Toyota Tamaraw First Drive: Exploring Mindoro with a barebones utility truck
Is it really possible to enjoy a utilitarian truck in a media drive?
There’s always space for a first.
In this line of work, drive events usually involve us driving fancy passenger vehicles (typically all top-of-the-line versions) to various provinces in the country.
We've never encountered a test of utilitarian vehicles built for commercial rough-and-tough purposes for exploring new places – and for obvious reasons. The ride won't be great. The features list will be bare. And all of the drivers must be familiar with driving stick.
That’s what I learned as I go into my fourth year in the motoring beat, and the most recent trip I had with Toyota, the all-new Tamaraw, and some of our "OK" friends.
I found myself traveling bright and early to Batangas to ride on a roll-on, roll-off FastCat ferry full of trucks and Tamaraws.
Our destination was on an island where the Toyota Tamaraw’s namesake can be found – Mindoro. The Philippine Tamaraw is a critically endangered species so hopes of seeing one in the flesh was out of the question, but we were there with TMP to help DENR and its conservation efforts for Mindoro’s dwarf buffalo.
Like I said: commercial vehicles aren’t exactly built for comfort. Most have bare interiors, and the suspension is tuned more to carry maximum payload at the expense of a plush ride. That was certainly the case onboard the long wheelbase, dropside version of the Tamaraw with a manual transmission. Yet surprisingly, the cabin comfort is better than what I expected. Sure, it has the rough and tumble look on the outside, but the seats are nicely padded and I was able to find a comfortable driving position right away.
The dashboard is as basic as you could get. In the manual transmission variant, it only had a 2-din audio unit with Bluetooth, manually-operated, otherwise called "pawis" (not power) windows, while those in the GL got themselves power windows and a touchscreen head unit with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Given its purpose, we really didn’t mind the former. What stood out was whichever variant we had, the cabin got cold very quickly in the Tamaraw with its strong A/C mated to a single cab.
Once we rolled off the ferry, I found that driving the Tamaraw feels very Hilux-like. It’s not as crude as what the spec sheet would imply. The clutch is nicely weighted, so you’d easily locate the biting point to smoothly accelerate from a stop. The steering and gearshift is likewise taken from the Hilux, so the feel is indeed very similar.
The 2GD-FTV engine of the Tamaraw is also a great match for the drive, and for the truck’s purpose. While it didn’t have a tachometer on the dash, the diesel powertrain has plenty of low rpm torque, and that’s good especially for a vehicle meant to carry a heavy payload.
At the twisty and scenic roads going from Calapan to Puerto Galera, the Tamaraw gladly powered through steep uphill climbs and even managed its body composure well on the bends, even during day 2 when the truck was loaded with school chairs, hygiene kits, and school supplies en route to the Pagturian Mangyan School. Just do take note that at speeds past 60 km/h, that’s only when the ride starts to become stiff when the bed is unloaded.
Throughout the drive, I was able to operate the Tamaraw smoothly as it has inherited the driving refinement of the Hilux pickup truck. And yes, that’s exactly a good thing if you’ll own one of these for your business. In case your driver calls in sick, you won’t need to adjust that much when you take over the driving duties for the day.
Lastly, we cherished the breathtaking views, the bonds that were formed, the delicious food, and the beautiful roads in Mindoro with our hearts full from being able to help out a community and a good cause. Whether for business, leisure, helping the community, or fitting your lifestyle, the all-new Tamaraw showed that it’s ready to deliver – pun intended.
It’s a vehicle that’s more than happy to be a workhorse, and is ready to accept anything that needs moving and do a good job at that. As for its purpose for racing that Toyota is currently exploring, that’s something I’m really curious about but that’s a different story altogether.
