4Runner LTD Family

[CF_Machete]

If it were up to me when we purchased I would have chosen a Limited for my wife due to the Full time 4wd, nicer interior and electronic like climate control. If it were going to be mine I wouldn't have chosen anything other then an Off Road or a Pro. She ended up with a Pro because she thought it was pretty. Her words not mine.

Should have gotten a Night shade limited and then swapped out the front bumper and rocker panels with pro/ trail/ sr5 trim.

KDSS is only available on the Off Road/ trail models. I don't believe its even available on the 2019 pro.

On non crawl vehicles, its similar to the DAC, but with out the throttle control.

 

[freitz]

Full time 4WD. It also has 4WD High (Torsen Limited slip locking center diff), and 4WD Low. Works great for areas that see snow.

I bought a Limited due to my driving being 99% on pavement and wanting all the creature comforts (Dual zone climate, heated/cooled seats, real leather, JBL sound system, auto headlights, keyless ignition/door locks). Still 95% as capable as the other models, but I'm not driving through the MOAB either.

Limited also has a X-REAS suspension,

"XREAS stands for "Cross Linked Relative Absorber System".
X-REAS was designed to help improve vehicle on-road handling performance. This technology links each of the vehicle's shocks to it's diagonal counterpart via a gas hydraulic chamber. During cornering or when traveling over bumpy surfaces, the gas hydrauilc chamber acts like a bank "borrowing" fluid from the cross-linked shock bearing the least amount of force and "loaning" it to the shock sustaining the greatest amount of force. This exchange of fluid helps the 4Runners wheels maintain contact with the driving surface and helps lessen vehicle body sway, pitch and roll, making for a more comfortable ride."

So XREAS is the KDSS for 4WD all the time?

Yes the ATRAC is awesome. Lockers just aren't cheap to add.

No they are not the same. ATRAC is basically 4LO Traction control. Crawl you set the speed and the truck drives itself with traction control and you just steer.

Yes you have 4 LO on a limited.

I don't think they have KDSS in limiteds .

So what makes the TRD Pro / Prem better for off roading?

 

[Bayou_Pro]

Should have gotten a Night shade limited and then swapped out the front bumper and rocker panels with pro/ trail/ sr5 trim.

That would have been pretty cool. Instead I just got her what she wanted. LOL

 

[Bayou_Pro]

So XREAS is the KDSS for 4WD all the time?


So what makes the TRD Pro / Prem better for off roading?

Not sure on the first one.

The offroad models have the different terrain modes, Crawl (not so important), Lockers (big thing for me), better entry and departure angles and again for me I like the interior look better. I hate chrome, I hate woodgrain and love the look of the carbon fiber accents of the pro, which sadly my '16 doesn't have. I do wish I had the dual climate controls and the cooled seats though.

 

[CF_Machete]

So XREAS is the KDSS for 4WD all the time?
So what makes the TRD Pro / Prem better for off roading?

#1
No, Xreas cross links the shock fluid from your front shocks to the rear shocks, so the driver front is linked to the passenger rear and vice versa. Keeps you level when turning.

KDSS is a mechanical system that simulates a disconnected swaybar. better off road at slow speeds.

#2
ground clearance, terrain options, rear locker. Pro/OR/TRAIL/SR5/Limited all have Atrac

 

[freitz]

#1
No, Xreas cross links the shock fluid from your front shocks to the rear shocks, so the driver front is linked to the passenger rear and vice versa. Keeps you level when turning.

KDSS is a mechanical system that simulates a disconnected swaybar. better off road at slow speeds.

#2
ground clearance, terrain options, rear locker. Pro/OR/TRAIL/SR5/Limited all have Atrac

Pro has more ground clearance the crawl terrain options and a rear locker. Other then that performance should be the same?

Think I would lean heavily to LTD since this is 95% pavement vehicle.

