TRD stands for this Toyota’s Really Dirty

CAR REVIEW TRD stands for this Toyota’s Really Dirty DOUG FIRBY BRAGG CREEK, ALTA. SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: Preparing to drive through some water and mud in Bragg Creek, Alta. DOUG FIRBY/THE GLOBE AND MAIL COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Toyota’s Tacoma TRD has the cocky look of an off-roader ready for the rough backcountry. So we sought out one of the roughest terrains to see how much this handsome mid-size pickup could walk the talk. It turns out, quite a bit. The 2026 TRD Off-Road delivers major upgrades over last year’s model. These include larger 32-inch all-terrain tires, blacked-out front badging, and a welcome full-size spare tire. Inside, the Off-Road+ package includes a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert and enhanced cabin conveniences, such as upgraded multimedia and practical utility touches. These refinements arrive just as the TRD faces fierce competition from the Ford Ranger FX4, which holds a slight edge in towing capacity, and GM’s near-twins – the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 and GMC Canyon AT4 – which boast a significant power advantage: 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque versus the Tacoma’s 278 horses and 317 lb-ft of torque. The Tacoma is the most popular choice of the bunch in Canada and Toyota expects these upgrades will keep it ahead of the pack. Open this photo in gallery: The Tacoma can handle almost anything you can throw at it, but you may want an unlimited pass at the local car wash. DOUG FIRBY/THE GLOBE AND MAIL Open this photo in gallery: Challenging some mud in the Tacoma in Bragg Creek, Alta. DOUG FIRBY/THE GLOBE AND MAIL “Get a little mud on it,” my editor urged me. So I did, taking the TRD into one of the meanest and most unforgiving off-road courses in Western Canada – the McLean Creek Provincial Recreation Area. This notorious plot of land about an hour southwest of Calgary has been the graveyard for both stock and Franken-modded mudslingers over the decades. We spotted a grim reminder of that – a mud-caked Jeep Gladiator abandoned just outside the park gate. Enter at your own peril. The Tacoma TRD, however, was undaunted. Armed with beefy Bilstein shock absorbers, roughly 280 millimetres of ground clearance, a robust turbo-boosted four-cylinder engine, and mountain-crawling gearing, this truck bounced and roared through every obstacle. Its aggressive 17-inch BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain tires clawed through almost every bump, mudhole, and…