TRD Off-Road vs. TRD Sport - 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

TRD Off-Road vs. TRD Sport - 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

As luck would have it, the first open spot in the Costco parking lot allowed me to park our 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road alongside an identical TRD Sport.

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hank39

Is it the angle or does the TRD Sport have a longer bed, too?

carguydaryl

yeah the sport is the long bed too.

daryleason

I'd go with the Off Road Package over the Sport because if I'm paying for the off-road capability, I want the function. Also, I'm not big on posing. So a non-functional hoodscoop doesn't do squat for me. I can understand someone going for the Sport if they know they aren't going to use the 4WD aspect hardly at all, but with me, if I know I'm not going to use it, I'm not going to spend the money for it. Appearance-wise, I prefer the Chrome over the bodycolor. I prefer smaller rims and more sidewall on the tires. But on the same token, I doubt I'd ever buy a 4WD vehicle new, since I'm not about to off-road something that I'm still paying for. I'd rather buy a new 2WD truck, enjoy it on the road, then go spend $4 grand on a used 4x4 that's already scratched or dented, but still serviceable, to go play with.

kirkhilles1

Agreed, I hate fake stuff. No air dam if it doesn't do anything. At least make it add some cool sucking sounds or something.

moparbad

The Off Road package has better ride on pavement than the Sport in my observation and this seems to be a common observation.
Unpainted black flares are very susceptible to showing wax residue and fading. Once wax is on them it's nearly impossible to permanently get rid of.
I'd go for the TRD Off Road and change out the flares to painted of have them painted.

actualsize

Yes, either of the TRD versions can be bought in a long-wheelbase 6.5-foot bed configuration, and each can be bought as a 4x2, as well. The truck in the next spot in fact differs in both ways: it has a long bed and it is two-wheel drive. The name PreRunner was dropped this year because all 4x2 Tacomas now share the same stance as the 4x4. You can peek underneath and see the missing front-drive hardware or notice the lack of "4x4" in the bedside sticker.

For me, the short wheelbase/short bed config we bought was the choice because of two considerations: off-road breakover angle and general maneuverability in off-road situations or simply whipping a u-turn into a parking space like this one.

daryleason

I've got mixed feelings about the short-short bed options on trucks. My SuperCrew F-150 has the approximate 5' bed. Frankly, if I'd been buying it new, I'd have opted for the 6' bed. It might not be QUITE as sporty looking, but it's a far better bed, in my opinion. I want a below-the-bedrail toolbox, but the average toolbox takes up too much usable space when your bed is already missing approximately a foot of over-all interior length. When I'm gauging bed usability, I mentally base it off of three things. Plywood/2x4 stud loading, Couch loading, and refrigerator loading. If I feel that I can load one of each of those groups in the bed of the truck and safely travel down the road with the tailgate down, then I approve of the bed. With the short-short bed, I can do all three (and in fact, have); but not if I have a toolbox in the back. If I had the normal length shortbed, I could have the toolbox and still handle all three situations.

darthbimmer

It's great to know that the TRD Off-Road comes with a meaningful set of equipment to justify its name, so that it's not just a decal package. I'm surprised, though, that it's the same price as the TRD Sport yet includes things like an extra skid plate and a locking diff. These cost real money. What extras does the Sport have to justify the equal price? ...Other than a fake hood scoop, of course.

03hondaaccord

Another difference between the two is apparently a Sunroof, (or is it a Moonroof?) which after building both on Toyota's website, is only available (oddly, if you think about it) on the TRD OffRoad. Id imagine the more street oriented one would at least offer it as a package or option.

metalmania

Wow, that list of equipment comparison doesn't seem to make much of a case for the TRD Sport for the money. Besides being useless, wouldn't the fake hood scoop just add drag?

daryleason

@metalmania : I don't know how old you are (I'm 37, to give you a reference point of where I'm coming from), but back in the late70s thru most of the 80s, fiberglass hood scoops that were low profile were all the rage. However, after wind tunnel testing, they found that most vehicles have a barrier that raises off the front of the vehicle that extends approximately 3 inches above the vehicle where there isn't much air movement. Therefor, most of those popular low-profile hood scoops were useless and didn't really feed any air into the engine bay. That would probably apply to the Toyota Tacoma in this case as well.

actualsize

The sunroof difference is misleading. Why? Because the cheapest TRD Sport is a 4x2 extended cab at $29,665, and extended cabs don't come with a sunroof because the roof isn't long enough. The TRD Off-Road also comes in an extended cab version (that also does not have a sunroof) but that one is a 4x4 and is not the cheapest TRD Off-Road configuration. That honor goes to the TRD crew cab V6 4x2 at $30,765, which has a sunroof.

So all TRD versions have a sunroof if they have a crew cab, and they don't have one if they have an extended cab. It only looks like the TRD Sport doesn't come with a sunroof because the cheapest version is an extended cab. And it looks as if all TRD Off-Roads have them because that one's cheapest configuration is a crew cab. But in reality this is the same for both, and the presence or absence of a sunroof tracks with cab choice.

dirty4x

The 4x4 TRD sport is a very good off roader. It has limited slip using the ABS braking system. The TRD off road uses the ABS system also in the weird crawl mode. I almost broke my neck in the crawl mode you need to be stuck in order use it because it goes forward and back with a lot of jerking. The salesman also complained about the abrupt moves it makes. The cost is much higher for the OFF ROAD version anywhere from $3000 to $4000 more. The height of the off road version is lower for the sunroof I hit my head getting in and getting out. The front air dam can come off in 5 mins or less on the sport. I have used the sport to pull a 21 ft. travel trailer worked great.The more electronic stuff you put on the more can go wrong and Toyota will charge for the extended warranty accordingly.

sascomment

I think you missed an important distinction between the TRD Sport and TRD Off Road versions. I have read a couple of articles and seen video reviews that indicated the TRD Off Road version has a beefier rear end (8 3/4" vs. 8") than the TRD Sport. Would like to know if you could verify that for me. That would be another "mechanical plus" in favor of the TRD Off Road.