 

[Bayou_Pro]

Pro has more ground clearance the crawl terrain options and a rear locker. Other then that performance should be the same?

Think I would lean heavily to LTD since this is 95% pavement vehicle.

Not just a Pro but the regular off road has those features as well, although the Pro does have a 1" lift in the front and better off road suspension.

Don't think you can go wrong on any choice and the limited will be nice as a daily.

 

[CF_Machete]

Pro has more ground clearance the crawl terrain options and a rear locker. Other then that performance should be the same?

Think I would lean heavily to LTD since this is 95% pavement vehicle.

yes, the rocker panels and bumper sit higher on the pro an off road models. also the pro has historically had a 1/2 inch lift compared to other models.

Plenty of people off road limited's. if you want to make it an absolute off road beast, see if the dealer will swap out 20' rims for 17' off road or pro rims. Pull the xreas system before it fails and lift it 3" in front and 2 in the rear. and some 285/70 17 Grabber ATX tires. Swap the limited rocker panels for non limited rockers. decide if you want to mod or swap the front bumper.

the rest of the Off Road mods should fall in line with other models like sliders. winch roof rack etc...

 

[blanchard7684]

Figured I'd start my own thread before hijacking others.

Looking for "real" SUV.

Coming from 6 Jeep Wranglers 1 Jeep Unlimited and 1 x3M40i sports CUV and a SQ5.

I have a 3 year old and a soon to be new born.
We sold the X3M40i.
We kept the Q5
Need a Vehicle that covers everything the Q5 isn't good at. I use to do a lot of off roading. I've sold my Wranglers and my old 80's Land Cruiser.

Drove the Highlander - um... yeah Not much to say there.

I think I would like a 4Runner Limited. Looking to hear from others with families and how they like this as their daily driver and their fun 4WD beast in the down time.

Personally not going to be overlanding to often maybe a few times a year at most.

The Limited is a strange brew. Here is my experience so far.

I love mine. I really really like the AWD. I go off road enough that having this always engaged is super convenient for things that don't require 4 Hi or 4 low. I mean super convenient. Like I'm never going back convenient.

The third row in the Limited is a cruel joke but works for smaller kids. It is actually better to have it than not. One down side is the rear cargo area is slightly smaller.


The Xreas and AWD is fantastic for wet traction. Its literally saved my ass at least twice in an emergency maneuver.


The seats in the Limited are clearly more comfortable relative to my old SR5 Premium.

Dual zone climate is a marriage saver as is two seat memory.


For off roading you are going to be challenged with tires due to rim size.
The stock bridgestone Duellers aren't horrible but not exactly a true A/T. I've searched far and wide and true A/T with 20's is unicorn territory.You'd likely have to get some 17s and get the right tire.

I've gone a few places that I thought I might need a rear locker but didn't need it in the end. In fact not even close.

The Xreas suspension is also not known for a long life when doing lots of off road driving. They are expensive AF to replace too. Most rip them out and go with Bilstein's when the Xreas dies.

Want a top notch, swanky, Lexus like 4runner than can do some semi-serious off roading? This is perfect. If you feel like getting different tire and wheel swapped on before hitting trails, this will work too but its some added cost and hassle. Its essentially a tire and wheel swap away from being a serious off road machine.

If serious off roading is a monthly affair, I'd look to the TRD Pro or TRD Off Road Premium.

 

[mteolus]

I am not sure if the GX460 has lockers, but it does have KDSS and is probably only about $3000 more than a Limited. It also has an 8 cylinder which will give you more power if you aren't concerned with gas mileage. It also has all the creature comforts of the Limited and more. Only big difference is that the tailgate opens to the side rather than up. It has the same underpinnings as the 4Runner so you can put a 4Runner lift on it no problem.

You may want to check out the GX message board here. https://www.toyota-4runner.org/lexus-gx470-460-a/

The third row in the Limited is a cruel joke but works for smaller kids. It is actually better to have it than not. One down side is the rear cargo area is slightly smaller..

