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The midsize pickup competition has been getting especially intense over the last few years with impressive offerings from Ford, GMC, Jeep, Chevrolet – and of course Toyota. There are other midsize pickups out there, but the all-new Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro I recently drove had some distinctions of note. Something that’s essential in this highly competitive segment.
Enhanced off-road capability is nothing new, but at the level the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro offers it, well, it’s important to differentiate it from other high performers tossing about names like Raptor, Mojave or ZR2. Each one is impressive in its own way – and expensive – so what makes Toyota’s new offering worth the price of admission?
All-new
Even when you are a midsize pickup sales leader like Tacoma, there comes a time to redesign and up the ante in the class. The 2024 model is a Gen-4 offering that incorporates everything Toyota was doing better than most – and makes it a little better (and pricier, too).
Some of the biggest news is out of sight, like the new pairing of a turbocharged 4-cylinder and the 8-speed automatic transmission as opposed to the previous V6 and its 6-speed transmission. More in plain sight are the very cool (and adjustable) brightly colored alloy struts to control the shock-absorbing seats.
Athletic looks
The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is jacked up and sitting on massive 33-inch off-road rubber around signature TRD 18-inch black alloy wheels. My tester was a Terra hue (orange) with a black roof that got looks at every turn. Making it appear elevated even higher was the lack of a running board in favor of the rocker panel guard running the length of the Crew Cab.
The heritage-inspired styling upfront includes fog lamps, a high-clearance front bumper, and a power-dome hood. A bold steel bumper with a hitch receiver, dual exhaust outlets, and frame-mounted recovery hooks finish the TRD Pro’s rear.
Cabin
Once inside the cabin, the TRD Pro blends stylish carbon fiber surfaces with contrast-stitched SofTex artificial leather seats, highly intuitive tech, and plenty of good switches, buttons and knobs for appreciated old-time functionality.
Probably the coolest feature, or at least the most distinct, are the Iso-Dynamic Performance front seats. Inspired by Baja racing, these adjustable suspension settings are integrated into the back of the front seats to improve comfort when driving off-road. They will reduce vertical and side-to-side impacts when shotgunning off-road terrain or landing the truck at high speeds.
Speaking of landing a jump safely (and comfortably), the Tacoma TRD Pro driver seat faces a heated, tilting and telescoping TRD-themed steering wheel with a red stripe at the noon position, which indicates the front wheels are pointed straight ahead – sort of important for landing a jump.
Front seats are roomy with lots of bolstering to hold you in place while off the pavement. Seats offer heating, ventilation, and 8-way power adjustments. In the second row, there is little room for passengers, even if the front row seats are unnaturally slid forward. The rear seats do fold forward for more utility/storage.
The 5-foot bed is the only one offered and it provides the essential utility features from the deck rail system, four tie-down hooks, bed storage box, LED bed lighting, a 2,400-watt 120-volt power outlet, and my tester’s $200 upgrade of a thick bed mat.
My Tacoma TRD Pro featured a big 14-inch touchscreen as the interface for the newest Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system. Tacoma features Drive Connect, a connected-services plan providing access to a cloud-based navigation system with maps, Google point-of-interest data, and an intelligent digital assistant that can respond to naturally spoken voice requests. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity were standard on the TRD Pro.
Mechanicals
The TRD Pro’s i-Force Max powertrain has a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine, and an electric motor (adding 48 hp) mated to an all-new 8-speed automatic transmission. Working together, you can get up to 326 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 465 pound-feet of torque starting at 1,700 rpm.
Easy-access console controls handle TRD Pro’s standard part-time 4WD system. It includes an electronically controlled 2-speed transfer case with shift-on-the-fly capability and an electronic locking rear differential. A switch for the TRD Pro’s front stabilizer disconnect mechanism provides added wheel articulation for crazy-rough terrain.
The TRD Pro chassis is made for punishment at high speeds with its long-travel double-wishbone front suspension and a coil-spring multilink rear setup with a live rear axle. Fox QS3 2.5-inch internal-bypass shock absorbers with tunable compression settings handle damping duties. At the rear, remote damping fluid reservoirs are designed to help avoid heat buildup on rough terrain, and hydraulic rear bump stops help soften hard landings.
Final thoughts
Unless you intend to get yourself off the road and onto some challenging wilderness, spending more than $60,000 on a midsize pickup like the TRD Pro seems a bit unnecessary – unless you love looking like you can go anywhere (even if you don’t).
With the big tires and high hood, visibility is a little diminished and I found maneuverability challenging in tight drive-throughs and tight parking spaces. Look for 22 city and 24 highway fuel economy, which is good for this type of vehicle.
My tester started at a $63,900 base and with a few options, and delivery charges, it landed at a somewhat high $65,869. For me, that’s too much unless you have access to off-road fun on a regular basis. With Tacoma’s reliability rating as the best, it does provide plenty of peace of mind either way.
• John Stein is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. He has more than 25 years of experience driving, testing and writing about the automotive industry, its latest innovations and new vehicles.