Well they also don't list a fording depth for the vehicle as well as some other measurements that would be useful to us... hell the FSM has two "Secret" models that I've never seen or heard of for 5th gens.

The super rare and secret "S-Runner" & "X-Runner", there's an internet cookie who finds out what those two 5th gen sub-models are! (Hint- It's not the Tacoma X-Runner, I already looked.)

But yeah, Toyota is weird with some stuff...

Toyota lists the ground clearance on page 23 of the brochure here -

http://www.toyota.com/content/ebroch..._ebrochure.pdf

Trail Premium is listed at 9.6". There is no comment that says that KDSS reduces clearance. I fail to see the argument that it is up to the buyer to do further research when the Toyota manual lists 9.6" as the clearance for Trail Premium models.

To clarify that is a "sales brochure" not a "manual"

Did it ever occur that this is an average ground clearance and not the lowest point on the vehicle? No where does it state that this measurement is the lowest contact point on the vehicle. In fact I would guess to say that the bottom of the LCA is lower to the ground than the front skid.

If you also note in the brochure it says "up to 9.6 inches of ground clearance" That to me does not say nor imply the lowest point either.

Really sorry you feel duped.

Just curious. Have you ever gotten 21 MPG? The best I ever got, 20.54, once and never again.

Here's how ground clearance is measured https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_height
Doesn't leave room for error.
On any model without KDSS, the listed clearance matches exactly the lowest point on the chassis, which is the front plate.

Contacted the dealer and they gave me a BS as an explanation. I'll contact corporate to put a note in there about ground clearance for models equipped with KDSS. But I don't think they will do anything. The omission is intentional, to make the numbers look good.

It's mind boggling to add a system that would help in uneven off-road terrain and take from another factor, equally important on the same type of terrain. They screwed this one up and they're trying to cover it up.

For anyone interested in buying a 4Runner for mild off-roading, forget the KDSS on the TE or get a TRD PRO. For more serious off-roading, prepare to sink a lot more money into it, no matter what model you get.

For the regular roads, the KDSS will negligibly improve handling. When breaking or accelerating, it still leans like a freaking boat... ahem should have said truck

Bottom line, size... ahem ground clearance does matter, and every inch is good to come as natural ;)

If ground clearance is that much of an issue, I'm sure there is a nice shiny LR4 at a Land Rover dealer near you just waiting for a new home. I'd rather stack an extra rock or so then deal with an air suspension fault in the middle of a trail.

Seriously you are quoting Wikipedia as the definitive source and binding regulatory body for ground clearance?
I'll be sure to call Toyota and tell them they have to change their ways, Wiki says so.

What about the KDSS having more usable articulation than non KDSS equipped vehicles? Are you gonna trash that too?

Just stop, admit you bought something you don't like (using KDSS as an excuse is kinda weak) and go buy something else. Seriously.

Personally not a huge KDSS fan, but it does have real benefits (especially for a mild dual purpose rig).

I still don't get where you guys are coming from saying ground clearance under the wheels is equally important... It hardly matters at all in most off-road situations. The proper technique is not just to plow through terrain relying on just the ground clearance to make it.. I don't have KDSS, but have wheeled many hours with other 5th gens who have it.. The ground clearance in that area has never been a problem once... That is real world, not some stupid numbers on paper...

Now deep mud, sand, or snow... A single lowered edge is not going to make any difference... you are screwed anyway. Rocks and hard obstacles is where the low hanging edges matter the most.

Their definition...
any part of a vehicle.... So your shock mounts.. are technically the lowest point... but again, anything under the wheels hardly matters. Move on.

And just to throw a few number out.

My front skid is 13" off the ground. Rear diff is about 11 1/8", Gas tank skid is about 14 1/2".

Guess what part gets the most hits and cuases me to get stuck... Hint my front skid and diff look almost perfect with just a few taps.

I'm sorry I touched a sensible nerve. How do I know that? Well, you only read the first line of my post. I said the wiki definition matches real life measurements for all but KDSS equipped 4Runners.

No, I'm not IN LOVE with the truck. Why would I be?
So far it gets me to places that I love, not without denting the buttery front skid though. I wish it was one inch higher, from the factory, as advertised. I can't stand manufacturers who lie on the spec sheet.

I say sell the damn thing and buy a less reliable vehicle since all the wonderful and exclusive features that your Toyota has (like the ability to make it back home in 1 piece for the next 2 or 3 decades) are obviously all outweighed by a 1" ground clearance discrepancy on the literature. It's been almost 6 months of this thread. Methinks if you were really that hardcore of an offroader, to the point where that 1" actually mattered on the trails as much as you're obsessing over it, than for about the price difference of your TE w/ KDSS over a stock SR5, you could have just bought an older 4Runner for $3K, thrown a couple of lockers in it, ditched the sway bars.. and you wouldn't have to worry about scraping or denting it up.

I wasn't the one who bumped this thread sorry. New buyers are finding it useful.

No, I'm not a hardcore offroader. I am trying to cope with the truck and its quirks, and hope that it will live up to its reliability hype. Toyota is betting on the same thing when they put $40k price on a vehicle that hasn't been significantly refreshed in years.

Agreed.