Decisions Decisions help me pick a trim level

I don't go off reading unless it's a dirt road or.light trail to go kayaking or camping.
I do have a heavy need to get through bad weather in all seasons.
I mainly do on road driving.
I am a.vol first responder.
I live in a farming town/community.
I do occasionally need to grab a few bales of hay for horses and it will be a 5 foot bed.

I plan to add a cb / ham rado, modest warning lights all around the truck but keeping it modest.
I like my creature comforts and want a leather interior.
At some point will add a 1.5-2" lift in front and rear and bigger tires although not huge but they will be all terrain tires for better ground clearance.
I am debating between the sport, limited and trd off road trim levels.
Pros and cons if each?
It will be the v6 automatic as I can not drive a stick shift to save my life.
Roast me if you wish call me what you will but I am looking for honest real input here

I am 2.years out from buying at this time and I know a lot can change between then and now.

 

Firefighter here as well, what part of the country do you live in? That helps with the decision making too

 

Sport or off road. Limited comes with too much chrome.

 

I live in the north east in Connecticut

 

So snow I'm assuming, 4x4 is a must IMO. You don't want to get stuck/crash on your way to an emergency call in poor conditions.

I think the general consensus here is that the Off Road is the best bang for your buck.

 

Imo, i'm not a believer in lifts, but to each their own. That said except for the leather interior the sr5 is a great truck, plus you can always add some options. My buddy has a 2019 trd, but i don't think his seats are really leather....just comes down to how much bs you need the truck to have.

 

Sport 4x4 is my recommendation. Best over all on road handling out of any trim and more than capable off roader if/when needed. You get all the creature comfort add-ons from the TRD package too which are nice, such as PTS just to name one bigger interrior upgrade vs the lower trims. It also looks the best too with the hood scoop (only other trim with this is the pro), but of course looks are subjective. Drive both trims and see what you like and report back when you finally take the plunge.

Also heads up that there will probably be a new model Tacoma coming in 2025-2026, in 2 years you wont be too far away, just something to think about in case that is important in your decision and you can wait with your current car/truck.

 

The sport is the same price as the off-road but without the extras. If you’re between the two, get the off-road.

 

I love my Limited. When I priced the options added to the Sport, the Limited was cheaper. Love the bird's eye view camera and side view cameras. Leather heated seats, 18" wheels, this thing is much quieter than my wife's car! Nice ride. I live in western NY so I travel through snow as well. All the comfort adders come standard on the Limited.

So, if like me, you want what I would consider then "nicest" road driving Tacoma, I suggest you consider the Limited.

I know a lot of guys love their Sports and Off Roads and they'll probably disagree with me and that's fine; to each their own. But I think the Limited is setup for a guy like me; 65 yo retired driver that's looking for a nice, comfortable drive with all the bells and whistles (for on-road driving. Not setup for off-road).

Ted

 

From a purely price vs feature perspective, I'd have to agree. The only thing I'd bring up is the added complexity of the braking system in the OR/Pro which is there because of crawl in A/T or ATRAC in the M/T.
Other trims have simpler traditional vacuum booster. If OP isn't going to be off road, he doesn't really need that stuff including the locker.
I'm not saying this because I own a sport, the choice was made for me because no DCSB OR in M/T here on Canada. No, I wasn't going to pay for a pro.

 

Thank you all.
I would wait but the tunrdra we currently have leased ends in 2 years and we don't plan on buying the tundra. Great truck just too big for our normal needs

 

The only "real" leather is in the middle parts of the seats, the rest is softex.

 

I dont usually go with a lift but since out n in my area my road is one of the last to be plowed so if I can get a little more 1-2 ground clearance it will definitely help especially if I am on a call in the middle of a snowstorm. My driveway is also 1400 feet long and all dirt.

 

I'm ok with that I just don't want another fabric interior.

 

Off-road. I am on volunteer ski patrol and has worked great for all weather. I even needed rear locker twice which is not an option on a sport or limited.

I got the premium/tech package on 2018 so got the leather heated seats. Do have a MT but am sure an auto will do you fine. I also did put on k02 with 17 inch sema wheels to get more bite in mud and snow.

Overall, have been very happy with choice.

 

I would say
TRD off road

or

sr 4x4 V6, or 4cyl (I do not think that comes in leather seats but you will have cash left over to do what you want.

 

Get the Off Road

 

I do like my black leather interior, very easy to clean and looks good.

 

That off reading can get serious....especially if you word crawl.

 

Same.