2013 TE vs 2014 TE Prem

[bruindave]

I'm the proud owner of a green 1997 T4R SR5 with 368k+ miles on it... however I think it's time for a replacement.

I'm deciding between the 2013 TE and the 2014 TE Premium. I haven't been able to find a 2014 TE Premium since they seem to be as rare as unicorns. From what I understand it seems like the 2013 TE is pretty close to a 2014 TE Premium is that right?

Since the 2014 is hard to find I was hoping someone who's seen one could tell me a little about the softex seats. Are they much different from the 2013 stain resistant seats? Do they feel better? Is it worth the extra of purchasing a 2014? I'm also going to guess for the most part the interior is about the same as the SR5 (which I was able to see).

These are what I think of the 2013
+Price discount (if a bigger one occurs in Jan) - I was able to talk a dealer down to ~37k before tax/license for a TE with nav/entune
+I think the front exterior still looks better (of which I know a lot of ppl are mixed on too)
-Standard sliding cargo deck that may annoy me

These are what I think of the 2014 - I see them for ~39k
+Updated interior/nav/dash
+Newer year
+Option to not put in a sliding cargo deck
-More expensive
+/-Softex seats? (not sure how they feel)

Are there any other differences that I'm missing or don't know about between the two year versions? Is there anything different with the engine, suspension, or anything else?

Thanks!

 

[Jeff M]

Longo Toyota, Autonation Toyota Cerritos & Hamer Toyota all have 2014 Trail Premiums in stock via their websites.

 

[DannyLlama]

The interior of the '14's have been improved, from what I hear.
If I was you, I would get a 14 trail premium, wait it out.. Just my opinion.

Really cool about your 97 T4R, that's awesome, almost 400k!!!! that is insane.

 

[bruindave]

Longo Toyota, Autonation Toyota Cerritos & Hamer Toyota all have 2014 Trail Premiums in stock via their websites.

Oh cool I'll have to try to make a trek out to one of those and check it out. I've been using the amex car purchase program to look for cars only to find afterwards none of the dealers actually have the cars....

thanks!

 

[bruindave]

The interior of the '14's have been improved, from what I hear.
If I was you, I would get a 14 trail premium, wait it out.. Just my opinion.

Really cool about your 97 T4R, that's awesome, almost 400k!!!! that is insane.

what is the main draw to the 2014 over the 2013 (to me it's mainly price for the 2013) for you? and when you say wait it out how long should i wait? =)

i just replaced the radiator on my 1997... and i suspect i could even go another yr or two... haha. but i hope to stop worrying about it breaking down every trip i go on. it has been awesomely reliable, but there is always that worry that it's an old car (even though it proves me wrong most times). still original trans and engine! nothing rebuilt.

I will miss this car and all the trips it's taken me on. i started offroading in this car. it's been awesome.

 

[Prestige Worldwide]

For what it's worth, I have been researching the purchase of a 4R since May '13 and just picked one up last week for a song with all of the end of month and end of year incentives. I looked at the '14 while I was there, but it was not a TE. Personally, I like the refresh of the '14 but I also like the look if the '13 so I decided on the '13 since I saved thousands. There were not nearly as many incentives on the '14 and I wanted the TE. In your case, if the price difference is minimal, I would suggest waiting for a '14 TE that you like to pop up. Good luck with your search!

 

[kevy511]

I'm thinking of upgrading my 2010 TE to the 2014 TE or LE. I believe that my 2010 TE and the 2013 are basically the same. However, 4 wheel magazine listed the below as the changes for 2013 to 14..

“Toyota 4Runner Trail Premium

What's New
Braces have been added to the number three frame crossmember to help enhance torsional rigidity; the brake hoses have been made more rigid to enhance brake feel; numerous changes have been made to enhance interior quietness; the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) has been retuned and the distribution of front/ rear weight transfer while cornering revised; numerous changes have been made to the front stabilizer bar assembly; there are numerous interior changes; and there are a number of exterior changes including the grille, bumpers, and on the Trail model, wheels”

Besides the looks I'm more interested in knowing if 2014 has better handling base on the above mechanical changes listed above.

 

[DannyLlama]

what is the main draw to the 2014 over the 2013 (to me it's mainly price for the 2013) for you? and when you say wait it out how long should i wait? =)

i just replaced the radiator on my 1997... and i suspect i could even go another yr or two... haha. but i hope to stop worrying about it breaking down every trip i go on. it has been awesomely reliable, but there is always that worry that it's an old car (even though it proves me wrong most times). still original trans and engine! nothing rebuilt.

I will miss this car and all the trips it's taken me on. i started offroading in this car. it's been awesome.

The interior dash is completely different. You will just have to look at pictures to see. The Entune navigation unit is different as well I believe.
[MENTION=92348]kevy511[/MENTION] has added some upgrades that I was not aware of.

You can go through the 2014 thread, it's the first sticky on the forum.
Also, check youtube. Dealers will upload detailed videos of their fleet at times, you can see the difference.

I personally like the new TE wheels, but that you can buy later. The look of the '14 TE is the best out of the three models in my opinion.

Lastly, Test drive them both and decide for your self.

Good luck!

:llama: out

 

[bruindave]

I'm thinking of upgrading my 2010 TE to the 2014 TE or LE. I believe that my 2010 TE and the 2013 are basically the same. However, 4 wheel magazine listed the below as the changes for 2013 to 14..

