2023 TRD PRO 3 week impressions

My ‘23 TRD PRO has had helluva start with some record snow here outside of Vancouver as well as some bad conditions in Seattle. I split my time between these two lovely cities.
Anyway, initial (and brutally honest) thoughts-
1 - it is a great looking truck. Yes, I would have preferred the army green from a coupe of years ago, but Solar Octane will do nicely
2 - notchy!! I love having a stick shift again, but she’s stubborn on finding the right gear at times. I’m hoping some mileage will improve that. The clutch, though, is super easy to modulate
3 - stereo is a little better than I thought it would be, but a proper sub is needed. Why Toyota doesn’t offer the JBL in a Taco with a stick shift is baffling. Especially in TRD PRO trim
4 - seating position. I’m 6’3” and I’m actually ok. Yes my legs do rub the bottom of the steering wheel, but comfort is decent
5- camera resolution. Hate to say it, but it is horrible. Worse than I anticipated.
6 - engine. I haven’t come close to WOT yet but will soon. No one buys a Taco to drive fast, so I’m fine with 278HP. It’s not an M3, but it’s not an ‘81 Chevette either
Overall I’m pleased with her and I look forward to bonding with the Taco especially when the weather improves.

 

Nice looking ride & 3 pedals too!

I found mine notchy and stubborn to go into gears frequently too. Although the gears never ground I could feel the syncromesh working through the stick, I shift (and drive) pretty slowly.

I saw an instant improvement when I changed the factory fill for Motorcraft XT-M5-QS at 30K, it meets Toyota specifications. The gear selection difficulty was gone immediately along with the syncromesh feel and the transmission felt slicker overall. At 48K now and it shifts very nicely.


https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us...ull-synthetic-manual-transmission-fluids.html

Rock Auto had the best price when I purchased it.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/motorcraft,XTM5QS,transmission+fluid,13630

 

some of the notchiness of the MT goes away with use/mileage, and it begins to feel much better. i haven't changed the fluid, yet, but hope that improves it even further.

 

I have about 13K miles on my 22ORMT and it feels as good as I can expect a manual transmission truck to feel.
Enjoy the sweet pro.

 

On the Manual trans notchiness - I have a ‘22 TRD Sport Manual with 9,000 miles.

Around 2k RPM (usually in 2nd or 3rd gear), when I let off the throttle during acceleration, I hear this metallic rattle sound. I only hear it when the radio is off, so it’s not super loud (though I can still feel it in my pedals) It sounds as if something is loose. I checked all driveshaft bolts. Everything is good there.

Anyone else happen to experience this or have any ideas as to what it might be?

 

Great pix.

Did you have any issues with your lights or fogs icing up? LEDs are great in many ways but if you have to stop, get out of the truck, and clear them due to light attenuation then there is a fundamental problem that needs a fix.

 

Nice truck and welcome aboard!

 

Agree with all your points. Glad the stereo isn't JBL as adding an amp and replacing the speakers it already sounds as good if not better than my friend's Tacoma with the JBL. I'm happy with it but will likely add a small sub down the line to really make it right.

Also planning on adding a tune down the line to hopefully bump up the power below the curve.

 

Mine feels same as new … 3.3k on mine now.

 

Having had the jbl and non jbl… yep swapping the speakers (front) and tweeters already makes it better than the factory jbl… adding a kicker powered sub makes it a no contest sitch

 

Funny you say that. All three of my cars have LED’s and since they don’t give off much heat, you do have clean them from time-to-time in the snow and slush.
I stoped at a rest area near Bellingham, WA to clear them off with snow. the downside of LED’s

 

Not sure if I need the seat Jack since the power seat has decent adjustments.

Anyone else use them with a power drive seat?

 

I thought so too. I have power seats, but I couldn't get the seat in the right position to give me thigh/hip relief. My truck is my daily driver and my daily commute is 25-30 minutes one way, each day.

Installing the seat jackers made a big difference for me. Before, my legs would go numb or start to hurt (Yeah, I have the tall guy problems - long legs). After installing the jackers, my knees were lifted just enough to solve that problem. The best part: it doesn't raise the seat of the truck and didn't impact my headroom. I have the sunroof, so headroom is VERY limited for me.

 

This. This is the way to all MT owners. I made the change to this in my SCCA Miata after running OE fluid, Royal Purple and Redline MT90. Finally buttered up my cranky 2-1 downshift in competition and my notchy 1-2 upshift in cold street conditions.

For a number of years Miatas had parts bin truck transmissions not designed for super slick shifts under power. A change in the shifter fulcrum point, heavier shift knob and this magical Ford elixer did the trick.

I know lots of Miata owners who made the move. With fantastic results. I contend that any MT with a GL4 requirement will love it.

 

I miss the "City of Subdued Excitement". I was privileged to have lived there.

 

I agree, the camera is not good. The camera was much better in my 2019 Tacoma Off Road.

 

You want to grab the wheel between your thighs ?

 

That’s weird that Toyota would decrease the resolution. Sounds like a bean counter decision

 

I need to to try one with the jackers. Right now I have enough headroom. The driving position is OK, but certainly inferior compared to my BMW M340.

Priority 1 is to get a bed cover and then a ski & bike rack of some kind.

 

Congrats on the new ride - I also just recently got a 2023 TRD PRO with MT and agree with everything you said.

Mine also has some notchiness when shifting and have to sometimes rev match. Thanks for the Motorcraft

$31 XT-M5-QS Full Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid - 1 Quart , black

XT-M5-QS recommendation @RustyGreen - I will definitely get some of that when the time comes.

I've seen people replace their rear camera with some nice plug-and-play ones after installing new rear bumpers with swing gates. I might give that a try if I ever relocated my spare tire and mount it on the back of the truck.

Otherwise I LOVE my truck and stoked to finally drive stick again. I had never owned an automatic car until a few years ago when we downsized and needed vehicles that both my wife and I could drive (my wife doesn't drive stick).