Have SR5, thinking about Limited. Thoughts?

T

tflux

New member
My wife drives the SR5 4Runner. I love it and I want her to drive it "forever", but my wife isn't the best judge of when to use 4wd when the roads are slick. She always asks me things like...

"Should I use 4wd if... it is raining hard? there is slush? if snow is blowing across the road? if there is packed snow?" etc.

So I'm thinking about getting a Limited with full-time 4wd so she has less to worry about and is more confident. This would give me a little peace of mind also.

1) Pros? Cons? Does the full-time 4wd system have any reliability issues?

2) The Limited will come with Xreas, correct? Any issues with Xreas?

3) Are there any other differences I should know about before making the switch.

I would probably buy a used Limited with around 50,000 miles.

Thanks!
 
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I don't have a Limited, but yeah, the AWD is definitely something good for the wife.

IMO it's crazy that 20 years ago all 4Runners had the capability of being run in fulltime 4wd, all you had to do was push a button on the shifter to engage 4wd. Now, in 2020 unless you have a Limited, there's the whole "do I use it or not"" internal discussion.

Also, if there's no offroading being planned for it, an AWD crossover will be really good in the snow. My AWD Volvo XC70 wagon was a beast in the snow!
 
I have a 2015 LTD and love it. I purchased Toyota Platinum warranty with referral on this site, 5 year 125k miles. Xreas was starting to show leaking on shocks. Not very much, no spots on garage floor. Toyota completely replaced Xreas at 121k miles. Good luck.
 
Horsethief said:
Also, if there's no offroading being planned for it, an AWD crossover will be really good in the snow. My AWD Volvo XC70 wagon was a beast in the snow!
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Yep, she had a subaru outback before the 4runner. It was pretty much perfect for her, but she didn't like the "Lesbaru" image :)
 
BaddaBing said:
Xreas was starting to show leaking on shocks. Not very much, no spots on garage floor.
Click to expand...

Ah, this is the type of thing I worry about. I like the SR5 for its simple, butch, beastly nature. Stepping up to the limited means there is "more stuff to break".
 
Do it! When the xreas wears out, remove it and get some bilsteins.

The AWD in the limited offers:

Increased stability on slick turns due to freedom of front and rear tires to act independently of each other. (The tires don't have to "slip" like in traditional 4wd systems; no slip = more traction).

Increased confidence leads to being more relaxed. More relaxed means less jerky movements of the steering wheel.

No guessing game when to turn on 4WD.

I have a TRD OR, but if I could have afforded a limited I would have got one.
 
tflux said:
Yep, she had a subaru outback before the 4runner. It was pretty much perfect for her, but she didn't like the "Lesbaru" image :)
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHA! Never heard that one before, haha.

You ever hear of the comedian Joey Diaz? He's this big Cuban guy from Jersey that looks and sounds like he should have had a staring role on the Sopranos.

He was on Joe Rogan the other day talking about how he's driven nothing but Subarus since the 80's, and said his buddies always bust his balls about driving a "lesbian car" LOL. Joe was trying to talk him into a Cadillac.

The guy is hilarious, definitely worth a listen.
 
The features on the limited is what sold me. Would have gotten a pro otherwise. Cooled seats are amazing.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
tflux said:
Well that makes me feel a little better. Is it that easy? Do you have to get rid of the old Xreas? Or is it a simple disconnect and replace the shocks?
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I'm not sure. I think it's just a network of stainless steel hollow tubes with brake fluid connecting the shocks. Nothing electrical.
 
I wanted the looks of the pro but the creature features of the limited since my 4th gen was a limited. I opted for a used limited, stripped out the xreas and modded it to look like a pro [emoji2957]

Now I got the best of both worlds until the 6th gen comes out.

Unless your going to do some serious off roading which may require crawl, I suggest getting the limited.

4d982e14338bfd595161c981dca113bc.jpg
 
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I'm on my second Limited....long story.

But its my favorite outside of a pro.

The full time 4wd is super convenient.

The wife and I consider it a must have for any family vehicle now.

I've taken another Limited down some moderately tough trails and it did well but the ride was a bit stiff. I've learned from this site though that around 100k to 125k the xreas usually gives it up.

The xreas probably saved us during an emergency maneuver to go around a suddenly stopped vehicle, on the highway, in a down pour.

It was a choice between testing air bags or the handling. I yanked the steering wheel and to my amazement there was very little body roll, no tire screech (although it was raining), and most importantly no sliding.

I think the x reas and "awd" is most convenient for inclement weather when it could be a pain to have to engage and disengage 4wd in order to make a tight parking maneuver.
 
tflux said:
My wife drives the SR5 4Runner. I love it and I want her to drive it "forever", but my wife isn't the best judge of when to use 4wd when the roads are slick. She always asks me things like...

