I don't want to add any fuel to these flames, but I feel that more personal experiences might help to clarify certain peoples opinions about these things. I was driving a Jeep Liberty CRD before buying my 2015 Trail 4R. The Jeep was obviously a trainwreck of an engineering and management disaster, being a Diamler Chrysler vehicle. I miss the engine terribly (so fast, so much power!) but that is about it. The rest of the vehicle was like owning a boat. I was spending more maintaining the damn vehicle than a payment on a new(used) vehicle would be. I contemplated several vehicles for YEARS while dealing with the Jeep, which was as much a hobby vehicle as it was a daily driver. I thought about a Wrangler, a Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, a Chevy Colorado diesel, a VW Touareg Diesel, then realized that these were all TERRIBLE ideas given the diesel attitude in this country and the strangle hold the EPA has on that market. So, I started looking at regular gasoline vehicles. Once I narrowed it down to the ones that weren't depressingly boring, terribly unreliable and didn't feel like the interiors were put together by 4th graders, I bought a 4Runner!

In all honesty, you can squawk about lack of features and lack of functional updates but there is a reason that people still covet Toyota like some kind of god. Its the fact that you can, by and large, expect to get 300K miles out of most of their vehicles with not much more than regular maintenance. Of course lemons exist and some people have out of the ordinary experiences. Just remember, that for every person that complains about a terrible experience with Toyota there are thousands that are perfectly happy that you DON'T hear from. Meanwhile, can anyone here name a 4Runner competitor in any regard that hasn't been plagued with recalls, TSB's, constant maintenance issues or a general feeling of "cheapness" that practically guarantees the thing won't last 200K, much less 300K miles (for a competitive price)? To me the choice was clear as crystal. There was no other option except a Toyota for something that I am going to be taking into the back country for a week or more at a time. Just my opinion on the matter.

I am on the side of the fence that is 1000% happy with my 4R. It's a stock 2016 Trail with KDSS, and will likely stay that way (has a 3/4 length Front Runner rack on top I have never used since I bought it CPO earlier this year).

I am a 45 year old male, and love that it will haul my wife and kids and dog, all of our crap, and we can go pretty much anywhere we want without worrying too much and still be comfortable. No, maybe not to the top of some rock pile, but who cares for most use case scenarios? I do not.

Would I like ventilated/cooled seats, yes. Can't think of one other feature I want. Something about this old school BoF SUV that just excites me, even if it is a dinosaur.

I'm right with you.

I also kind of like that it is a Dinosaur as well. Simple is good, and less likely to break when way out there. I would just like them to give us a little more capability, clearance and a removable hardtop like the original. Is that asking for too much?

We got the auto back window down. That is all we need.

Thank you for your interest in our exciting line of Toyota adventure products!

Are you aware that for the 2021 model year the adventure ready rough and tumble TRD Pro is available with an "out of this world" paint job that is the same color as the skin tight uniform jammed up the ass crack of a hot female Starfleet officer?

If that is too much adventure for you, the rugged Trail is back as the dependable and value oriented SR5 model with adventure ready cooler and roof rack we bought from an REI fire sale and are selling to you at a markup that would make Rolex cringe.

"O wow, the trail is back, Mr. Salesman, can you show me how to engage the locking rear diff?" "Ummmmm, hmmmmmm, it used to be right here but I don't see it, let me go ask my manager."

I want that cooler

Yes. Why didn't they call it the beach edition since it is an SR5 with a cooler in back. Trail it ain't.