Is a TRD package worth it?

I'm buying my first tacoma (used), and I want to know if either of the TRD packages are worth the extra money. I know the TRD package has a rear locking differential but besides that I don't really know much about it. I'm not going to be offloading much, but I'll still be doing some light wheeling. Is it worth the extra money for me or should I just go with a base 4x4 and upgrade with the extra money left over?

 

TRD has good seats and pretty good off road capability but the base truck is good if you want to build up your truck!

 

Either way (TRD or no TRD) I'll be getting a 4x4. Thanks

 

Haha, don't think I'll really be basing my decision on seats, but that's a good point.

 

The seats on the TRD are well worth it in my opinion. But I have a tes package so yeah....

 

Besides the seats and locker, what else comes with TRD Offroad?

 

Sport, yes. Off Road, yes yes.

 

The only thing I wish I had from the TRD package is the seats. The seats in the SR5 are very mediocre. The rest of the TRD package was not worth the extra cost to me

 

I just bought the SR5 4x4 without the TRD package. Works for what I need it for and couldn't justify the extra cash for a couple of extras I would RARELY use. If I want in the future I am sure I can build it up to what I need.

PLUS I am not a fan of the hood scoop of the TRD sport so that made it easy.

 

09+ TRD off road you get the much better all in one electric boosted master cylinder / abs unit / traction control unit. Line pressures are 2x higher than the vacuum assisted setup on any other model.

Thus why you get ATRAC

Also locker as stated.

Front tow hook, progressive rate front springs, gas tank plastic skid, and smaller diameter front swaybar for more flex

 

The seats are the tipping point feature that make that make a trd package worth it. Mine are 4 years old and the driver seat shows no major signs of wear or degraded foam. They are perfectly side bolstered as well. Just do it.

 

From personal experience, go with the TRD OR package. A buddy of mine got the TRD sport 4x4, which is basically a "looks" package (color matched mirrors, bumpers and grill) and does nothing for the performance of the 4x4 (locker!). It's still an incredibly capable truck and he can do a bunch of stuff that a 2wd can't, locker or not. You say you don't plan on doing any serious wheeling? Neither did I. I see that you're kind of new to the site and this gets addicting. You meet people, start going out to the trails and next thing you know you're hooked. I recently traded to the TRD Off Road and couldn't be happier. Like @MGMTacolover55 said, the base 4x4 is better if you already plan on throwing a bunch of money at your new truck and upgrading it right away, but if that's not in your plan, go with the TRD OR and don't look back. Worst case scenario, you don't get into heavy off-road, but your truck will always do what you ask of it.

 

hcm, please check your inbox. Thanks

 

I bought a base 4WD rather than TRD or SR or SR5. I am one of the weird people that think the black trim and "no" chrome and no color matched fenders are the most aesthetically pleasing version of the truck, so since I was buying new that was an easy decision for the base. Also, I will be adding leather Katz at some point, so the possible benefit of paying for TRD seats was minimized or removed, and I find the base seats perfectly comfortable so far. When they are wrapped in "leather" I will be ecstatic. I was able to easily and cheaply add the rear camera and fogs that I wanted to elevate the Base to the configuration I wanted (with some suspension changes when my OEM equipment ages out of warranty).

So the locking rear diff was the only consideration for me, and in the end It was not nearly important enough to pay for things I did not want and get the aestehtics I did not like. With my driving habits I can negate the need for a locked rear diff 99.9% of the time, I hope.

Note, anecdotally I think the TRD seems to be vastly more popular than other incarnations, both locally on the street and in the fora.

 

Thanks for the help everybody. You've convinced me that the TRD OR is worth it.

 

That is what bought 8 years ago when I bought my 07. It seemed like a lot of money at the time, but after 153,000 miles I'm glad I paid the difference.

 

Get the towing package if you can. Upgraded alt, battery, oil cooler, and trans cooler.

 

I don't think I've met anyone who said "Damn. I got TRD, but I wish I got SR5 instead"

 

TRD is well worth the dough. You only live once and if you buy it and can't afford it, it's easier to sell.

 

I know you've made up your mind, but when I was going back and forth on this very issue, I found that the TRD package was only about $1,500 more (then) than the SR5 model, which ended up being less than $20 per month (closer to $10 IIRC). I figured you got much more for only $1,500 and my other feeling was I knew I was changing the wheels on day 1 and the TRD wheels would be easier to sell than the SR5 wheels.

That being said, there's a certain purity to the base/SR5 models of having a truly no-frills truck (I know they're not that much different) that I sometimes wish I had again.