DAN EDMUNDS: We're here in Barstow
and we're going to drive these two
trucks up the mountain to the top
in Big Bear Lake, California.
JASON KAVANAGH: Woah.
There we go.
Airborne.
Yeah!
Almost knocked my glasses off.
DAN EDMUNDS: We've moved from the desert side
to the base of the mountains.
We've got to find our way up there.
The problem is, if we waste a lot of time
getting up here and finding out it's really gone a mile ahead--
JASON KAVANAGH: Well, you wanted an adventure, so--
DAN EDMUNDS: It doesn't say "road closed."
It says "washed out."
JASON KAVANAGH: See, now you're speaking my language.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah, I guess I am.
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JASON KAVANAGH: So what's great about off-road-oriented trucks
like this TRD Pro is it can take you to these places
that we're saving, we're preserving.
And you can actually go there and enjoy them
because you have the capability.
You have the off-road chops.
You can't do that in a street-biased vehicle.
So in a way, these trucks--
they expand horizons.
And that's pretty rad.
DAN EDMUNDS: So that first little bit we walked by
was nothing.
It was a little narrow.
You had to be careful.
We've got another little weird spot right here.
But it's not that hard.
It's just a little bit uneven, but nothing these trucks
can't handle.
We're pressing on.
We've got plenty of places to turn around
if we have to if we get to a real washout.
But I am beginning to be optimistic.
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DAN EDMUNDS: This place is the junction
of two trails-- the easy trail and the trail
I thought was going to be, like, medium difficulty.
But I haven't been here for, I don't know, 15 years.
And now the sign says "most difficult."
So--
JASON KAVANAGH: So you think, what, maybe rockslides
have made it more difficult?
Or what?
DAN EDMUNDS: I don't know.
Maybe a Jeep club got hold of it and decided
to have fun and move some rocks around to make it harder.
I don't know.
Or maybe they just got a little bit cagier with their ratings
and it's no different than it was before.
I think it's time to air down.
JASON KAVANAGH: OK.
DAN EDMUNDS: We're gonna take about 10 PSI out of the tires.
Maybe a little bit more.
Make them more compliant so that they wrap around the rocks
rather than bounce off them.
Get a little bit bigger footprint.
More traction.
And every little bit helps.
And when you get to a trail that's got this rating,
you pretty much have to do it.
JASON KAVANAGH: OK.
And we'll be ready to put it in 4 low
and maybe lock the diffs, too, possibly.
DAN EDMUNDS: We won't lock the diffs
until we get to an obstacle that requires that, because you
don't want to do it all the time because you just bind up
around corners.
JASON KAVANAGH: And this thing-- the ZR2--
has a front and rear locker.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah.
JASON KAVANAGH: The TRD Pro has only a rear locker.
DAN EDMUNDS: Exactly.
And that is an advantage for this truck.
JASON KAVANAGH: Definitely.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah, for sure.
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So we're on the way to White Mountain, which
is on the way to Big Bear.
So far I'm still in high-range four-wheel drive.
No reason for low range yet.
But I expect that will change in a few minutes.
This is the part of the trail I remember.
It was very loose and rocky.
And you just have to kind of keep your momentum and power
through.
And right now I'm having trouble.
Well, not really trouble.
Let's just- well you can see I'm bouncing around.
You just have to work your way through it.
SPEAKER 1: You're good.
OK.
DAN EDMUNDS: There's a rock about this tall.
It's taller than I've got access to.
So I'm trying to drive around it.
I got the front around it, but the back is up against it.
So what we're going to do is make a little ramp
with a rock or two and pop it up.
We'll see if that works.
SPEAKER 1: Whoa, wait!
OK, you're good.
JASON KAVANAGH: So we just came to the other side of the hill
and the terrain has changed significantly.
I encountered a lot more sharp-looking rocks.
I was a little concerned about the tires on this.
They're just not quite as hardcore as what's on the ZR2.
But to my surprise, these tires have been fine.
I mean, they've been taking everything in stride.
I've had no traction issues whatsoever.
