2020 Tacoma TRD Pro: A No-compromise Mid-sized Pickup

Story and photos by Ron Moorhead

toyota tacoma truck owners are, kick that log, probably the most loyal truck owners on the planet. Well, let us just say they are pretty crazy about their trucks. Following our drive of the 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro, we are sure there will not be any cooling down of that enthusiasm.

Before we could wrangle the keys from the car schlepper who delivered the Tacoma, two older Tacoma owners stopped in the street to shout questions at us. We are sure it had nothing to do with the Army Green paint scheme, nor the desert intake air snorkel sticking out of the right front fender. Yea, right! These owners can pick out a Tacoma truck from miles away.

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro four-door example we were cruising this forest road in is the top of the heap for Tacoma. It is packed with factory features and to some is the best off -roader to drive off the showroom fl oor. In fact, the last full factory-sponsored, off -road drive we attended, the Toyota folks gave us nearly free range to put their trucks in some pretty darn hard to get through trails, which, quite frankly, we got through. Other journos returned with a few dented fenders — operator error, not Tacoma.

For you detail folks, the 2020 version of the TRD Pro comes with Fox shocks, suspension li , off -road tires and a special exhaust. An aluminum front skid plate announces to those nasty rocks they have been thwarted by a TRD. Unique fog lamps by Ridged Industries,

LED headlamps, coupled with sequential turn signals, and a bevy of

TRD Pro logos and badges round out the TRD Pro. For an extra get-noticedeverywhere look, our Tacoma was equipped with the desert air intake snorkel coming out of the right front fender and heading for the stars along the A-pillar. And for the last time: No, it cannot ford 5-foot-deep creeks.

Under the Tacoma body sits a 3.5-liter

V6 gasoline engine equipped with both port and direct injection. This power plant is tried and true as it produces 278 horsepower and 265 lb- . of torque.

Thankfully, Toyota continues to off er a six-speed manual transmission, however, our road-test vehicle was equipped with the six-speed automatic. Recently most vehicle manufacturers who continue to off er manual gearboxes do not usually loan them out to journalists unless they know you can drive with three pedals. It seems the up-and-coming auto SWEETHEARTMOTORS.ORG media types not only do not know much about cars and trucks, they know even less about how to drive a manual transmission.

Though the Monroney (window sticker) stated the EPA rating for fuel economy for the truck was 18 city, 22 highway and 20 combined, we were hard pressed to get 18 mpg throughout our testing.

Granted, we are not easy on the throttle but we did try to be easier a few times.

If there is one small complaint with the interior of this mid-sized truck, it is that it is a mid-sized truck. A 10-way power driver seat makes it easy to fi nd the perfect position. Both front seats are heated for those cold desert nights. The rear seats, while adequate, did make my passengers feel just a bit cramped. Keep in mind, if the driver is over 6-feet tall,

there is not much room le behind the seat once the perfect adjustment is found.

We are seeing more and more vehicles equipped with video monitoring surrounding the vehicle. Toyota labels its offering Panoramic View Monitor. The system presents a view to the front, side and rear of the Tacoma via the infotainment display screen.

Our TRD Pro was also equipped with the new for 2020 Multi-Terrain Monitor camera. This system almost makes having a spotter along for checking rugged off-roading obsolete. It displays what the terrain you’re navigating is like and even gives you a projected path with color lines to show you the proper way out.

Safety features are no stranger to any Toyota as every vehicle has the standard Toyota Safety Sense collection of safety systems. Included are adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning plus pedestrian detection, lane departure warning and auto emergency braking.

The 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is a truck for truck lovers. There is no compromise here. We are not looking at a truck for the country club or opera. Although we would be quite happy to pull up to the valet stand at any of those venues driving this Tacoma. But we would not be happy to throw the keys to the young, hot-shoe parking attendant. Thank goodness for umbrella insurance coverage. ✦

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