2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4×4 Off Road review – Roadshow

The Good The 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4×4 Off Road carries with it a tradition of off-road excellence, without sacrificing much in on-road comfort. A variety of aftermarket vendors provide numerous options for customization.

The Bad The six-speed automatic transmission searches for the correct gear at lower speeds. Real-time traffic alerts are often wrong.

The Bottom Line If you’re looking for a reliable truck to carry you from the city to the playgrounds of the deserts or mountains, it’s tough to beat the 2016 Tacoma. Consumers would be well-served by sampling the six-speed manual as well as the automatic before making a purchase.

Since its debut in 1995, the Toyota Tacoma has been synonymous with off-road capability. From casual weekend warriors to serious dirt races like the Baja 1,000, you can find stock and modified “Tacos” challenging the desert at every turn.

But how did they get to the dirt? More than likely, they had to drive on the pavement. This week, I had the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4×4 Off Road, and while I didn’t have the opportunity to test its mettle in its natural habitat, my colleague, Antuan Goodwin was lucky enough to get the Tacoma out in the dirt with professional drivers from Toyota. Here’s what he had to say about its performance:

“Toyota wanted to demonstrate how Crawl Control used in concert with the Tacoma’s low-range transfer case to to scale a steep rock incline. We lined the Tacoma up with what looked like a rock face so steep that we could barely climb it on foot holding a rope, and activated the Crawl.

Antuan Goodwin/CNET

“Most 2016 Toyota Tacoma’s have a new, front air dam that boosts fuel economy on the highway, but is situated far enough back to not affect the 29-degree approach clearance. However, the Taco TRD Off-road lacks this bit and boasts a 32-degree approach angle.

“It would appear that we’d need every one of those degrees as the digital inclinometer located in the dashboard display sharply rose and then pegged at 35 degrees, even as the incline grew more severe and nothing but sky was visible out of the Taco’s windshield. The truck continued to angle upward until we heard the tow hitch at the tail end scrape slightly on the ground below as the climb continued. Toyota’s guides reckoned the steepest part of the climb was easily more than 40 degrees.”

Cabin comforts

But while Antuan got down and dirty, I kept things clean with a 1,500 mile road trip.

Literally hopping up behind the wheel because of the 9.4 inches of ground clearance, I settled into the cloth seats nicely. The interior is built for ruggedness, not luxury, but it still offers up some impressive features.

The maps for navigation are simple, but crisply rendered. Operation is smooth and quick.

Antuan Goodwin/CNET

A 6.1-inch touchscreen is standard, but the TRD makes the jump to a larger 7-inch screen with navigation. Toyota’s Entune system is perhaps the most responsive I’ve seen in quite some time. Inputs onto the touchscreen were instantaneous, and the system switched between the home screen, apps and navigation quickly and easily. The screen can get a little crowded at times, and I noticed that the traffic guidance was often wrong, showing green while I was stopped dead in traffic, and showing red when I was happily cruising at 65 mph.

As expected, Bluetooth and USB connectivity are also available. It was a snap to pair my phone and sound quality was excellent. Entune quickly recognized my phone through the USB connection, and it was easy to navigate to my music and podcasts.

@mmmotorsports

Emme’s
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The Tacoma also has Qi wireless charging, but iPhones aren’t compatible with that technology yet. There aren’t too many driver’s aids save for a back-up camera, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring. All are welcome in the Tacoma, as it’s larger than many people are used to handling.

The interior is not a place you’d be afraid to get dirty, but it’s still a vaguely comfortable place to spend a commute. Road noise is not much of a problem, though you will hear the roar of the V-6, even over the stereo. The seats are comfortable but neither they nor the steering wheel offer much in the way of adjustability. A GoPro mount is built into the windshield for those extreme wheelers.