Limited vs. TRD-Offroad

Hi!

Im currently looking for a new Tacoma and I found this awesome Limited. It has a 3in lift, 33in tires, and aftermarket TRD parts.

I'm looking for a Tacoma that is a great daily but also capable of handling challenging trails. I do not know much about cars at all, but I know alot about Overlanding (Driven jeeps, 4wheelers, etc). I just want to know how the Limited compares to an Offroad when it comes to overlanding.

 

Crawl under it and check for rust holes and delaminating of frame.

 

The limited will be missing a locker unless the previous owner specifically installed one. The TRD Off-road will have a locker from factory. My experience going down trails with and without a locker make it a personal requirement to have a locker in the back at least, and also in the front of possible

 

I've done fairly moderate offroading in my TRD Off Road and have found the locker useful - also the 'off road cruise control' is great for long & tricky descents. Not sure if the limited offers either of those things.

 

Lifts and bigger tires and suspension changes are changes I would rather decide. Just my humble opinion. I would rather have the basic mechanical components (locker, crawl-mode for rough spots) than inheriting some previous opinion of a good suspension change.

If you really are taking up overlanding, off-road capability is necessary and you will want money for bed racks, RTTs, skid plates, better shocks and leaf springs (that comes with a minor lift but more for the better pure strength), ditch lights, winches, ...

The most expensive option you encounter may well be this forum ...

 

Really? huh. My friend has a Jeep that we have taken on technical trails without a locker. I don't see myself really driving in snow or mud, but i will have a bumper and wench

 

The difference wheeling with and without a locker is massive tbh. It makes every low traction situation less problematic. Every water hole gets more traversable, every rock garden takes less momentum, every washout crossover gets much easier to cross. You can achieve most of the same with axle/chassis flex, my friends run a wrangler without lockers without issue down the same trails I do, but they need flex and momentum where I don't, and if they get lockers front and rear I'll literally never keep up in the technical stuff.

 

limited is going to be more road/comfort focused, where offroad is focused on, well offroad. i believe there's slightly different gearing, the shocks are valved differently, the offroad gets a rear locker, offroad traction control modes, and raw plastic fender trims, where the limited gets the hood scoop, painted fender trims, and extra switch blanks in the interior for the traction control modes.

if you're actually going to use it offroad, the offroad version has overall better options to start from. but the majority of the truck is the same for the limited, so it's not like the limited can't do anything offroad, it just can't go as far offroad.