{"id":659162,"date":"2025-12-19T17:08:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gearjunkie.com\/?p=659162"},"modified":"2025-12-19T17:09:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:09:03","slug":"rejuvenated-toyota-arizona-proving-grounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gearjunkie.com\/motors\/rejuvenated-toyota-arizona-proving-grounds","title":{"rendered":"A Look Inside Rejuvenated Toyota Arizona Proving Grounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Turn right here and then feel free to get up to 50 mph.<\/strong> That\u2019s what Toyota Senior Engineering Manager Jakin Wilson said to me as I pilot a Tacoma Trailhunter through a lumpy dirt trail, replete with sudden peaks and troughs, terrain changes, and sweeping bends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gleefully rocketed up to 55 mph, maxed out the suspension travel, and worked the Old Man Emu shocks. Undeterred, Wilson smiled with approval. This occurred, by the way, after I descended down a 20-degree river rock hill and before crawling around a patchwork of rock and roots on a winding two-track path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the above made up but one section of a massive proving grounds outside of Whittmann, Arizona, about 90 minutes from Phoenix and seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Toyota recently completed a remodel of the facility and expanded the off-road test areas in the process. That\u2019s in addition to a new 5.5-mile oval track, resurfaced ride and handling loops, and a new pass-by noise area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Toyota<\/a>
(Photo\/Toyota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Considering my own engineering experience, I gleefully accepted an invitation to spend the day at Toyota\u2019s newest playground and jumped on a westbound plane toward Phoenix. What does this updated proving grounds say about Toyota\u2019s direction for the future? Time to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Toyota