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Quez

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So, long story short — a big rig decided it liked the front end of my 2023 M3 Comp xDrive more than I did (that’s a story for another thread). This all happened not long after I sold my 2017 3GT — the dealer offered me $25K for a car with 90K miles and a full Christmas tree on the dash. How could I say no? It's pictured below.

2024 Tacoma From Wrecked M3 to Tuned TRD Pro — My OTT Experience (and why I'll never drive a stock Tacoma again) IMG_0297 2


Anyway, with the M3 out of commission, I grabbed a rental from the local enterprise — a new 4GT TRD Off-Road, bone stock 2.4L Turbo. Nothing fancy. Just your typical fleet truck. But since I knew I’d have it for a couple of months, curiosity got the better of me: what would the OTT tune do for this thing?

Well, you can guess what happened next... I tuned the rental. I mean, why not? I can put it back to stock when I turn it in lol.

2024 Tacoma From Wrecked M3 to Tuned TRD Pro — My OTT Experience (and why I'll never drive a stock Tacoma again) IMG_0294


And WOW — night and day difference. It went from “nice daily driver” to “why didn’t Toyota ship it like this?” territory. The throttle response is razor sharp, the torque hits instantly, and the shifts? Absolute butter. It just feels alive. The tune made commuting something I actually look forward to with a rental. Because, let’s be honest, nobody likes driving a rental car.

After a few weeks behind the wheel, I knew I wasn’t going back to a third-gen. I had planned to pick up another low-mileage 3GT, but after experiencing the 4G platform firsthand, that was it. I test-drove a stock 2.4L hybrid, and that sealed the deal. Even stock, that setup felt stronger than the tuned rental. I was sold.
So I began the hunt for my perfect truck…

After way too many hours of online builds and comparisons, I locked in on a Mud Bath TRD Pro. The color, the stance, the aggressive look in its stock form — all of it. Found one two hours away, matched exactly how I built it online, and managed to negotiate a deal from $70K down to $64K (I think the upcoming ‘26s helped that a bit).

2024 Tacoma From Wrecked M3 to Tuned TRD Pro — My OTT Experience (and why I'll never drive a stock Tacoma again) IMG_0280


Fast forward to delivery day — I signed the paperwork, stepped outside, and with 6 miles on the odometer, I flashed the OTT tune right there in the dealership parking lot. Forgot to grab a pic of that, but here's 11 miles LOL

2024 Tacoma From Wrecked M3 to Tuned TRD Pro — My OTT Experience (and why I'll never drive a stock Tacoma again) IMG_0286


And let me tell you… This thing is insane.
The torque hits instantly with the hybrid, and the shifts are so smooth it’s like gliding across a glass lake at sunrise. It’s legitimately damn close to being on par with my old 2025 TRD Pro Tundra — maybe even better in some ways. Sport mode and Tow/Tow+ are absolutely wild. The throttle response is perfectly dialed in. It just begs to be driven with a wide-open throttle. I don’t think I was this excited when I first drove my M3. I almost feel at home being back in a Tacoma.

2024 Tacoma From Wrecked M3 to Tuned TRD Pro — My OTT Experience (and why I'll never drive a stock Tacoma again) IMG_0283


Massive shoutout to OTT & @JustDSM for continuing to deliver what consumers ask for — transparent data, rock-solid development, and another top-tier calibration that completely transforms the experience.

If you’ve been on the fence about tuning your 4G or 4G hybrid setup, seriously — do it. You won’t regret it.

2024 Tacoma From Wrecked M3 to Tuned TRD Pro — My OTT Experience (and why I'll never drive a stock Tacoma again) IMG_0284



Thanks for sticking through my rambling. Happy to answer any questions anyone has — until then, I’ll be over in the mods section planning what’s next.
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Quez

Quez

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Let’s see your MPGs on that 4 banger tune
With the rental I’m right around 19-20 (I’ll grab an accurate number tomorrow am)

and with the pro I’ll have to check, I’ve only made it through a half tank so far so I’d like to give it 2 full before giving an accurate number.
 

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That is one beautiful looking 3rd gen.

I can’t believe I’m asking this but…How do you compare your M3 to the 4th gen hybrid with tune?
 
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That is one beautiful looking 3rd gen.

I can’t believe I’m asking this but…How do you compare your M3 to the 4th gen hybrid with tune?
thank you, I had got it in 2018 with 11k miles on it & absolutely built it out. Rear seat delete, 6” custom king lift, 5.29 gears, the list goes on…

This wasn’t a question I wasn’t prepared to answer. Lol. So from factory, the BMW comes with 503 hp, and absolutely rips through any form of traffic. Its power is truly unmatched in instance when called upon, the torque behind the pedal when you put it in M mode is something out of this world.

Now with the Tacoma, I did have realistic expectations as it still is a heavy midsize truck, but I held it to a higher regard in the fact that it does have the turbo and it’s a hybrid that it is supposed to give instant torque when needed.

While I will say they are in different classes altogether in terms of driving experiences, the Tacoma and the BMW performance in a similar way in that they both get up and go as soon as you hit the pedal and the power that you expect to have with the vehicle, is there in both platforms.

There was some turbo lag with the BMW without question, but I haven’t noticed it with the Tacoma up to this point. I’m not saying it isn’t there, I just haven’t spent enough time with the hybrid 2.4 L turbo to get a good feel on how noticeable it is.
 

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That's great that the OTT tuned worked well for you. I had a different experience though. I'm not the only one that had a bad calibration with an off the shelf tune. I ended back to stock cal. Not to say they couldn't have fixed the tune with a custom tune. I went back three times to my tuner and just gave up. If I had stayed with the tune i would have asked for a trans cal and stock power.
 
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Viper_00

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I’ve been wanting to do this tune for my hybrid but have heard mixed reviews. Is your tune set differently or just the standard stage 1? Idk if I’m even asking the right questions bc I’ve never done a tune.
 
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I’ve been wanting to do this tune for my hybrid but have heard mixed reviews. Is your tune set differently or just the standard stage 1? Idk if I’m even asking the right questions bc I’ve never done a tune.
No, I just have the standard stage 1 tune - for now… Stage 2 & 3 are in development and @JustDSM can shed more light on those two (he has a thread on it.) but I’d bet my bottom dollar that an OTT tuner could get you tuned & put you back to stock with a refund if you’re unsatisfied which I think is highly unlikely.

I always tell people just remember, at the end of the day it still is a mid size truck. The tune just makes it A LOT more enjoyable imo.
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