Does the TRD Pro really ride that much better on-road?

[ForRun]

Anything Fiat touches turns to a piece of crap.

X2, love jeep but Fiat screwed them up. They will never get another penny of mine. One buy back and the replacement was worse and they made me eat it.

 

[MissouriBreaks]

I have a Pro and I am very happy with its ride. It rides much better than my former FJ Cruiser, but I attribute that to the longer wheelbase. I don't find the Pro to be bouncy, like the FJ was.

As for its comparison to other 4 Runners, I test drove a 2012 Trail with KDSS, but that was years before buying my Pro, so I cannot really contrast the two.

 

[delloro]

But I have forgotten to notice, for example, coming off a curb. I realized that when I went down a sharp curb in a forum member's Eibach equipped 4R and it reminded me that curbs are a thing with a less stiff suspension.

What exact setup do you have that you do not notice driving off a curb? That you do notice with Eibach?

 

[cb1111]

X2, love jeep but Fiat screwed them up. They will never get another penny of mine. One buy back and the replacement was worse and they made me eat it.

I'm trying to figure out what the problem is - too much whiz-bang technology or just shoddy craftsmanship. Like Toyota, they've had years to iron out the wrinkles, yet Jeep still has the same recurring issues.

 

[coltm4]

The short answer is yes. As a product of growing up in the 80's I can see why one would be skeptical about how much (factory upgrade) shocks would improve ride quality. The old Rancho shocks for ford pickups in the 90's were not that much of an upgrade (if at all) in my opinion. But the upgraded shocks for the TRD Pro are definitely a noticeable improvement. Are they worth it for the price? I'd say maybe, but only for the reason it is totally under warranty compared to adding them yourself. I just went to King's adjustable extended travel and couldn't be more happy and more impressed. I'm completely sold on upgrading suspensions on offroad vehicles. Next time I think I will skip the TRD Pro unless I want the special color and just go to King suspension right out of the gate.

 

[AZ Craig]

I'm trying to figure out what the problem is - too much whiz-bang technology or just shoddy craftsmanship. Like Toyota, they've had years to iron out the wrinkles, yet Jeep still has the same recurring issues.

I think a little bit of both honestly. I had a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon which is known for being more robust than the GC and I ran at just before 5 years and 84000 miles. It was starting to develop a lot of small issues that were going to become a pain in the ass, plus a lot of the overall build quality of it was pretty poor (for instance, I had removable roof panels that never were truly held on properly by all the attachment points due to a misfit bracket and really bad trim gaps in a few places). That also being the first year they put the 3.6L Pentastar in it (which was known for valve issues), freaked me out.

If you want to go 10 years on a vehicle, especially if you're going to run 15K+ miles a year (which I think you may based on a large commute and driving cross country), I would stick with the Lexus or the 4Runner. The TRD Pro suspension is great as a factory vehicle and a bunch of the trim upgrades (JBL stereo, auto lights, push button start) versus the non-Limiteds are a huge plus also. Yes, they are expensive, and you may do better for the money getting a ORP and doing upgrades, but if you want it all just in place from Toyota (and warrantied), it's not a bad way to go. Extended warranties are also really reasonable on these vehicles, I have mine covered for 6 years and about 100K miles for ~$1800. When Land Rover told me bumping my 4 year, 50K mile warranty up to 5 year, 65K would cost me nearly $3000, I just about lost it (and pretty much decided I'm coming out of the vehicle almost certainly at the 4 year mark which I had already been considering when I decided to take the plunge).

 

[DallasTRDPro]

I'm trying to figure out what the problem is - too much whiz-bang technology or just shoddy craftsmanship. Like Toyota, they've had years to iron out the wrinkles, yet Jeep still has the same recurring issues.

You sound like you like the GC the most in looks and tech and I do too, but the long term reliability and bad dealerships is a very real concern especially compared to Toyota. Fiat still owns them.

 

[RichinRidgewood]

The obvious choice would be a Highlander, Venza or an Avalon 4WD.

