need help deciding between 2018 TRD Sport vs TRD off road

Make sure you test drive both to see which one you like, the Sport and Off Road have the same exact price which makes the Off Road a better value for the cash.

 

Got a good deal on a 4X4 Sport. And I'm in South Florida, so legitimate "off-roading" usually calls for a swamp buggy... or an airboat.



That, plus electronic lockers and crawl control are for girly men that are one more latte away from buying a Ridgeline.

I figure if she is going to have a locker, it will probably be air powered.

 

I'm mixed. Don't do any serious off-roading so don't need the locker and I like the ride of the Sport. I find the scoop mildly annoying because it interferes a little with my sight line, but not so much that I want to waste my time trading it for a non-scooped hood. My 5'2" wife doesn't drive my truck, but if she did the scoop would be a real issue with her that we would have to address.

I figure that when the time comes to sell my Sport, whoever buys it, probably a guy in his 20's, will be really hot for a 8 year old Taco with a scoop at half the price of a new one.

 

This is question to ask yourself and if you want a hood scoop?

I personally hate the OEM sport wheels , but that’s an easy fix..

 

Personally I think the biggest difference is in how they drive. I would take both out and see which ride I like better since the shocks are different.

Edit: if you're putting a lift on it, my point doesn't matter. Just get one that looks better to you.

 

If you have to ask, then get the Sport...The Off Road isn't for you.

 

Some love the scoop but me I don't for the simple reason that it protrudes too high for me. I like the clean look without the water trap it creates after a wash. Oh by the way I love the OR ride better than a Sport but it's all subjective. $.02

 

Oh please. Sport or SR5's are plenty capable for decent offroad trails. Yep, an OR will get through some obstacles easier with the locker engaged, but you can get tackle a LOT of trails in any Tacoma 4WD. This stupid stigma of only OR being trail-worthy is garbage.

 

Big Viking fan I see. Go VIKES

 

Test drive both. Seriously.

I was dead set on an Off Road until I test drove both and ended up coming home with a Sport. Personally, I hated the suspension of the Off Road. To me it felt like I was completely disengaged from the road. With the tighter sport tuned suspension of the Sport model, I felt the right balance of handling and cornering was there. There are more cool off roading features available for the Off Road model (go figure), but this is a daily driver for me. I will be driving in dirt and mud around 2-3% of the time in a really good year.

 

See, and I thought the Off Road was only for girly men who can't handle any how a tight suspension jostles their delicate frames?

 

You have a 2002 TRDOR. Have you ever had the need to engage the locker on that one?

Right? What did we all do back in the 70's and 80's when rigs didn't come with lockers? Stay on pavement? I don't think so!

My 2002 4x4DC SR5 has seen a lot of off roading. When I bought it, I was watching the $$$, so had to decide if I was going to do a TRDOR with a locker, or spend those funds on a winch or bumper. I went with the winch set up. In all those years, the winch had to come out but a half dozen times (mud / snow situations). Locker likely wouldn't have helped much in any of those.

Reason I had to have the locker this time is because of wheel spin. Been on plenty of rough roads where it took more momentum and wheel spin to get up a rough section of road, and always feared of breaking something out in the middle of nowhere. Beyond that, that little 2002 went some hard ass places, and I never felt too terribly deprived without a locker. At least not enough to spend the $$$ to swap out to a TRDOR axle or throw an ARB air locker in it.

One particularly nasty, nasty section of road in our usual hunting grounds....Butt pucker time kinda thing. Would typically avoid it while out hunting if there was an easier way around as I don't want to break things out in the middle of nowhere, out in the middle of the hunt. But in this case, you either take this route, or it's a 15 mile detour to get to where you are going. So I always took it to get to my spot. The old truck made it up every time, albeit with some effort, momentum, and wheel spin. Luckily never broke anything.

Same road last year with the new TRDOR. Got to the section, and figured I'd see what all the fuss with crawl control was about. Tried it. Was not impressed (at least in that application). Disengaged crawl control, and now it was time to test out the locker. Truck crawled the rest of the way up the shitty, steep, loose and very rocky road with nary a spin of a tire. Pretty impressive capability. And worth it...if it will be used.

If you're not going to use it, and are going to replace the suspension anyway (negating the sport / trdor suspension argument) then go with what looks best to you. Hood scoop or not / color matched fender flares or not.

 

Here we go again.

 

Off-road, hands down.

 

That's not what I was really trying imply. I guess the princess part can wrinkle some panties. Just giving him a simple answer. IMO if you wheel hard go locker.

But you are correct. My open diff 4runner with 4/5" lift on 33s hangs with most locked rigs. Just takes a better line or few tries. Also end up using my winch more than locked rigs.

My wife's sr5 will be lifted and wheeled also. I'm very well aware how capable open diff is.

 

Everyone says that don't do or won't do much off roading. Then when they, they wish they had the off road perks. If you are on the fence between the two, get the off road, you won't regret it.

 

either way get a MT the auto sucks

 

TRUTH

 

This??? Again???