Guys,
Remember WHY Toyota is in business. To make money, not to placate a small group of enthusiasts. I think changing the name will be brilliant from a business standpoint.
To go along with [MENTION=99702]jrandom[/MENTION]'s post above: The truth is most people don't want to actually DO the cool stuff out in the woods on the trails but they want to THINK they COULD and they want to LOOK THE PART! TRD parts like wheels, brakes and the name itself along with the words "off road" just help those people dream. Simple fact. The truth is it's HARD to do the cool stuff. It's HARD to have an epic trip. It's HARD to have to pedal up a 2K ascent so you can have a great downhill run. It's HARD to pack your 4Runner for a long weekend, get out there in the pouring rain, get stuck, get wet, have warm beer and cold food. It's EASY to LOOK like you do that though! The truth is taking the 4Runner off road, riding hard on a mountain bike, hiking up through powder just to have a run nobody else has had that day, climbing that face to get a view very few others ever get.... it's hard.
I see it all the time in the mountain biking world and I'm sure [MENTION=48413]Quentin[/MENTION] sees it too. You get to a trail head and see the killer $8K bikes with the guys dressed like they are either riding in the Tour or competing in the world downhill championships lol. Then they take the two mile green trails, come back and go home to talk about their epic ride. Now don't get me wrong... they beat the guys who sit home on the couch right? You see the exact same thing here in this forum. A guy drops $10K on an Icon stage eleventytwelve and tires and another $10K on wheels, rack, skids, dual battery setup, fridge, roof top tent and awning and uses the 4Runner to go to the mall. Same deal.
So it's going to be the Off Road instead of the Trail. Big deal. Kudos to Toyota for having a smart marketing team.
