REVIEW: Toyota Tacoma SR5 Trail Edition
The Tacoma SR5 Trail Edition introduced me to off-roading, and I was immediately impressed with its capabilities.
Ever have one of those friends that is suspiciously good at validating your own bad ideas? My friend Austin is exactly that kind of man. Which is why we found ourselves at BadLands Off-Road Park in Attica, Indiana with the Tacoma SR5 Trail Edition.
Now, I come from a background of road racing, so this is all new to me, minus a few rally-cross events I did last year in an AMG. Austin? He once lifted a B15 Nissan Sentra for the fun of it (yes, really… twice). So when I told him that I had a Tacoma SR5 Trail to review, he insisted the review is done properly. It was.
First, let’s cover exactly what the Trail Edition adds. The main hardware includes a locking rear differential, an ORP skid plate, lifted suspension (1.1″ front, 0.5″ rear), and Goodyear Kevlar all-terrain tires on bronze 16-inch rims. Visual add-ons include badging here and there, and a “heritage” grille with bronze lettering to match the wheels. Toyota got serious when they called this the Trail Edition, and so far the equipment backs up the name. In all, this Tacoma SR5 Trail Edition clocked in an MSRP of $45,437.00
Also added was the rear cargo locking area, which I could only access after a warm day and the locks un-froze. Still, these cargo holds are cool because they are weather tight, and even act as a cooler if you want to throw some cold beverages and take them to your off-road destination. They do eat up some space in the bed, however. But for now, back to off-roading.
Badlands Off-Road Park offers a wide variety of terrain, from muddy ruts (which we couldn’t access) to steep rocky inclines. Additionally, a lot of loose sandy dunes, too. Initially. I decided to leave the Tacoma in 2WD as long as I could in order to see all of this truck’s capabilities.
Staying in 2WD was the most impressive aspect. Easily handle sand dunes by simply dipping into the throttle a bit more. There wasn’t even a blip from the traction control system that indicated there was trouble underfoot. Steeper hills required you to lock the rear diff, but still didn’t ask for additional drive wheels.
After playing in some puddles, we went over to a slippery rock trail. This limestone base trail had a bit of everything. Tight turns, abrupt elevation changes, wet bedrock, and narrow tree-lined passages. 4WD high was used here, based on the muddy rock surface. Again the Tacoma Trail handles this with ease.
Bigger rocks seem to be where the Tacoma finally asks for some help. Rocks about the size of a baseball to softball slip out from under the rear wheels, so 4WD -low comes in handy here. But that scenario was the only time I ever leaned on any traction assistance.
To be fair, I didn’t get into any heavy off-roading or any water fording. I would feel terrible if I returned the ‘Taco’ to Toyota with blemishes from tree branches. So I stayed out of the heaviest and most difficult of trails. Could it make it? I honestly have no doubt it can, or at least give a valiant effort.
For a first timer like me, the Tacoma Trail made for essentially a point-and-shoot experience. I didn’t have to know any tips or tricks, because really, the truck was the star of the show. It certainly wasn’t me.
While it is capable off-road, the truck’s weaknesses started to show on the highways to and from the off-road park. Toyota’s 3.5 V6 makes 278 horsepower, and 265 lb/ft of torque, but the 6-speed transmission doesn’t really know what to do with the engine’s output once past 60 miles per hour. At 70 miles per hour, the transmission gear-hunts frequently. Combined with this truck’s optional TRD sport exhaust, this became a drone-induced annoyance. I observed the truck rarely use 6th gear, and instead it would jump from 5th to 4th most frequently. Even the slightest incline would kick down a gear, making it spin at much higher RPM than seems necessary. What would do Toyota a lot of good here is to use the 4.0 V6 in the 4Runner and take advantage of low end torque.
Still, highway manners and other driving characteristics were just fine. I personally never broke out of the teens for mileage in mixed highway and city use. Toyota rates this car at 22 mpg highway, and that has to be at 55 miles per hour. At 70, I produced 17 at best. Around town, maybe 19.
Toyota’s interiors are a bit dated, too. Outside of button configurations, the steering wheel literally hasn’t changed in ten years. The interior’s last major refresh happened 5 years ago, too. So nothing really new is going on in here.
But nothing new needs to be brought in. Much like the rest of the truck, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And that’s really the appeal of a truck like this. It’s capable because it isn’t a unibody car. A RAV4 can’t do what the Tacoma can do, and vice versa. I applaud Toyota for not trying to make this a vehicle that can fit every need. Because it doesn’t. It fits one specific need, and you’re definitely not cross-shopping this and a Prius.
Join the YotaTech forums now!