“Toyota 4Runner Trail Premium

What's New
Braces have been added to the number three frame crossmember to help enhance torsional rigidity; the brake hoses have been made more rigid to enhance brake feel; numerous changes have been made to enhance interior quietness; the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) has been retuned and the distribution of front/ rear weight transfer while cornering revised; numerous changes have been made to the front stabilizer bar assembly; there are numerous interior changes; and there are a number of exterior changes including the grille, bumpers, and on the Trail model, wheels”

Besides the looks I'm more interested in knowing if 2014 has better handling base on the above mechanical changes listed above.

Thanks for the additional info on what has been changed between years. What does the retuning of the KDSS and the distrubtion of the front/rear weight transfer? Is it noticably different and improved? Can anyone chime in on what differences they feel after trying out the 2 cars?

I'm pretty insensitive to these things... (but perhaps my passengers are not). I can't tell the difference in rides that well. Yea I suppose I'm interested in the handling as well, but I doubt I really would notice...

 

[T4Ranger]

go w the 2014 and don't look back. the interior is 10x better than the 2013, and that's where you'll spend most of your time. I test drove several before going w the 2014 TE Premium, differences in handling were minimal.

 

[peanut]

The brakes felt different to me... Was I just imagining it? I didn't get to drive one with KDSS I am hoping to find a 2014 Prem with KDSS but if the brakes are the same then maybe the 2013 is the way to go for pricing.

 

[Jeff M]

The brakes felt different to me... Was I just imagining it? I didn't get to drive one with KDSS I am hoping to find a 2014 Prem with KDSS but if the brakes are the same then maybe the 2013 is the way to go for pricing.

Having just went from a 2011 Limited to a 2014 Trail Premium with KDSS I'll say this...

Do not buy a 2014 without KDSS! I was blown away by the way the rig drove with the KDSS option.

 

[noworyz]

I just bought mine last week and I had the option of a 2013 TE premium w/KDSS and the 2014 TE w/KDSS and the interior alone made it worth the lower incentives. The 2014 was cheaper due to it not having the fancy extras like sunroof etc, but my major decision factor was the interior.

 

[JayceeP]

Not a huge difference between interiors really when you realize design template is near identical. Camera angles aren't exact which makes it look more different than it is. Different gauge cluster, different NAV unit, blue accent lights instead of red.

2013:

 

[JayceeP]

2014:

 

[kevy511]

Having just went from a 2011 Limited to a 2014 Trail Premium with KDSS I'll say this...

Do not buy a 2014 without KDSS! I was blown away by the way the rig drove with the KDSS option.

Wow!! I have a 2010 TE w/KDSS and was thinking the ride would be better with LE with the xreas. So are you saying you prefer the TE ride over the LE? If so, can you describe the difference because I'm looking at both options. Don't get me wrong, I like my TE ride considering what this truck can do off road. But I'm greedy and want the best of both worlds.

 

[nguyenn]

i have 14 TE. My seats are identical to the pic above. Soft black leather with red stitching. Looks and feel fantastic.

 

[Jeff M]

Wow!! I have a 2010 TE w/KDSS and was thinking the ride would be better with LE with the xreas. So are you saying you prefer the TE ride over the LE? If so, can you describe the difference because I'm looking at both options. Don't get me wrong, I like my TE ride considering what this truck can do off road. But I'm greedy and want the best of both worlds.

I found the drive a lot "tighter & firmer" than the Limited. The Limited has a more "boat" feel to it while the TE felt more comparable to my wife's RX 350 F-Sport. Was the difference due to the fact my 11' LE had 36K miles and the TE was new?? I don't know. I had just driven 1000 miles straight in the LE to reach the dealership with the TE and when I got behind the wheel of the TE, I was pleasantly surprised how much better, in my opinion, the ride was. Turns felt tighter, less body roll, firmer ride and the rig just felt much more nimble. My LE really felt like I was driving a huge SUV. The TE felt more comparable to the ride of my 06' LE I had 6 months ago minus the torque that the V8 had .

Would a brand new LE provide just as great an experience as the TE? Probably, but I didn't test drive one as I was deadset on the TE.

 

[kevy511]

I found the drive a lot "tighter & firmer" than the Limited. The Limited has a more "boat" feel to it while the TE felt more comparable to my wife's RX 350 F-Sport. Was the difference due to the fact my 11' LE had 36K miles and the TE was new?? I don't know. I had just driven 1000 miles straight in the LE to reach the dealership with the TE and when I got behind the wheel of the TE, I was pleasantly surprised how much better, in my opinion, the ride was. Turns felt tighter, less body roll, firmer ride and the rig just felt much more nimble. My LE really felt like I was driving a huge SUV. The TE felt more comparable to the ride of my 06' LE I had 6 months ago minus the torque that the V8 had .

Would a brand new LE provide just as great an experience as the TE? Probably, but I didn't test drive one as I was deadset on the TE.

Thanks Jeff M
My T4R Trail is my first 4R. I first test drove an SR5 and did not like soft suspension (at least that demo) and was ready to move on. Then I read a review about the trail suspension being firmer. This in my opinion, turn out to be true, so I bought it. I do some off road (90/10) but not much. That SR5 would have been fine if it handle like the TE. I don’t think mileage would have that much of an effect on the tighter handling. Most likely will get slightly softer as the years go by. My TE rides pretty much the same 40,000 (have new tires now so evaluating at the moment).

 

[bruindave]

So looking at the pictures... are the new softex seats a sort of fake leather??? I wasn't the fondest of leather seats (even if they're fake) as I tend to feel as if I'm sliding around on them. They're hot in summer and cold in winter, etc etc. I know they were meant to be easy to clean, but aren't the old seats in the trail also easy to clean?