How bad is a stock TRD offroad?

Lol I know, right? The wording of the thread title is silly.
The weak point on both trucks is the tires. Just get those swapped out.

 

And yet that would seem tough to avoid.

Especially for a fella who is concerned that a muffler change is a warranty issue.

Tip 1. If you buy the Pro, you can have a line of folks at your door willing to swap their OE OR catback with your TRD catback. At their expense. And 90% of the Toyota technicians who service your truck in the future will never realize it was changed, especially if you slap a TRD tip on the pipe.

Tip 2. If you buy the OR, you can add pro wheels easy peasy.

Tip 3. Neither tip 1 or 2 impacts warranty.

Hint. The hood is fake fluff. Some folks think it's to die for. Some not so much.

Good luck. In the end, only you can decide.

 

As soon as I got my OR, I was taking it through things that modded Jeeps didn't even want to touch. Thing is an absolute monster out of the factory. A tire swap goes a LONG way. I personally don't see the point in spending thousands of dollars more for the Pro just to get a few looks and shocks that are maybe 5-10% better.

It's been 4 years and 60k miles and I would do it all over again.

 

If you were a professional driver running the Baja you could eke out a few more mph in the pro because of suspension.
For the average person? Zero performance difference.
It never is the vehicle, it's the guy behind the wheel that makes a difference.

I read your post and you are way overthinking this. Life is short. Get what you want.

 

I was in a very similar situation as you a few months ago. I've had a new sports car every year the past few years and modded each one. I'm moving out to the burbs and wanted something that looks good stock that is reliable and will hold its value that I don't have to mod. I was looking at the OR and Pro and went with the Pro because it had everything I wanted cosmetically and I liked how it road on the road better (it's a little firmer and less body roll on turns/bends). I don't off road much but you're correct, it will handle a little better on light trails, but if you're a serious off roader you're going to build a custom rig and therefore getting the Pro is pointless if you're going to mod everything, unless you just like the interior goodies that the Pro automatically comes with stock.

For light trail riding, the biggest difference I noticed when i test drove the OR and Pro on a field is that the OR suspension was softer and the truck kind of bounced all over the place while the Pro's body stayed level and the suspension kind of just absorbed everything when riding on the field. If you are getting the Pro because you want something more off road capable, the price difference compared to the OR will be a disappointment. If you're getting a Pro because you like all the packages it comes with stock and don't want to waste money modding just to never get that money back the Pro is the way to go. That's what sold me on my 2020 MGMPro. Since I got it one year old with 12k miles it was actually the same price as a brand new OR with the Premium package so it was a win win for me.

 

The TRD pro is magical...a mere off-road cannot hope to keep up...and the sport is the Cousin Oliver of the Tacoma family.

 

Cousin Oliver?! I had totally forgotten about that little A-hole until now.

 

I bought the TRD OR AC M/T, available only in Canada for some reason.

The research that I did prior to buying my 2019 revealed that the OR has the softest suspension of all Taco models. This should give it the smoothest ride at decent speed over washboard on gravel roads. It also gives a cushy more car like ride around town, especially when compared to my '93 MR2.

The PRO has the greatest amount of suspension travel of all Taco models and little more clearance up front.

 

If the only reason you shy way from sun roofs is the fear they will shatter, then I think you're being overly concerned. I've had multiple Toyota's with sun roofs and never had an issue. No leaks, no shattering and I for one enjoy them. Now, if it's a headroom question then yes, the sun roof cuts back head room a few inches, or if you just don't like them, that's a different story. If it's a deal breaker, the Pro will be out of the running.

Sun roof aside, If money's not an issue, and you want the most feature rich vehicle that you will do very little mods to the Pro is the way to go. Fixing the exhaust will not affect warranty unless you remove the CC or do some crazy welding on the frame, but simply replacing the muffler with a standard type muffler... no problem.

 

Buy an off-road and get a better aftermarket kit and tires

 

pro and offroad are pretty much the same truck, the pro has a few cosmetic changes (grill, fog lights, hood scoop) and has a better suspension (just shocks) the offroad has all the same drive systems (crawl control) as the pro, and has the larger rear diff like the pro.

Infact, a offroad can be converted into a pro pretty easy, while the sport, limited, sr and sr5 can not be converted into a pro (due to electronics dealing with crawl control, rear diff and locker)

 

TRD Pro = King.
TRD OffRoad = Court Jester.
Just kidding. I have an OR. I looked at the Pro, they are NICE, but I went with a base OR and saved a bunch of money.
It's more than enough to take off road. Heck any Tacoma 4X4 is capable.

 

How bad of a driver are ya? That's the real question. Maybe a subaru for you.

 

I don't understand these driver references. Sure some skill matters, but you aren't going to have FUN scaling Mount Rushmore in a Taco. The Taco is great for general offroading but both models lack the proper approach angles for actual rock crawling. No shame in that. The truck wasn't designed for that 2% of trails, it was designed for the other 98%.

I dunno, maybe I'm just pissed off that Toyota requires 4L to use any of the dedicated buttons they replaced the sunglasses storage with.

 

That’s a good point.

I was looking into custom hoods with functional scoops. But I don’t quite want to shell out over $2k to get it paint matched and good to go. Although a lighter hood might help in some places

 

It’s not..

Hope that sums it up. It’s your money, spend it the way you want, I do.

 

You really can’t go wrong with any trim level you choose, as long as it fits the budget and makes you happy is all that matters. The more technology it has the more likely to have problems in the future and that’s with every brand out there. Cosmetics can be accomplished by looking at what others on TW have done. Dual Zone climate and Sunroof are the only thing’s you possibly can’t mod.

I had to say possibly because with the members on here I wouldn’t be surprised.

Not sure if this is an actual serious post from OP or just trying to ruffle some feathers but with research you could have gathered all this already. If it is serious then you have plenty of info to go off of.

 

OP: The most difficult part is to actually find a TRD Pro to buy, at least in my area. You found one, so you're already ahead. During crazy used car price times like this, especially with the Tacoma, simply do this:

1) Buy a TRD Pro, drive it for a month or two
2) If you're not happy with it, trade it in for an TRD Off-Road

With the trade-in tax credit and ridiculous scarcity of the Pro, you should be able to break even or maybe profit from this tactic. Plus, in some areas, you can negotiate $3k off MSRP for an Off-Road. No so much with the Pro.

BTW, if you don't mind me asking: Which dealership were you able test drive a Pro in?

 

Agree with you

I have a fully loaded OR. I rather own a Pro due to small price difference

however key for me is DCLB , which pro doesn’t come with

If there was DCLB pro - would be my choice

so for my needs as a poor person, loaded DCLB OR works. Love my moonroof, leather, heated Seats

I Live vicariously through you rich guys in your Pro


Before this I had a $22,000 SR utility 2018. So I know what it’s like being poor