While the Tacoma TRD Pro isn’t coming until next spring, we recently got a chance to check out the truck’s innovative IsoDynamic performance seat and learn more about its development.
The story begins in 2016 when Lexus introduced the kinetic seat concept at the Paris Motor Show. It was “designed to react kinetically to both the occupant’s weight and vehicle motion,” so that by simply sitting in the seat, head movement would be reduced and your field of vision would be stabilized.
A few years later, in 2019, engineers created the TMNA Garage Concept, which advanced the original idea and reimagined it as something that could eventually go into production. Everyone who saw the seat reportedly loved it, including higher-ups who encouraged continued development.
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The resulting IsoDynamic seat has been ‘tested everywhere’ and has racked up thousands of miles in a relatively short period of time. While we haven’t had a chance to test out the production seat, side-by-side videos looked promising and suggested drivers can expect reduced head movement.
That’s pretty much the point of the seat as it aims to reduce the effect of hard impacts and ‘knock off the peaks.’ This promises to improve driver comfort and focus, while also reducing fatigue as getting beaten up on a long, grueling trail quickly becomes tiresome.
As a brief refresher, the seat uses an “air-over-oil shock absorber system allowing for vertical and lateral … movement simultaneously to dampen body movement and stabilize the head and neck to keep alignment with the spine.” The dampening effect can be adjusted to suit your weight and preferences.
Speaking of which, the truck will come with a hand pump and a guide to help you determine optimal settings. As an example, Toyota suggests drivers weighing 170-200 lbs (77-91 kg) and going rock crawling, adjust the seat to 65 PSI for the vertical setting and 20 PSI for the lateral setting.
Despite all the extra features and settings, comfort shouldn’t take a hit as the seats have power adjustment, four-way power lumbar support, heating, and ventilation. About the only thing missing is a lack of power recline.
While the IsoDynamic seats are debuting in the Tacoma TRD Pro, officials noted they’re already looking at adding them to other models. No names were dropped, but the redesigned 4Runner seems like a natural candidate.
Factory ARB Equipment And High-Lift Jack Points
Michael Gauthier / CarScoops
The 2024 Tacoma has an assortment of off-road variants and some of them have a steel rear bumper from ARB. However, this isn’t an aftermarket accessory as Toyota worked with the firm to create a rugged factory piece that works with driver assistance systems.
Speaking of which, the bumper was specifically designed not to interfere with the blind spot monitor’s millimeter wave radar. As engineers explained, reflections tend to be an issue when it comes to steel bumpers.
Speaking of ARB, the firm worked with Toyota to create a set of red recovery hooks. The Tacoma also has patent pending high-lift jack points, which are essentially a rectangular opening with an integrated internal stopper that prevents “over-insertion.” This means owners should be able to easily lift the truck without doing any damage to the body or bumper.
