Buying Question SR5 4X4 vs TE-TPE 4X4

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Boostfarmer

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So I have owned a 97 4x4 sr5 4runner with e locker. I have since gotten rid of it. It had 256k and while I replaced everything with it. The wife and myself included had worries towards its reliability with that mileage.

Our close friends have a 2016 sr5 4x4 paid way too much imo. But wife loves the Truck. This would be my hunting, shooting, and fishing truck.


She would like the 3rd row but is not a requirement.

But I guess my biggest concern is I am going to do a lift prolly Icon stage 5 or above like one of our friends Tacomas.

The part that appeals me to the TE and TPE is the e locker rear and kdss. Being honest out here in AZ I have never needed the rear locker. Ived used it a couple of times for laughs but never needed. However I want to start taking family vacations out to other areas where I may need that. But I guess not coming from a real off road experience I dont know how handy these features will really be.

The price difference down here from what I've seen is close to 10k. So I guess thats my question is a locking rear and the KDSS worth 10k. I dont want to upgrade a sr5 only to wish I would have had the features later.

Thanks for the help guys. Got a lot of help with my gen 3 but need something nicer for the family.
 
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Boostfarmer said:
So I have owned a 97 4x4 sr5 4runner with e locker. I have since gotten rid of it. It had 256k and while I replaced everything with it. The wife and myself included had worries towards its reliability with that mileage.

Our close friends have a 2016 sr5 4x4 paid way too much imo. But wife loves the Truck. This would be my hunting, shooting, and fishing truck.


She would like the 3rd row but is not a requirement.

But I guess my biggest concern is I am going to do a lift prolly Icon stage 5 or above like one of our friends Tacomas.

The part that appeals me to the TE and TPE is the e locker rear and kdss. Being honest out here in AZ I have never needed the rear locker. Ived used it a couple of times for laughs but never needed. However I want to start taking family vacations out to other areas where I may need that. But I guess not coming from a real off road experience I dont know how handy these features will really be.

The price difference down here from what I've seen is close to 10k. So I guess thats my question is a locking rear and the KDSS worth 10k. I dont want to upgrade a sr5 only to wish I would have had the features later.

Thanks for the help guys. Got a lot of help with my gen 3 but need something nicer for the family.
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Our close friends have a 2016 sr5 4x4 paid way too much imo. But wife loves the Truck. This would be my hunting, shooting, and fishing truck.


So I guess thats my question is a locking rear and the KDSS worth 10k. I dont want to upgrade a sr5 only to wish I would have had the features later.


That is Your question :) I would go for the Trail. because your wife likes the truck and you go hunting, shooting, and fishing truck.

I did 3 copy/pastes from your original post there. You don't need Icon stage 6 or them crazy Hawaiians with 6 inch lifts and 38inch wheel :) to go hunting, shooting, and fishing and your wife loves the 4runners !
 
If you don't know that you need a rear locker - you probably don't need a rear locker. ATRAC is pretty good. For the places you describe - it will get you a lot further than you might think. KDSS has benefits and costs. I'd recommend driving one with it, and one without back to back. I view it as mostly a highway item, not really an offroad benefit. I like it. Some don't want the complexity.

Is it worth $10k difference? IMO no. I would not pay $10k more for a TE over an SR5. When I bought mine the difference was roughly $3500. $10k would pay for a nice mid price aftermarket suspension upgrade, new tires, a front SSO or C4Fab half bumper and winch, plus a nice little adventure trailer for the family to go with the 4runner.
 
You should test drive with and withou KDSS back to back and make sure to make some turns to feel it. Save the money if you don't think you want it.

As for e-locker, even a simple hill climb with ruts or other terrain that leaves one wheel unweighted can stop you in your tracks. The locker is night and day difference.
 
you can also add an air locker to an SR5 later if you find that you need it. Unless you are going to use the crawl features, a TEP might not make $ sense.

On the other hand, if I had to do it over, I would have gone TEP, mostly for the black interior styling and that I 'd rather have every feature and not use it than be stuck some where kicking myself b'c I wasn't properly equipped.
 
I use my lockers all the time.. But I'm usually out looking for difficult terrain fooling around. If I was just hunting, fishing... with the truck I doubt I would ever find the need for either locker. Atrac will get you through most basic situations... not with grace.. but it does get you out without too much of a struggle.

For the avg sportsmen, SR5 with some AT tires, a 3" lift, and a winch is basically a do anything truck. The 10k would be much better spent there. The ATRAC gets the job done in all but technical terrain, which most don't encounter.