"Should I use 4wd if... it is raining hard? there is slush? if snow is blowing across the road? if there is packed snow?" etc.

So I'm thinking about getting a Limited with full-time 4wd so she has less to worry about and is more confident. This would give me a little peace of mind also.

1) Pros? Cons? Does the full-time 4wd system have any reliability issues?

2) The Limited will come with Xreas, correct? Any issues with Xreas?

3) Are there any other differences I should know about before making the switch.

I would probably buy a used Limited with around 50,000 miles.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would do some training. I have taught people how to drive in bad weather. My rule of thumb for myself when I had my pos '94 F150 with electrically engaged 4wd was "If you think you should be in 4WD you should already be in 4WD"

The residual on 4Runners is so high I wouldn't consider a used one. Thats just me. If your concern is your wife's safety there are other similar vehicles that have a lot more 4WD traction, control and safety features for an equal or lower cost than a Limited ex. Highlander, MDX, Pilot.

Ive recently driven both and SR5 Premium and a Limited. Here is the thread
Drove a 4Runner For the first Time Today
 
has more stuff on it so expensive repairs. buy the warranty. if one drop leaks out of the shock system it is a big problem $$$..
need to rotate tires often all need to be the same diameter.. have to replace all tires at the same time..
 
tflux said:
Well that makes me feel a little better. Is it that easy? Do you have to get rid of the old Xreas? Or is it a simple disconnect and replace the shocks?
Click to expand...

I replaced Xreas myself using Bilstein's and it wasn't difficult at all. I didn't bother reusing the top hat or springs in the front so the install was relatively fast since I didn't have to swap over parts. The Xreas fights you a little with all the lines and fluid so I just cut everything off and cleaned up the mess. Wasn't planning on saving any of it.

For what its worth, I love the Limited and all of it's features. We use it off road and it's just as capable for what we do. I got stuck once but had nothing to do with the vehicle and more to do with my stupidity trying to follow someone I shouldn't have been following!

I drove mine stock for close to 30K miles before I started modding and it's been close to 40K miles with my current set up. I still love it... +1 for the cooled seats too!
 
Agreed with getting the warranty as well. I didn't buy an extended warranty on mine, but got it certified pre-owned. The CPO covered bumped to bumper for 50k miles from purchase. My XREAS started leaking very little around 70k miles. Had it replaced free of charge (the receipt showed upwards of 4k for replacement). Haven't had any issues with it at all, and I'm right under 100k on the odometer now. Once the XREAS starts leaking, I'm going Bilstein.
 

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The Limited is fantastic… the 4WD/AWD system is the main reason I went with it over any of the other trims. It has more track record / history for reliability than the rest. That style of system has been used in the Land Cruiser, GX, and older generation 4Runners for much longer than what they are using in the SR5/Trail/Pro models now.

I really wish they kept that as more of a standard option as they did in the past because it just makes the overall package more versatile. That said, my absolute favorite is what they did in the v6 4th gens because you still had the option to use 2WD in addition to 4WD (locked center) or AWD (unlocked center).

XREAS I think is awesome in a city centric truck… for an SUV it corners well and stays pretty flat through turns. In the years to follow chances are you will need to replace it down the road if it ever leaks or wears out but this was a routine procedure in 4th gens and really not that big of a deal. I didn’t even have XREAS in my 4th gen and ended up changing my OE shocks anyway due to age. Its one in the same as far as I am a concerned.
 
tflux said:
My wife drives the SR5 4Runner. I love it and I want her to drive it "forever", but my wife isn't the best judge of when to use 4wd when the roads are slick. She always asks me things like...

"Should I use 4wd if... it is raining hard? there is slush? if snow is blowing across the road? if there is packed snow?" etc.

So I'm thinking about getting a Limited with full-time 4wd so she has less to worry about and is more confident. This would give me a little peace of mind also.

1) Pros? Cons? Does the full-time 4wd system have any reliability issues?

2) The Limited will come with Xreas, correct? Any issues with Xreas?

3) Are there any other differences I should know about before making the switch.

I would probably buy a used Limited with around 50,000 miles.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm really only going to repeat what others have said, but I enjoy my LE. 82k on it and no issues yet.

1) No known issues with the AWD/Torsen center diff. Not sure I've ever read any issues on this either.
2) XREAS offers nice on road handling, but is $$$ to replace. You'll replace with a different option (you can get King OEM for the same price, FWIW) unless you get it replaced under warranty.
3a) Wheels and tires--you *can* get better tires for the LE's 20s, but they'll be thin, so you may want to swap for 17s and get a better selection of tires. The standard HTs on the LE 20s are great for highway driving but like wearing slippers in mud so I don't recommend keeping them.
3b) The LE looks like an LE, it's a love/hate thing
3c) Creature comforts. if you like them, the LE has more. for instance, i like the redwood/brown seats.
 
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