THE PERFECT BLEND

Austin Sharpe's On/Off-Road Ready Tacoma 

- LINDSEY FISHER

Building a truck that can be enjoyed off-road as much as it is on-road while maintaining the creature comforts customary of a factory setup is a dream of many. In fact, talk to just about any of the feature vehicle owners from the pages of YOTA magazine, and you’ll quickly see this recurring theme.

Many have built their rigs looking for that perfect balance of driveability and ride quality, while also aiming for top-notch off-road capabilities. But that can be a very fine line—one with many factors needing to be taken into consideration. Ultimately, the “perfect” balance boils down to a matter of personal opinion and how you want to be able to use your off-road rig.

For Windsor, Colorado’s Austin Sharpe, the ultimate road-worthy yet off-road-capable build is an ever-evolving mark, built from the third-generation Toyota Tacoma platform. But after five years of modifying his truck (and counting, he tells us), he’s getting closer and closer to having his dream ride. Check out what Austin’s 2016 Tacoma has to offer!

Off-Road Proficiency

While Toyota has arguably gone above and beyond other manufacturers to make its factory vehicles like the Tacoma and 4Runner more capable offroad than their closest industry class competitors, there is still a lot to be desired when it comes to more advanced off-road capabilities. Take your factory Toyota on a trail and you’ll quickly find that, when faced with desert-style G-outs or larger rock obstacles, more suspension travel and clearance would go a long way. This is why so many built Toyotas often start with suspension upgrades right off the bat.