Drive the Toyota Tacoma for even a day, and you suddenly realize quite how many are on the road. Toyota’s pickup has a reputation for go-anywhere flexibility and live-forever build, and rightly so, though not all of them are finished in Inferno Orange like this 2016 Tacoma TRD Off-Road. You could argue, indeed, that this stab at fashion highlights one of Toyota’s weaknesses: as its rivals have matured to be more refined, the Tacoma has been left behind.
Here’s the thing. The Tacoma may be designed with off-roading in mind – hey, it’s even in the lengthy name of this particular variant – but plenty of them get no further than spitting distance from asphalt. So, while I didn’t get the chance to put the truck through its undeniably capable paces out in the wilderness, I probably experienced it like a fair number of drivers would for the length of their entire lease.
The third generation of Toyota's Tacoma midsize pickup truck arrived for the 2016 model year. A longtime class leader, the Toyota Tacoma offers multiple cab styles, bed sizes, and engines as well as rear-wheel or 4-wheel drive, and the relatively new TRD Pro versions step up this truck's off-roading game. 2016 Toyota Tacoma trims (25) Trim Family Limited SR SR V6 SR5 SR5 V6 TRD Off Road TRD Sport Years 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012. First drive: 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD off-road Click to climb: Toyota's Tacoma TRD Off-Road conquers all with crawl control By Alexander Kalogianni August 24, 2015 11:10AM PST. If you’re not feeling particularly generous, you could dismiss the “all new” 2016 Toyota Tacoma family (including this TRD Off-Road Double Cab) as little more than mild if comprehensive refresh.
I can understand the appeal. Toyota’s refreshed design looks great, even in nuclear orange which is no easy feat, like a Tonka toy blown up for grown-up roads. There’s a butch meatiness which can’t help but feel flattering, even if like me you’re an altogether-average British man who spends most of his day in front of a keyboard.
Find 2016 Toyota Tacoma for Sale. Find car prices, photos, and more. Locate car dealers and find your car at Autotrader! 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road Review. Toyota’s engine of choice of the 2016 year is a 3.5-liter V6. It’s naturally aspirated and good for 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft. Of torque at 4,600. Aug 21, 2015 For 2016, Toyota has introduced two new TRD models: TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road. Both TRD models are V-6 only and can be had in either two- or four-wheel drive, with a six-speed manual.
The bolstered feeling continues inside, where it’s less welcome. In fact, given the truck’s dimensions the interior space on offer feels surprisingly tight. It’s functional rather than fancy, even with the splashes of body-colored plastic on the dashboard. Toyota’s fabric seats feel just as hard-wearing as the sturdy switchgear. None of it makes much of a claim to being premium, but neither does it feel fragile.
In the back, the double-cab lacks legroom for taller adults. Indeed, you’ll get more space in the rear of an SUV like Toyota’s own RAV4, but then you don’t have the flexibility of the bed. 5-foot long, with various useful tie-down points, a 120V power outlet, and an easy-to-use tailgate – which you can remove if you prefer – makes it one of the more flexible out there, though you don’t get fancier features some rivals offer like in-bed speakers and lockable underfloor trunks.
Toyota’s engine of choice of the 2016 year is a 3.5-liter V6. It’s naturally aspirated and good for 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft. of torque at 4,600 rpm. You can have the Tacoma with a six-speed manual, but the orange beast came with a six-speed automatic.
Refinement isn’t really on the menu. For a start the engine sounds rough and drones considerably, while the automatic tends to prefer shifting up and sticking there. You can provoke downshifts, but only with an aggressive right foot: overtaking at highway speeds is more sluggish than the numbers would suggest on paper.
You could perhaps forgive the Tacoma that, were it doing it all in the name of economy. Unfortunately, in everyday driving I saw 17 mpg: some way off the EPA numbers of 20 mpg combined, 18 mpg in the city, and 23 mpg on the highway. Ride is bouncy and you get plenty of tire noise from the beefy 16-inch wheels with their fat P265/70R rubber.
Toyota’s Entune infotainment system lives on a 7-inch touchscreen, with HD Radio and Sirius XM, Bluetooth, and a USB input, but no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It’s nowhere near the prettiest in-car interface around, but functionally it performs better than it looks. Unexpectedly, there’s a Qi-compatible wireless charging pad in the center console, if you have the right phone to take advantage of it.
The $2,330 Premium & Technology Package throws in dual-zone climate control and heated front seats, though is really worth it for the rear parking sensors and blind spot monitoring. The Tacoma – in double-cab form at least – isn’t a small truck, and any help avoiding crashing the sizable bed into other traffic is welcome. Finally, Toyota threw in the $650 V7 Tow Package with a hitch, ATF/engine-oil/power steering cooler, trailer sway control, a 130 Amp converter, and 4/7 pin connector.
Altogether, you’re looking at $37,610 including Toyota’s $900 destination. That’s from a starting price of $33,730. You’re slap bang in Honda Ridgeline territory and, frankly, if you’re looking for a car-like driving experience the Ridgeline should be your first port of call.
2016 Tacoma Trd Sport Review
All the same, there’s plenty to recommend the Tacoma: if, that is, you’re going to take advantage of it. The 2WD/4WD switch may be manual, not automatic as it is in some more tech-savvy rivals, but there’s no doubting its abilities. Throw in multi-terrain crawl control, hill-start assist, a locking rear differential, and automatic limited-slip diff, and you have a truck that’s basically begging to go off-road, and come prepared for that eventuality.
2016 Trd Tacoma For Sale
Not that person? It’s a tougher sell, though the Tacoma’s inherent ruggedness and aggressive design does help offset some of the less cosseting aspects. Personally, I’d avoid the fancier trim levels and head to the entry-level options: a roughly $30k Tacoma has all the on-road attitude but doesn’t over-promise on refinement.