2020 4Runner - 2WD vs full-time 4WD?

[Toffees]

Unlike the TRD, it doesn't come with terrain select or crawl control. Now, neither does my current car and I've never used them in my life - but I imagine it's something I would be using more. Just yesterday was going down an FSR with my friend in her wrangler and noticed her using crawl control.

Likewise... my previous-previous car was a honda accord, which I assume is FWD? Also a sedan and an incredibly different car overall. So I'm just so used to the AWD on my Audi Q5 to the point I don't really know what it's like driving on slippery roads or other non-dry pavement conditions at city or highway speeds when you're RWD.

Skip the MTS and Crawl and sign up for an off road class, that will be money better spent. Those features are nice, but the basic knowledge is better. An LE with FT4WD is a nice saftey redundancy for winter driving, so it's worth considering.

 

[jnkmail]

Even taking cost out of the equation, I'm not sure which I would get haha.

- Limited gets full-time AWD - obviously "better", not sure on impact to fuel economy on an already not-efficient car
- Limited gets X-REAS instead of KDSS. I wouldn't know diff between on-road and off-road handling.
- Limited gets front+rear clearance sonars... I assume these are just the parking sensors? I really love these, would probably just add them aftermarket if needed?
- Limited gets bigger wheels - that's unfortunate... would need to replace tires AND wheels... just added cost
- Better speaker system is nice!
- Leather vs softex - maybe softex would actually be better? Given the utility aspect
- TRD gets locking rear diff. This almost seems described as "get out of jail" to really increase chances of getting out of a jam?
- TRD gets crawl control+terrain select... on paper, this seems like the biggest difference and something that SEEMS like I should definitely have

I see a lot of recommendations for the Limited and you mentioned the crawl control a few times for the TRD. Unless you're dug deep in, crawl control is overkill. Even with 4LO engaged, you'll be able to finesse yourself out of a lot of situations.

Where I live (New York / New Jersey) we get snow and ice a few months out of the year so full-time 4wd doesn't make sense. Not familiar with Vancouver, but how much of the year is actually snow/sleet/ice?

 

[kaitlyn2004]

Where I live (New York / New Jersey) we get snow and ice a few months out of the year so full-time 4wd doesn't make sense. Not familiar with Vancouver, but how much of the year is actually snow/sleet/ice?

Vancouver is like seattle/portland - virtually never see snow in the city. Plenty of rain all winter. Hit the mountains and you'll encounter varying degrees of plowed/unplowed snow and ice.

I am really disliking the way they do the full time 4WD! I don't want the larger wheels... blah. I'll look at them more closely and talk to the salesperson when I'm in the dealership Tuesday to test drive.

 

[17KT4R]

Vancouver is like seattle/portland - virtually never see snow in the city. Plenty of rain all winter. Hit the mountains and you'll encounter varying degrees of plowed/unplowed snow and ice.

I am really disliking the way they do the full time 4WD! I don't want the larger wheels... blah. I'll look at them more closely and talk to the salesperson when I'm in the dealership Tuesday to test drive.

Same situation with my wife and I prior to buying our 17 TRD Off Road, drove the Limited, nice on the highway with the bigger rims I thought but didn't quite soak up the bigger road irregularities like the 17" wheel did, liked the memory seats though, but we didn't need the 3rd row seating either. Leather was nice but for our usage (dog too), the softex fits the bill.

We go camping a couple of times each year in Northern Ont with the little one so the TRD Off Road electronics get utilized up there for fun but to be honest, got a second set of rims and snow tires this past winter and don't think we engaged the transfer case to 4WD once. It is a heavy vehicle and with snows on it, that much better. The KDSS suspension option made a difference to us in test drives as well, wife likes to turn corners in the city with some spirit so it felt more planted in that respect of course. Still on the stock bridgestone tires, I hate them but my conscience can't toss them with only 30k on them just yet... No regrets otherwise. Good luck!

 

[itr1275]

The 4runner AWD drive system is actually pretty slick.

It has a Torsen limited slip diff with locker in the middle of the car with open diffs front and rear. When you switch from H4F (AWD) to H4L (4WD) it kicks the locker. When you switch from H4L to L4L it's just like any other 4WD low range. It's very similar to the Land Cruiser drive train.

A more robust description.
Locking and Torsen | HowStuffWorks

If one set of wheels (front or rear) looses traction, then the other set still gets power (limited slip) to pull/push you out. The limited slip differential the allows some slip between the front and rear axles can, and they can still turn at different rates, which is why it's usable every day.

The locking the center diff is 4WD with open diffs, like any 4runner. Both front and rear axles always turn at the same rate without slip. Not very good for high traction surfaces.

 

[kaitlyn2004]

The 4runner AWD drive system is actually pretty slick.

It has a Torsen limited slip diff with locker in the middle of the car with open diffs front and rear. When you switch from H4F (AWD) to H4L (4WD) it kicks the locker. When you switch from H4L to L4L it's just like any other 4WD low range. It's very similar to the Land Cruiser drive train.

