Cali Raised 2005-2020 Toyota Tacoma Center Console MOLLE Panels Review

These finally showed up today and I got right to installing them.

The TL;DR about them is, "meh". If you need to mount something heavy in that location and it has to be MOLLE, this is your product, otherwise consider alternatives.

Installation:

If you have any mechanical inclination at all, you'll get these installed. It would probably be nice to include some basic instructions (plus parts list and tools needed) in the box, but again, it's pretty obvious how this goes together. I went ahead and watched the installation video but this was a mistake as the video actually includes a lot of wrong information about the tools needed. At least for my kit, I needed a 1/2 and 7/16 wrench (not a 5/8 and 7/16 as the video stated) and most importantly, while the video says to use a 7/16 drill bit, that is way to large and a 3/8 drill was more appropriate. My last issue with the installation is the location of the upper front bolt on each panel runs into some additional plastic support structure behind the plastic trim. This makes drilling difficult (and a bit scary -- "what is it back there I just drilled into!?") It seems this could have been avoided by moving the mounting hole about half an inch in any direction.

Fit and style:

The passenger side panel includes a bend in it that makes it fit the contours of the center console nicely. It would have been nice if the included spacers were black to match the panels, bolts, and car interior instead of raw aluminum, but that's a nit pick and can be resolved with some spray paint. The driver's side panel is for some reason lacking a bend and therefore sits somewhat oddly. You'll notice in my pictures attached the drivers side panel touches the center console at its peak, where as the passenger side panel remains nicely parallel with the center console. Construction of the panels themselves is good. They feel sturdy, but not overly hefty and fit the contours of the console (barring the above driver side issue) nicely. Paint is evenly applied and looks good.

Function:

These pretty much do what they say. I had no issue attaching MOLLE pouches to them, but keep in mind you are working with a very limited number of horizontal rows (as few as 2 on the ends) so some pouches may not be supported fully. That's the limits of the space to work with though. One of the selling points of these is the ability to easily unbolt and remove them to install pouches. That really is handy and much better than something more permanently attached you would have to try and fish the MOLLE straps behind while installed. I think it would be neat if the bolts supplied were thumb screws so you could remove them without a tool, but I suppose you aren't taking these on/off all the time. An even better option would be some sort of quarter turn fastener so you could quickly remove the whole panel; that would be handy if you kept a first aid kit or similar there you wanted to be able to quickly remove and take with you.

Overall:

The construction of the panels is good, but I don't see why the driver's panel isn't bent to fit the contours of the center console the way the passenger side is. The installation instructions left a lot to be desired, so my advice is to avoid watching the install instructions and just use your brain to figure it out yourself. Frankly, if I was to go looking for a new solution to mount just small pouches to the center console, I'd probably go with Velcro or a DIY fabric MOLLE panel. Where this product would really shine is mounting something heavier in that area: a full size Maglite, a large frame pistol, etc.

 

Great comment about the driver side panel. To me it makes the panel look cheap and not design properly. It may function fine, but if you are going to modify your truck for something that does not look well thought out, I would be disappointed.

 

Great write up. Waiting on the meso overhead sunroof molle rack.

 

Thank you for the feedback, we are here to listen and improve. We will address a couple of items now for you.

1. Drivers side panel - On our two test trucks, the flat panel fit very nicely. It seems like the center consoles fit differently based on how they lay on the carpet. We didn’t leave the bend out to be cheap, it was how the console fit on our two trucks, it seemed to have a lot less curvature to it on the driver's side. We appreciate the feedback and we will look into making the change.

2. Removability and weight - We are glad this feature found its value with you, that was our intent. We did consider a thumb screw but after talking about it we figured that they wouldn’t be changed out frequently enough to merit one that would increase customer costs and not look as clean. We decided that it was worth it ultimately to save money for the customer.

