With TRD Pro and the debut of the Trailhunter grade, the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma will see plenty of time on off-road and overlanding trails. So, Toyota Motor North America, Research and Development (TMNA R&D) engineers headed to Arizona to test the truck over some punishing trails.
When you’re developing a new generation of an off-road legend, you have to make sure it meets your customer demands.
And that, of course, is one of the more fun parts of the job for Tacoma Chief Engineer Sheldon Brown and the Tacoma development team he leads. In March, Brown and a few dozen engineers from TMNA R&D headed to a state recreational area in Arizona to test Tacoma’s bona fides on dirt, rock and whatever other terrain the trails had to offer.
“We’re going up on these rock trails to put (Tacoma) through its paces,“ says Winston Robertson, senior engineering manager, Vehicle Development and Engineering. “So, when it gets to the customer, we’ve done our job and… confirmed that its tough in this environment, because we know customers are going to do that.”
To see how Tacoma handles the terrain, watch the video below.