TRD PRO - Owner impressions from a 2000 mile test drive!
Hey everyone,
Well, I've had my TRD for 8 days now and I've just returned from a big trip and wanted to share with you what I've experienced thus far. What a week it has been...Crazy, crazy! I have travelled 2000 miles in 1 week in just about every bit of weather condition except for snow. I've driven through 5 states in extreme heat, a wild sleet storm, heavy flash flooding, freezing temperatures and the most slippery mud I've ever experienced. On top of that, I was towing a trailer with 2 motorcycles weighing in at around 2000 lbs. total.
First, my hat is off to my incredible salesman Terry Torbet of Toyota of Richardson! I could do a whole review on just how amazing my experience was in dealing with him throughout the whole TRD finding/buying process (4 months long!) In short, he knocked it out of the park in every way! He was able to put me in the driver's seat literally the day before I was to leave on this trip. This awesome trip wouldn't have happened without all of his tireless efforts, phone calls and updates to me day by day! My backup was to rent a cargo van if the TRD didn't come through, BUT Terry made the dream happen in the nick of time! Many thanks TT!
I've spent a huge amount of time driving this beast in so many conditions that I thought it may be helpful to many. I will do my best to cover it all:
Bought sight unseen and was pretty nervous about it as I've never bought a vehicle that I haven't driven. The day I saw it, I thought.. wow, it's beefier than I thought. Good step one! Wasn't sure about the Nittos from pics, but in person I was pleasantly surprised with them. I really liked the stance of the truck too! Could be a little wider for me, but the 7" wheels weren't as bad as I thought they'd be either. Good second step! Onto the interior... I knew what to expect to a degree but was again pleased with a few things on fit & finish. Pretty luxurious for the type of vehicle it is. Side note: I know it's a small thing, but there's a tiny overhead pin light that shines down on the shifter area. Nice, classy touch Toyota. I really like the blue lighting in all the instruments, levers, overhead controls, etc. It really tied it all in together and gave it a "cockpit" feel when driving down the lone, dark highway at 3am. I also really like the 1-touch up/down on all the windows. When I would get tired driving the late night hours, I would hit all the levers simultaneously and within 2 seconds, I was getting a jolt of cold air rushing through the cabin and giving me a much needed wakeup call.
Once we hooked up the trailer and pulled away, I thought... hey, I can't even feel it behind us. It pulls the trailer with little effort. Some speed limits were 85 in Utah and we just glided right along with such an incredible smooth ride. HOWEVER, when we hit the mountains and climbed a few thousand feet, things got ugly. The engine didn't like climbing/towing much at all. I had to go sport mode and work it constantly until level again. A bit disappointing for sure, but true with all 5th gens I suppose. Needs much more power here, but I knew going in to expect this, but it was pretty bad on inclines. Once level, we were back to a nice, smooth & enjoyable ride. The backup camera is nice and was an asset when trailering up. You can see the ball mount with the wide angle... very nice!
Next day we went mudding while raining lightly in what appeared to be a hardpack dirt trail. Got scary here! I was in 4L and was using all the available tools, but the Nittos quickly were transformed into slicks and I had almost NO control over the truck. We were literally sliding from the crown to the side of the trail and almost slid into a few trees. I had to crawl at about 1-2 mph just to get out of there alive. Very unsettling, but didn't want to hold the tires too much accountable as they aren't designed for that, but honestly, this mud was simply the most slippery mud I've ever been on. it was almost like it was mixed with oil. There was absolutely No grip to be had.
Day after, we headed to Bryce Canyon and were faced with a tremendous downpour which turned into a pretty frightening sleet storm. Oh No.... I had to pull over and watch my brand new hood get pummeled by the sleet hoping it wouldn't turn into larger hail. After about 30 minutes of pulling over, we pressed on and got out of it about 20 miles down the road.
Luckily there was no damage. I kept thinking to myself... Well, this is one heck of a test-drive!
We did find some good weather to ride the bikes and enjoyed a different mode of transportation for awhile.
Here's a summary of sorts in bullet form of my overall impressions of this amazing truck:
- This is one beast of a truck - Very, very capable of handling just about any terrain (with proper tires of course)
- The interior fit & finish is quality through & through.
- The Entune system is really good! The sound is excellent with quality material being fed into it.
- The phone/bluetooth setup is laid out well and so is the NAV.
- The ride quality is just so smooth! It's the main word that I keep coming back to. SMOOOOOOOOTH! & quiet, too.
- As a former motocross racer, I naturally look for the potholes, speed bumps & dips and such just to have some fun with this truck and it hasn't disappointed me with the suspension.
- There definitely is some body roll, but it's not too bad at all. For me, it sort of plays into the point above. KDSS is very nice though, but not missing it as much as I thought I would. We'll see...
- There is also some nosedive, but I'm not bothered by it. After all, I wasn't looking for a sportscar, I actually like the truck feel and some of the character that goes with it.
- The softex is nice as are the 40/20/40 flat folding seats and the cargo tray (which I wanted for special use!)
- It tows very well (provided you're not hitting the Rockies everyday.)
- Sport mode is very useful and I find that I use it often depending on where I am.
Well, that's about it for now. Please don't flame me for any comments on KDSS, body roll, nosedive or any of the touchy issues we've all discussed on TEP vs. TRD. I came very close to picking up a TEP and it's a great truck for sure. I just wanted to give you all an honest, owner's impression of this interesting, hybrid beast known as the TRD Pro.
Here's some pics: (It didn't happen if there are no pics, right?)