This is our 17 SR-5 Premium i like it alot. I am not a dedicated rock dog, so this works for us just fine.

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Go SR5 imo. It has ATRAC. You don’t need crawl control or the hoodscoop. If you want an “easy button” later down the road, you can spend $2k to get an ARB locker installed and have OBA. Regardless of what people say, a stock rig can do pretty much anything one with a rear locker can do. Might take a different approach, but it is doable. A front locker is how you can get yourself to places you shouldn’t be. Plus I think the SR5 rides smoother with no shimmy.

No matter what anybody says, here’s the biggest and only decision maker: the SR5 has a sunglasses holder where the TRD Off-road has a couple of knobs that control gimmicky off-road features. I miss that sunglasses holder. I’ve never been in a spot where I needed crawl control or terrain select. I wish I had bought the SR5 premium. Oh, 1st world problems...

Go with the SR5 Premium. You don't really seem to need the extra off-road capability of the ORP. If you plan to own the vehicle a long time, the long-term resale value between both is pretty insignificant assuming you end up selling it after 8-10 (or hopefully more!) years. Take that extra $1800 and throw it into a stock-based mutual fund or etf.

You’re keeping it for life...$1,800 is less than $40 more per month. You’re not even going to feel that.

It’s better to have too much truck in case you need it than not have it and wish you did...and if sounds like you’ll wish you bought exactly what you wanted.

Again, you’re keeping this thing forever. Get into what you want.


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I didn’t know the SR5’s did not have MTS. The Mud/Sand/Dirt selection is worth it to me right there. I drive trails that really benefit from the extra allowed wheelspin.

I would get the Off Road for re-sale value. Even down the road 200k miles it will be more desired than the premium SR5

You stole my thunder with the sunglasses holder. Dealer let me use an sr5 for a day and the holder brought me back to the 4th gen sport days. The visors are so thick it's hard to fit the clip holder. Although I have recently found a visor organizer with several elastic bands that hold sunglasses and pens etc. I have used that crawl control going down steep iced over woods roads during deer season. We wanted another 4runner with KDSS so needless to say we don't have sunglasses holder. Back to the OP question... if you get the OR you won't regret it, but you may 2nd guess yourself with an sr5 without locker, hood scoop, snazzy wheels, and the mud/sand, crawl control that you may need some day.

Great looking rig! Great color! Love the wheels and tires too!

I get that not everyone needs, wants, or would use a factory e-locker or crawl control, but calling them "gimmicky" is quite the stretch. The faux hood scoop, yeah, that's gimmicky.

If you could get away with owning a Highlander based on your needs, but just prefer the 4Runner, then by all means, buy the SR5P and save some money. But believe it or not, there are a lot of people who buy a 4Runner for it's off-road capabilities, and use it accordingly. As such, the TRD OR features are icing on the cake and well worth the money.

I’d pay the extra for the TRDORP purely for the all black interior

I agree. The future is uncertain but buying one of these is like buying a piece of gold. Get a good one and it’ll sell for more than that difference you pay up front if you’re lucky.

I want a 2003-09 Limited for the wife. They are substantially more that an SR5. Sometimes $3-5k on a $9k-14k vehicle. It’s crazy. And when I ask why the owners say “I don’t really want to sell it.”

Get what you want!

And sorry about the deer. I would be pretty upset. Making a couple of bucks helps though!

Onward and upward though!

I have experience with using ATRAC extensively, with having an ARB air locker and now with a Toyota E-Locker, the main reason I purchased the TRD ORP model.

I had my 2005 SR5 for 239,000 miles across 13 years, about 1/4 of those without the ARB locker. I pushed ATRAC as much as possible and admire the capability it brings. The big disadvantage of ATRAC is it requires those wheels to be spinning so the wheel sensors can get a good reading. That is not a good thing for low speed crawling especially when there is no wheel spin for ATRAC brake pulsing to keep the diff "locked" up. That means you mostly have an open diff until a wheel happens to spin.

Because I take my off road trailer so many places I finally felt that the limits of ATRAC called for a rear locker to be installed. It is a long story but one critical point is proper installation! I was dismayed to find out how poor a job a local Jeep shop performed, especially at not properly installing the copper air line. It is important to note that ARB builds a quality product but a bad install negates that. It was due to the patience and support of ARB America that I was able to get things right. However, I got really tired of all of the down time and removing and re-installing the 3rd member on my own. I became almost too good at installs and learned a lot about air lockers. Be sure to be either a good mechanic or carefully choose the shop that installs your ARB.

Once the ARB is working properly they have a strange habit of "burping" diff oil back up the air line where it dribbles out and makes a mess. A small concern is the rubber seals in the ARB so be sure to keep your diff oil clean and changed without fail. Also keep in mind the air locker requires an on-board air compressor so instead of the smallest ARB compressor just budget for the bigger CKMA-12 so that you can also air up your tires.

A Toyota E-Locker has the advantages of no air compressor, no air lines and no air seals to worry about. It is an OEM part and should be covered under the drive train warranty. (I'd better go read the fine print though!) You can get parts at all Toyota dealers across the nation. There are "hacks" to allow bypassing all of the interlocks so that it can be engaged even in 2WD. I have read of complaints of slow engagement but I have not experienced that issue yet. It seems that if the e-locker is used often enough it will always engage and disengage smoothly. I guess if you are a hard-core rock crawler you'd want to be sure to protect the e-locker's solenoid from getting bashed.

The actual problem with the hood scoop bling is blocking some of your view of the trail close to the front of the 4Runner.

In closing, you need to either have no worry about the extra cost of the TRD ORP or understand thoroughly if any sort of locker is needed for your style of off-roading. Then budget accordingly.

First time car buyer, here. I have driven a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport for the last 10+ years, and I'm finally in the market for something new. I'm trying to decide between an SR5 and an SR5 Premium. I don't really care about the Sunroof or the heated seats, but I thought the third row (as I hope to start a family someday), and Entune Audio/Nav/App Suite would be worth it. Anybody have any thoughts? Any help is appreciated. Also, FYI I am brand new to this forum.

All of the (4WD) 4Runners are capable vehicles, and through mods you can pretty much build one into a combination of all of them. It's just a matter of what need/want the most right now and how important resale value is to you later.

If resale value is a consideration at all, Off Road Premium.

If you want more off-road capability right now, Off Road Premium.

If you want a better marriage through dual-zone climate control, Limited.