radicalwillie
New member
Took the plunge this weekend and traded in my '06 Sport Edition for a '15 Trail Edition w/KDSS, and thought I'd share my initial observations.
- I was concerned that the Trail suspension around town would not ride as well as my '06 with XREAS, but I think it rides better. It stays very flat in the corners at speed. The whole vehicle just seems so tight and solid. The only thing I'm noticing that isn't as good as the XREAS is a slight rocking nose to tail on wavy concrete in the sub 40 mph range. Otherwise the trail suspension is a gem on pavement. Can't wait to see how it handles the trails.
- Although the horse power is up quite a bit from my '06, I sure don't feel it. Seems about the same to me.
- Gas mileage is down from the 4th Gen, but hopefully that will get better as the engine breaks in.
- My '15 came with the Premium Sound system with NAV. I would not have opted for it if there had been a similar runner with the standard stereo, but after experiencing it this weekend, I am so glad it has it. Excellent sound quality. I'm loving the HD radio receiver, had no idea there were so many stations. Flawless connection/control with my I-phone 6. This is one option I would recommend to everyone, it is totally worth it in my opinion, even if you don't think you'd use the NAV.
- As for the interior, the cloth seats are very comfortable and supportive. This is the first time I've ever had a lumbar support that inflates "more" than I want. I do wish that the passenger got the same seat as the driver and not the cheesy manual adjust 4 way seat. My '06 with cloth interior came with power adjust for both front seats. I am noticing much more head room in the '15, whole truck just feels much roomier than the '06. Dash has a great layout, very user friendly. Thank God, they put in good ole fashioned dials for the HVAC controls and not the 4th gen POS design that took an eternity to switch from heat to AC. Had they not improved that, it would have definitely been a deal breaker. Sorry to see no sunroof option without leather, the 4th gen did offer that. Also, can't believe that the homelink garage door opener is not a standard feature. Didn't even think to see if it had it, mine doesn't, CRAP. Very cool that the rear seats have recline-ability, neat feature.
-Now for the exterior. When this new grill design was released last year, I thought it was the Fugliest front end I had ever seen. "What have you done Toyota, you've ruined the 4runner". As I started seeing more and more of them on the road, my opinion started to change. Now, a year later, I think its the best looking SUV on the road, hands down. Nice job Toyota, you've resurrected the 4runner! The standard tires on the TE, while not the least little bit "trail" oriented, do ride well and the size fills out the wheel well nicely. I'll probably be swapping them out in the next year. Very disappointed that the roof rack does not come with cross bars. WTF, why even put on the rails then????
All in all, I am extremely impressed with this new 4runner. I'm sad to see my '06 go, she was a great truck, but the new model is just BAD-ASS, no other way to put it. I really didn't see any other vehicle offering anything remotely close to what the 4runner offers. It truly is in a class by itself!
Happy motoring!
- I was concerned that the Trail suspension around town would not ride as well as my '06 with XREAS, but I think it rides better. It stays very flat in the corners at speed. The whole vehicle just seems so tight and solid. The only thing I'm noticing that isn't as good as the XREAS is a slight rocking nose to tail on wavy concrete in the sub 40 mph range. Otherwise the trail suspension is a gem on pavement. Can't wait to see how it handles the trails.
- Although the horse power is up quite a bit from my '06, I sure don't feel it. Seems about the same to me.
- Gas mileage is down from the 4th Gen, but hopefully that will get better as the engine breaks in.
- My '15 came with the Premium Sound system with NAV. I would not have opted for it if there had been a similar runner with the standard stereo, but after experiencing it this weekend, I am so glad it has it. Excellent sound quality. I'm loving the HD radio receiver, had no idea there were so many stations. Flawless connection/control with my I-phone 6. This is one option I would recommend to everyone, it is totally worth it in my opinion, even if you don't think you'd use the NAV.
- As for the interior, the cloth seats are very comfortable and supportive. This is the first time I've ever had a lumbar support that inflates "more" than I want. I do wish that the passenger got the same seat as the driver and not the cheesy manual adjust 4 way seat. My '06 with cloth interior came with power adjust for both front seats. I am noticing much more head room in the '15, whole truck just feels much roomier than the '06. Dash has a great layout, very user friendly. Thank God, they put in good ole fashioned dials for the HVAC controls and not the 4th gen POS design that took an eternity to switch from heat to AC. Had they not improved that, it would have definitely been a deal breaker. Sorry to see no sunroof option without leather, the 4th gen did offer that. Also, can't believe that the homelink garage door opener is not a standard feature. Didn't even think to see if it had it, mine doesn't, CRAP. Very cool that the rear seats have recline-ability, neat feature.
-Now for the exterior. When this new grill design was released last year, I thought it was the Fugliest front end I had ever seen. "What have you done Toyota, you've ruined the 4runner". As I started seeing more and more of them on the road, my opinion started to change. Now, a year later, I think its the best looking SUV on the road, hands down. Nice job Toyota, you've resurrected the 4runner! The standard tires on the TE, while not the least little bit "trail" oriented, do ride well and the size fills out the wheel well nicely. I'll probably be swapping them out in the next year. Very disappointed that the roof rack does not come with cross bars. WTF, why even put on the rails then????
All in all, I am extremely impressed with this new 4runner. I'm sad to see my '06 go, she was a great truck, but the new model is just BAD-ASS, no other way to put it. I really didn't see any other vehicle offering anything remotely close to what the 4runner offers. It truly is in a class by itself!
Happy motoring!
