Cytronus
New member
Well guys, it's official. I'm moving on from my beloved 3rd Gen to my first brand new car, the 2016 4Runner Trail Premium. I'll share my plans, build and adventures with it all right here. I still have my 3rd Gen and haven't decided what to do with it just yet but time will tell.
Preamble:
When I was a kid and the 3rd Gen debuted, I lusted for one. I loved the styling, proportions, size, utility and practicality. Then close to 5 years ago, when I had a little spare change, I bought a used one with about 130 K on the ODO - the '99 Limited, finally achieving the dream.
At the time, I was definitely more enamored with the new 5th gen but the cost was far out of my range. I recall seeing it for the first time as one of my co-workers pulled up one morning in a brand new blizz LE. That chiseled masculine styling, those gorgeous 20" rims. It laid in wait in my mind.
Back to my then newly acquired 3rd Gen...I immediately latched on to T4R.ORG for basic advice on maintenance and common problems on the 3rd gens. I just wanted a decent SUV with some light off road potential for camping, mountain biking and snowboarding, which I often do.
But then one day, I attended a "mod day" meet up with local forum members and there my perception would change. I saw all these gigantic, lifted, bar-worked, beefy bumper, mud-terrain clad beasts that made mine feel so small and pedestrian in contrast. Hearing the overland stories and seeing photos further mesmerized my interest in off-roading. I wanted to join the club. Upon learning more, I realized I was missing one of the most basic items for off-roading - a locking rear diff. Had I done my homework, I would've sought a fully loaded L.E. with that option.
Mod day after mod day, the urge and the itch burned within. My 4Runner would need a lot of work to transform it into an overlander and I had to ask myself if it would be worth it to spend all that money and time on a high mileage, aging vehicle. I waited...
Now, years later with the means and will, I planted the cross hairs on the coveted 5th gen. This time around I had purpose and intent, a direction I'd want to take this vehicle into an Overlanders dream. I decided upon what the desired end state would be and worked backwards.
Enter the Trail Premium. I was planning on getting a used one but they were all selling for just 2 - 3K less than new with 20 - 30 K miles, so it made more sense to go new. It has all the off road features, the easy-to-clean Softex leather, nav, moon roof and more. I would've loved to have had some of the features of the Limited, such as dual zone climate, real leather and more but the refined exterior chrome trim on an off-road vehicle didn't seem appropriate for the desired direction. After having driven an SR5, Limited and Trail with KDSS, I was amazed with the KDSS handling on road. Knowing I'd be going with 33s and an Icon lift, the TRD Pro was out of the question. After all, aside from its looks and air cleaner, you're paying all that extra dough for its suspension, which in my opinion is medium-good. There's no point in buying a TRD Pro if you're going to rip the suspension right off it, unless you're into having that rare official badging.
To me, the 4Runner isn't just a car, it's a symbol of heritage, reliability, Japanese honor & duty in making a quality product, relentless discovery and best of all, brotherhood. It's the tightly bound community of 4Runner owners, guys on this forum and others, who put their souls and identity into these trucks and who are so willing to help each other along in their quest for adventure and individuality that make me a proud 4Runner owner.
Preamble:
When I was a kid and the 3rd Gen debuted, I lusted for one. I loved the styling, proportions, size, utility and practicality. Then close to 5 years ago, when I had a little spare change, I bought a used one with about 130 K on the ODO - the '99 Limited, finally achieving the dream.
At the time, I was definitely more enamored with the new 5th gen but the cost was far out of my range. I recall seeing it for the first time as one of my co-workers pulled up one morning in a brand new blizz LE. That chiseled masculine styling, those gorgeous 20" rims. It laid in wait in my mind.
Back to my then newly acquired 3rd Gen...I immediately latched on to T4R.ORG for basic advice on maintenance and common problems on the 3rd gens. I just wanted a decent SUV with some light off road potential for camping, mountain biking and snowboarding, which I often do.
But then one day, I attended a "mod day" meet up with local forum members and there my perception would change. I saw all these gigantic, lifted, bar-worked, beefy bumper, mud-terrain clad beasts that made mine feel so small and pedestrian in contrast. Hearing the overland stories and seeing photos further mesmerized my interest in off-roading. I wanted to join the club. Upon learning more, I realized I was missing one of the most basic items for off-roading - a locking rear diff. Had I done my homework, I would've sought a fully loaded L.E. with that option.
Mod day after mod day, the urge and the itch burned within. My 4Runner would need a lot of work to transform it into an overlander and I had to ask myself if it would be worth it to spend all that money and time on a high mileage, aging vehicle. I waited...
Now, years later with the means and will, I planted the cross hairs on the coveted 5th gen. This time around I had purpose and intent, a direction I'd want to take this vehicle into an Overlanders dream. I decided upon what the desired end state would be and worked backwards.
Enter the Trail Premium. I was planning on getting a used one but they were all selling for just 2 - 3K less than new with 20 - 30 K miles, so it made more sense to go new. It has all the off road features, the easy-to-clean Softex leather, nav, moon roof and more. I would've loved to have had some of the features of the Limited, such as dual zone climate, real leather and more but the refined exterior chrome trim on an off-road vehicle didn't seem appropriate for the desired direction. After having driven an SR5, Limited and Trail with KDSS, I was amazed with the KDSS handling on road. Knowing I'd be going with 33s and an Icon lift, the TRD Pro was out of the question. After all, aside from its looks and air cleaner, you're paying all that extra dough for its suspension, which in my opinion is medium-good. There's no point in buying a TRD Pro if you're going to rip the suspension right off it, unless you're into having that rare official badging.
To me, the 4Runner isn't just a car, it's a symbol of heritage, reliability, Japanese honor & duty in making a quality product, relentless discovery and best of all, brotherhood. It's the tightly bound community of 4Runner owners, guys on this forum and others, who put their souls and identity into these trucks and who are so willing to help each other along in their quest for adventure and individuality that make me a proud 4Runner owner.