A more robust description.
Locking and Torsen | HowStuffWorks

If one set of wheels (front or rear) looses traction, then the other set still gets power (limited slip) to pull/push you out. The limited slip differential the allows some slip between the front and rear axles can, and they can still turn at different rates, which is why it's usable every day.

The locking the center diff is 4WD with open diffs, like any 4runner. Both front and rear axles always turn at the same rate without slip. Not very good for high traction surfaces.

You generally said a whole bunch of words I didn't follow one bit... haha

 

[itr1275]

You generally said a whole bunch of words I didn't follow one bit... haha

LOL. Mission accomplished.

A limited slip center diff tries to make the front and rear axles turn at the same rate. If one axle turns faster than the other one, it will send more power to the slower turning one. This is AWD.

A locked center diff makes the front and rear axles turn at the same rate. This is 4WD.

 

[twells]

I am looking to get a new adventure vehicle, and it seems likely that it will be the 4runner. Will be test driving one next week!

We have some slight differences in trims in Canada, but it seems only the Limited+Nightshade have full-time 4WD.

I currently have an Audi Q5 with (what I believe to be) very well-regarded AWD system. I live in Vancouver, BC so I experience varying conditions. I've never driven a "truck" before, nor dealt with these 4x4 systems.

I might be driving around the city on wet pavement, or up (paved) mountain roads in pouring rain? Might be driving up to a ski resort where it's mostly plowed but icy patches or slushy conditions. Going offroad on gravel, etc. Driving offroad or even mountain passes in winter season with varying levels of snow on the road.

From my limited experience, 4Hi is something you switch into when you need it, and not to be driven on bare/dry pavement. It also has a max speed, I think? I think I read somewhere it shouldn't be used for prolonged periods/over long distance?

Isn't RWD bad compared to FWD in poor conditions especially winter?

This seems like a slight recipe for disaster... but obviously these are already being used in this city and whatnot, so what am I overlooking or misunderstanding?

I live in Vancouver and frequently drive the Sea 2 Sky highway. I came from an AWD Grand Cherokee. I was in your position last year and ultimately decided to go with a TRD Pro over the AWD Limited. At first I missed the AWD on the Jeep when I was speeding through curvy mountain highways in the rain and snow. But the 4Runner is a different vehicle, it's not designed for speeding. I noticed right away it is much more fuel efficient with RWD rather than full time AWD. During the winter I would just bump it into 4WD if the roads were icy. It was great, no complaints. I preferred the look of the TRD Pro over the Limited, but if you like the aesthetics of the Limited go with that. The Softex vs leather wasn't a deal breaker for me. And the crawl control is more of a gimmick than anything, I haven't really found a use for it while offroading in the Lower Mainland yet.

 

[kaitlyn2004]

I live in Vancouver and frequently drive the Sea 2 Sky highway. I came from an AWD Grand Cherokee. I was in your position last year and ultimately decided to go with a TRD Pro over the AWD Limited. At first I missed the AWD on the Jeep when I was speeding through curvy mountain highways in the rain and snow. But the 4Runner is a different vehicle, it's not designed for speeding. I noticed right away it is much more fuel efficient with RWD rather than full time AWD. During the winter I would just bump it into 4WD if the roads were icy. It was great, no complaints. I preferred the look of the TRD Pro over the Limited, but if you like the aesthetics of the Limited go with that. The Softex vs leather wasn't a deal breaker for me. And the crawl control is more of a gimmick than anything, I haven't really found a use for it while offroading in the Lower Mainland yet.

Thanks for the insights - yeah the sea to sky is a great example where you can go from warm dry pavement to short bursts of wet road to slush to ice to unplowed snow before you hit whistler!

All signs are continuing to point, I think, to the off road for me. The pro is such a jump in price

And really you haven't used crawl control? I suppose it's NEVER "needed", was just up a branch of the mamquam the other day and coming back down with my friend in a wrangler, crawl control was used...

 

[twells]

Thanks for the insights - yeah the sea to sky is a great example where you can go from warm dry pavement to short bursts of wet road to slush to ice to unplowed snow before you hit whistler!

All signs are continuing to point, I think, to the off road for me. The pro is such a jump in price

And really you haven't used crawl control? I suppose it's NEVER "needed", was just up a branch of the mamquam the other day and coming back down with my friend in a wrangler, crawl control was used...

My first choice was a TRD Off Road in the medium grey metallic but couldn't find one anywhere. I ran out of time to keep looking and ended up buying a Pro in Cavalry Blue instead. Very happy with it so far.

I've tried out the crawl control a few times, but always felt it wasn't anything 4Lo couldn't handle with a steady foot. I've seen the videos of crawl control digging itself out of deep sand before, but haven't had the pleasure of trying that myself yet.

 

[JLTD]

Yes, I was going to chime in and mention the 17” wheels being key for pot holes. Low profile type 20” (and for that matter 18”) are not off-road worthy and not suitable for long gravel roads with potholes.

