Im sorry to dissappoing you guys, I know how exciting and wonderful it sounds but honestly, the thing is a dud!
I have seen it close up and the minor add ons do not justify the very high price that it will be when released, around $70,000 australian dollars.
The problem is trd here in Australia is not getting the vehicles at a wholsesale price but a retail price so any mods they do add up the costs on top of this instead of starting at a wholsesale price and keeping the final product competitive.
The rear rollbar is a standard SR5 rollbar but painted black. The engine power is only about 220kW, bugger all over the standard engine - you could have achieved the same results with intake/exhaust mods, and ecu mods, and saved alot of money which could have been put back to lowering the price.
I was invovled over a year ago with getting a first impression survey done within toyota, and wrote a 3 page report detailing how they should have made it a diesel, and how the "bling" should not have been added but a practical on-offroad package used instead.
I spoke with one of the guys invovled in developement and the whole team wanted to make something tuffer and better but toyota japan had restricted them considerably with finances on what they could do and spend on.
For example, the tyre size is one size larger in diameter, but because of the US roll-over law suits, they didnt want to risk the same thing here so they lowered the suspension slightly to keep the centre of gravity where it was.........
shocks are Bilsteins and the only good thing is that moulded rear and front bumper, a bullbar would have been better.
Just to show you how bad trd australia is going, the Aurion TRD's that run the same 4 litre V6 supercharged through a 6 speed front wheel drive auto, as good a vehicle as they are, they have only sold 8 of them nationwide and there are 400 sitting in a car yard growing old, because you can get a competitors turbocharged straight 6 rear wheel drive or a V8 rear wheel drive for almost 20,000 dollars less.
all in all, good idea in theory, but nothing more than a show pony,
Give me a standard Hilux, with the Taco offroad package any day!
