Review: 2026 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
A generational blizzard was trundling over the Rockies when a Tacoma TRD Pro showed up in my driveway with its enormous Goodyear Wrangler tires, locking rear diff, rock sliders, auxiliary lighting and ARB recovery points. It looked like I’d be mobile even if the storm got ugly, which is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Just about all the snow we’d accumulated since November was gone when the storm hit and by the time the worst of it was over, a lot of the roads were impassable and we had chest-deep snow drifts in the yard. While taking a phone call, I absentmindedly high-sided the Tacoma leaving the driveway.
The plow guy helped me recover it and I don’t think the person on the other end of my call could tell what I was doing. Then plow guy got stuck, along with the plow truck that came to recover him. The drivers opted to retreat and regroup instead of trying to finish the driveay and I intentionally parked up in the yard to stay out of their way in case they came back, high-siding the Tacoma again. It took an hour or two of shoveling to free it. The GoodYear Wranglers might be great in mud or deep sand, but they would not grip in the snow until I dropped the tire pressure to around 10 PSI.
With the tires nice and soft, and deep snow mode activated, the Tacoma was very happy to ferry me over even the unplowed roads. One wiper did pop off trying to move snow, and like a lot of modern cars, the cabin heater felt outmatched. This winter, which has been a real winter, has caused me to wonder if automakers still carry out the same of cold-weather testing that they used to. I’m sure they do, but maybe it’s that their engineers aren’t living with their products in the snow like they used to? That can’t be the case.
A related note here: I’ve driven six Toyota trucks and SUVs in the snow this winter, and five of them have been rendered immobile at one point or another. In each case, the factory tires were the, uh, sticking point. If you live somewhere that gets snow, consider your tire options before you order your Toyota and make sure you end up with a set of proper snow tires for the winter. I’d really like to check this one out again in the summer, when the Sheriff isn’t sending out alerts telling everyone to shelter in place.
The four-cylinder hybrid works well and sounds decent from the cabin, which is a little cramped for back seat occupants, even if they’re kid-sized. The heavy/wheel tire package necessitates a big spring, which makes for a surprisingly stiff ride, though some of that may be down to the sidewall.
Overall, I’d say this is a truck for singles or couples who aren’t routinely transporting people in the back seats. I know I’ll get an email if I don’t mention the payload capacity, which is 1680 lbs. With four adults aboard, you may have to do some thinking about what gear you leave at home.
Today’s off-roaders are so capable and comfortable that it really takes a lot to stand out. The TRD Pro didn’t stick in my mind like the Land Cruiser I drove earlier this winter and it didn’t perform in deep snow like my old Lexus GX, which to be fair, was on Nokian truck tires.
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