Sport or Off Road?

[StevieB]

Looking for advice to purchase a TRD Sport or a TRD Off-Road.

I am a 60+year old male who will be purchasing a new pickup truck and I just wanted to double check my specifications. I plan on using the truck for my daily driver which is 99% local street driving. I do plan to drive on the beaches of Delaware (sand is pretty soft), for some surf fishing, thus the need of a 4x4; maybe this will be 1% of my driving. I’m not worried about getting stuck in the sand as I’ll have all the gear (tire deflator, shovel, tire traction mats, tow strap, jack, etc.).

While at the beach my wife and I will make the day of it, so the bed will come in handy. My driving style is slow and steady, with nothing crazy. I have no ambitions for any other type of off roading. Snow is a rarity and when it does snow, you wait till noon and it typically melts. I am torn between the Tacoma Off-road and the Sport.

There are not many differences between the Sport and the Off-Road, other than the skid plate, the optional locking diff, and the tire size. Do I really need the skid plate, as the only thing I will be driving over is sand? I don’t think I need the locking rear differential, but please tell me if I’m wrong. The last difference is the tire size, 18-inch for the Sport and 17-inch for the Off Road. The 17-inch wheels should have a better ride while the 18-inch probably would have more traction. I’d like to hear from other people who drive in the sand.

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[2TR-FE]

Sounds like you will not need the rear locker on the OR and I doubt many beach drivers need a skid plate. In the end; get the truck that is comfortable for daily use.

 

[Duck Amuck]

They’re basically the same price, right? The way I look at it is, unless you really prefer the styling of the Sport, the Off-Road gives you more for your money. Including Multi-Terrain Select, which includes a sand mode you may find useful.

 

[TalkingTaco444]

There are more differences than you listed.
Off-road gets crawl control. Off road premium gets off road camera. Sport doesn’t get either of these.

my advice is ALWAYS off road unless you really really want that hood scoop and painted flares.

 

[26wx]

I honestly don't think it will matter for your use. I prefer the off road, but that's just me.

 

[R.A.N.M.J.]

I know this is a Toyota community, but have you looked at the Chevy Colorado? You can get a ZR1 vs a Sport and ZR2 vs an Off-Road that will check all the boxes and save you $8,000 - $14,500 depending on configuration.

I own a 2024 TRD Off-Road Premium. And it was expensive. It was expensive with me getting it nearly 3k under MSRP. Don't get me wrong, I love the truck, but I could've gotten way more for the money if I weren't a Toyota fanboy.

 

[TIMFERRELL]

I chose the Off Road because I couldn't accept peering over a fake hood scoop. The ride is supossedly better with shocks and 17" wheels. I got a bunch of extras, good trade in on a '16, and $2.5K off MSRP. So far, very pleased with a much improved Tacoma.

 

[TacoJay]

Looking for advice to purchase a TRD Sport or a TRD Off-Road.

I am a 60+year old male who will be purchasing a new pickup truck and I just wanted to double check my specifications. I plan on using the truck for my daily driver which is 99% local street driving. I do plan to drive on the beaches of Delaware (sand is pretty soft), for some surf fishing, thus the need of a 4x4; maybe this will be 1% of my driving. I’m not worried about getting stuck in the sand as I’ll have all the gear (tire deflator, shovel, tire traction mats, tow strap, jack, etc.).

While at the beach my wife and I will make the day of it, so the bed will come in handy. My driving style is slow and steady, with nothing crazy. I have no ambitions for any other type of off roading. Snow is a rarity and when it does snow, you wait till noon and it typically melts. I am torn between the Tacoma Off-road and the Sport.

There are not many differences between the Sport and the Off-Road, other than the skid plate, the optional locking diff, and the tire size. Do I really need the skid plate, as the only thing I will be driving over is sand? I don’t think I need the locking rear differential, but please tell me if I’m wrong. The last difference is the tire size, 18-inch for the Sport and 17-inch for the Off Road. The 17-inch wheels should have a better ride while the 18-inch probably would have more traction. I’d like to hear from other people who drive in the sand.

So I live in Florida (nothing but sand) but vacation yearly in the mountains of North Carolina. I bought the 24 TRD Sport but with 4WD. In my opinion, it's the best of both worlds. I have the Sport handling for the majority road driving (like you 99% of the time) down here and for the curvy mountain roads and the 4WD for the sand/mud here and the ice/snow up there.
We just got back from the mountains of North Carolina and it performed flawlessly (I love the ability to knock the shifter to the left and "manually" up-shift or down-shift.) I'm very pleased with the truck! I don't imagine you could go wrong with either model, but I also don't think you need the rear differential\skid plate etc. based on your usage description. Good luck.

 

[hoodouken]

I'm in the same boat with 99% road driving (Vegas) with the occasional desert day to go plinking. But I can't help but feel for nearly the same price they give you more in the OR than the sport but I do think the Sport has a better look over with the scoop and painted fenders. If they adjusted the price down a couple Gs I could see why the Sport could be a justified choice.

 

[StevieB]

Awesome advise, and feedback thanks guys.

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