Car manufacturers love to add mystery letters and numbers to all of our cars; 2LT, 300ZX, Z71, RS, SS, 350Z, IROCZ and SR5. Why? Why are alphanumeric car names so popular? These models listed here are just a small sample of the many car names like it. We won’t even start with the alphanumeric names of the motorcycles. Either way, we’re here to find out where the legendary Toyota SR5 designation came from and what it means. Do you know what SR5 means?
What does SR5 mean?
Simply put, SR5 stands for “Sport Rally 5” or “Sports Runabout 5,” depending on who you ask. The “5” originally stood for a 5-speed manual transmission.
According to Mechanic Ask, this designation was introduced on the Toyota Pickup in 1979 to appeal to the “sports truck buyer,” a group of buyers that Toyota thought the fourth-generation Toyota Pickup 4×4 might appeal to. The 5 speed transmission was a pretty good upgrade at the time.
There’s a second, more detailed brand explanation that Mechanic Ask posits is something a bit more interesting. The SR5 badge came before the Toyota Pickup. So when the “S” stands for a car with sporty features, it makes a little more sense. The “R” stands for a “ray of light”, indicating a car capable of high speeds. The “R” also has the double meaning of including a Toyota engine code. And the “5” was only meant to designate the cooler 5-speed transmission.
What was the first Toyota to have the SR5 badge?
According to Mechanic Ask, the name SR5, although we mostly associate it with pickup trucks, is actually spread across a number of vehicles. In fact, the first Toyota to receive the name was the second generation Toyota Corolla (1970-1978). It was the 1973 model year that the SR5 trimmed Corolla first appeared.
What does SR5 mean in Tacomas today?
Today, we still see this designation on Toyota’s sportiest (smallest) pickup truck, the Toyota Tacoma. The SR5 badge is also found on Tundras, 4Runners, and Sequoias. However, it has a different meaning today than it did on earlier Toyota trucks.
As my colleague, Dan Mayfield, writes, “In the Tacoma, the SR5 is the base version and starts at $27,150. The SR is generally distinguished by the lack of decals.” The once premium SR5 model offered the fancier 5-speed transmission, as opposed to the layman’s 4-speed transmission, which now represents one of the lower end models. The SR5 in today’s vernacular grants a few things like leather upholstery, a more powerful engine option, and a six-foot bed. Items like Bluetooth and heating this and that weren’t even a gleam in the eye of the original 1970s Toyota pickup.
SR5 has a long and winding history
No matter where you know the build name from, most Toyota fans have some experience with an SR5. Whether you own an SR5 Tacoma today, drove the sporty little SR5 Corlloa back in the day, or like Marty McFly and I dreamed of owning a 1980s Toyota Pickup 4×4 SR5, this badge has meaning, and now knows what it is. .