TSS Off Road is an impressive vehicle with a nice ground clearance to avoid the stumps and bumps during light off-roading excursions. But, its suspension and angles are lacking if you want to do some serious off-roading.

Although it’s strongly implied in the model name that the Tundra TSS Off Road is good for off-roading, it’s probably best to keep it casual. That means instead of checking out rugged river canyons and gulches, stick with the well-formed trails and light off-roading recreational areas if you drive the Tundra TSS.

It's simply not as well equipped for real off-roading as, for instance, the Toyota Tundra TRD Off Road. However, that doesn’t mean you need to keep your Tundra TSS on asphalt only. You can take it out for casual and light off-roading, as long as you're mindful of its limitations.

To help you understand what the 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS Off Road is—and is not—capable of,

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, the

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, has a handy guide on everything to know about going off the beaten path in your Tundra TSS.

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Can the 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS Off Road actually go off-road?

It can definitely go off-road, but maybe a more appropriate question is, can it come back? It depends on what kind of terrain you try out. While the Tundra TSS has a nice ground clearance, its approach, departure, and break-over angles just don’t add up to extreme off-roading.

However, if you want a big truck that’s reliable, looks cool, and holds its value well, and you only plan on some casual off-roading at most, the 2021 Tundra TSS Off Road might be the right pick for you. Brand new, its starting MSRP was $35,820. Today, you can buy a used 2021 Tundra for anywhere from $33,049 to $35,600.

But before you decide to buy, let’s look at the Tundra TSS off-road-specific specs.

Ground clearance

Often, the first thing a driver looks at in a potential off-roading vehicle is ground clearance. Ground clearance is a measurement between the ground and the lowest point of your car’s chassis. For off-roading, you’ll want a minimum of 8.8 inches.

However, you don’t want to go too much higher than 10.8 inches, because the higher the ground clearance, the less stability your vehicle has.

The 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS Off Road has a respectable 10.1-inch ground clearance. It’s about a half-inch higher than the

Toyota 4Runner

and a half-inch lower than many

Jeep Grand Cherokee

models.

Torque

Next, you’ll want to look at torque—specifically, low-end torque. Low-end torque shows us how much torque your truck produces at a lower RPM. A good RPM range for a maximum low-end torque is between 2,000 and 4,000 RPM.

High torque at a low RPM gives your vehicle more lower-gear power, which allows it to crawl out of rough terrain.

This is an area where the 2021 Tundra TSS excels. It has an excellent low-end torque range of 401 lb-ft at 3,600 RPM. It’s not as great as the

Chevy Silverado RST Off Road

, but it’s better than the

Ford F150 Off-Road’s

modest low-end torque.

Tires

Looking at tires, you’ll want to consider the width and the terrain conditions you’ll be driving in. Wide tires are great for getting traction in dry off-roading conditions. But if it’s going to be slick or icy, a narrower tire is better because it allows the weight of the vehicle to bear down and gain more grip.

The 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS uses 255/70R18 tires. That means with tires that are 255 centimeters wide, you should have contact pressure for decent traction on sand, dirt, gravel, and rock surfaces.

Drivetrain

Depending on who you ask, you might get different answers on whether a rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) is better for offroading. With the Tundra TSS, for better or for worse, you get RWD.

That gives you the benefit of better control and power transfer, as well as less potential for wear and tear to the drivetrain.

An AWD off-roader would give you traction in all four of your wheels, allowing more leverage for climbing out of rugged conditions.

Angles

Although it’s the last spec of our list, it is far from the least important—the angles for approach, departure, and break-over all determine just what your truck is capable of climbing over.

Here’s what the names of these angle measurements mean:

Approach angle is the measure of how steep an incline your car can handle on the approach. It’s the limit of incline which will allow the vehicle to proceed without scraping the underside.

Departure angle is a similar measurement to the approach angle, except it refers to going down from an incline. As you depart, your vehicle will be limited on the degree of the decline it takes without scraping the bottom.

Breakover angle tells us just how steep of a peak your car can climb over without hitting the underside. It basically can keep you from getting high-centered.

This is where the Tundra TSS falters—the angles are very modest for off-roading, which means no extreme dips and peaks unless you make some modifications. The 2021 Tundra TSS Off Road approach angle is 27 degrees, the departure is 17 degrees, and the breakover is 16.9 degrees.

Off-road rating: Rough and ready

Jerry

uses the rather unconventional DIRT rating system to grade a vehicle’s off-road capabilities. Here’s how it works:

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 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS Off Road gets an R rating. You can take it out for a spin off the beaten path, as long as you don’t go anywhere too rugged.

MORE:

Toyota AWD cars

The best off-road alternatives to the 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS Off Road

If you’re not yet entirely sold on the 2021 Toyota Tundra TSS Off Road, look into these models as comparable alternatives:

Alternative	Model	Price	Description
Most popular alternative	2020 Ford F150	$30,000	The Ford F150 is well-known and widely driven, which in itself is a testament to its quality. It has lots of configurations, though sadly lacks a V8 option. However, its 3.3 L V6 can get 290 hp at 6,500 rpm.
Best comparable price alternative	Chevrolet Silverado 1500	$34,600	The Silverado isn’t exactly known for comfort, but then again, neither is the Tundra. Like the F150, it offers an extensive variety of possible configurations. Its 2.7 L inline-four makes 310 hp at 5,600 rpm.
Highest priced alternative	Ram 1500	$45,480	With a best-in-class interior, comparable performance specs to its competitors, and premium technology features, the Ram 1500 is highly-rated, though it’s pricey. The 3.6 L V6 can make 305 hp at 6,500 rpm.

MORE:

Dodge Ram 1500 towing capacity

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How to find affordable car insurance for off-road vehicles

One thing about off-roading is that it isn’t cheap. It takes extra fuel, maintenance, and sometimes modifications to get your rig ready for off-road adventure. Luckily, you can find ways to save on car insurance—and it’s easy with

Jerry

No matter what kind of car you drive, Jerry can help you pin down

cheap car insurance

without sacrificing coverage or quality. Just download the Jerry app and start by answering a few questions. Right away, Jerry will prepare and send you a set of competitive car insurance quotes from its network of 55+ top providers.

When you find the policy that’s right for you, Jerry makes switching over easy! No need to mess with any paperwork or phone calls. You can do it all from your mobile phone, via the Jerry app, and by texting! Best of all is that the average Jerry user saves more than $800 a year on car insurance!