The Toyota Tundra TRD Trim Isn’t Worth the Money
Toyota makes some of the best trucks on the market, and all Toyota trucks are known for being safe and reliable above all else. The Tundra is one of those great trucks, and many people love the Tundra. That said, when it comes to the Tundra’s trims, the TRD trim just isn’t worth the money for most people.
What the Tundra TRD offers
According to Seeger Toyota, the TRD trim is Toyota’s trim for people who love to off-road. The TRD trim outfits the Tundra with all the gear and modifications necessary to make off-roading easy and fun. The TRD trim costs about $48,500, and it gives owners access to a bigger and more robust infotainment system.
Along with interior and exterior modifications that add the TRD logo to the truck, the TRD trim also makes a lot of changes under the hood. For example, the TRD trim gives the Tundra a 4×4 drive system as standard. Instead of 18-inch steel wheels, the TRD trim gives the Tundra 18-inch aluminum wheels. Furthermore, instead of regular tires, all-season and all-terrain tires wrap around those wheels.
However, one of the more important changes is in the Tundra’s suspension. With the TRD trim, the Tundra gets a brand-new FOX suspension system. This allows the Tundra TRD to perform really well off-road, but it also gives it a lot of issues.
What’s good and bad about the Tundra TRD
As Consumer Reports said, the TRD trim does its job, and it does make the Tundra a great truck for off-roading. That said, Consumer Reports also wrote that the TRD’s FOX suspension system gives the truck a really stiff and jittery ride, even when it’s on smooth roads and highways. Consumer Reports did its due diligence and tested the Tundra without the TRD trim, and the result was a smoother ride.
While the TRD trim makes the Tundra’s ride less comfortable, Consumer Reports also said that the Tundra doesn’t feel that great even without the TRD trim. However, since the TRD trim made the Tundra less comfortable to drive around in, it ultimately means that one of the biggest differences between the TRD trim and the other trims is not good or useful for most people.
Of course, if you plan on taking your Tundra off-road a lot, then the TRD trim’s ride quality issue doesn’t really matter. But for people who aren’t planning to do that, the TRD trim becomes not worth the $13,000 premium that they’re paying over the standard Tundra. However, if you’re considering a TRD and you want a similar trim without the uncomfortable suspension, then Toyota’s got you covered.
Why the Limited is the best trim
Consumer Reports recommends the Limited trim as the best trim on the Tundra for several reasons. First, it gives you many of the perks and features that the TRD offers, such as an improved infotainment system as well as additional interior features. Of course, the Limited trim won’t have the TRD badges or stitching, but most people aren’t buying the TRD trim for the badging anyway.
On top of that, Consumer Reports said that the Limited trim will offer blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic warning, and those are features that aren’t available on the TRD trim. And of course, the Limited trim won’t have that FOX suspension system that gives the TRD trim its uncomfortable ride.
Seeger Toyota said that the Limited trim starts at about $42,000, so that’s about $6,500 less expensive than the TRD trim is. That’s why, ultimately, Consumer Reports said that the Limited trim is the best version of the Tundra on the market right now.