If you want to be more like a Wrangler, don’t get the limited. But if you want a full time 4WD that you don’t need to think about then get the Limited. I would say that rain on pavement is not really suitable for part time 4WD center differential.

Good luck and hope you make the switch. Great trucks.

I would think that any dealer worth their salt would be willing to swap some 17s onto a Limited, then upsell the vehicle with the Limited rims...

 

[zoomzoom]

Chiming in from Canada (I'm in AB) with some feedback.

I have a 2019 TRD OffRoad. I'm not an off-roader. The truck is stock and is my daily driver. I drive 95% in RWD mode and it works fine. I have only engaged 4WD in winter, and usually when engaged, it is in 4H (instead of 4L) because I am driving on the highway, or going somewhere on city streets. You're right in that 4H and 4L should only be engaged when tires can slip (eg. driving on snow, ice, slush, rain, loose gravel, etc). I have needed to use 4H for example when going skiing - for my situation the TransCanada was all snow and ice covered, and I needed the front wheels to help pull the truck through snow, ice, slush. Driving in 4H in these conditions helps a lot and I can feel the additional traction provided to the vehicle. In the winter, if I'm in 4H, I find I hardly ever need to shift from 4H to 2L and back and forth. This is because even on plowed roads, there is still snow, ice, slush, etc. left on the road. So on the days I need to use 4H, it usually stays in 4H until I get to my destination. You just need to note the road condition and adjust accordingly. Oh, I should mention I have 2 sets of rims/tires. One set of rim has winter tires and I put them on usually by November. They come off sometime in May. The other set of rims has the factory all season tires.

I've driven the Spray Lakes trail in my other front-wheel drive car (don't have it any more). I haven't driven it in my 4runner yet. I would think the 4runner will be fine and soak up the bumps because it has larger profile tires and is also heavier (compared with your Q5). The road is basically loose gravel and dirt, so you can drive it in 4H for additional traction.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but those other terrain modes on the 4runner require the truck to be in 4L in order to be activated. When you're in 4L, you need to keep the speedometer under a certain speed (I can't recall what it is but probably under 20 km/h). The terrain modes would come in handy if you're stuck, or need the truck's power to climb over things.

The 4runner will be a nice adventure vehicle. It has comfortable room for passengers, and had adequate cargo space. With the rear seat folded, it has lots of cargo space. You can take it off the beaten path

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Just to add to the point above is that the Mud/Sand (lowest setting on Multi Terrain Select) can be used in 4 Hi. Works nicely!

 

[Toffees]

Vancouver is like seattle/portland - virtually never see snow in the city. Plenty of rain all winter. Hit the mountains and you'll encounter varying degrees of plowed/unplowed snow and ice.

I am really disliking the way they do the full time 4WD! I don't want the larger wheels... blah. I'll look at them more closely and talk to the salesperson when I'm in the dealership Tuesday to test drive.

Wheels and tires are an easy fix

 

[paddy1337]

So, I never looked very far into the terrain select, it sounded more gimmicky than anything. What's it doing? My assumption is it's just acting like ATRAC, but with a different "tune" for how atrac will behave depending on the setting you choose. Is there more to it? Is it engaging the locker on it's own or anything?

 

[enyce]

Purchase what you need and can afford concerning 4x4 and AWD/4WD. Living in NYC, I didn't need 4WD but wanted 4x4 hence Trail 4Runner purchase. If I lived in an area covered in snow for 8 out 12 months then I would have purchased the limited or a Subaru.

 

[AggieOE]

You could even go with a Premium SR5 for what you're wanting!

Leather, Sunroof, 4x4, and thick tires.

By what you're saying, I'm assuming you have no need for a locker or crawl control. You could buy a lot of gas with the price difference between an SR5 Premium and a TRD Off-Road or Limited.

 

[kaitlyn2004]

You could even go with a Premium SR5 for what you're wanting!

Leather, Sunroof, 4x4, and thick tires.

By what you're saying, I'm assuming you have no need for a locker or crawl control. You could buy a lot of gas with the price difference between an SR5 Premium and a TRD Off-Road or Limited.

Here in Canada only Limited (7 passenger) and Nightshade (7 passenger) have leather seats.

Although I've never used locker/crawl control, it seems like something I WOULD in fact be using going up some difficult forest service roads and stuff like that?

 

[final]

You could even go with a Premium SR5 for what you're wanting!

Leather, Sunroof, 4x4, and thick tires.

Only the Limited models have leather seats. The SR5 Premium, Off Road Premium, and TRD Pro have SofTex seats (synthetic leather).

 

[jnkmail]

Here in Canada only Limited (7 passenger) and Nightshade (7 passenger) have leather seats.

Although I've never used locker/crawl control, it seems like something I WOULD in fact be using going up some difficult forest service roads and stuff like that?

You won't need the locker/crawl control unless you get the tires buried in deep mud or snow and even then, 4LO will get you out of it if you're gentle with the throttle.