Off-Road Special Editions - Part 3

Are all Off-Road Editions created equal?

By Budd Stanley, photos courtesy of Ford, GM, Chrysler, Nissan and Toyota.

Here's the third and final installment in our guide to Canada’s Off-Road Special Editions.

RAM

In years past, we got two flavours at Ram - mild and wild. Wild came in the form of the 2500 Power Wagon, which is to the Heavy Duty what the Raptor is to the 1500. When it comes to a big, powerful lumbering off-roader, the Power Wagon is the master of the HD terrain. However, for years Ram just hasn’t had a 1500 that could live up to the Power Wagons iconic abilities. With so many other quality full-size off-roaders on the market, Ram has finally dropped the gloves and given us what we’ve been begging them for years - a 1500 with off-road credibility.

Enter the Ram 1500 Rebel, not just a 1500 with some special edition graphics and floor mats, but an honest off-roader with real off-road parts that will do battle with all but the most extreme off-road special editions.

1500 Rebel - What you get:

  • Active-Level Four-Corner Air Suspension
  • Black badging including new "RAM" tailgate badge
  • Black lower two-tone paint
  • High-durability technical grain vinyl bucket seats in Red with Black fabric inserts
  • Toyo tire tread embossed seat pattern
  • Blacked-out Rebel grille with Billet Silver "RAM" badge
  • Sport performance hood
  • Flat-black wheel flares
  • 17-in aluminum wheels with Black pockets and 33-in Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires
  • Bilstein heavy-duty front and rear shocks
  • 3.92 rear axle ratio
  • Ground Clearance: 234 mm (9.2-in) (with air suspension)
  • Clearances: 25.3 ° approach, 23.0 ° departure, 19.6 ° breakover (with air suspension)
  • Package Price: $2,500
  • Starting Price: $56,290

2500 Power Wagon - What you get:

  • Ram Articulink front suspension system
  • Disconnecting Sway-bars
  • Bilstein gas-charged shocks
  • 2-in suspension lift
  • 33-in Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires
  • Front and rear electronic-locking differentials
  • Warn 12,000 lb winch
  • 4.10 axle ratio
  • Ground Clearance: 363 mm (14.3-in)
  • Clearances: 33.6 ° approach, 26.2 ° departure, 23.5 ° breakover
  • Package Price: $4,405
  • Starting Price: $60,290

TOYOTA

Another 4WD maker that is giving the people what they want is Toyota. While Toyota Canada had a line of TRD Off-Road trim lines that added some real world capability to the 4Runner, Tacoma and Tundra, our friends south of the 49th were basking in the glory that was the TRD Pro series editions of each 4WD. The TRD Pro editions could easily be considered watered down Raptors without the big power-adders, what with Bilstein remote reservoir shocks, proper lifts and skid-plating.

However fear not, Toyota Canada has heard our cries, and have brought the TRD Pro-Series badge north of the border. Both the Tacoma and Tundra are already on the Canadian market sporting TRD Pro-series graphics and equipment, while the 4Runner TRD Pro was just announced at the time of writing. When you consider that all these vehicles still have a TRD Off-Road trim package, Toyota has an impressive lineup of very capable off-road machinery that is Jeep’s biggest threat when it comes to all-terrain dominance.

4Runner TRD Pro - What you get:

  • TRD Bilstein Remote Reservoir Suspension Kit
  • TRD-Tuned Front Coil Springs
  • TRD Pro ¼-in Aluminum Skid Plate
  • TRD Pro Badging
  • 31.5-in Nitto Terra Grappler all-terrain tires
  • 17-in matte black TRD wheels
  • Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS)
  • Active Traction Control (A-TRAC)
  • 4-Wheel Crawl Control
  • Multi-Terrain Select
  • Multi-Terrain ABS
  • Rear Differential Lock
  • Hood Scoop
  • Optitron Instrumentation Gauges
  • Manual Shift 4WD Selector
  • Ground Clearance: TBA
  • Clearances: TBA
  • Package Price: TBA
  • Starting Price: TBA

Tacoma TRD Pro-Series  - What you get:

  • 16" Black Alloy Wheels
  • Wrangler All-Terrain Kevlar-reinforced tires
  • TRD Reservoir Suspension Kit
  • TRD-Tuned Front Coil & Rear Leaf Springs
  • TRD Pro ¼" Aluminum Skid Plate
  • TRD Pro Badging
  • Hood Scoop with Matte-Black Decal
  • Heritage "Toyota" Front Grille
  • "Rigid Industries" LED Fog Lights
  • Colour-Keyed Mirrors, Door Handles & Rear Bumper
  • Black Bezel Headlights & Taillights
  • Black TRD Pro Leather Seats
  • TRD Shift Knob
  • TRD Carpet Floor Mats
  • 4.2" Colour Multi-information Display
  • Part-time 4WD
  • Crawl Control
  • Multi-terrain Select
  • Hill Start Assist Control
  • Ground Clearance: 240 mm (9.4-in)
  • Clearances: 35 ° approach, 23.9 ° departure, 26 ° breakover
  • Package Price: $10,710
  • Starting Price: $50,000

Tundra TRD Pro-Series - What do you get:

  • TRD Pro Bilstein shocks with remote reservoir suspension
  • 18" Black Alloy Wheels
  • TRD Centre Cap
  • Limited slip rear differential
  • Black Leather-trimmed Seats with Red Stitching
  • Black Tundra Badging
  • TRD Skid Plate
  • TRD Pro Bed-Side Stamping
  • TRD Performance Dual Exhaust
  • TRD Performance Tailpipes
  • TRD Pro Shift Knob
  • Ground Clearance: 270 mm (10.6-in)
  • Clearances: 26 ° approach, 22 ° departure
  • Package Price: $10,075
  • Starting Price: $57,520

There you have it, the most popular off-road inspired packages offered by the Original Equipment Manufacturers. Some may be crying that the Mercedes G-Wagon, Lexus LX 570, Porsche Cayenne and no Land Rovers made this list, as all of these vehicles incorporate all-terrain abilities into their build. Yes, this is true, and for the most part, each is particularly astute at getting the luxury SUV through some pretty harsh terrain. However, all the terrain management controls, lockers and other off-road wizardry come standard on the base vehicles, so they did not meet the criteria for “Off-Road Packages.” We do however; give them all an honourable mention for maintaining off-road credibility despite the lush interiors and stratospheric price tags.