Here’s Everything That Makes the 2022 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Better Than the Old One
Improved breakover, approach, and departure angles and a very cool color are highlights of the 2022 model.
Every year, Toyota picks a different color for its TRD Pro trim. In 2018, it was Cavalry Blue, and 2019 brought one of my favorites with Voodoo Blue. For 2020, the brand switched to Army Green, which I thought was more on the meh side, and Lunar Rock in 2021. Now it’s back to a color with some serious in-your-face presence with Electric Lime Metallic. It’s so bright it’s practically glowing, and I kind of like that.
On the 2022 Tacoma TRD Pro, the truck looks the same from the outside except for the color. However, there are a few major differences between the 2021 model and the 2022, so if you’re trying to decide which one to buy, these details might help you. With the prices of cars, SUVs, and trucks all over the map and trending high, you’re going to want to know how to get the most for your money.
In September, Toyota confirmed that manual models of the 2022 Taco TRD Pro will go for $47,150 (including the $1,215 destination fees) and $49,855 with an automatic transmission. A quick Google search shows a few 2021 Tacoma TRD Pro models selling for $45,000-55,000. That can add up to thousands more above sticker price of a 2022 model, and that’s with some miles on the clock.
For serious off-roaders, Tacomas are known to last forever and take a beating like the old Timex watches. I drove a 2021 TRD Pro model out to west Texas for Thanksgiving and compared it to the 2022 model on tap at the Texas Auto Writers Texas Truck Rodeo a few weeks earlier, and they feel similar. However, the 2022 sits 1.5 inches higher in the front and a half inch higher in the rear with TRD-tuned Fox shocks. With the new TRD upper control arms, the 2022 TRD Pro has 36.4- and 24.7-degree approach and departure angles and a breakover angle of 26.6, which means it’s up in every category.
Slightly smaller wheels and the removal of the air dam also gives the TRD Pro edition of the 2022 model a softer ride, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The difference in fuel economy between the two model years is negligible, even with today’s prices.
In both cases, the Taco truck is impressively capable and piloting it through some tough obstacles felt easy on the off-road course in Texas. In some ways, it reminds me of the mountain goat-like 4Runner, which has a quaint feel and still keeps on selling. The 2022 model just entered production last month and will be available early next year. Unless you can’t wait another minute and you prefer Lunar Rock anyway, you’re going to want to hang tight a little longer for the 2022.
Got a tip? Comment here or send a note to kristin.shaw@thedrive.com.
