2023 Off Road vs Trail Edition

I'm still waiting on to buy my first tacoma. I've been set on the off road, but my local dealer told me a trail edition arrived which I have no knowledge about. I read the trail edition is an sr5 but with makeup. He said its no different than the off road. It has crawl control, blind spot monitoring, also has a cooler installed in the bed. Also mentioned that it's closer to the trd pro and has a factory lift. Just want to know what you guys think and if you do own the trail special edition from 2023 what is your take on it

 

Here are a few, there are several more.
BTW: you are running out of time on 2023s

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trail-edition-vs-trd-off-road.753143/
regarding the silly boxes https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-think-of-the-bed-boxes.807723/#post-28966144
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/help-me-pick-my-first-tacoma.806656/page-3#post-28933347

 

FYI: Trail Edition does not have Crawl Control. I like the Trail Edition if you're not going to change the suspension. It has a rear locker but no Fog lights. Agree with @Chew that time is ticking on getting a 2023. Good luck

 

Unless you're going to off road every day I find crawl control to be pointless. That's why I went with the Trd sport

 

I just picked one up last week. Put my old wheels and tires on from my 2nd gen. I
had the choice of the trail or TRD OR. I chose the trail based on the looks over the TRD. Painted rear bumper, Sr5 tails, special edition wheels, lift and trd pro grille. I feel like the truck has a much cleaner look stock. I did debage it minus the tacoma on the door.

I would gladly take all these items over crawl control. I also felt the trail suspension has a softer feel over the off road. Both trucks were about the same price with almost identical options.

Only thing I don't like about the trail is lack of fogs and lack of headlight options. I really like the upgraded headlights you can get on the TRD models.

Also the storage boxes they come with in the bed are useless. I took them out the first day I had the truck.

 

More useful than the skewp

 

Not sure if you can option crawl control but honestly it’s not something I would be too concerned about. I paid $44k for my trail with tech package, side steps, some stupid cell cable package, safety package, and some nice dealer perks. Lifetime oil changes / powertrain warranty.

 

Skewp?

 

They are pretty useless, lol, have not removed mine yet.

 

The fake hood scoop. Sometimes referred to as a "skewp" on this forum.

 

Lol. I get it.
At least you can see my hood scoop.

 

What size are the tires? They look like 285's for sure - any rubbing with just the 1" lift?

 

Just 265/75r16. I've deff found the ridge grapplers look a bit bigger that most 265s. Could also be the angle too.

The trail claims 1.1 inches of lift, but in my opinion it looks like more.

 

I like how the Trail Edition looks stock. I also like how it comes with the rear locker.

I didn't really care about crawl control. I off-road just fine with my TRD Off-Road that does NOT have crawl control.

 

I have the 2020 TRD Offroad. Contrary to some other comments, I really like the MTS (multi-terrain select). You can set it when you are in 4-Lo to rock, dirt/rock, moguls, or dirt/sand. It really helps with traction when you are off road in those conditions. I try MTS before I use the locker to lock my rear wheels. I find that I can get out of tough situations about 90% of the time with the MTS (sometimes called A-Trac in earlier models). The other 10% I use the rear locker.

As for Crawl Control, I find that really useless and really annoying. It is REALLY noisy and slow--sounds like your truck is coming apart with it on. MTS with or without the real axle locked is much better and easier.

 

I don't care for the glorified cruise control on the ORs or the Pros because I don't want the repair bill when the unit breaks. A locker is nice feature as I have had them on the past 4wd vehicles I have owned and never used them as I'm not a hard-core offroader. I do some trail riding, beach driving and the occasional snowy roads but typically my 99 4Runner handles those chores. I like the other features of the off road but the Trail is nice. If I had the trail all I would do is tint the windows and add some 285s Toyo AT3s, add a set of Rigid fogs and call it the day

 

I have had both 2023 Trail Edition and had a 2022 TRD Off-Road (the 2022 was totaled by some jack wagon that blew through a stop sign), I have to say I prefer the Trail Edition. Unless you are getting the Premium package on the Off-Road, you are going to have similarly equipped vehicles (minus crawl control and multi-terrain select and fogs). I added the rigid fog light to mine (they are prewired and there is a great write-up on the forum on how to do it.), the lift on the trail is mild at best (like an inch). With the off-road you can get the LED headlights from the factory, but this is something that you can do aftermarket or post delivery. I found the crawl control and MTS to be pointless where I live, it works great in the sand, but did nothing once you start getting bogged down in mud or red clay. However, the locker and a little dead fall has usually done the trick to get me out of that situation. As VaToy said above I don't want the repair bill on the MTS and crawl control should it ever fails. The trail edition is an off-road capable truck without these bells and whistles, however we are just a bunch of strangers on the internet giving you our two cents, this is a decision you will have to make for yourself and get the truck that will best suit your needs.

So having been behind the well of each vehicle as an owner, I do prefer the trail edition over the off-road, but there are a couple of creature comforts that I miss, like my heated leather seats, but hated the sunroof that was part of the premium package, but that is about it.

 

I really do like MTS but Crawl control is dumb.

I definitely wouldn’t let not having MTS or CC keep me from buying the trail.

Good luck!

 

You can’t go wrong with either. I went with the trail because I wanted a “simple” truck without the CC/MTS which I knew I wouldn’t use. Trail has the locker which means an OR sized rear diff. Another point not mentioned here yet is the trail is an sr5 so it has a vacuum brake booster as opposed to the electric brake booster/control unit required to make the OR terrain features work. I would never notice but some have claimed to strongly prefer the “feel” of the vacuum boost in their brake pedal vs the electric module which also makes a subtly irritating noise (again I can’t confirm from personal experience).

For me the trail edition (minus the bed boxes, throw them away lol) was the closest truck I could get 20 years later to my rear locking 2004 SR5 4x4, which I love for its simplicity. Spare me the fancy electronic features, moonroof, sonor, etc - it’s a pickup not a Range Rover. All I wanted was a clean look, rear locker, and stock lift which I agree rides much better than the OR.

You can DIY add fogs, seat covers with heaters, tailgate lock, etc.

Also btw Trail owners are rabid fans of their Trail editions, so beware!

 

They take up SO much room but I wonder, is the insulated one any good for keeping drinks cool? I have a buddy who bought a trail edition and he literally threw them away a couple months after getting the truck. Nobody wanted to buy them.

I wanted just the insulated one.