Yahoo Autos 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Has a Rugged, Split Personality
Criticizing the Toyota Tacoma is like shouting at thunder or free-climbing El Capitan. Regardless of how it plays out, the weather won't change and the mountain won't move. The Taco is stalwart and immutable. It sells on virtues other trucks don't even acknowledge. Potential buyers look at it, see 20 years and 300,000 miles of dependability, and sign up for the financing. It's low-tech, proven, and carries some of the best resale values in the industry. And the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) Pro model, updated for 2020, is the both the best and worst of the breed.
The current Taco, however, is old. This basic pickup has been around since 2005, though it was refreshed for 2016. The 2020 model-year changes are a light dusting of updates that are worthwhile, if shy of compelling. Toyota starts the 2020 Tacoma lineup down at the SR level with an extended cab, rear-drive truck for around $27,000 (2020 model-year pricing has yet to be announced). Security guards drive them around malls and sanitation plants. From there the ladder proceeds through the SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and up to the TRD Pro for about $45,000. Missing from the range is a regular-cab truck, which Toyota stopped building after 2014. Impressively, however, a six-speed manual transmission is still available, even on the TRD Pro.
A Reputable Roughneck
The range-topping TRD Pro has undeniable cachet among off-roaders and people who just want to look like they traverse boulders, cover trails, and live adventurously. Dealers are regularly asking for, and presumably getting, better than sticker price for these off-road-focused high-end compact pickups. We’ve observed some of the more aggressive dealerships in Southern California asking upward of $60K for loaded 2019 models—more than $10K above the window sticker.
All TRD Pro models are Double Cab four-door, four-wheel-drive short-bed models that expand beyond mere TRD Off-Road versions with Fox 2.5-inch-diameter internal bypass shocks; the suspension lifted an inch up front and wearing progressive-rate leaf springs in back; beefy model-specific 16-inch wheels and tires; loads of funky TRD Pro logos; Rigid Industries–branded fog lights; a TRD exhaust system; specific LED headlights (with sequential turn signals) and taillights; and an aluminum front skid plate that announces "TRD" in red letters.
The LED lighting is something new, but the most important changes for 2020 are actually in the cabin. There, a new 8.0-inch touchscreen takes up residence and, finally, includes both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, as Toyota has finally made a data détente with Google and Apple about which company gets to monitor what the truck is doing. There's also now a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat available that enables the pilot to adjust out at least some of the awkwardness from the Tacoma's floor-hugging driving position.