And so far I haven't cut a tire, so either my caution
is paying off or, more likely, these tires
are just more robust than I'm giving them credit for.
Just after comparing them side by side with the ZR2's tires,
you know I've got to say I have a little bit of tire envy.
Those things are pretty gnarly on the ZR2.
DAN EDMUNDS: One of the things about this truck that I don't
like is the shock absorbers in the rear
are mounted in the middle of the axle,
halfway between the tire and the differential.
Instead of having just the differential hanging down
and having that be the low point,
you've got two lower shock mounts
that hang down even lower than the differential.
So you've got three things to worry about when you're
going over rocks like this.
The Tacoma tucks it shocks up against the wheel.
And so it's a lot more open underneath there.
The diff is the low point and the shocks
are out where the wheels are, so they go up
when the wheel goes up.
But this truck-- if I try to straddle something,
I've got to be really careful.
JASON KAVANAGH: So crawl control is
awesome in the Toyota TRD Pro.
It allows you to get unstuck from places that you otherwise
might be stuck in.
It's not a gimmick.
It actually works really well.
There were a couple of points where I just
couldn't get traction.
I couldn't get enough grip using my throttle control
with my foot.
But using the crawl control, man it
just motored right over the sticky spot
with very little difficulty.
So that's a thing that you can get not only on the TRD Pro.
On the other lower-level Tacomas it's available.
DAN EDMUNDS: Hey, I think I'm at the top.
Oh man, the wind is blowing like crazy.
I don't want to get out.
So yeah, that long rocky stretch--
yeah, that's kind of a signature on this trail.
It's not hard.
It's just you've got to keep at it.
Keep your momentum up and not go too fast,
not snag a rock on something important.
JASON KAVANAGH: Yeah, it's all about finding the right speed.
You need some speed, but too much is deadly.
So is the trail to the top like what we just did,
or what's it like?
DAN EDMUNDS: In 15 years, I don't remember.
I think it gets a little easier.
JASON KAVANAGH: Yeah, OK.
DAN EDMUNDS: We've reached the summit of White Mountain.
Now we're losing the light and we've got to get to Big Bear.
Looks foresty, doesn't it?
We have trees.
Yay!
And pine cones.
And smooth, silky roads.
Not nearly as many rocks.
JASON KAVANAGH: Well, we made it to the bottom.
The wind is no longer 60 miles per hour.
We're feeling much more comfortable.
And for the descent we switched vehicles.
So I was in the ZR2.
Dan was in the TRD Pro.
Dan, any observations that jumped out about this?
DAN EDMUNDS: Almost immediately, I
realized that I could see out over the hood better.
You know, the hood is just not as prominent, especially out
at the corners.
And it also doesn't feel as wide.
The ZR2 has those extended fenders
that stick out to cover the wider suspension that it has.
The other thing I noticed is the throttle.
I really like the way that the throttle
responds in the Tacoma.
I really didn't expect that.
And I also think it made up for the fact
that it doesn't have an eight-speed
and its crawl ratio isn't as good as the ZR2's on paper.
Effectively, though, it was easier
to drive in those low-speed crawling situations.
JASON KAVANAGH: I agree.
I noticed that too.
And overall, I was kind of surprised at how well this TRD
Pro performed off road.
I kind of thought going in that it
would be outclassed by the ZR2 given
what kind of mega hardware that thing has.
So now is the time you got to make a decision.
If it was your money, what would you buy--
TRD Pro or Colorado ZR2?
DAN EDMUNDS: Hmm, I think I'd have to go with the TRD Pro.
JASON KAVANAGH: Yeah, I'm conflicted
because I'm not nearly as off-road oriented as you are.
DAN EDMUNDS: Right.
JASON KAVANAGH: So I want to get a TRD Pro with the Colorado
ZR2's powertrain in it.
Well, now that that's settled, or not settled--
DAN EDMUNDS: Not settled.
JASON KAVANAGH: We're going to go get some dinner.
Thanks for watching.
Go to edmunds.com for more videos.
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