Toyota celebrates Baja Racing and pushes the envelope of off-road capability with the SEMA bound Tacoma TRD ProRunner Race Concept.
Toyota is celebrating past aprtnerships and erhaps previewing a future Tacoma variant with the Tacoma TRD ProRunner Race Concept.
Toyota’s commitment to the off-road truck market has been an enduring symbol of the company’s U.S. identity with models like the venerable Toyota Tacoma and Tundra pickups continuing to be the figurative crown jewels in the company’s growing lineup of pickup and SUV models. The Tacoma in particular has managed to build a commendable consumer following among customers and the off-road community.
This following as well as its racing pedigree inspired the company to create the Tacoma Baja Concept which will be making its debut at the 2024 SEMA show in Las Vegas where it will share the stage with other concepts from the Japanese auto giant.
Don’t judge this Tacoma by its cover
The concept uses mostly stock parts but the upgardes that are present are in the finer details.
At first glance, the Toyota Tacoma Baja Concept might seem like it’s a retread of more familiar Tacoma variants like the TRD Pro and even the TrailHunter but this is a different breed of Tacoma. In this case, Toyota partnered with NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson and Legacy Motor Club with a Tacoma 2-door XtraCab serving as the donor vehicle. The company says that the concept is supposed to show what a potential entry in the Baja Stock Mid-Size Class could look like if it ever hit the track with the concept featuring TRD Pro Mudbath paint with the paintwork being accented with black decals and retro-inspired red, yellow, and orange decals with chrome mirror covers and door handles providing more flash. The tailgate has been replaced with a net in an attempt to shave some weight but an ARB-sourced sportbar comes with custom lighting while a spare tire carrier in the back allows the truck to carry its own spare tire.
The interior gets a custom roll cage and multi-point racing harnesses but since this is a vehicle in the stock class, the company’s innovative IsoDynamic performance seats are along for the ride and come with their own shock absorbers to improve comfort and support especially over challenging terrain.
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Stock performance hardware carries over
The concept itself will most likely not see production but a special edition model that shares some of the concept’s core look could come in the future.
Performance for the Race Concept comes from the Tacoma’s i-FORCE 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder which is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission which might disappoint some enthusiasts that wanted to see Toyota take a risk and equip the concept with a traditional manual transmission but considering what it’s trying to emulate, we understand the company preferring to go with what works versus trying to think outside the box.
The bulk of the upgrades are found in the suspension anyway with the truck getting TRD Pro Fox Quick Switch 3 components featuring internal bypass shock absorbers and internal resevoirs. TRD also upgraded the front control arms and provided several skid plates to help protect the engine and other vulnerable components from damage while the truck is navigating over tough obstacles including rocks.
While the chances of this entering production are slim at best (partly due to Toyota wanting to avoid adding too much glut to the already sizable trim ladder) the concept is a glimpse into what buyers can do if they are willing to add some extra punch and capability to their Tacoma with most of the upgrades being off the shelf parts. It could also spawn a special edition down the road that emulates some of the concept’s core look but time will tell if Toyota gets enough interest from show attendees to do just that.
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