I've owned my 5th gen for seven months now and just had a revelation.

Here in rural Nevada there are a lot of 4Runners running around. We have a lot of ranchers, hunters and off-roaders. Once out of town all of the roads are either gravel or dirt - mostly just dirt. So I've really been paying attention here in Fernley, Fallon, Lovelock, Yerington, etc...

All of them are SR5s! There are no Trail, Limited or TRD editions!

Pretty much all of them have replaced the original tires with either LT ATs or MTs. Pretty much of a necessity around here. Also I have yet to see any of these 5th gen SR5s with a lift; a winch; sliders; aftermarket bumpers etc..... No visible mods at all.......

With that said; how come 90% (it seems) of the posters on this forum are just the opposite from here? Just a thought - - - - -

The 4 runners are very capable and RELIABLE in stock form. For the type of driving you are talking about they are very capable. A modest 2-3 inch lift, AT or MT, and a winch put it at the world class level of capability with a slightly reduced reliability from stock. For 99% of the population that never leaves pavement it's complete overkill.

I think it's economics mostly. Ranching in Nevada, other than big operations with lots of fertile land, is not a high profit, want to look good on the dirt kind of business. Southwestern Nevada is rural desert. Fernley and Fallon, east of Reno appears to be similar dry landscape and very flat wide open spaces. The utility vehicle choices are based on economy and practicality, not looks or flash. The SR5 is the base model. The alternatives are a 4x4 pickup truck or a Jeep Wrangler. A few of these types would be less expensive than a Toyota SR5.

The P rated tires the T4Rs come with are not very durable for dirt, gravel and rocks. You need at least a LT tire with thicker sidewalls and maybe a higher load rating.

It doesn't rain as much in Nevada as say, Montana or Colorado, so there's no need for a locking diff' like you might want in the mud. The SR5 4x4 is the least expensive model for the conditions you have. A dozen years ago the car mix might have included some Jeep GC or Ford Explorers, but those cars aren't nearly as off-road capable as they used to be and the Jeep GC is not as reliable as it used to be.

I was just out in Southern Utah in the Escalante region. The ranchers all had big 4x4 trucks with solid front axles and big tires. When it rains there the roads get muddy and impassable. There was lots of unseasonable rain when we were there so we stayed off the dirt roads, even in my old Jeep GC 4x4.

So why is it most people here get caught up in the mod to the max quagmire? What fun would it be to come here and talk about aftermarket upgrades if you didn't buy a few for your own ride? And some of us occasionally drive more challenging trails than dirt roads on flat high arid plains. Some people even go looking for challenging rides when there's an easier way to get there.

And some of us just have 2-Runners.

I'm from Northern NV as well (Reno). And I pretty much agree with you. I got my TE in Dec 13' and for the first 8 months or so I only saw 1 other 5th gen, but now they're everywhere. Like you, I probably see 1 trail for every 8 SR5/Limited. The only TRDP I've seen is my coworker's, who bought it cuz he liked my TE.

Another thing I've noticed around here is most 4Runner drivers are women. Being that 4wd is pretty important around here, I think a lot of people see the 4Runner as a cool, smaller SUV that could take them pretty much anywhere they'd want to go, and it's a reliable Toyota.

On the other hand Mall Crawler Jeeps are a dime a dozen around here yet I've only seen a few with real rock sliders (that's my gauge of mall crawler vs. trail rig).

Anyway, give it a few more months for all the parts to get here and you'll see my black 5th gen cruising around with a 3" lift, sliders and 285's. Someone has to represent for the 5th gen T4R enthusiasts around here!

I've found that 95% of my winch use is either in snow or wet trails. It's very rare that there's a dry trail that I need a winch or locker for. I think the nature of the terrain is what dictates some of the Trail and TRD Pro use as well as the winch and such. Slippery wet logs/rocks can be a big challenge where the same dry trail would be pretty easy. Deep snow is where I get stuck most often and use the winch a lot.

If I were in Nevada I think I'd have a really hard time justifying a winch and sliders.

Yea a winch is pretty much worthless, since attaching it to a sagebrush isn't going to do much good. That being said, we're on the edge of the eastern Sierra's so all of the NorCal trails are a short drive, where a winch could come in handy. It's funny living 2.5 hours from Fordyce & the Rubicon, knowing my 5th gen will never see either of them, but it is a goal of mine to run them some day.

Fordyce has become a more extreme trail. Rubicon: yes, Fordyce: no. Fact is, you can only lift the 5th so high and slide over so big boulders. Fordyce is for rigs you don't mind banging around... a lot. Perhaps once the 5th gen gets a SAS and older. Winch comes in handy in the NorCal trails (more often to recover a buddy than self winch though).

When I've been at the Fordyce trail (years ago) everything was trailered in rigs. Really way too extreme for daily drivers even modded.

Not much to talk about if you are bone stock...

Exactly. Some guys do it in "street-able rigs." However, they usually are not concerned about roll overs, big broken parts and usually are running 37s (at least). If I do Fodyce, it won't be in my runner. Rubicon is probably as extreme as I'll go in that rig. It's hard core enough for me to keep me smiling the whole time and to shock people that I'm crazy enough to wheel my mall crawler that hard. Lol

I feel like I've threadjacked enough, but this seems relevant. Seen on r/4x4. The LC is known as The Green Slug, but I don't know about the SAS 3rd gen.

Edit: this is Fordyce.

I was in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons national parks last month. I had never seen as many 4runners as I did in that area mostly 2014 and 2015s. I saw every model and color on a daily basis. They are relatively rare where I live especially a red one like mine.

Yep. 3-linked front on 37s and not his daily. Friend of mine.

To get back on topic (Sorry Ron), here a rare trail edition in the wilds of NV.