1. No, you can tell which vehicles have heated mirrors because they are painted to match the vehicle. The TE's are just black. Its my understanding they are already wired for it though so purchasing the heated mirrors and installing them should be all that is necessary. YMMV.
2. No more than any other 4th gen. Just give the 4wd a workout every couple weeks and you'll be fine. Make sure to engage the rear diff lock occasionally as well. With the 4th gen's 4wd system, its a use it or lose it proposition as the solenoids have been known to bind over time if not used.
3. Ground clearance and approach angle. Easily corrected though with tires and a small lift which I did.
4. Pretty gucci ride actually. The daystar lift I installed also added preload to the shocks to stiffen it up a little. I like the ride but I could see replacing the shocks with something more formidable in 20k or so.
5. Abrams tank comes to mind. Much nicer interior materials than 5th gen. I like the leather steering wheel and shift knob and the waterproof seats are great for after the gym or long bike ride.
6. No, there is an extra 12v socket in the back though. I just installed a dual battery kit to power my ham radios and accessories. Im planning to install a 800w inverter in the back for serious AC power.
7. Not a huge fan of the tom tom although it does work. Pretty cumbersome to input addresses but I never really use it so maybe If I were more familiar it would be easier. Its also not a very intuitive radio to use either, kinda got to get used to the controls but I pretty much use the steering wheel controls exclusively. Ive definitely thought about replacing it with an Eclipse AVN726E as its a drop in replacement but having navi was never a priority for me.
Overall its the most capable 4th gen for off road use. It definitely needs a lift and bigger tires and I was never really a huge fan of the FJ wheels so I replaced them when I did the tires. There really isn't anything out there in this model year that compares to the quality and capability of the TE. The new TE is nice but very pricey and I think Toyota went the wrong direction with some of the capabilities and features. Ive got 38k on mine with nary a sign of slowing down.
