Weekend warrior trying to decide

First and foremost Hello All! Name is Alex and this is my first post of many to come I am sure! Nice to meet you all and thanks in advance with sharing your knowledge. So I am preparing to purchase my first Tacoma and I have the same question I sure lots have asked here, 4x4 Sport or 4x4 Off Road? Here is my situation. I live in Los Angeles and this will be my daily commuter. I drive about 35 miles a day in my commute. I am a weekend warrior though and my wife enjoy getting out of the city a few times a month. We like to camp back country in places like the Sierras, and Mojave, Joshua tree yall get my drift. I'm not looking to go charging the Rubicon or rock climb places like Moab as of right now, just some back country trails and snowy roads in ski season. Under most circumstances do yall think the off road package with the A-Trac and the locking diff is something I will need or can I probably get away with the softer city driving 4x4 Sport and add an air locker and such later in life if I get addicted to my truck. I guess my question is "Is the 4x4 Sport a pretty capable off road vehicle stock?" Easy on the flaming, I have read through posts I'm just putting up my specific situation and am looking for advice is all. Thanks again in advance for your advice.

 

Sport should be fine for 95% of what you will encounter.

...and likely for the other 5%, too.

 

X2

4x4 will get you through 95% of the stuff out there, 4x4 and throttle will get you through another 3%

 

It depends! I mean do you want the color matched parts or the chrome

 

I thought it was all about the scoop or a locker MGM I am a city boy so I aint gunna lie it really comes down looks or that locker for the most part from what I can gather is the main difference between the two. That being said I am buying a 4x4 because I do enjoy the outdoors often and would like to get a bit deeper in it. I do want a pretty reliable off road vehicle that I can take out and not have to worry too much about getting stuck out there with my wife. What are the differences between the two? I would think a locking diff and A-trac would be more expensive to implement than bigger wheels and a scooped hood, so what gives why is the sport model more expensive? Is the suspension between the sport and off road that different and if they are, again I would think the off road package suspension would be more expensive for Toyota to implement.

 

Naver and 95Taco that was my train of thought too just thought I would ask before I pull the trigger on this. Thanks for the replies btw.

 

You're usage reads like a "sport". Be real here. Some guys drive Honda Fits to camping and skiing trips. Not everyone needs a capable vehicle to do those activities, but you WANT a truck right? Go for the sport. Nice urban wheels and a hood scoop. You can't go wrong there. At least your money will be spent in the right places.

 

Doesn't really sound like you need a truck bed... given your use you would probably get just as much utility with a car/suv as well as better gas mileage and turn radius in urban environments. But it's your money so get whatever you like.

 

Thanks guys for all the inputs sounds like Sport should be my choice. I need to a truck over a SUV because I am a fabricator and time to time I need to go pick up materials to place on my CnC routers. I am also into UAVs and some of my planes wont fit into a SUV. I got a small trailer and boat that I haul around also. So I really am in the market for a truck just wasn't sure is I really needed a locker/A-Trac.

 

I do the same kind of stuff you do, and my 4x4 sport has never let me down.

 

I think the sport has a better interior/exterior trim package IMO.

 

You seem to be on the right track as far as doing your research. Another feature that I believe all TRD Sport models come equipped with is an LSD rear end. I personally prefer the Off Road edition, simply due to the option of the rear locker, but that's just me. I'm not a heavy off roader by any means, but I do like to get out and explore and there were definitely a few times when the locker helped or saved my ass!
Either way, you won't go wrong. I see plenty of guys with Sport models that turn them into off road rigs down the line. Good luck!

 

Only the 05-08 sports have LSD rears, the 09 and newer trucks just have software that manipulates the rear brakes to simulate a LSD (which IMO the simulated LSD is useless vs the true LSD)

 

Ah I see- thanks for correcting me. I knew I heard something about ABS style LSD, which is crap, but I wasn't sure when it got introduced. That's unfortunate that only those years had a true LSD because the earlier 2nd gens had more issues that needed to get weeded out. Thanks!

 

I like my offroad, but I like the chrome. Im sure for normal driving/weekend trips/minor offroading either will be fine.

 

Hi Alex,

I was in the same exact boat as you when I was deciding. I also live in LA and like to hit the trails on weekends. I ended up going with a 4X4 Sport because I liked the looks and realized that I was going to lift the truck and get 2 ARB diffs no matter which one I got. This way I have the looks, and slightly cheaper window sticker, and it is just as capable off-road. I've had my truck since January and haven't regretted my decision one bit.

 

No difference interior-wise between Sport and Off-road

 

I've gone places with open diffs that only see solid axle crawlers.

if three tires are on the ground the rig will go. if your spinning any of those three tires they weren't aired down enough

 

So after all that and my considering the reasons for me purchasing this truck vs something more economical was to keep my ass going when I need it the most out of the box so I went with the Off Road package over the sport. So with out further ado here she is. She will be an on going project but I hope to make her a pretty trail rugged girl over time. I look forward to any tips tricks or hints along the way.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all!

~Alex

 

I must admit...

When i bought my 2012 in 2011 i was so reluctant to get anything other then the trd offroad due to the locker and atrac capabilities.. also because of the "offroad suspension and tires" it comes with. well haha now that i know what i know and 7000$ later (after the install of all my parts now) i know that the trucks comes no where near prepared for the offroading i do. i have never used my e locker until a week ago and i didnt even know how to engage it haha soo with that said, if your going to be doing little offroading like forest roads etc.. then you dont need a locker... however it is nice to have the option i must admit. and i didnt realize how big of a difference it made until i was taught how to engage it... hope this helps.....