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The 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro might be one of the best all-around trucks in its class. Seriously.
Full disclosure: I’ve never been a huge fan of the Toyota Tundra in its current form. It has a lot of good qualities including a (great for towing) 4:30 axle, good road manners, amazingly smooth transmission, a rugged platform and good quality. It’s also a bit underwhelming when it comes to interior/exterior design, off-road ability and fun factor.
With the 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro – it’s a whole new ballgame.
After a few days of exposure, I recognize Toyota’s efforts and was blown away with the 2014 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The suspension TRD Bilstein shocks with external-reservoirs, softer spring settings and all-terrain P275/65R-18 Michelins on unique (but too dark) wheels give the 2015 Toyota Tundra the flex it needs with great grip. This suspension setup gives the 2014 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro an additional 2-inches of travel up front and 1.25-inches of additional travel at the rear.
Other notable enhancements include: skid-plates, unique exterior (which looks awesome in “Burnt Orange”), unique interior trim, updated (but weak) sound system and the AMAZING sounding TRD cat-back exhaust system. The TRD Exhaust System is supposed to increase the power a bit – but there are no official numbers to quote.
With this set up, not only does the Tundra look like a serious truck – it acts like one. Ruts, dips, holes, tree stumps and just about every off road obstacle we could find were fairly easy to conquer. The higher approach angle is a welcome addition as we never snagged and kept (most) rocks from pounding against the hefty skid plate. Power was good and the traction was excellent. Most importantly, the articulation was excellent and we had to fight to find a geologic outcropping bold enough to force the 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to lift a wheel.
Balls-out, pounding a difficult rocky road, it thrived. Rebound was almost a non-issue and directional control was only second to the (over) six-inches wider Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Sure, the Raptor can handle more extreme conditions and obstacles, but the Tundra TRD Pro can handle 95% of what the Raptor can handle. That’s more than most drivers are willing to perform.
By the way: the only reason I am not comparing the new Ram Power Wagon to the 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro is because I have only spent a few minutes playing with it.
Here’s where the big Toyota actually betters the mighty Ford Raptor (aside from towing and payload): it still drives like a Toyota Tundra. Better still: it drives like a Tundra with a more compliant suspension. It’s easy to maneuver through traffic, it gets past urban obstacles easily, turns well and it’s kind of peppy feeling thanks to that new TRD exhaust.
I need a lot more time to give a detailed analysis about its overall driving characteristics, but I can say this: it’s the Tundra Toyota should have built in the first place.
Gripes?
Just a few minor issues on this one:
- No official prices yet – boo!
- It needs an electronic locking rear diff, bigger tires, roof mounted lights and a supercharger. Oh, and a snorkel too.
- All TRD Pro trucks need a snorkel.
It’s a smart truck for folks who wish to have their off-road cake and want to casually dine upon asphalt too.
Stay tuned for more!
Here’s the 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro off road with Roman and a special passenger!
