2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Off Road Test Drive – Video

This latest Tacoma will be available only as a Double Cab Off-Road 4×4 model with the shorter five-foot bed, with power supplied by Toyota’s familiar 278-hp 3.5-liter V-6. Exterior color choices are limited to three (Cement, Barcelona Red Metallic, and Super White), but you will have the option of either a six-speed manual or an automatic transmission. Along with the TRD Pro’s characteristic TOYOTA block-lettered grille and black 16-inch wheels shod with Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires, a host of other exterior highlights remind you that this isn’t a run-of-the-mill Tacoma. These include TRD Pro badges on the front doors and tailgate, a black hood scoop and fender flares, blacked-out head- and taillight bezels, a TRD Pro front skid plate, and special LED fog lights.

But what really makes this Taco a TRD Pro is its suspension and related off-road equipment. Unique TRD coil springs provide an additional inch of suspension lift up front, while special progressive-rate leaf springs out back aid articulation and bump absorption. A heavy-duty, 2.5-inch Fox internal-bypass damper sits at each corner and replaces the strengthened Bilstein shocks installed on the previous-gen Tacoma TRD Pro. There’s also an electronic-locking rear differential; a limited-slip center diff in the part-time four-wheel-drive system’s electronic transfer case; a standard towing package; a 130-amp alternator; and coolers for the engine oil, power steering, and automatic transmission.

 

 

While manual-shifting versions make do with a specially tuned traction-control system for optimizing grip without cutting throttle input, automatic models get all the bells and whistles, including hill-start assist, a five-mode Multi-Terrain Select traction-control system, and Crawl Control (essentially low-speed, off-road cruise control).