Spring for the TRD

Well, here I am writing about a vehicle for the first time in my 15 year driving history. My '02 Tacoma 4x4 SR5 TRD 3.4L V6 is my eighth vehicle to date. I have had a mix of cars, trucks, and SUV's over the years. However, I believe my Tacoma to be the best overall vehicle I have owned.

I purchased it new in Sept. '02. It was the last delivered '02 to the dealership and shared the delivery truck with several '03's. I now have over 22,000 miles on it. During that time, only routine maintenance has been performed (by me) and a few items of customization installed. There have been no warranty issues with the truck, and I have had absolutely no problems out of it.

Believe it or not, this truck replaced an Acura product that I had several issues with in only 7000 miles of ownership. I had always been a fan of Honda for their reputation of reliability (which was now faltering) and this was the first Toyota product I had ever owned. Owning this Tacoma has convinced me that Toyota quality is better and I have not regretted my decision to trade yet.

While not being the fastest thing on the road, the 3.4L mated to a 5spd tranny will get the job done. It is quick and powerful and sounds great with a TRD catback exhaust. Mileage is very respectable for this kind of performance yielding a consistent 20.5mpg for mixed driving. If you need more grunt, a TRD supercharger is available from your dealer (or direct from TRD). This is a bolt on affair that adds gobs of horsepower and torque. If installed by the dealer, it carries the same warranty as the truck---not to shabby to gain around 75 horses.

The TRD package is worth the price of admission. The biggest improvement is the suspension. You get Bilstein shocks and better rate coil springs. This alone makes the TRD a different truck from the regular flavor. I test drove both, and the non-TRD would bottom out over speed bumps and lean badly in curves. The TRD package alleviated both problems, and made the truck feel much safer on the road. The E-Locker and the suspension make off-roading a simple affair as far as a stock truck goes. If you require more, the aftermarket has been all over the Tacoma since it was introduced and you will not have any problem finding a product that fits your needs and budget.

Now for the bad: Toyota skimped on the metal used in making the body. It is very thin and will flex easily. I am fortunate not to have any dings in my panels, but they would be very easy to come by.

The seats, while very comfortable, are made of cheap fabric. After only a few months of ownership I noticed a wear pattern in the seat bottom that looked an awful lot like my....well, you get the picture. This was easily cured with a set of OEM seat covers from Performance Products which look much better than the original seats to boot. They just slip over the existing seats and secure in a way that keeps them tight over the seat. You will also gain a half inch of padding.

The clock....why they did not exchange the clock and the airbag on/off switch is beyond me. I can tell the position of the switch any time while driving. I can only tell what time it is when I am turning to the right. This is the biggest design flaw of the truck...but then again, if this is the biggest the rest of the truck must be pretty good, right??

Speaking of the interior, the rest of the design and execution works well. The black on white gauges (with the SR5 package) are easy to read in the daytime, and they illuminate orange at night. Other than the seats, the materials used seem to be very good quality. The plastic trim that is usually scratched easy in other vehicles withstands a certain amount of abuse without showing any scars. Since both available interiors are light colored, I would highly suggest some sort of all season floor mats that are easy to hose off. I use the Husky Liners which fit very well, and are easy to keep clean and show no stains as the carpeted ones would.

One of my favorite aspects of the interior is the dual cubbies in the extended cab portion. From the factory they are used to house the jack, and tools. However, Toyota left all kinds of room to add your own tools and supplies. I have easily stored recovery gear, jumper cables, tools, bungee chords, ice scraper, shovel, mag light, etc in them. All these items usually get stored in a bag loose in the cabin or trunk of my vehicles. Toyota has provided a very secure and out of the way place to store these items. This is where Toyota really shines over the Nissan Frontier (the biggest competitor of the Tacoma).

Storage is something that the Tacoma does well other ways also. If you opt for the bucket seats (highly recommended) you get a center arm rest that opens to fit CD's or other items (removable change holder is provided there). Also, with the arm rest rotated up and out of the way, there is an additional compartment below that is big enough to put a mini flashlight, and two 2-way radios among other things. There are several other compartments scattered throughout the interior which makes securing your belongings from prying eyes a simple matter.

Overall, a great truck and the best vehicle I have owned to date.