SR5 vs. TRD Sport

Wait, but it’s just a dark color. Or am I missing something? Is there a lighter mode?

 

When we turn the head lights on, the screen changes to night mod. Also, hitting the settings button, there is a Screen Off button.

 

Just priced out an sr5 with similar options (upgraded nav) and while it has parking sonar (I do not) it still lacks the other upgrades mentioned above and it came out $1000 more expensive than what I paid for my sport... and I could only get it in white. That said I'm sure the dealer would discount it more than MSRP still... makes sense to get the sport to me

 

lol. Well I meant for them to add a dark mode if the screens were white like they are in the picture above.

 

Ah. For daytime running.

I use dark mode in MS Office and the Dark Reader Chrome Extension. My eyes enjoy it.

 

I think that’s called incognito mode....

 

Haha! Pron-mode!



Seriously though, that extension rocks in non-pron-mode.

 

I wanted an SR5. Thought it would be enough. Drove my neighbors SR5. Went to my local dealership drove the SR5 longbed and then the Sport. The interior and just the looks was a nice upgrade. Don't get me wrong the SR 5 is nice but when driving the two, the Sport was it for me. Now being a little on the conservative side I was going with the 5. Then the wife said I like the sport better and think it's a better ride and the interior is just more plusher, sits better and was quieter to me. The longbeds just ride better thanks to the longer wheelbase. I like the ride of the Sport best.

 

Other than the leather shift nob what else does the sport have interior wise that the SR5 doesn’t?

 

In the world of trucks I think we did!

 

So you are comparing MSRP to what you "Paid". Why dont you compare MSRP to MSRP? And maybe he doesn't want the Sports upgraded head unit because its complete garbage and you can add a carplay unit 3rd party for less than a thousand bucks? And he already said he wants the smoother ride of the SR5. Your post seems a bit disingenuous dont you think?

 

Got me there

This is the go to response on TW.. "just upgrade it" I'm not buying a 30k+ truck to then turn around and spend more money upgrading it. (In my opinion it upgraded radios are tacky btw). I can see how spending less on the truck would be advantageous to make the budget work, and if the upgrades aren't worth it to you then that's fine. Personally I feel that they are but thats me. If I couldn't afford it, well then I'd probably be driving a Colorado because the options there seem to come in a little lower than on the tacomas.

 

Do a lot of test drives , look through brochures , see other trucks with options. Once you drive off the lot its yours. I took 2 months. I've always like hood scoops/ side scoops. Had a 70 GTO , 79 TRANS AM, 1990 Rx7 Turbo now the 90 Carrera Turbo and TRD Sport. The scoop functional or not gives a bit character.
I've always liked stiffer suspension ( wife ..not so).
Do your homework and get what YOU feel is best handling /looks. Nevermind what others think. It's your truck. The TRD Sport with leather was just NICE along with the premium stereo, sunroof (wife.. GET THE SUNROOF!) . I've never once thought " I should've gotten a 4x4" or "I should've gotten a OFF ROAD" .
I'm happy with the truck. The wife likes it so much, she wants one too for herself.

 

As has been said, I don't think I can go wrong with either but this comment by TC-Mic was also my impression after the initial test drive; "The Sport had the stiffest suspension no questions about it. Reminded me of the ride I had in an old Chevy HD tow package I owned back in college. That truck was awful to drive without a trailer or loaded bed.". I'll drive both again this weekend and get 'em out on the highway. That will be the real test. Just noticed that the SR has a chrome rear bumper. Did I mention I hate chrome? Except on a Harley, of course.

 

Definitely agree on the stiffer ride... old chevy maybe not quite that bumpy.. my wife doesn't care too much for the stiffer suspension.. me I like that it's made for on road handling i.e. on/off ramps etc.

 

the seats are exactly the same in every 3rd gen taco with the exception of the fabric. the interior has minor trim differences in both material and color. there is no way the sport was quieter than the sr5.

 

Haha! My wife hated how it went over uneven bumps like our driveway curb. Me too. I ditched the front swaybar after an offroading trip. It drove way too well on the roads with it gone also. I think it is perfect on and off road without the swaybar even hustling it. But then, the wife says that the truck is too bouncy.

Someday, I might try to find an OR swaybar to see if that makes her happy.

 

I found that harsh ride to be a bit unnerving, going around turns with broken pavement or washboard surfaces almost made it like it was skipping across.

 

Don't care much about the "radio" (showing my age here). I listen mostly to sports talk during the commute unless my kids are in the car then it's top 40/ pop but who cares about them. We have a 2016 Sienna AWD so I'm familiar with the standard radio feature set/ performance. BT hands free is important to me, inductive charging is not, otherwise I use my iPhone for navigation (Google maps and Waze work well enough). I was curious about the Blind Spot Monitor feature that's part of the tech. package available with the Sport. Is this a useful thing to have in the Tacoma - worth the extra $800??

 

BSM is cool. I see that it works well on other cars / trucks out on the road. I will say that it isn't worth it for my own stuff because I know how to properly set the mirrors so that I don't have blinds spots. That's just me though.