Funny, someone on this forum recently said he was 6'5" and could fit in the 3rd row seat.

 

[kjbenner]

The wife's ride.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but what's the story on what happened to that step?

 

[Bayou_Pro]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but what's the story on what happened to that step?

Well they cannot be used as sliders. [emoji2960] It was 2 weeks old. Surprisingly she wasn't mad and I went the next day to SSO and got some sliders.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tisoy281]

The Limited is a strange brew. Here is my experience so far.

I love mine. I really really like the AWD. I go off road enough that having this always engaged is super convenient for things that don't require 4 Hi or 4 low. I mean super convenient. Like I'm never going back convenient.

The third row in the Limited is a cruel joke but works for smaller kids. It is actually better to have it than not. One down side is the rear cargo area is slightly smaller.


The Xreas and AWD is fantastic for wet traction. Its literally saved my ass at least twice in an emergency maneuver.


The seats in the Limited are clearly more comfortable relative to my old SR5 Premium.

Dual zone climate is a marriage saver as is two seat memory.


For off roading you are going to be challenged with tires due to rim size.
The stock bridgestone Duellers aren't horrible but not exactly a true A/T. I've searched far and wide and true A/T with 20's is unicorn territory.You'd likely have to get some 17s and get the right tire.

I've gone a few places that I thought I might need a rear locker but didn't need it in the end. In fact not even close.

The Xreas suspension is also not known for a long life when doing lots of off road driving. They are expensive AF to replace too. Most rip them out and go with Bilstein's when the Xreas dies.

Want a top notch, swanky, Lexus like 4runner than can do some semi-serious off roading? This is perfect. If you feel like getting different tire and wheel swapped on before hitting trails, this will work too but its some added cost and hassle. Its essentially a tire and wheel swap away from being a serious off road machine.

If serious off roading is a monthly affair, I'd look to the TRD Pro or TRD Off Road Premium.

This... My XREAS went out under warranty and was replaced. Now I'll have to wait until they go out again before I can put a mild lift on her. I ditched the stock 20's for some ORP wheels and threw some Nitto's on them. Even with the stock wheels and tires, I couldn't make it go sideways in the rain like my old SR5P with AT tires. Definitely love the AWD on the limited, along with the other creature comforts. Also, the factory JBL system is 100x better than a stock SR5.

 

[freitz]

I looked at the Lexus. Its nice but its a fancy 4runner... Drives very similar IMO. Price is similar as well.

Now and need to make the choice of is it safe for my family, and will it fit. lol.

Heavily leaning towards the LTD.

 

[freitz]

How realistic is this for a family vehicle?

 

[Bayou_Pro]

How realistic is this for a family vehicle?

What vehicle are you referring to?

 

[LimeLED]

I looked at the Lexus. Its nice but its a fancy 4runner... Drives very similar IMO. Price is similar as well.

Now and need to make the choice of is it safe for my family, and will it fit. lol.

Heavily leaning towards the LTD.

For what it’s worth, the TRD Off-Road Premium with KDSS is not only excellent off-road, but it’s the best on-road handling trim well. It comes with the largest anti-roll bars of all of them. This results in the least amount of body roll through turns. I would highly advising going and test driving all of them. They all drive and handle pretty different from each other. While most of us who have KDSS love it for its abilities both on and off road, I remember reading that one member on here felt that the ride was too harsh and went with an SR5 instead. The Limited’s ride and handling will fall somewhere in-between.

 

[TrailHunter]

Switched from a Trail to Limited. It's good for medium off roading...not rock crawling of course. Mud, snow, etc. you're fine, although the stock tires aren't all terrain. I haven't upgraded them, but haven't run into too many issues with just moderate "get out in nature" types of off roading. The best feature for me is the automatic running boards that retract. Allows clearance, but makes it easy on my wife and little kids to get in and out. Nose dive is substantially better than the trail, which was very scary in hard braking situations. Limited feels normal. Awesome choice all around.

