I probably would have gone red if not for the availability of Lunar Rock.

After years of searching for a used 4Runner I settled on Nautical Blue as my favorite color, but was open to all others... except Barcelona Red—it was practically off the radar. I had absolutely no desire for a red 4Runner.

However, KDSS was becoming increasingly important to me and, being in the midwest, I don't recall seeing a 4Runner with that option in all those years of searching. When I finally stumbled across one—out-of-state, but still close enough to drive to—it was red.

The more I contemplated that particular vehicle, the more I wanted it—but mostly for the KDSS. Funny thing though, the red color was really starting to grow on me. In no time I was searching for red Runners that were closer to me, boosting my price range significantly to include more choices. I had three red 4Runners across my state that I had planned to visit—the first one being the only one with KDSS (the same out-of-state one mentioned above [another story altogether]).

Cutting to the chase, I picked up that same 2016 Trail Premium w/KDSS in Barcelona Red with a black interior that initially hooked me. My wife and I hopped on a bus to finalize the deal and we drove it home yesterday. She absolutely loves it, as do I. It's stunning. The fact that it was a garage queen and looks brand new—both inside and out—doesn't hurt.

The art director in me appreciates the contrast between the red, black, grey and bright metal, offsetting all those different colors just enough. Not to mention that it just stands out in the sea of black, grey, silver and white that surrounds us these days. Plus, the red stitching on the all-black SofTex seats, console, and door trim is the perfect complement that ties it all together.

I also have silver and white vehicles. They both clean up well and look good with a little dirt on them, so that's nice. However, while driving my silver Camry hybrid on a rainy, misty late afternoon, I was t-boned. The guy said he never saw me—'nuff said.

The only concern we had was that it would stand out in the woods when we're trying to be stealth while camping. Not that we're doing anything nefarious, it's rather a general policy for us—the less attention, the better. We figured we can always make a camo cover if need be.

Here are some dealer/previous-owner images of our ride...

Attached Images

 

Congrats! Went through a similar process...KDSS was a Must-Have feature for me, and about half the vehicles in our area had it, luckily. I wanted Army Green, Magnetic Gray Metallic, or Nautical Blue, in that order. Absolutely NO white, silver, or black. Red was off our radar until I saw a SR5 at the local dealer, and my wife loved it, so I was now open to it.

Fast forward to finding a dealer selling at MSRP (most ORPs had a $3K markup) and one without a long waiting line. A dealer 1/2 hour away said he could get us a new ORP with KDSS in two weeks (everyone else was 2-4 months), was red OK? So now we have a beautiful BR 4Runner that's easy to find in parking lots and looks damn sharp. I love that black/red/silver contrast too! Enjoy!

Thanks for replying to my verbose post. We still can’t believe we own such a nice 4Runner, as it’s been such a long wait. However, the roads around here just had a fresh covering of snow—and salt. Ergo, my lovely wife is getting annoyed with me because it hasn’t been out of the garage since we brought it home. I’ve convinced myself that I need to clean and treat the undercarriage/frame before exposing it to this environment. I’m very patient, my wife… not so much. Cheers!

I don't blame you a bit! Show her some of the horror photos on the Internet of 4Runner frames that have been devoured by roads in Salt States. Enjoy it when you get the chance .
I remember looking under a 1st Gen Tundra that lived out by the beach when I was in the market for one a few years ago. It was around 7 years old at the time and the body and interior were in great shape. But when I crawled underneath, the frame had some seriously scary looking rust on it. Not surface rust like I expected, and had plenty of on my F-150. The rust on the Toyota frame was a little different color and looked very aggressive, cancerous, and nasty. It was my first encounter with Toyota's dirty little secret, until I Googled it. Yikes!

Ha! She knows perfectly well, as we're losing our 1995 Jeep ZJ to the cancer even though that straight-6 has another 100,000 miles on it (I'm still trying to have her resurrected—the Jeep, not my wife). On the bright side my wife is texting people that we need to treat the bottom before we get it on the road, even saying to me today, "the streets may look dry and clear, but they're still covered with salt".

I also don't want to run it through a car wash, preferring to initially clean the underside with my garden hose. Now, in addition to waiting on some non-freezing temperatures, I need to get me some tall ramps. It begins.