Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It isn’t a simple answer. Sorry folks, both have their pros and cons. But what we wanted to test was when was the best time to push that rear diff lock button and when you should let the traction control do its thing.
Essentially what I discovered from the driver’s seat was, if you are crawling and want to go as slow as possible, locking the rear differential proved to be the more capable method to get up our little test climb. If you have a little more momentum and are prepared to keep into the accelerator (it is quick, but traction control still does need time to react), the traction control is outstandingly capable… literally made this Fortuner a ‘point and shoot’ off-roader.
So, the conclusion? Well if a picture says 1,000 words, a video should say 100,000 words. Check out the video for yourself – to see how these different traction systems work on mud, rocks and a steep climb.
It isn’t a simple answer. Sorry folks, both have their pros and cons. But what we wanted to test was when was the best time to push that rear diff lock button and when you should let the traction control do its thing.
Essentially what I discovered from the driver’s seat was, if you are crawling and want to go as slow as possible, locking the rear differential proved to be the more capable method to get up our little test climb. If you have a little more momentum and are prepared to keep into the accelerator (it is quick, but traction control still does need time to react), the traction control is outstandingly capable… literally made this Fortuner a ‘point and shoot’ off-roader.
So, the conclusion? Well if a picture says 1,000 words, a video should say 100,000 words. Check out the video for yourself – to see how these different traction systems work on mud, rocks and a steep climb.
