GC or T4R?
It was almost a no-brainer for me. In the mid-1980's I had a GC which I owned for 10 years. Fortunately I had gotten an extended warranty on it, and the dealer was a really good one that stood behind the warranty 100%. That warranty paid off 10 to 1.... This time around, I looked at multiple mid-sized 4wd SUV's before settling on the 2015 Trail standard edition - I definitely did not want a "moon roof" as I have had them in the past and the only ones that didn't leak were the ones I almost never opened...
I just this past weekend I took my Trail off-road for the first time, during a 4wd class at the Uwharrie 4WD Training Center. There were I think a dozen Wrangler type Jeeps, and 3 T4Rs. No GC's. Two of us had 2015 T4Rs (mine was the only Trail edition, and both 2015's were completely stock) with the automatic transmissions, and one older T4R that was a manual transmission. My observation was that the automatic transmissions, in the T4Rs and in the Jeeps, did as well as manual transmissions in both - you simply have to adjust technique, and learn to use both feet when in 4wd. It is even possible, using the right technique, to stay in the highest gear you select - such as a hill climb in 2nd.
I took the course because I wanted to learn how the electronic gizmos on my Trail worked and practice with them (I did use them in the snow this past winter), but part of the value of the course was learning how to operate effectively in 4wd without lockers, terrain select, etc. Some things that we were taught were new to me and I have been driving 4wd vehicles of one sort or another for 47 years. Incidentally, none of the 4Runners got stuck or had problems hanging up on rocks, logs, or creeks. We did just as well as the stock or near-stock Jeeps, although some of the Jeeps being shorter did a bit better over obstacles, although some of the others were pretty extreme, which gave them really good obstacle clearance. I am even still running the stock tires, which worried me at first, but they did fine, even in mud and loose dirt. Technique often overcomes lack of some fancy hardware it seems. In all fairness, my old GC was a manual with a diesel engine, and I ran it quite well off-road in some very challenging terrain. However, I am totally sold on the T4R. Very very solid vehicle.
It was almost a no-brainer for me. In the mid-1980's I had a GC which I owned for 10 years. Fortunately I had gotten an extended warranty on it, and the dealer was a really good one that stood behind the warranty 100%. That warranty paid off 10 to 1.... This time around, I looked at multiple mid-sized 4wd SUV's before settling on the 2015 Trail standard edition - I definitely did not want a "moon roof" as I have had them in the past and the only ones that didn't leak were the ones I almost never opened...
I just this past weekend I took my Trail off-road for the first time, during a 4wd class at the Uwharrie 4WD Training Center. There were I think a dozen Wrangler type Jeeps, and 3 T4Rs. No GC's. Two of us had 2015 T4Rs (mine was the only Trail edition, and both 2015's were completely stock) with the automatic transmissions, and one older T4R that was a manual transmission. My observation was that the automatic transmissions, in the T4Rs and in the Jeeps, did as well as manual transmissions in both - you simply have to adjust technique, and learn to use both feet when in 4wd. It is even possible, using the right technique, to stay in the highest gear you select - such as a hill climb in 2nd.
I took the course because I wanted to learn how the electronic gizmos on my Trail worked and practice with them (I did use them in the snow this past winter), but part of the value of the course was learning how to operate effectively in 4wd without lockers, terrain select, etc. Some things that we were taught were new to me and I have been driving 4wd vehicles of one sort or another for 47 years. Incidentally, none of the 4Runners got stuck or had problems hanging up on rocks, logs, or creeks. We did just as well as the stock or near-stock Jeeps, although some of the Jeeps being shorter did a bit better over obstacles, although some of the others were pretty extreme, which gave them really good obstacle clearance. I am even still running the stock tires, which worried me at first, but they did fine, even in mud and loose dirt. Technique often overcomes lack of some fancy hardware it seems. In all fairness, my old GC was a manual with a diesel engine, and I ran it quite well off-road in some very challenging terrain. However, I am totally sold on the T4R. Very very solid vehicle.
arty:
j/k enjoy 
