Tacoma TRD Pro: Real World Towing Test
An unstoppable Toyota goes up against its off-road-ready rival, the Chevy Colorado ZR2, in an uphill towing test!
We always love when people take vehicles out of their natural elements for road tests. The Fast Lane Truck does this regularly and on this comparison, they tested the Tacoma TRD Pro head-to-head with the Chevy Colorado ZR2 in a towing competition.
Both trucks come advertised as readymade off-roading tools. For example, the TRD Pro comes with heavy-duty FOX Internal Bypass shocks to handle the brutal torment off the beaten path. Toyota also added Goodyear Wrangler tires with Kevlar reinforcement on 16-inch wheels. You’ll also find a 3.5-liter V6 with a louder cat-back exhaust and TRD ¼-inch skid plates at the front.
In addition, the driver assistance modes include a bevy of off-road tools like Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control, and Hill Start Assist Control. The Colorado is, generally speaking, similarly equipped: V6, fun-intended suspension, big tires, etc. They both run in a similar price range, too.
Notice that nothing in either description says anything about towing capacity. The off-road capable truck seems unlikely to do some serious towing, but TFL Truck decides to see how they handle that challenge nevertheless. That means climbing a steep section of hilly road with a 5,000-pound horse trailer.
Surprisingly, both handle the challenge well enough. The Colorado runs it slightly faster but only by a couple seconds over an eight-minute run. The Tacoma makes a bit more noise — again, the cat-back exhaust will do that — but they’re both otherwise deemed worthy tow vehicles.
That means plenty of fun on the trails, so bring your little hauler for the quads. Unload them, disconnect the trailer, and then go have fun with the TRD Pro alongside the quads. Winning for everyone!