For a long while, the glory days of mid-size pickup trucks were back in the 1980s, when every manufacturer had one or had Mazda, Isuzu, or Mitsubishi make one for them. But now, that period is just the first glory days for the smaller pickup truck category because there is another one right now. Toyota, Ford, GM, and Nissan have all redesigned their trucks in the past two years. The trucks are a little larger and carry power that would have made full-size trucks envious not long ago, and they all have their off-road focused models.
Car and Driver compared two of the most popular off-road models: the 2024 Toyota TRD Off-Road and the 2024 Colorado ZR-2. Our headline gives away the ending, and the article is worth reading, but Valley Hi Toyota is here to give you the highlights.
The Players
The TRD Pro is Toyota’s most extreme off-road player, but the TRD OFF-road has long been the most popular. Car and Driver selected a TRD Off-Road equipped with the 378 horsepower version of the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine, which produces 317 lb-ft of torque when paired with the 8-speed automatic. Off-road goodies include 32-inch BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain T/A tires, 46-mm Bilstein monotube dampers with external dampers, an electronically lockable rear differential, and the multi-terrain and crawl-control systems found in the top TRD Pro trim. The truck also included the $1230 disconnectable front anti-roll bar option. Heated seats and the JBL audio system brought the price from its base of $43,295 to $47,480.
Except for the overlander-focused AEV variant, the Colorado ZR2 is the model line’s top off-roader. Its TurboMax 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four gives it a power advantage of 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft. of torque. Notable off-road hardware includes 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires, Multimatic spool-valve dampers, and electronically lockable front and rear differentials. Its base MSRP is quite lofty at $48,295, and the one Car and Driver had was optioned up to $61,590. That is quite a gap to which Car and Driver states: “…we have faith in our scoring system, which deducts points for added cost just as it awards them for extra features.”
Performance
The discussion of the exterior and interior is worth reading, mainly because Tacoma was the favorite, but for this post, we will skip directly to how the models performed. The first surprise was on-road acceleration, where despite its power deficit, Tacoma matched Colorado’s 0-60 6.8 second time and quarter-mile time of 15.2 seconds, with the TRD having trap speed of 92 mph to the ZR2’s 89 mph. As for the on-road experience, they had this to say: “The Toyota feels much more eager when it’s time to crank in some steering and squeeze the brakes, to the point that we’d call it a deft handler, engaging on the sorts of twisty roads that invariably lead to a trailhead. In places where the Colorado feels recalcitrant, the Tacoma is ready to play along.”
When off the road, they said this: “The Tacoma’s turbo 2.4-liter always felt more ready, willing, and able. Its transmission in the default setting was more eager to downshift and keep the party going than the ZR2’s was in Baja mode.” While they mention that the ZR2’s Multimatic dampers were better at soaking up bumps on the highway, they found the ZR2’s suspension lacking in flex when off-road. They have a metric for that, with the ZR2 scoring 461 in their ramp travel index, which is bettered by the TRD’s 489 with the disconnecting stabilizer bar.
Conclusion
This summarization of the comparison is music to our ears: “We were so impressed when the ZR2 first came out that we doubted Toyota could pull ahead again, but the new Tacoma proves that it absolutely has. The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road is the clear winner here. It’s also on a different plane of existence from the aged truck it replaces. It goes about its business with enthusiasm in terms of powertrain response and handling, and it’s quite capable off-road. Its interior is smart and easy to live with, and it’s more entertaining to drive on your way to the dirt.”
If you have been considering these two new models, Car and Driver has done the hard work for you. Your next step should be to head to Valley Hi Toyota and look at the TRD Off-Road or any of the new Tacoma models for yourself.
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