I would never buy anything from Chrysler. My grandfather was a “30 and out” guy and he had a great retirement from the original company so if anyone should be loyal it should be me. I just think their products have high numbers of warranty issues.

I dont drive my ‘20 4RP like a sports car because it is not a sports car. The only time I notice any bounciness is at lower speeds, 20-30 mph, over washboard like series of bumps where the rear suspension looses compliance and its not that big of a deal.

I dont notice the nosedive people post about probably because I’m no where near using the brakes to the limits of traction of the front tires.

 

[cb1111]

The obvious choice would be a Highlander, Venza or an Avalon 4WD.

I would never buy anything from Chrysler. My grandfather was a “30 and out” guy and he had a great retirement from the original company so if anyone should be loyal it should be me. I just think their products have high numbers of warranty issues.

I dont drive my ‘20 4RP like a sports car because it is not a sports car. The only time I notice any bounciness is at lower speeds, 20-30 mph, over washboard like series of bumps where the rear suspension looses compliance and its not that big of a deal.

I dont notice the nosedive people post about probably because I’m no where near using the brakes to the limits of traction of the front tires.

None of those will handle anything worse than a speedbump. The Venza no longer exists and your inclusion of an Avalon must be a joke.

I noticed both the bounciness and the nosedive during the test drive of the Limited and I always drive like a granny on initial testdrives.

 

[02SE]

When I was considering a 5th gen, I drove all the models. The SR5s and TRD ORs rode about the same, the difference being TRD ORPs with KDSS. The limiteds and the TRD Pros also had their own unique behavior.

I wanted the rear locker so that eliminated the SR5s and Limiteds.

What it ultimately came down to for me is that I preferred KDSS for on-road, and the salesmen let me drive over a small course they had set-up to test suspension flex. After that I preferred the KDSS for off-road too. I can change the shocks myself if I am ever inclined to do so.

Everybody has their own priorities. My only advice would be to try all the models before deciding.

 

[RichinRidgewood]

None of those will handle anything worse than a speedbump. The Venza no longer exists and your inclusion of an Avalon must be a joke.

I noticed both the bounciness and the nosedive during the test drive of the Limited and I always drive like a granny on initial testdrives.

The Venza is on the Toyota site for 2021 same with the Avalon 4WD.

Your requirements are clear and these vehicles would meet your needs. A real off-road vehicle like the 4R appears to exacerbate your feeblity. You said the Lexus is beyond your means.
Another choice would be the MDX SHAWD which would best the Highlander’s road manners.

 

[BIGpharma]

I recently test drove a new Off Road, Limited, and TRD Pro to see how they felt on road compared to my Limited with old XREAS. The Pro drove so much smoother over bumps on the road and felt overall much nicer then all the other trims.

 

[cb1111]

The Venza is on the Toyota site for 2021 same with the Avalon 4WD.

Your requirements are clear and these vehicles would meet your needs. A real off-road vehicle like the 4R appears to exacerbate your feeblity. You said the Lexus is beyond your means.
Another choice would be the MDX SHAWD which would best the Highlander’s road manners.

I'll assume you're actually trying to help, but overlooked some of the requirements in my post - primarily the need to be able to be mobile in all weather and road conditions regardless of the status of the snow plows. I also wanted something to take off the beaten path in NM.

Neither the yet to be released Venza nor the Avalon can do either of those - but you knew that.

The MDX SH-AWD - and the Sports Hybrid version - are great cars in rough weather, I wouldn't want to slog 50 miles through a snow storm at 3am.

 

[RichinRidgewood]

I'll assume you're actually trying to help, but overlooked some of the requirements in my post - primarily the need to be able to be mobile in all weather and road conditions regardless of the status of the snow plows. I also wanted something to take off the beaten path in NM.

Neither the yet to be released Venza nor the Avalon can do either of those - but you knew that.

The MDX SH-AWD - and the Sports Hybrid version - are great cars in rough weather, I wouldn't want to slog 50 miles through a snow storm at 3am.

