Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Review: Full-Size Off-Road Pick-Up

What on earth is this Fort Knox-like machine?

This is the newest Toyota Tundra TRD Pro: Toyota’s tough full-size pick-up, fitted with the equipment required to challenge rivals such as the Ford Raptor and Ram TRX, with varying results.

But what about that colour?

Quite. This shade is called Honeycomb, aimed at buyers who fancy piloting a gold-plated-looking TRD. In our view, it is an improvement on last year’s Baja-bright ‘Wave Maker’ teal, although this flashy new paint cannot provoke our cravings for queso, which counts against it.

The paint is not what prepares this truck for Baja-style running; that comes down to the hardware. The TRD Pro Tundra receives revised Fox dampers, the key ingredient behind its ability to tackle rough ground at speed, working with the already imposing double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear arrangement.

The Tundra also gains a reworked fascia that better matches Toyota’s other overlanding models. New front recovery hooks are included as well, presumably for retrieving less capable off-roaders rather than needing rescue themselves.

What sits beneath the bonnet?

Toyota’s assertively titled 3.4-litre twin-turbo ‘i-Force Max” V6 provides the motivation here. This hybrid system produces 437 hp and 790 Nm of torque, which is ample for its intended work, whether that means rapid runs across dusty dunes or the occasional leap from a berm. Its shortfall, if it has one, is in the drama department.

A current rival such as Ram’s TRX is essentially a supercharger attached to a lifted truck, so its outrageous soundtrack is fundamental to the experience. The Tundra instead prioritises efficiency over theatre, and its most frequent noise is the fans straining to draw in as much air as they can. That seems a reasonable compromise when its combined consumption is 11.8 L/100 km, compared with the TRX’s 19.6 L/100 km. A 10-speed automatic transmission directs power to either two or all four wheels, according to the selected setting.

Toyota Tundra TRD Pro terrain settings

It certainly has plenty of them. Multi-Terrain Select is available for everything from mud and rocks to sand, while drivers less confident at assessing the surface can leave it in Auto and allow the Tundra to decide. Beyond its software modes, this proper off-roader also has high- and low-range settings, both of which are equally straightforward to operate.

So how does it drive?

As the largest model in Toyota’s truck range, the Tundra feels suitably weighty. The TRD equipment gives it a properly supple yet taut character, but even entry-level Tundras soak up ordinary crests and potholes without effort. Consequently, most disturbances that would unsettle an average driver are barely apparent with this additional kit.

However, nobody buys a TRD Pro for everyday obstacles. It is intended for ridiculous high-speed activities, such as attacking a motocross circuit complete with whoops and ramps. We are pleased to confirm that doing so in a full-size pick-up is entirely possible. It is enjoyable, too.

Among the vehicles in TRD’s inner circle, the Tundra may be the most predictable in its behaviour. It feels every bit as heavy as it is, and its acceleration can occasionally leave you wanting more, even if it does eventually gather pace. Over rough terrain at speed, the truck takes care of much of the body-roll control and levelling for you, meaning you are often holding on rather than managing every small movement.

Control falls to the twin-piston front brakes and single-piston rear units, which cope well with considerable punishment. They are particularly useful when bringing this modified working vehicle to a decisive stop after it has been launched into the air.

Ultimately, it is highly capable and very sure-footed, although that comes at the expense of the playfulness its TRD badges might imply. More than the other TRD models, it seems to carry out its duties almost reluctantly.

Still, all of this comes with Toyota-grade toughness. You may already have gathered that we are especially keen on seemingly indestructible pick-ups, and although we cannot comment on the Tundra TRD Pro’s long-term durability, it shrugged off everything we threw at it without so much as a creak.

And what is it like on the motorway?

On tarmac, the Tundra remains a dependable truck that handles every truck-related task expected of it, and it drives accordingly. It is large, tall and heavy, while much of the TRD Pro equipment will not be relevant unless the roads have been ravaged by storms. Its heavy-duty underbody absorbs most surface feedback, but the steering is at least direct. It therefore behaves like the truck it is expected to be, without often becoming difficult to manage. That is welcome on the road and even better in sand, where one misplaced wheel can create an entirely different set of problems.

Fitted with 84 cm Falken WildPeak tyres, it performs more effectively on the road than rivals supplied with more aggressively knobbled rubber as standard. The changeover from road driving to off-road terrain is therefore fairly seamless, aside from reducing or increasing tyre pressures as appropriate.

What is happening in the cabin?

Rather a lot, in fact. With the full CrewMax cab, it accommodates four people comfortably, with space to squeeze in a fifth passenger when necessary. The cockpit is as substantial as it is busy, featuring concealed storage areas and a broad range of controls. Despite the TRD branding, the Tundra interior includes a 35.6 cm touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, as well as its built-in pages of data displays. Among them is a Multi-Terrain Monitor, which uses the exterior cameras around the vehicle to improve awareness on the trail.

Storage comes in the form of a 1.68 m load bed, behind the cabin, with a powered tailgate featuring hands-free knee-lift assistance to simplify loading and unloading. Final specifications for the new Tundra are still pending, but last year’s version had a maximum payload of 726 kg, so the eventual figure is unlikely to be far removed. That is naturally more than you would carry on a high-speed adventure, but it is reassuring if you intend to load a dirt bike or something similar into the short bed.

On the technology front, there is also a towing system that can identify a trailer and incorporate it into the vehicle’s onboard system for more advanced control.

What is the overall verdict?

The Tundra TRD Pro is a serious truck that should cope with anything you can reasonably think to throw at it. It lacks the outright bombast of models such as Ram’s TRX and the eager sport-truck handling of the Raptor R, yet it remains deserving of its TRD badges: the Fox dampers withstand repeated punishment, while the rest of the truck displays the familiar Toyota robustness we have come to value. It may not be the most exciting off-roader, but it will probably support your adventures for longer than most alternatives.

That said, more playful off-road options exist, including within the TRD range itself. We are awaiting final pricing, but expect the Tundra TRD Pro to cost somewhere around $73,000, the current starting price of the teal-coloured truck on sale now.