 

[blanchard7684]

How realistic is this for a family vehicle?

I came to the 4runner from an Explorer for a multitude of reasons, but being a competitive midsize family vehicle was a top reason.

There is a surprisingly large amount of cargo space behind second row. The rear seat folding arrangement is super convenient.

I have Wife, Kid, labrador and when we go on long family trips or expeditions the cargo space gets a little tight, but we don't pack with any scrutiny. We literally throw stuff in until we can't.

I recently did a two week trip to Northern AZ with three adults and one 4 year old and the space was adequate.

Also the 4runner has just shy of a billion roof storage options.

The second row leg room was surprisingly good.

The Limited also has some unique shaped seat backs that add a bit to the leg room on second row. They are also a very thick polymer that is super kid friendly. they can kick the seat back all they want.

The seats comfort is head and shoulders above my old SR5 premium. They are one of my favorite features. The brown leather color is super cool and again the seat comfort is outstanding.

One downside to 4runner--the passenger seat has very limited adjustment options even in the Limited.

There is one USB port on back of center console. This is handy for ipads or other kid entertainment devices.

The only family related use aspect that might be a pain in the long term is the step in height. It isn't for everyone.

Front passenger leg room--very good. You don't have to pull seat forward to accommodate second row passengers...unless they are 7 ft tall.

I do my own maintenance and repairs so the following are some things about long term ownership that might be useful.

4runner (and other Toyotas) have a complicated oil change procedure. You can find good info on this site. I recommend getting a dedicated oil filter wrench adapter from a major toolmaker like Matco, snap on, Mac etc.

There are skid plates everywhere under this thing. You have to take a large one off to do the filter change.


Thankfully the differentials are super easy to check fluid levels and change.

Engine layout is super nice and easy to get to major components.

 

[freitz]

I came to the 4runner from an Explorer for a multitude of reasons, but being a competitive midsize family vehicle was a top reason.

There is a surprisingly large amount of cargo space behind second row. The rear seat folding arrangement is super convenient.

I have Wife, Kid, labrador and when we go on long family trips or expeditions the cargo space gets a little tight, but we don't pack with any scrutiny. We literally throw stuff in until we can't.

I recently did a two week trip to Northern AZ with three adults and one 4 year old and the space was adequate.

Also the 4runner has just shy of a billion roof storage options.

The second row leg room was surprisingly good.

The Limited also has some unique shaped seat backs that add a bit to the leg room on second row. They are also a very thick polymer that is super kid friendly. they can kick the seat back all they want.

The seats comfort is head and shoulders above my old SR5 premium. They are one of my favorite features. The brown leather color is super cool and again the seat comfort is outstanding.

One downside to 4runner--the passenger seat has very limited adjustment options even in the Limited.

There is one USB port on back of center console. This is handy for ipads or other kid entertainment devices.

The only family related use aspect that might be a pain in the long term is the step in height. It isn't for everyone.

Front passenger leg room--very good. You don't have to pull seat forward to accommodate second row passengers...unless they are 7 ft tall.

I do my own maintenance and repairs so the following are some things about long term ownership that might be useful.

4runner (and other Toyotas) have a complicated oil change procedure. You can find good info on this site. I recommend getting a dedicated oil filter wrench adapter from a major toolmaker like Matco, snap on, Mac etc.

There are skid plates everywhere under this thing. You have to take a large one off to do the filter change.


Thankfully the differentials are super easy to check fluid levels and change.

Engine layout is super nice and easy to get to major components.

So I drove the GX460... eh.. not my thing. I still like the 4runner better but have to be honest. I don't even fit in the passenger seat. And the roof is way to low. I don't understand how everyone fits in this car I am only 6' but long torso.

Kind of disappointed with the "fit". Does't leave me with hardly any other good options either with on Frame suv that is capable.