I spent the last 14 years driving a RWD car in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I could drive a Venza or a 4WD Avalon through almost any snowstorm with my feet while drinking liquor from the bottle. For the little time you spend putzing around in the dirt you could rent something and be ahead of the game in many ways.

 

[cb1111]

I spent the last 14 years driving a RWD car in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I could drive a Venza or a 4WD Avalon through almost any snowstorm with my feet while drinking liquor from the bottle. For the little time you spend putzing around in the dirt you could rent something and be ahead of the game in many ways.

Good for you.

I guess I was wrong - you have zero intention of being helpful.

The next time we have a freak snowzilla or snowmaggeddon event and I have to drive 50 miles to my site at 3am, I guess I'll just walk to the local Avis or Hertz office and hope they have a capable AWD with the appropriate tires. I might have to break down their door as it is unlikely to be open at that time.

I was leaving my site during snowmaggeddon (or was it snowzilla?) and we were expecting a light snow (about an inch or so. When I left the site early at noon, there were light flurries. By the time I got to my house, there were about 4 or 5 inches on the ground and people were abandoning cars on the George Washington Parkway. I was driving a 3 series AWD with proper snow tires, but a couple more inches and I'd have been in trouble.

 

[Sp00ner]

I have zero bias here, and compared a ton of SUVs before buying the Pro last year. Frankly I'm a complete GM fanboy and wanted a ZR2, but had to have the SUV body to meet my perceived needs.

I suppose the real question to me is "Are you going to actually go off road beyond a choppy fire/forest road in relatively stock form?" Anything can drive in snow with snow tires. If the answer to that question is 'Yes' I dunno how you don't go with some variation of 4Runner.

The Grand Cherokee is the best overall vehicle of that group in terms of on-paper features and general drivability/comfort/style/towing IMO. (Full disclosure, I spent about 12 seconds looking at the Lexus) It's also got an air suspension (assuming you're sticking with the Trailhawk config) with a list of issues like a late 90's Kia, before you get to the rest of FCA quality. You'll get 10 years out of it, but it probably wont be cheap. It's got some capability off road, but not to the degree of the Pro or even the OR/ORP/460 with a set of AT tires. The only real problem with the Lexus to me is the semi luxury style, extra cladding and rear gate design.

The 4Runner's feature list in the 2019 Pro compares to my old 2012 Camaro, barely, tech-wise it's on par with slingshot. It gets utterly embarrassing gas mileage and the transmission is about as dumb as a rock for a modern automatic transmission. For some people, those are all plusses, I am not one of them. However, it's one of like 2-3 option that can really go off road out of the dealer without falling apart in 3-5 years.

 

[ElectroBoy]

Good for you.

I guess I was wrong - you have zero intention of being helpful.

The next time we have a freak snowzilla or snowmaggeddon event and I have to drive 50 miles to my site at 3am, I guess I'll just walk to the local Avis or Hertz office and hope they have a capable AWD with the appropriate tires. I might have to break down their door as it is unlikely to be open at that time.

I was leaving my site during snowmaggeddon (or was it snowzilla?) and we were expecting a light snow (about an inch or so. When I left the site early at noon, there were light flurries. By the time I got to my house, there were about 4 or 5 inches on the ground and people were abandoning cars on the George Washington Parkway. I was driving a 3 series AWD with proper snow tires, but a couple more inches and I'd have been in trouble.

I haven’t thought of Snowmaggeddon in a long time. I was in northern VA then on a business trip. Wrapped up everything too late, made a bad choice and got on I-66 eastbound right around 4:30 pm as snow was falling, 6 inches on the ground, and dark. There were no snowplows out that night. I found out later their brilliant plan was to wait for all the snow to fall then plow out the roads the next day.

The highway was full of slow cars, spinning their wheels, sliding off the road, stuck and abandoned cars, three tractor trailers jackknifed in the road and on the shoulders. It was a mess like I’ve never seen.
I learned to drive growing up in the western NYS snow belt and I was doing OK driving a RWD big monster rental sedan with all season tires, but I had to do evasive maneuvers constantly and fishtail around so many cars, while the snow kept falling, it was exhausting. Since I couldn’t keep my momentum up very well due to the other cars stopping, I got stuck several times myself and had to rock the car to get going again. And we waited and waited. Good thing I had a full tank of gas and drinking water and some snacks. To go 17 miles if took 8 hours to get to my hotel.

