500 mile Review: TRD OR 6MT

Configuration:
2024 Model Year
Build Date: 10/2024

Cargo: 1,200 - 112 accessories =1,088 lb

MSRP: $53,465 includes options:

• SF TRD Off-Road Premium Package
• OF Stabilizer Disconnect Mechanism (SDM)

Exterior:
Styling - It’s grown on me. The boxy, Tundra-look tailgate is my least favorite part. The Bronze Oxide looks interesting with the over-styled side sculpting. I really like the un-painted door handles, I need to figure out something to treat them with to prevent them from fading.

Bed - pre-production vehicles on YouTube had very slick and shiny composite beds. My truck’s bed seems to be the same finish as the 3rd gen. I do have an OEM mat which seems to be very similar to the 3rd gen. I don’t know why a spray-in bedliner is offered.

OEM hard tonneau cover - seems much lighter than 3rd gen. It also seems harder to remove. It seems to leak a bit more too, even though they have drain tubes which give the impression it won’t leak. It’s a quality cover, but I wish it was easier to remove. I also wish it didn’t cover the digital rear camera when it is open.

Fuel door - I don’t understand why the door doesn’t lock when the doors lock. (I know its not designed that why, but this seems like a problem European vehicles solved in the 80s or earlier)

Interior:
Under-seat storage- this is an improvement from 3rd gen. I have two camping chairs, a 12V air compressor, tools and a few more things under the seat. The behind seat storage seems to be less than 3rd gen.

Cup holders- there are so many but none seem designed for today’s large format travel cups or stainless steel water bottles.

Gauge Cluster:
This is probably the weakest part of the interior. It looks good but doesn’t allow you to quickly flip through different information like older Toyotas. You configure three ‘desktops’ and can toggle through them. There is no trip reset button and you have to have a screen section on one desktop devoted to Trip A or B and you have to go there when you fill up and reset the info there. I had to go to YouTube to figure out how to do this. I don’t have any issues with tire pressure going away, so that seems to have been addressed in later 2024 builds.

Multimedia:
I hate to admit I really like the 14” screen. I have kept the surround view camera setting on Auto and like to be able to almost immediately see obstacles around me in parking lots or other tight situations.

More often than I would like, the system will show the embedded navigation map. I wish I could lock that out so I was always in CarPlay unless I want to change radio stations or infrequently adjust settings.

I have actually used the Bluetooth speaker twice while washing the truck. I figured I would never pop that out of the dash.

Locks/Unlocks:
Automatic tailgate - Coming from a 3rd gen where the tailgate was locked with a physical key, it is great to have all the options to lock/unlock/open the tailgate. There is a button on the dash handy for trips to the nursery to pickup mulch or trips to the airport. The buttons in the tailgate on either side are nice, but I wonder if it would have been better and less expensive to have a leg kick activated gate like many SUVs have. The keyfob tailgate open button is great and you can even unlock the gate with the Toyota app.

Key card:
I keep the keycard in my wallet and have driven the vehicle without having my keys. It even has digital key which I setup to see if it would work and then de-activated as I don’t have an interest in using it.

Steering Column Lock: I saw a YouTube video claiming their steering column didn’t lock. Mine does.

Auto Lock at speed: My manual transmission truck does not lock, even though the owner’s manual says it should and my 3rd gen locked automatically. I am coming from a GR86 which also didn’t lock automatically.

Fuel Economy - in this short period, I have only been able to get 12MPG on two full tanks. This is exclusively city driving but I could get 16 MPG+ with my 3rd gen manual. I am still getting used to the low redline of the engine and seem to get a little better economy by keeping the revs higher. Throttle response is unnatural and makes rev matched downshifts a bit difficult. The transmission does shift smoothly and seems to be significantly better than the 3rd gen, but the fuel economy and low redline are going to take a while to get used to.

 

Good review, thanks. I’m only 24 hours into my 2024 off-road and the gauge cluster has been a pain to figure out. If you can post up the video you used, that’d be great. I haven’t been able to find a good one.

 

12 mpg?? That is terrible, thats Raptor R mpg.

 

I also get that amount with pure, 100%, big city driving with my 3rd gen. Stop and go traffic with a bunch of traffic lights really kills MPG

 

If I dig way back into my fuzzy memory, both of my 3rd gens got abysmal mileage for the first 750 miles. Both improved suddenly and dramatically once the driving-habit software kicked in.

Also from fuzzy memory, both 3rd gens' "abysmal" was 15-16 mpg. I get 12 when I'm towing a trailer at speeds greater than I should be.

 

12 mpg is pretty good if you’re bumping the redline? Try keeping your rpm’s below 3K max TQ starts at 1700. Completely different from the V6 2/3 gens.

 

Mine also started around 12 mpg for the first few tanks, but by 1000 miles it moved up to 18 mpg city.

 

Great! I hope mine follows as well.

 

Jesus I have 32k km on my offroad manual averaging 18-20

 

I can’t imagine that’s properly (manually) calculated meaning divide miles driven by gallons at fill up. Surely he’s just reading the computer indicated mpg which I wouldn’t trust.

 

Maybe its 12L per 100km lol

 

I avg 19.8 mpg over 4250 miles. My commute one way is 14 miles highway(driving 80mph or higher) and 10 miles of back roads at 30mph to 45mph. Not much stop and go but lots of hills. I drive the same route daily, and in my 2023 I was at 18 mpg.