I have always wanted to buy an off-road vehicle not a truck such as a JEEP. However, I do not like JEEP as a product. I think the 4-Runner is the way to go. I need advice on which will be the best option for off road capabilities. It will be a daily driver as well. I understand the differences in the two but am having difficulty determining which way to go. It is impossible to test drive each as they are so scarce.

Hello brownbull. I put the following into google
kdss trd pro site:5th gen T4Rs - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum

and it came up with a few links for you to try.

Good luck in your future purchase!

Really depends on what you plan to do with it. Keep it stock, modify it...

Pro is a trail + appearance package + upgraded shocks/springs + wheels and tires. Unfortunately, this upgraded suspension is not really good for actual heavy duty off-roading. Most people are going to end up wanting more lift, more tire....


If you plan to wheel with Jeeps... I would plan on the trail with some mods. If you plan to drive mainly on the road with the occasional moderate trail... pro looks nice and would be fine to screw around on easy stuff in.

And if true hard core off-road/overland is your end goal with it....
Just get an SR5 and modify it.

I am a cattle farmer and running around the pasture is my idea of off-roading. I probably don't plan on doing much modification. I wanted to go with something stock. My quandary seems to be whether the KDSS is better than just the upgraded suspension. Also could I add the same upgraded suspension to the Trail Premium with KDSS and have something better than the TRD PRO. I dont want anything more extreme lift wise,

It makes more sense to buy a Trail and modify it how you want. The TRD Pro has a minor lift and some cosmetic tweaks, but you're paying quite a bit more for some stuff that you might end up replacing anyway. When I bought my '14 the TRD Pro didn't exist, but if I was buying now, I would do exactly the same and buy a Trail Premium. I wanted the moonroof which doesn't exist on the TRD Pro. I would hate to spend thousands extra on an upgraded OEM suspension that I would just get rid. I ended up putting in an Icon suspension with a 3" lift and 285 tires on my Trail Edition Premium and love it.

Thanks for the advice. I was initially drawn to the TRD PRO but would rather have some of the features of the Trail Premium that it lacks. Could I add the same TRD Bilstein shocks to the Trail Premium? I am not very knowledgeable about this. I dont want to lift it much more than 1-2 inches.

Yes.

However running through pastures won't mandate upgrades on the suspension of any stock 4Runner. They're very capable and none would require expensive upgrades for your demands.

Mooney
Do you have a pic posted of your unit.

Get a Pro. The cool and rare factor are for sure there.

Judging by your own posts. You would rather stay stock and that you are not going to be doing "serious" off road trails I would recommend the Pro. It has mods that you appear to be interested in and you don't want to have to do them yourself (plus its covered by Toyota). Can't go wrong with either but your posts appear to be edging yourself toward the Pro.

It's unfortunate that the Trail with KDSS isn't easily available everywhere. I have probably 10 within 30 minutes of me that I can go test drive. In the West we get a lot of them. For me - KDSS was a must have, but not strictly for offroad use. It was so much better for street driving that I opted for a trail premium over a limited. I have a landcruiser as a dedicated trail rig, so for me I wanted a good daily driver that's also capable of long distance mild offroading, and the highway manners of KDSS sold me on the trail edition. Some people don't think KDSS makes that much difference. I drive a lot of windy canyon roads, simply due to where I live, and the sr5 and limited with xreas both felt too soft and floaty in stock form. Basically just like the feel of a tahoe or suburban. If you like the ride of those, the SR5 or TRD Pro should be just fine.

Otherwise I probably would have gone for a limited and aftermarket suspension, then added air lockers.

I know you said you didn't want to modify, but just food for thought. A trail edition is pretty good stock. If you drive for a while and decide you want to go with more front suspension dampening/travel, a set of aftermarket FOX 2.5" remote reservoir coilovers is about $1500 and another 200ish to have a shop install them. The rears are $260 and maybe another $100 if you have a shop install them. With that change you should have equal or better offroad performance than the TRD Pro - and the Fox coilovers are adjustable height - so you can just buy some $20 spanner wrenches and adjust up or down from 0-3" of lift. You'd be right in the same price range as a TRD Pro, but also have KDSS. And the upgrade is optional if you decide you want it.

One final thought here - take a look around for a GX460. They should be easy to find if you have a Lexus dealer to take a test drive. They all have KDSS and are the same chassis as the 4runner. That would give you a feel for how KDSS handles.

Good Luck.

Take the money you will save not getting the PRO, buy the trail, and buy the upgrades you need like better tires. The only reason I wanted the Pro was for pimp factor (kept the Trail, Mikey doesn't grovel for cars. Women or beer maybe, not cars).

I'm still trying to figure out why you are even looking at an SUV vs pickup.

I grew up on farms and spent a lot of time at a feed lot and an SUV in the pasture is about as useful as tits on a bull.

MONEY!

Dudes,
Ok now I am conflicted. I am being told here that I can not add the same setup on the PRO to the Trail w/ KDSS. I am told that it is one or the other.

So I am thinking I should go PRO since I want the shocks and moderate lift.

I was thinking I could have it all.

So..... bottom. The question that I am unsure about is, can I add the TRD performance billstein shocks to the Trail Premium with KDSS and get the toyota dealer to add them and not void my warranty on a 2015? Do I have to remove the KDSS to put in the TRD package?