- First Name
- Billy
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2025
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 22
- Location
- St Louis area
- Vehicle(s)
- 2025 Tacoma TRD Pro, 2008 Rubicon
- Thread starter
- #1
After 8 years and lots of shopping, I traded in my 2017 ZR2 for a Taco TRD Pro. There were a lot of things I liked about the ZR2, including snappy torque off the hit, responsive steering and fantastic shocks. A few things I never got used to were the hard a$$ seats and shifter lever with no "proper" manual plus / minus mode. The cheesy plastic film switches on the steering wheel.
I test drove a 2024 ZR2 Bison. The interior upgrades were nice compared to my 2017. It looked killer on 35's. The acceleration was not as good as my '17, especially after 50-60 mph it was a dog. At EPA 16 / 16 MPG, it should be a rocket!
I test drove a Ranger Raptor. It had good looks. The interior was nice enough. The power of the v6 turbo was very good after you got it rolling a bit. However I found the interior space somehow smaller than my '17 ZR2. (I am 6' 3" 255 pounds) The shifter lever was tiny and hard to reach, making it useless, although there are paddle sifters on the steering wheel. I di not care for the large and vertical-style LCD screen, and many features on the truck were buried in menus rather than a button on the dash. While the EPA MPG was only 16 / 18, at least it had 405 HP. It just was not comfortable for my large size.
I test drove the newly designed 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road. Very nice styling. Interior was really good too, and comfortable. Lots of big switches you can operate with gloves on. Nice big horizontal LCD screen. Great shifter lever with "proper" manual mode, and my hand naturally rested perfectly on it without needing to move my arm. However the power off the hit was not great for this 4 cylinder turbo. Then later I drove one of the Hybrids. What a big difference it made! Great off the line torque. Good acceleration even at 50 - 60 MPH for passing. After that I found a Trail Hunter trim that I liked but it sold a couple of hours after I test drove it. That week I found a TRD Pro and grabbed it. It has 326 HP and 485 torque on 87 octane, with EPA 22 / 24 MPG.
I'll say no truck is perfect all-around. I have never been married to any particular brand, and I shop for months comparing features before making a purchase. If you are considering a new mid-size truck, I recommend you take a Taco Hybrid for a test drive.
I test drove a 2024 ZR2 Bison. The interior upgrades were nice compared to my 2017. It looked killer on 35's. The acceleration was not as good as my '17, especially after 50-60 mph it was a dog. At EPA 16 / 16 MPG, it should be a rocket!
I test drove a Ranger Raptor. It had good looks. The interior was nice enough. The power of the v6 turbo was very good after you got it rolling a bit. However I found the interior space somehow smaller than my '17 ZR2. (I am 6' 3" 255 pounds) The shifter lever was tiny and hard to reach, making it useless, although there are paddle sifters on the steering wheel. I di not care for the large and vertical-style LCD screen, and many features on the truck were buried in menus rather than a button on the dash. While the EPA MPG was only 16 / 18, at least it had 405 HP. It just was not comfortable for my large size.
I test drove the newly designed 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road. Very nice styling. Interior was really good too, and comfortable. Lots of big switches you can operate with gloves on. Nice big horizontal LCD screen. Great shifter lever with "proper" manual mode, and my hand naturally rested perfectly on it without needing to move my arm. However the power off the hit was not great for this 4 cylinder turbo. Then later I drove one of the Hybrids. What a big difference it made! Great off the line torque. Good acceleration even at 50 - 60 MPH for passing. After that I found a Trail Hunter trim that I liked but it sold a couple of hours after I test drove it. That week I found a TRD Pro and grabbed it. It has 326 HP and 485 torque on 87 octane, with EPA 22 / 24 MPG.
I'll say no truck is perfect all-around. I have never been married to any particular brand, and I shop for months comparing features before making a purchase. If you are considering a new mid-size truck, I recommend you take a Taco Hybrid for a test drive.
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