my moms looking at a trail edition

kevinpt

kevinpt

Senior Member
so i was at work today and my mom shows up saying she wants a trail edition 4runner. here is a link to the website
New 2013 Toyota 4Runner For Sale | Henrico VA

as a nurse she has to get to work no matter the weather so i can not disagree with her wanting a trail edition. the reason for me making this thread is because i dont have a lot of time to compare 5th gens and figured i would ask those with a trail edition what they like about their trucks and how this would be a good choice.
i do know about the trail editions having the different lights, roof rack, rear diff, and traction control system but what are some other big differences between the models.
 
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Lockers and ground clearance do nothing on plowed roads. Unless planning to go off road, a Rav4 or Highlander will do just as well or better on snowy roads.
 
:becky:
Jeremy556 said:
Lockers and ground clearance do nothing on plowed roads. Unless planning to go off road, a Rav4 or Highlander will do just as well or better on snowy roads.
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she had a 4runner back in the 80's-90's and wants one again, she shows me a picture on her phone of the one she wanted and its a trail so i was not complaining.

so shh no negative comments :D
 
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Seriously? What kind of weather do you really get there? Heavy rain and flurries? Lol, even here there are very few days of the winter where you legitimately need 4wd let alone a TE. My gf is an RN and she drives an Altima. Last year I drove her to work once due to weather because it was cold and snowy,. Really though, her car would have faired just fine.
 
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JayceeP said:
Seriously? What kind of whether do you really get there? Heavy rain and flurries? Lol, even here there are very few days of the winter where you legitimately need 4wd let alone a TE. My gf is an RN and she drives an Altima. Last year I drove her once to work because it was cold and snowy,. Really though, her car would have faired just fine.
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i think its more of a want then a need but she was wanting to get a limited so this is better and cheaper.

then there is the off chance i will take it offroad
 
kevinpt said:
so i was at work today and my mom shows up saying she wants a trail edition 4runner. here is a link to the website
New 2013 Toyota 4Runner For Sale | Henrico VA

as a nurse she has to get to work no matter the weather so i can not disagree with her wanting a trail edition. the reason for me making this thread is because i dont have a lot of time to compare 5th gens and figured i would ask those with a trail edition what they like about their trucks and how this would be a good choice.
i do know about the trail editions having the different lights, roof rack, rear diff, and traction control system but what are some other big differences between the models.
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well if she is part of the cat 1 storm people or they have a code white in my town, then I would stay away from a TE.

go with a limited for FT 4wd (better for snow) or a sr5 for the pt 4wd and cheaper cost.

since im required to show up for work unless the state closes the road, I need the LE for the FT 4wd and heated seats :) since I prefer not to get a remote start.
 
kevinpt said:
i think its more of a want then a need but she was wanting to get a limited so this is better and cheaper.

then there is the off chance i will take it offroad
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Lol. Ok good. Just wanted to confirm it was actually you convincing your mom she needs the extra piece of mind so you can take her rig off road and not that Virginia actually gets crazy snow storms... Because I might want to move down that way some day and it won't be for the snow!
 
moms 87 back in the 90's
family beach trip

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Mine does fine in the snow. I would prefer FT 4wd but its not a big deal really. Honestly all of the 4Runners are going to be pretty close in snow performance. I usually don't even use 4wd in the snow because it does just fine. If you want good snow performance, buy snow tires. They will make a much bigger difference than any traction control or center diff.
 
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kevinpt said:
so anyone going to say anything about what they like about their trail ?
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Um...Its a Trail! Seriously though I guess the things i like include: Locker, KDSS, Crawl Control (very cool system that get no credit), transfer case lever, looks, rarity compared to other 4Runners, water resistant seating is nice sometimes, Multi-terrain ABS is also a cool feature that can keep the wheels locked for longer periods of time depending on the road surface. Also, I really like the extra knobs and buttons on the roof. Nerdy-I know, but I'm all about buttons, switches, gauges, dials, instruments etc...........After listing all this, I'm not sure what to tell you. I really like my Trail, but would my Mom? Probably not, and she will not use any of the above. Infact it would probably just end up confusing her lol. A Limited on the other hand, well that's a different story. GL with what ever she decides and like I said above, get her to buy some snow tires!
 
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Why not get a SR5 then? Its cheaper than a trail and a limited. I doubt she'll need the crawl control lol.
 
Guys, I think you're missing mom's point. Although she may only need a Subaru, she WANTS a 4Runner. I don't know why she is interested in a TE, since she initially wanted a Limited, but maybe she likes the looks better (like many that have done a TE conversion). Yeah, she may not need to features of the TE, but if it makes her happy .......

OP, one feature of the TE that is highly touted by those that have it is the KDSS. Though this feature was designed to help off road articulation, many have lauded the additional stability it provides over the SR5 on normal paved road due to the larger sway bar. I would highly suggest that your mom actually go and test drive the 5th gen 4Runners, if she has not done so. They handle much differently than the T4R she remembers.
 
OK Kevin... you're not getting what you want to hear because it's the TRAIL EDITION, and, um, well, it's designed for the (are you ready?) Trail.

Personally, I think the '10-'13 TE is the coolest looking 4R in a long time, but it has stuff that raises the complexity and cost that Mom hasn't a need in the world for.

No disrespect towards Mom, but can she (will she) be cool with PT 4WD? (my wife is totally flummoxed by it) ... '13 TE's still have the shift lever.

Above is the reason you're not getting the buy-in from the Forum. Now, if (as I suspect) you're all up for having a TE in the family for your personal entertainment, that's another matter. But the bottom line is the TE is not the best choice for Mom. It's cool she likes the 4R, but something with FT4WD is a better choice for HER.

I thought VA had a fairly temperate climate - no?
 
She wants it because it's AWESOME. I can't blame her for that!

Sure, it has a ton of extra goodies and features she may never use or understand, but it's a great truck.

I won't try to dissuade her from buying, mostly since I love buying used vehicles that are well maintained and women driven... She's going to love it!
 
TonyJ124 said:
She wants it because it's AWESOME. I can't blame her for that!

Sure, it has a ton of extra goodies and features she may never use or understand, but it's a great truck.

I won't try to dissuade her from buying, mostly since I love buying used vehicles that are well maintained and women driven... She's going to love it!
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<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6OQnHBGY6m8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

David
 
If I had to just choose a vehicle for snowy roads, the TE wouldn't be my first choice. A GX or LE that has full time 4WD would be better, since those have open center diffs that won't lock up when you transition from slippery and wet to dry pavement. My TE was binding and scuffing its tires on mixed dry and icy pavement when I drove to the mountains about a week ago.

No matter what anyone says about the TE being a "TRAIL" vehicle, it wouldn't cost Toyota a fortune to include a center locker, nor would it affect durability or reliability.
 
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