Looking to buy new 2018, few questions

The scoop does not restrict your view in anyway,I have the scoop.

 

A sport is available in 4wd.

The 3rd gen has a much different scoop than your '06.

And if you'll reread my post, you'll see I suggested that *he* test drive for himself. It does create vision restrictions for *some* people and a glare issue for *some* people, at least as reported on various threads on TW.

 

I dont have an 06

 

Sorry.

I can only go by what your profile says. Which is 2006 Tacoma 4x4.

 

Rear Locking Differential

 

You won't gain anything for daily driving really. I do prefer the OR suspension though. But you don't lose anything either (other than the hood). There's just more value in the OR: skid plates, rear locker, crawl control, actual recovery hook, better tires, beefier rear axle. I'm not hating on the Sport at all. I really liked mine. If you go with that, you'll probably be happy. But the OR is the better buy for the money.

 

I agree. When I bought my Tacoma I was debating between a 4x4 SR5, Sport, OR and Pro. After all of my weighing of pros and cons and what they offered I figured the OR was the best value. Especially since all the Sports were the same price as the OR and the OR offered more.

 

I have Icon shocks on my TRD Off Road which, on the street, make it a lot closer to the Sport model. Handles much better than with oem OR shocks. It also does great off road by soaking up bigger bumps much better.

 

Why don’t you test drive both an OR, and a sport back to back. I did that on a city / highway loop. It will lead you to the best decision when it comes to driving and handling manners. I found a marked difference.

 

Don't know where you are from but my dealer price matches or beats anything from the internet,most of the time.

 

You got a good dealership then

 

Rear locker with install ~ $750 vs Sport hood and paint ~ 650. Potatoes vs potatos.

 

Looks like everything has been pretty well covered in this thread so I'll just say what everyone else is saying for affirmation purposes.

Off-Road
Electronic Rear Locker
Crawl Control
16" wheels
Unpainted fender flares and front lower cowl
Chrome rear bumper
Bilstein shocks (softer ride for rugged terrain)
All-Terrain tires

Sport
Hood-scoop
Paint matched fender flares
Paint matched front bumper
Paint matched rear bumper
Hitachi shocks (firm suspension to decrease body roll)
Sunglasses holder
Street tires
17" wheels

I'm sure someone will chime in with something I missed. As for your other questions. The Tacoma has a composite bed so it won't rust. However the rubber mat is a good idea. One of my biggest complaints is that the composite material is a very smooth surface so items in the bed tend to slide around and bang against the sides. The rubber mat would prevent that. The factory tonneau cover is an option so it should be available regardless if it has the premium package. The cover is held down with a single safety bolt and can be easily removed for larger loads. However it is a bit heavy. It's not so much that the Off-road has "better" shocks, they are just tuned for a different purpose.

 

Just make sure you're okay with sluggish transmissions.

 

The Off Road has Sunglasses Holder if you get a Manual.

 

I guess that would make sense since the Manual wouldn't have crawl control

 

I just upgraded from a trd off road acess cab that I bought new in 06 (need to update my pic) to a 2018 sport. So I spent quite a few hours debating between the spot and off road myself. After more hours than I care to admit debating between the off road and the sport, I decided to go with the sport
Main reasons for my trd sport choice this time around =
-power sliding rear window (no more akward reaching)
-Locking rear diff won't last as long as the truck (requires use every month or two or it will require a very costly rebuild)
-Painted fenders mirrors and bumpers look much better on the sport in my opinion. Unless your going with trd off road in black

Oh and keep in mind my canadian version is slightly different with regards to some features (no quicksand 4 door off road )

 

Maybe a stupid question but why does the Locking Rear Diff need to be used every month or so? What do you mean by “Use?”

 

I know the manual recommends to drive in 4HI for 10 miles every month to get the lubricants moving but I've never heard of anything about driving with the locked rear every month. Could you please reference where in the manual it says this? Or possibly what thread you learned this information. Usually you only use a locking rear as a last resort to get over an obstacle. It's not something you want to use all the time.

 

I was informed by two different technicians at toyota that without regular use they often over time will no longer engage. As far as why apparently it is often but not always the mechanical gears attached to the diff that seize. I don't remember the exact quote to rebuild but it was quite steep. (Over 1k). Because of the added down time and cost involved in rebuilding it I simply left it.
I sold the truck with 304,000kms on it and that was one of the only things that broke on the truck so I suppose I can't complain

There was no mention of regularly engaging the rear diff in my 06 manual. Haven't got all the way through the 18 manual. Bout as thick as a bible now