has a reputation for smarts and versatility, and the 2002 TRD Off-Road package doesn’t disappoint. Adrenaline junkies can enjoy a suite of off-road features like heavy-duty shocks, reinforced suspension, and rugged tires—for a reasonable $1,380.

TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development, the team responsible for developing Toyota’s racetrack performances as well as its hottest-selling special editions. Here, they’ve stamped their name on a comprehensive package for the 2002 Toyota Tacoma that’s aimed squarely at off-road enthusiasts. You can find it on the

PreRunner Regular Cab

($13,890) or

Xtracab

($16,490), plus their

4x4 equivalents

($17,210 and $19,520).

For the full list of features and how they impact your off-roading experience, look no further—

Jerry

, the

licensed insurance broker

and

car super app

—has what you need to know about the 2002 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road package.

Does the TRD Off-Road package make the 2002 Toyota Tacoma a good off-road vehicle?

Yes. Toyota was smart and generous when designing the 2002 Tacoma TRD Off-Road package. You’ll be able to conquer mud, sand, dirt, and snow with higher ground clearance and better approach and departure angles, plus:

High-pressure gas Bilstein shocks on all four corners

Special locking rear differential (not available on PreRunners with both a four-cylinder engine and standard four-speed automatic transmission)

Progressive-rate front coil springs and increased-rate, rigid multi-leaf rear suspension

Larger, thicker stabilizer bar

Five-spoke, 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, and P265/70R16 B.F. Goodrich tires

Black fender flares

TRD logos and graphics inside and out

As mentioned, the TRD Off-Road package can only be paired with a PreRunner or 4x4 model with either a Regular Cab or Xtracab. Furthermore, 4x4s with both the 2.7L four-cylinder engine and automatic four-speed transmission are out of luck—just one more reason to upgrade to the 3.4L V6 engine, anyway.

If you’re still not convinced it’s worth the $1,380, here’s a closer look at why we at Jerry think the TRD Off-Road package makes a great buy:

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Ground clearance

Ground clearance (a measurement of the distance between your vehicle’s chassis and the ground below) is essential for off-roading. If you’re heading towards a 7.0-inch boulder, 8.5 inches of ground clearance makes all the difference between rolling over it or denting your fender—or scraping apart the fuel lines and engine components of your undercarriage!

The pros recommend 6.6-8.7 inches for gravel, 8.8-9.4 inches for over-landing, and a minimum of 10.8 inches for rock-crawling. The 8.1 inches of ground clearance on the base Tacoma would just barely cut it—but in a Regular Cab, the TRD Off-Road package puts you 12.0 inches into the air! Due to their bigger size, the Xtracab PreRunners and 4x4s sit at a lower 11.2 inches, but that’s still enough to take you over dunes, hills, and rocky fields.

Torque

Torque measures the maximum power that can be wrenched from an engine in pound-feet. The number of RPM (Rotations Per Minute) tells you how fast the engine has to be turning over in order for this to happen. But good off-road drivers don’t often floor the accelerator—that’s why it’s best to look for a high amount of torque at a low RPM.

The TRD Off-Road package doesn’t touch the powertrain, so let’s take a look at the Tacoma’s engine options. The PreRunner Regular Cab, PreRunner Xtracab, and 4x4 Regular Cab are issued with a 2.7L four-cylinder engine that can manage 177 lb-ft at 4,000 RPM. It’s decent but not as good as the optional 3.4L V6, which can crank the wheels with 220 lb-ft of force at 3,600 RPM.

If you can afford it, look for a used model with the $5,160 engine upgrade or the 4x4 Xtracab, where it comes standard. If you can’t, that’s okay—it’s not a hard requirement for the TRD Off-Road package.

Tires

While

all-terrain tires

do a great job on, well, everywhere, off-road tires will always outmatch them. That being said, the P265/70R16 B.F. Goodrich tires included in the TRD Off-Road package aren’t too shabby.

Billed as “Rugged Trail” tires, they feature thickened, split-resistant, bruise-resistant rubber CoreGuard sidewalls derived from the brand’s famous Baja T/A KR2 racing product. The tread is super-stabilizing and designed to deflect protruding objects away from the tires before making contact. Most impressively, they exceed the severe snow traction requirements set by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC).

Again, Toyota shows its attention to detail by sourcing a brand that’s popular among the off-roading crowd. Attend enough rallies and you’ll soon recognize the iconic raised white sidewall lettering on sight.

Drivetrain

Picture yourself pushing a heavy cart out of a slippery ditch. If you keep pushing from behind, as in a rear-wheel-drive Tacoma PreRunner, you might find it hard to find traction and support the cart’s weight at the same time. On the other hand, if you had a friend pulling from the top at the same time (as in an all-wheel-drive 4x4), you’d probably find it easier to get your footing.

So why would anyone choose a PreRunner? Well, seasoned pros can save several thousand dollars (and about 400 lbs.) by relying on their skills to steer them out of trouble. If you don’t have the off-roading experience, stick with the 4x4.

Angles

Draw a line from the point where the center of the Tacoma’s front wheels touch the ground to the very lowest point of the front bumper. That’s the angle of approach. Do the same for the rear wheels and the rear bumper: that’s the angle of departure. These numbers measure the maximum steepness of a slope that the truck can climb (or descend) without meeting interference.

With or without the TRD Off-Road package, the Tacoma makes a fairly agile mountain goat, with Regular Cab bodies able to climb at 35° and descend at 26°. Xtracabs, on the other hand, lose a small amount of climbing power due to their size and have an angle of approach/departure of 33°/25°.

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Off-road rating: Trail Boss

Perhaps a 2002 Tacoma isn’t the right truck for you, but we hope you’ll agree it’s a pretty good off-roader. Considering its enhanced suspension, ground clearance, torque, tires, drivetrain, and angles,

Jerry

gives the TRD Off-Road-equipped Tacoma a “T” for “Trail Boss.”

Rating	Meaning	Description
D	Don’t Try It	Vehicles better suited to highway conditions
I	In a Pinch	Vehicles that can handle off-road conditions in certain circumstances
R	Rough and Ready	Vehicles designed for casual off-roading
T	Trail Boss	True off-road vehicles capable of tackling a range of terrain

Thanks to an impressive foundation and even more impressive equipment, we’d say any PreRunner or 4x4 Tacoma is more than ready to face the worst off-road conditions. The TRD Off-Road package is still going strong today and as long as it maintains the high standards it established in 1997, that’s not about to change.

MORE:

The best old-school off-road vehicles

The best off-road alternatives to the 2002 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road

Maybe the Tacoma’s price isn’t right for you, or maybe it’s the size,

towing capacity

, or paint options. There are plenty of alternatives on the market, including the Tacoma’s biggest competitors:

Alternative	Model	Price	Description
Best budget alternative	2002 Nissan Frontier King Cab XE 2WD	$14,849	This stylish little compact truck is light on its wheels and has the option to upgrade to a 3.3L V6.
Best compact	2004 Chevrolet Colorado Z85 RWD	$16,405	Another lightweight RWD, its 2.8L inline-four engine has great low-speed torque and can tow 4,000 lbs.
Best big brother	2002 Toyota Tundra Access Cab SR5 2WD	$22,975	The Tundra does everything bigger—cab, bed, and 4.7L V8 engine, which packs a 245-hp punch.

MORE: Cheap off-road trucks

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