Before brake brake activated limited slip... lockers were like gold. Now they are more of a tool for true off-road enthusiast. If you could get the trail for 3-5K of a SR5.. then it seems worth it. Otherwise skip it. A locker can be added for ~ 2k if you ever find the need.
 
Gclark949 said:
As for e-locker, even a simple hill climb with ruts or other terrain that leaves one wheel unweighted can stop you in your tracks. The locker is night and day difference.
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Without ATRAC - I would completely agree. With ATRAC - I'd say a locker adds maybe 15%. ATRAC probably falls somewhere between a GM G80 Trashlock and a selectable locker. It's nice to have for sure. Coming from a 3rd gen- ATRAC will probability equal or best a 3rd gen with a rear locker.
 
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Atrac has gotten me up everything I wanted to get up, wheel in the air no problem. We went with the sr5 because we wanted the third row option. There are a lot of aftermarket options to make the truck more capable, but no way to add more seatbelted passengers afaik. that sealed the deal for us.
 
Thanks guys

Thanks guys I have 3-5 Great deals down here at dealerships for sr5 4x4 with 40k or less mileage in the mid to high 20s ranging from 2011 to 2015. While the trail seems to be mid to high 30s.

There was a 2016 TPE which had a stage 7 icon lift, rims tires, roof rack and sliders for 40k but missed out on that deal.

Call me an idiot but ive driven the TE and I messed with the KDSS and didnt really notice a difference. Maybe its something thats more for bad terrain but I didnt really notice.... Much difference on roads and I didnt take the test drive off road clearly.

The E locker I am aware of what it does. Guess just with soft sand being the worst your going to run into in AZ never really found the need. The question towards an E locker rear is I want to take the family outside of AZ and get out in the wilderness and was wondering how many people find it a requirement where they go.
 
Kdss is a completely passive system so if you drove it and didn't notice it's benefits you're probably fine without it, especially if you'll be putting premium suspension on it anyways. I loved kdss on my old trail but we have a lot more twisty roads up here, down there you'd probably only appreciate it on Mt. Lemmon runs. A locker can always be added. Either way you can't go wrong, maybe go test drive then again just to be certain.
 
Oh, pay attention to the hood scoop and sun reflections on the trail edition.. can be a problem for some owners .
 
KDSS isn't that big of a deal in my honest opinion with all the test driving I have done. I believe it comes down to whether you would use the 3rd row or e-locker more. For my case, I use the 3rd row very often when having friends and family over for short travels. That made my case for the sr5.
 
I bought my non K crap equipped Trail for $35K out the door. Ordered it(well not really but wanted one off the boat) in October of 2016. Got it in November 2016. I'm sure they wanted to get it gone to make room for the 2017's. Maybe you can wait til closer to the end of year to possibly score a better deal?
 
If you couldn't tell the difference, the trail you drove probably didn't have kdss. It's night and day on the corners.
 
I'm coming up on my first oil change on my SR5 and I love it, but I think you could get a Trail Premium for not too much more if you negotiate online with multiple dealers. During my frustration over floating timelines on the wait, i was close to making an offer on trail another dealer had on the lot, and I think it I could have gotten the deal done for less than 1k over what I paid.

Part of me is kicking myself, but I have to remind myself, I'll never need that much off road capability.
 
The 3rd row comes in handy and I know that because I don't have one. My TE fits my family of 3 quite comfortably, however it doesn't fit anymore people ("legally") than my Corolla. It would be nice to be able to haul around a second family when they come over to visit. I'd be able to do all of the off road things, trails, go to the lake, etc. and not have to take a second vehicle. 10/10 a vehicle that can't go where the 4R can go. I rarely need to haul around a second family, but it's nice to be able to do so. On the same note, I've only had my TE for a few months and I've already needed/used the locker, ATRAC, etc., and it was REALLY NICE to be able to do so. :becky:
In the long run, I may need a 3rd row seat more than I need the off road gadgets, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
 
It all depends on what you plan on doing with the truck. I went through the same dilemma with wanting the locker and ultimately decided on the SR5 for price reasons.

I just spent the past 10 days in Colorado on trails ranging from moderate to more technical and never had any issues nor did I ever need to engage ATRAC. Yes there are going to be times they will help in certain situations, but a locker is also something that can be added down the road if your needs change.
 
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If you've never needed your locker in your 3rd gen then there is definitely no reason to pay for one in a 5th gen. The ATRAC is like magic and at least in terms of traction makes a 5th gen WAY better than a 3rd gen. Makes a locker superfluous in all but the most extreme situations.
 
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