3. The installation - We are in the middle of filming a professionally produced video with some clarifications and corrections. We were excited to launch these to you guys and made a quick one. Some of the installation hardware did change a little bit from the video. With the new one coming soon we decided that people could quickly make some wrench size adjustments. As for the hole you drill, I caution everyone to use the drill size that was called out. It does make the installation a little harder, but with compression fasteners like this, they can come loose if the hole is too big. It’s best to keep it as tight as possible. The drill bit we called out was what the manufacturer of those fasteners calls out.

Overall thank you for the honest and fair review. With any new product, we find areas for improvement after launch. We test these the best way that makes sense for us, and we work any issues we find. But ultimately you don’t know the real details until you ship 100 units and see what others experience. We are 100% committed to satisfying our customers, please feel free to contact us directly if you or anyone has an issue, we will always get you taken care of and make sure everything is on your truck the way it needs to be! We will take these notes and work to improve our products and again we appreciate the feedback!

 

The drill bit called out in the current video is 7/16. That is too large. A 3/8 bit (which is smaller) is a much snugger fit.

 

Great write-up. I wish more reviews were like this.

I've been interested in a console mount like this for some time, but I tend to 'man-spread' and my knee/upper-shin tends to rest near where the console meets the bottom of the dash (knee kind of tucks under the buttons area). I'd rather not have my leg bumping against a metal edge. Does it protrude very far? Would the driver's side being bent minimize that?

 

I've been tweaking things since I installed the panels for this very reason. The panels themselves are not an issue, my leg never hits the metal. Once you start mounting things to the panels, those can get in the way. I've found I can only mount things on the rear half of the panel; anything mounted to the front half hits my leg.

Here is where I ended up on the driver's side:

 

Glad to see a review that addresses the bend in the passenger side and not in the drivers side. I will be waiting for a bent drivers side one also that matches the contours of the center console.

 

I've been eyeing these since they were released as i want to mount a holster to them. I'm curious if anyone has done this and has suggestions on how best to do so. A friend suggested a G Code molle attachment (GCA87) and that seems like it might be the best option. FWIW, I want to mount it on the passenger side. I don't often have anyone in the truck with me and this way my knee wouldn't hit it. Plus it would still be very easy to get to.

 

If all you want is to mount a holster, I think you would be better off getting a holster attachment system (Safariland QLS, Blade-Tech Tek-Lok, etc.), and spend $3 of a couple of jacknuts and nylon spacers from Ace Hardware. It will save you $97 and give you a lot more options for positioning the thing.

 

Update to this review, CALI RAISED LED did update their panels and added the bend to the driver side panel. I just installed mine today, and I’m happy that they did so. However, I do recommend the 3/8 drill for inserting the gussets as the holes are more snug. I did run into one issue and am not sure if it’s because I have a 16 Tacoma but the inner upper gusset would NOT go in, I had to drill through not only the thin center console panel but whatever I was hitting underneath. I aligned and marked everything as instructed and ran into the same issue on both the driver and passenger side. I just hope I didn’t drill into anything essential or electronic in order to get that gusset in and installed. Otherwise great product, here’s my final pictures.

 

I mainly want this to mount a pistol as forward as possible, drivers side. You're saying that front area hits your knee?

 

Depending on how far your holster and gun stick out, yes. Sit in your seat with your foot on the gas pedal and in a position you would normally feel comfortable driving. See how much space is there for a gun/holster to take up, and then take of ~3/8 for the space the panel will take up. If you don't plan to swap things out (which, kinda the purpose of molle), I think you are better off just mounting your holster directly to the center console.

 

Are there pics on the 2nd gen? I can't seem to find one, wondering how the fitment is as it looks too big.

 

Here are a couple of photos of the Center Molle panel on second gen! Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

Must say that those are pretty cool looking and quite handy. Thanks for sharing.

 

Could it be mounted like an inch more forward so the top flows better or is that the best spot?

 

Finally jumped in and order a set. I didn't see anywhere about what the lead/ship time was though, is there a ballpark?

 

In stock ready to ship today, Look out for a confirmation email with your tracking number!

 

Nice well written review nd I like that Cali Raised takes real-world customer feedback.Thinking of getting a set to mount my Ham radio on the passenger side.

Though weird the OP left a G-string in the review pictures.





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