Toyota threw me the keys to the 2022 Toyota Tacoma Trail Edition. I previously tested the vehicle on the trails in northern Georgia, but I wanted to go through all the reasons why I believe this to be a very overlooked trim level.
The off-road community would say do either extreme. Either get the TRD Pro trim Taco and be done with it or get an SR5 Taco and throw parts at it, but I say split the difference with the Trail Edition, and here is why.
Suspension Lift from the Factory
All anyone wants to do is lift their rigs. Now I am not saying you are getting any serious lift from the factory, but they lifted it 1.1-inch front and 0.5-inch rear to give you an easier time off the pavement. I believe that is the farthest tolerance before all the safety features would have begun to go haywire.
It all helps the Taco Trail get an improved departure angle of 23.6 degrees and 26.4 degrees for breakover angle. Around the front, Toyota removed the front air dam from the standard SR5 to help improve the approach angle to 34 degrees.
Locking Rear Differential
Should you find yourself off of the pavement, and I do recommend you find yourself off the pavement in a vehicle that literally has “trail” in its name, you will be happy to know that a locking rear differential comes standard on the Trail.
Parts from the TRD Pro and TRD Off Road
There are multiple color options, but borrowed from the 2022 TRD Pro is Army Green which has found its way bouncing around Toyota’s lineup, Midnight Black Metallic, Super White, and another fan favorite TRD Pro color – Lunar Rock.
Around the front, you will immediately notice the TRD Pro-style heritage grill catches every Taco owner’s eye. The grill you can see, but what you cannot see is underneath the undercarriage skid plates are borrowed from the TRD Off-Road.
It’s Basically an SR5
So I let with the two extremes, either go top trim already complete TRD Pro or get an SR5 and throw your credit card at it. Since the Toyota Tacoma Trail is basically a SR5 (it has SR5 badges on it after all) it just starts you in the right direction.
For more of his automotive exploits, you can follow Danny on Instagram @DKorecki and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
