Gadgetory

look we all know the 2016 Toyota Tacoma is excellent offroad I mean people bomb these things through the desert but you know often you got to go on the pavement to get to the dirt so we're gonna test this truck unlikely places and from the street you just might make some head turns cuz this is one mass looking truck the Tacoma has got a new front fascia with the taller hood streamlined headlights featuring LEDs and new for this year is an easy touch tailgate you've also got an available locking bed cover for securing all of your gear and the TRD off road gets a few touches all its own including a special 16 inch wheels and a chin spoiler delete because really who needs a spoiler eating into your approaching under the hood I've got a 3.5 liter v6 but a 2.7 liter is available on the lesser trim models however this larger engine is going to knock out two hundred and seven eight horsepower and 265 pound feet of torque now when the truck is not in four-wheel drive power goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission but get this you can get a six-speed manual and it's sixteen hundred dollars less to vote yeah if you've already combined a for the automatic are twenty miles per gallon and what of the trademark laundry basket rating well I've got a five foot bed here and that includes a light and check it out it's a hundred and 20 volt outlet right here so I can plug in my hair dryer and fix my hairs after all this windy day of shooting behind me I've got five longer baskets this one makes six and that is a most excellent trademark laundry basket rating inside the cabin it's a pretty comfortable place to be for an off-road truck my heated seats are most excellent I've got a multifunctional steering wheel front and center here is a little digital display where I can scroll through to see things like a compass a pitch and roll monitor my speed my radio but what I really like is the in tune system because the inputs are super crazy quick I mean check it out I can get myself to Disneyland thirteen thirteen okay harbor H a r B o R I mean check that out super fast very very responsive to my touch I also have satellite radio iPod connectivity in terms of driving aids there's blind spot monitoring which is really great to have on a tire truck like this and there's a wireless charging system which unfortunately my iphone is about a thousand years old but all you need to do is put it down here on the platform and it will charge right up this is the operative model so you do get a fair amount of offered goodies like a locking for active you get a train select system for all control and Bilstein shocks but does that help her hinder me when I'm on the road well I got to tell you the Bilstein shocks it's set up really soft right if you ever seen a trophy truck out in the desert and the like the Baja 1000 and the wheels are just going like this and the cab stand straight of course this isn't quite that extreme but the suspension is set up very very soft so it's so Chuck the bumps very nicely here's what I don't like about it and that is the transmission I've got a 6-speed automatic and it's just searching all the time it cannot figure out what gear it wants to be in now I can shift it manually which helps because then I am in complete control of the truck but I feel like this truck should be able to work on its own in the transmission I really should only have to use the sport mode when I really really want control of the truck not in everyday driving situations acceleration on this not quite so good and that's fine for offroad where you're really feathering the throttle but on this like if you're trying to get on to the highway you really do have to give it the beans and oftentimes the transmission just can't handle it what I do like about the Tacoma is the steering it's got a great on center feel it's got nice build up as you get up to speed and it's very precise I mean you know exactly where you're placing your wheels which is great for off and on road one thing I do wish this truck had is a trailer backup assist you can't get that on the Ford f-150 can't get it on this and as someone who knows how to drive a trailer forward but maybe not so much backwards that would be a big help in this truck there is a fair amount of competition in the midsize pickups the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon are both just dying to take a bite out of this taco the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4 off-road double cab new starts at thirty three thousand seven hundred and thirty dollars but our optioned up vehicle is just over 37 miles now for me I really love the offer of capabilities I love the looks just not in love with the transmission so I'm gonna go ahead and go with the six-speed manual that's it for today I'm Amy Hall thanks so much for watching we'll see you soon