Why are topics for Tacoma 4x4 offroad hard to find vs sport or pro?

Never heard anyone say after buying a TRD Off-Road...."Should'a bought Sport instead, the girls love that guy at the mall who drives one..." Just JOKING of course!

 

I added the anytime camera kit, wheel spacers, step bars, and OEM Pro grille to my 18 OR, other than that there isn't anything else it needs. It handles every job hauling and towing I need it to.

 

I will give you my 50,000 ft overview of what I think the important differences are. (Some people will focus on sunroof, sunglass holders, etc..) Even discussing the differences in trims is a personal feelings type discussion.

Sport gives you primarily cosmetic upgrades over the lower trim.
OR gives you primarily functional* upgrades over the lower trim.
PRO gives you primarily both the cosmetic and functional upgrades of OR and Sport.

The suspension is different on all 3, so that is the strongest reason people say to drive all 3. Which you like is totally personal 100%

Most will say the Sport gives a firmer ride.
Most will say the OR gives a softer (more boat like) ride.
Pro is the most expensive suspension, and is also a little taller from the factory if i recall.

Sport has color matching parts and cosmetic-only hood scoop.
OR has an electric rear diff lock (actual locker in 4Lo only). OR has A-tract or MTS and crawl control which are traction control using a hydraulic brake booster to give more powerful brake simulated limited slip differentials. (In 4Lo only)

Pro has the advanced traction control and hood scoop both.

All trims have brake simulated limited slip differentials (Sport and lower trims use the vacuum boosted brake system). Pro and OR use the electro/hydraulic booster brake system, which is believed to have much more capability to stop wheel spin in 4Lo.

I went OR. I like the black fenders and dislike nonfunctional scoop. If I had known how effective the traction control is in all the trims now even 4Lo, I would have probably gone down to a poverty trim if I were to do it again and save some money.

A bunch of what i said assumes/implies 4wd versions..

*functional only if you use them... I hardly ever use them...

(OR owner.
Anytime backup and forward camera. Nav override. 2wheel low mod. Passenger smart handle. Lexus key card. Tailgate pop lock. Air bags soon. Rear anytime lock development if I stop being lazy...)

 

Coming from a very happy Sport owner, it is best to assume unless otherwise said that all posts on TW are from OR owners. I believe the poll results.

If Toyota was going to offer one Taco sub-model for non-fleet folks, the OR should be it. Give folks the choice of all configs of 4cyl / V6, AT / MT, 4x2 / 4x4, ACLB / DCSB / DCLB, and option packages. You'd have few complaints, IMVHO.

I do like the handling of my Sport on and off road after the swaybar delete. I can still hustle it through corners way faster than the marked speeds. I can't double them like I would do on a bike or car, but I couldn't do that with the swaybar either.

It's great off road. I'd probably just slow down a bit if I had an OR. I might have ended up with one if they offered the ACLB MT in the US.

 

Funny and true

 

LOL @ "poverty trim"

 

At the mall

 

I have thought this, YET would have regretted not coughing up the coin to experience the Off-Road which is what I really wanted. I learned a long time ago that $1-3K is nothing in the long haul. Given now that I know any Tacoma would be great, and say had I picked up a SR5 Double Cab I would have saved just over $2K which would had been easily eaten up with rims and tires so in the end it made no sense to 'down grade'.

 

Probably right.
I swore that I would never have another 2wd with open diffs (toyota pickup and then 1st gen) after getting stuck enough times in my own dang property. Probably overkill to go from those to trd OR 4wd... but no more stuck so far....

 

So much dumb here you probably should stick to unbiased reviews. As previously stated, everyone here has the best model ever. Though there is actually little that differs from trim to trim. They are all the same truck underneath more or less. Just know that 84% of facts here are made up.

Figure out what you will use the truck for, and which suits your needs best. Good news is anything your truck doesnt come with can be added later. Enjoy it and dont worry about the people who say you cant do blah blah blah because you have a TRD OR DCLB XYZ SS ABSVSG

In general though people buy vehicle for the exception, not the norm. Most users here probably log 99% of miles on paved roads yet you mention a truck "setup" for street(sport) and you better be wearing a nomex suit. I mean you cant take painted flares offroad!

Firestone destination le2 ftw!

 

Overall I think I agree with you, with that said though would anyone say that about a Ford F150 or a Mustang for example, the mechanics and features make a HUGE difference on ownership experience from say a base model of either...same with the Tacoma.

 

I think there are some pretty big differences in ownership experience between a base “v6” model mustang and a GT...for sure. Base model f-150 vs say a Platinum? Or Raptor? Big difference but again...these examples have one big distinguishing factor that separates them...engine option....which the Tacoma doesn’t. A more even comparison would be a prerunner vs 4x4 in a Tacoma. I had a pre runner 2nd gen and now having 4wd...my user experience has been elevated to a difference degree. I’ve been able to comfortably travel off the beaten path in my Limited with the hitachi road tuned shocks and all season Michelin’s it came with...changing tires and suspension to go to that “next level” trail, much more attainable financially wise than say upgrading from a base xl f-150 to a Raptor. The comparison gap I feel is a bit smaller in the Tacoma line. A simply modified sr5 4x4 can go a lot of places a Trd Pro can go...I’ve seen some pretty capable “base” Tacoma’s go through some pretty gnarly stuff .

 

Don't wright off the SR5. We are 1 of the 2 the black sheep of this forum.

 

You and me man ...you can’t go wrong in any trim the Taco.

 

I love my 2017 OffRoad!!

Upgrades:

Rock Sliders
OME Mid coilovers in the front
ICON RXT Leafs and Bilstein 5125's in the rear
285/75/16 Duratracs
FabFour rear bumper
Warn hidden winch front bumper
Warn 10k winch
BC Pinstripes
RTT on custom bars
Shovel/Axe holder
HighLift holder

53k KM Of pure enjoyment!!

 

Drove the sport and the off road chose the off road.

 

Decide which transmission you want first. Then what cab configuration. That will go a long way toward dictating which model you want.

 

Lots of talk about the OR. Mines a TRD OR DCSB. I'm on my way out right now for a full day of trail riding so I won't be posting much. perhaps that's what all OR owners do ... we drive the shit out of our trucks and don't have time to post about them! 51,000 miles, more pinstriping than paint, dents and every one of them has a great story! Drive one before you buy it. Drive it a lot, be critical of it, and try all three configurations. If you want a truck to modify and put more $$ into to lift as you wish then get the sport. If you want a truck to modify and put more $$ into to look more bad-ass then get the Pro. If you want a truck to modify and put more $$ into to make it more ruggedly yours then get the OR. Don't forget to ask long bed or short bed? Access cab, crew cab, or double cab? Manual or automatic?

 

Tons on YouTube....

P.S. It's cause us OR drivers are gone on the trails, and not on here as often....

 

OP - Let me inject some fiscal sanity here...any trim level higher than the base SR is a waste of money in terms of off road capability. Get whatever makes you happy within your budget. But an SR is all you NEED.