So yes, if you have some skills and experience and are comfortable with winter driving (and there’s space on the road) you can drive a rear wheel drive car and survive in some pretty awful conditions. But it sure wasn’t comfortable. I wished I had my 4Runner.

PS: [MENTION=390705]cb1111[/MENTION], if you really want to ruin your desire for a 4R, test drive a Landcruiser

 

[RichinRidgewood]

Good for you.

I guess I was wrong - you have zero intention of being helpful.

The next time we have a freak snowzilla or snowmaggeddon event and I have to drive 50 miles to my site at 3am, I guess I'll just walk to the local Avis or Hertz office and hope they have a capable AWD with the appropriate tires. I might have to break down their door as it is unlikely to be open at that time.

I was leaving my site during snowmaggeddon (or was it snowzilla?) and we were expecting a light snow (about an inch or so. When I left the site early at noon, there were light flurries. By the time I got to my house, there were about 4 or 5 inches on the ground and people were abandoning cars on the George Washington Parkway. I was driving a 3 series AWD with proper snow tires, but a couple more inches and I'd have been in trouble.

See you didnt read and understand what I wrote. I said you could buy an Venza or a Avalon 4WD and use it for most instances and when you go to NM you could rent a Jeep. I rented a Jeep and drove/4wheeled all over the island of Hawaii a few years back and it was great fun. I would not buy a Jeep. I rented a Land Rover once so even the high end stuff is available.

Your concern with the 4R is tipping over and being uncomfortable leaves it as a no go. We did a Sunday drive in the Poconos on Sunday. We were in our 4R for 6 hours. I felt great and could have done another 7 or 8 maybe more no problem. I could drive to St Augustine or Orlando with only a few gas stops. For me it’s comfortable enough to drive all day.

I think you’ll only be happy with a car based vehicle with AWD. MB’s are expensive however you can find well equipped E Class off CPO 2 year leases around here for extremely good prices. This year I saw one that had barely 10k miles on it, dark green metallic paint, leather, Nav, AWD and a bunch of other options (thats all I can remember now) for $39k. Thats a $65K car new. MB E’s probably have the best ride and nicest interiors you will find. I recently sold my C’ after driving it for 14 years. I did almost all of the work, when things broke, myself. It wasn’t “unreliable” however it did occasionally have things quit working.

BMW’s are garbage. Both their cars and their motorcycles. From personnel experience and experience from close friends. Getting stuck in one with only 5 inches of snow on the ground would be embarrassing. I would set it on fire where it got stuck instead of digging it out.

 

[NW.OH.T4R]

I'd just like to point out the elephant in the room.
The OP has been on this forum citing all sorts of legal factoids and "do's and don'ts" for modifying vehicles, some specific to the 4R for a year, and doesn't even own one. I get doing your due diligence and researching before you buy, but you've extended beyond ad nauseam at this point.
In summary, buy a JGC so you can flood their forums with DOT regulations.

 

[02SE]

Good for you.

I guess I was wrong - you have zero intention of being helpful.

The next time we have a freak snowzilla or snowmaggeddon event and I have to drive 50 miles to my site at 3am, I guess I'll just walk to the local Avis or Hertz office and hope they have a capable AWD with the appropriate tires. I might have to break down their door as it is unlikely to be open at that time.

I was leaving my site during snowmaggeddon (or was it snowzilla?) and we were expecting a light snow (about an inch or so. When I left the site early at noon, there were light flurries. By the time I got to my house, there were about 4 or 5 inches on the ground and people were abandoning cars on the George Washington Parkway. I was driving a 3 series AWD with proper snow tires, but a couple more inches and I'd have been in trouble.

4 or 5 inches?

You'd be unhappy living here. A good snowstorm is 3+ feet.