The 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road enhanced the already powerful Tacoma by adding on the coveted off-roading package. This upped its off-road performance with distinctive driver assistance features and an enhanced design for uneven terrain.

The 2012 Tacoma isn’t up to the most extreme off-road courses—leave that to models like the

Land Rover Discovery

—but it can manage a respectable degree of off-road terrain if you know its limits.

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, is here to lay out the 2012 Tacoma TRD Off-Road’s capabilities and limits for you, so you can hit the trail and explore with confidence. But to fully protect yourself you'll want to make sure you have the best

Toyota Tacoma insurance

possible.

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Can the 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road go off-road?

Definitely—they don’t call it the off-road package for nothing. It brought the right upgrades and equipment to make the Tacoma truly off-road ready. If you’re looking for a good, used pickup to take off the beaten path, this model year is a great option.

Another factor in its favor is the starting price of $17,125. If you’re on a budget or you’re relatively new to off-roading and just want to dip a toe, you can take the 2012 Tacoma without breaking the bank.

Keep in mind that this truck is a decade old now, so it won’t have all the same standard features as its younger siblings. But the off-road package equipped 2012 Tacoma TRD is still plenty well ready for a rugged excursion. The off-road package gave it Billstein shocks, hill start assist control, downhill assist control, and an electronic locking rear differential.

Here are a few more key specs making the 2012 Tacoma TRD Off-Road truly trail-ready:

Ground clearance

When you’re looking at an off-road vehicle candidate, one of the first things to check is its ground clearance. Ground clearance tells us how much space there is between the lowest part of your vehicle’s chassis and the ground underneath.

It’s nice to be able to pass over obstacles on the trail, but you also need to know your vehicle’s limits. Ridiculously high ground clearance could disrupt your car’s center of gravity and leave you vulnerable to turn-over.

The 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road features a reasonable but capable ground clearance of 9.4 inches. This will let you pass over rocks, stumps, and even some wildlife without scraping the bottom.

The ideal ground clearance range to go off-roading is something between 8.8 and 10.8 inches. The 2012 Tacoma TRD Off-Road falls squarely in this range without going overboard.

Torque

Next, you’ll want to look at low-end torque. Torque measures your engine’s rotational force, which is what gives it its pulling power. It’s like measuring the amount of elbow grease your truck could put into a haul—if your truck had elbows.

The low-end part of this refers to getting a high rotational force at a lower RPM. That means your truck can do heavy grunt work at lower speeds—ideal for crawling out of rocky riverbeds or over uneven terrain.

The 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road isn’t a superstar when it comes to low-end torque. It gets 180 lb-ft of torque at 3800 RPM. That’s not necessarily poor, but intense off-roaders like the

Ford F-150 Raptor

go to low-end torque extremes with 510 lb-ft at just 3000 RPM.

Tires

The 2012 Toyota Off-Road package came with P265/70R16BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. However, that was 10 years ago, and if they’re still somehow on the 2012 Tacoma you’re looking to ride, they desperately need to be replaced.

Drivetrain

There are two main schools of thought on off-road drivetrain. One is in favor of all-wheel-drive, which offers great traction but tends to wear down sooner. The other favors the control and power transfer of read-wheel-drive in exchange for the traction you’ll miss out on.

The 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-road has a rear-wheel-drive powertrain.

Angles

Next up on our list are your vehicle’s approach angle and departure angle. If you’re not familiar with these, here’s what they mean:

Approach angle: This tells us the highest angle of incline that your vehicle can climb up without any interference.

Departure angle: This is the maximum decline angle that your truck can handle without interference.

The 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road compensates for its poor low-end torque with its impressive angles. Its approach angle is 35° and the departure angle is 26°.

Off-road rating: Rough and ready

Jerry

has developed DIRT, an off-road readiness evaluation system, to grade vehicles like the 2012 Tacoma TRD Off-Road on their off-roading capabilities. Here are how those grading standards work:

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

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The 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road gets an R rating. It’s close to the T (Trail Boss) level, but not quite there yet. Still, you can take the 2012 Tacoma out for most of your off-road adventures.

MORE:

Toyota Tacoma towing capacity

The best off-road alternatives to the 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road

To help you make a decision or find other avenues to explore, we’ve compiled a list of possible alternatives comparable to the 2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road, including:

Alternative	Model	Price	Description
Best affordable alternative	2010 Nissan Frontier	$17,540	The 2010 Nissan Frontier received high marks for off-roading upon its release, but it’s powered by a smallish 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that only gets 152 horsepower.
Best expensive alternative	2013 Toyota 4Runner	$31,490	Despite being nearly a decade old, the 270-hp V6 Toyota 4Runner has held an impressive amount of resale value.
Best mid-priced alternative	2012 Toyota Tundra	$25,155	Here’s another V6 option that gets a decent 236 horsepower and is suitable for off-roading.

MORE:

The best Toyota Tacoma aftermarket parts

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How to find affordable car insurance for off-road vehicles

There’s a lot to love about off-roading, but you can’t escape the inevitable downside of higher expenses. Off-roading vehicles require special maintenance services, more fuel, and often more expensive insurance. But, you can find significant savings if you shop for your insurance with

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