MRM69
New member
Last November I decided I wanted a 4Runner. I loved the look of the TRDP, but loved the idea of KDSS even more. It seemed like the best thing since sliced bread on a BOF truck and I wanted it.
After hunting around for a week or so I found a dealer not to far away that had TEP's with and w/o KDSS. I called and made arrangements to go drive both, explaining to the salesman I was trying to decide between the 2 versions of TEP. When I got to the dealer I learned that both vehciles were silver Trail Edition Premiums with the only difference being that one had KDSS and one did not. I told the salesmen not to tell me which one was which and I didn't look underneath the truck or at the sticker, just hopped in, started them up and drove off.
Now, I didn't drive them for an hour on and off road, just about 15 minutes each, on town roads and the highway. At the end of the rides I had to ask which was which because I couldn't tell them apart:noidea:
I asked the salesman if I could drive them again, which he agreed to, though he said he couldn't tell them apart when driving them either. I drove them again and came to the same conclusion; they both had the same amount of body roll and brake dive during normal street driving despite my exaggerated steering inputs. I'm sure there are instances where you would feel the difference, but for everyday driving I didn't feel a $2k difference.
When I looked at my TRDP I asked to take it for a ride, mainly because I had never driven one before, but also to give myself the opportunity to think rationally about the purchase. Even though it had been 2 months since my previous test drives I could tell right away that the suspension was more planted and I experienced less body roll and brake dive than with the 2 versions of the TEP. I shared my story with the salesman about the early test drives as they took place in a different state at a different dealer, and he commented that it was tough to tell the difference between KDSS and non-KDSS during everyday driving.
I've had my TRDP for about 2 months now and have driven it on a 5 hour highway trip already and I'll say it's road manners are great! It's very comfortable, quiet and handles the miles perfectly! For me, it was the right choice and I'm glad I had the opportunity to drive the TEP's (now TRD ORP's) as I now know w/o a doubt that I made the right choice with my purchase:reddance:
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