR because I wanted a long bed, jbl system, and the moon roof you’re not alone haha. The price difference I got a new set of tires and wheels of MY choice and I don’t get stuck in mud like those Goodyear tires. I also put in a 6112/5160 bilstein lift and the ride is amazing now. It got a little bit more stiff but turns 10x better. You’ll see with the OR when you turn too fast it feels like you’re going to roll over but with the suspension it’s solid.

Good luck with your choice.

 

I stand corrected. In past years we all know you got Rugged Fails or Dunflops. I checked the OR stock at the dealer and they are indeed the same tires as the Pro. Maybe not superb off road tires, but in comparison to previous years, great tires.

This. I was as surprised as the salesman that the sales manager took my offer. Supply/demand in your market may drive the price of the Pro higher. This was right before xmas, so maybe they needed a sale, but I also found out later that they had another one coming in, same color. Probably didn't want to have 2 sitting there. If they didn't take the offer, I was considering trying to knock them way down on a 2017 OR they had in stock.

 

^^^this

 

Hey Guys thanks for all the help - this definitely helped. I am convinced that the pro would be better and probably really great to own. And I am getting a great deal - basically at invoice+150 for either car since I'm ordering. So the pro would likely be a better thing to have longer term in terms of value.

However, I've decided to go with the OR. The JBL sound and moonroof are important to my wife ( and to me as well ) and she's being great letting me trade in the Audi Q5 for a truck.

In addition, I will be adding other types of accessories like a ARB fridge, racks, roof top tent etc which all adds up and money saved from the Pro isn't negligible. If I was a serious off roader I'd go for the pro, but I'm a mild off roader - I like doing it once in a while but it's more of an overland journey type approach that I'm attracted to than purely technical offroading.