2024 Toyota Tacoma's Seats Are so Off-Roady They Have Their Own Shocks

Toyota is greatly expanding the available flavors its popular Tacoma pickup comes in, adding a new Trailhunter overlanding-ready model, a TRD PreRunner option, and better differentiating the trim levels that carry over from the old truck. That includes the TRD Pro, formerly and still the ultimate off-roader in the Tacoma family. Only this time around, the Trailhunter's more rock-bashing, mud-slinging focus allows Toyota to turn the Pro into something more desert-focused, much like its natural competitors, the Ford Ranger Raptor, Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, and GMC Canyon AT4X. With 326 hp from a hybridized turbo I-4 engine and Fox shocks, it's designed to cruise over gnarly terrain at speed. Think that sounds uncomfortably bouncy, even if the new Taco can handle it? Toyota has you covered with a fancy new set of seats.

Dubbed IsoDynamic Performance seats, they're exclusive to the 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro variant and feature built-in, four-way shock absorption. Yes, that means the seats can—and do—move. Per Toyota, "the goal of this patent-pending feature is to stabilize the driver's field of vision to improve focus, comfort, and reduce fatigue while on rugged trails."

Using "air-over-oil" shock absorbers, which as you can see in the photo above are righteously exposed on the seatbacks, the IsoDynamic Performance Seats allow "for vertical and lateral seat movement simultaneously to dampen body movement and stabilize the head and neck to keep alignment with the spine." This is a nifty idea. Hey, anyone older than 30 who gets sore and tired climbing a set of stairs, or pulls something reaching for that olive oil on the highest shelf, will appreciate a little body-friendly seat cushioning.

Though Toyota isn't saying quite yet, we're guessing the four-way movement in the seats ultimately mimics the air-ride seats on heavy trucks and other commercial equipment. The IsoDynamic seats are adjustable, too, so if you're into more of a bobblehead effect, you can dial back the cushioning "via levers on the seatbacks." We'll note that those adjustment knobs' location on the backs of the front seats seems less than ideal for quick adjustments. Individuals likely wouldn't be able to reach behind themselves while seated and adjust their own seats without blowin' out their rotator cuffs, but the driver could (blindly) reach behind the passenger seat and twirl the tuning knobs and vice versa. It's a you-scratch-my-back, I-scratch-yours kind of deal. We suggest initiating such adjustments with a dramatic yawn before raising the arm closest to the adjacent seat, just like when you attempted to cuddle your first date.

Another potential drawback? The shocks and attendant mechanisms seem to double the girth of each front seatback, which could have an effect on rear-seat legroom. But, hey, at least those rear-seat passengers—who make do with IsoStatic, regular fixed bench seating—get an up-close view of the rad-looking shocks and pressure gauges while being jostled this way and that. Look closely, and the left gauge and knob handle side-to-side motions, while the righthand units deal with up and down. Most surprisingly, these newfangled seats are standard equipment on the Tacoma TRD Pro.

We can't wait to try these new, segment-exclusive seats, but we'll have to wait until we drive the new Taco later this year. They work in concert with the model's suspension, which consists of 2.5-inch Fox internal-bypass shocks (with external reservoirs on the rear), a newly coil-sprung rear axle (fitted to the upper half of the new Tacoma lineup), forged aluminum front upper control arms, front anti-roll-bar disconnect, and 33-inch Goodyear Territory R/T tires. Other TRD Pro off-road kit includes Toyota's new i-Force MAX hybrid powertrain, a locking rear differential, aluminum skid plate, rock rails, an ARB steel rear bumper, and RIGID LED fog lamps.