My new (used) 2010 TE vs 2012 Wrangler

[Koddo]

I thought I would give a quick recap and first impressions between my first offroad experience with my 2010 TE I bought about a month ago vs the 2012 2 door Wrangler I had previously. Obviously 2 very differenct vehicles with their own advantages and disadvantages.

I mainly use my vehicles offroad to access my gold claims/haul small mining equipment in the Bradshaw mountains near Prescott AZ. The road are generally old mine roads, some very rough and steep in parts. My 2 door Wrangler had a 2.5 AEV inch lift w/ bilsteins and approx 34" x 11.5" tires, otherwise stock (had about 11.5 inches of ground clearance). It handled anything I threw at it with a fair amount of ease.

So, foward to my first experience taking my 2010 TE on some of the same roads I took the Wrangler. Overall, very happy with the ride and control crawling over obstacles, up and down steep inclines. Interestingly the 4 Runner outperformed the Wranger on one particular obstacle...a very steep incline with basketball size boulders petruding half way up. The Wrangler sometimes bucked at these rocks (manual transmission may be the culprit), but the 4 runner crawled right up without a second of hesitance. As to be expected, the 4 Runner did require additional care in going over some obstacles due to the reduced ground clearance. Also, the TE's approach and decent angles resulted in the trailer hitch plowing the earth and a few very small scrapes up front. The longer wheel base and lower body height resulted in one minor scrape in the middle of the frame going over an obstacle. Given that the TE is still stock, none of this was a surprise. I was very happy however with the performance at this point and can't wait to start modding - add a small lift/ new shocks, and new tires to start.

On road, driving experience is night and day compared to the Wrangler. 4 Runner wins in every category, except maybe the seats...Wrangler's were by no means luxurious, but seemed a bit more comfortable for the 1 1/2 hour drive from Phoenix up near Prescott. Unrelated to on road...And I'm really excited to camp inside the 4 Runner...read some threads about unbolting the rear seat bottoms. The extra cargo space in the 4 Runner is a big win as well.

Anyways, thats my first month, mainly offroad impression/experience with the 2010 TE.

 

[Marcocopuffs]

That's good to hear! Welcome to the club.

 

[DRICHEY]

Talking about this last night with my GF, very different vehicles but the 4RUNNER is so capable all around. Snowed here in Germany and I had my first opportunity to put it to the test. Grew up going to the mountains every weekend during the snow season and had a couple Subarus, an Audi, 2500 cummins (3), took my dads GmC Denali... But the 4RUNNER has outperformed all with the exception of power, Audi was a V6 twin turbo. Traction control off & VSC off and had it in 4H and I was like a kid in a candy store.

Glad you like it. Now empty your wallet like the rest of us.

 

[DannyLlama]

I thought I would give a quick recap and first impressions between my first offroad experience with my 2010 TE I bought about a month ago vs the 2012 2 door Wrangler I had previously. Obviously 2 very differenct vehicles with their own advantages and disadvantages.

I mainly use my vehicles offroad to access my gold claims/haul small mining equipment in the Bradshaw mountains near Prescott AZ. The road are generally old mine roads, some very rough and steep in parts. My 2 door Wrangler had a 2.5 AEV inch lift w/ bilsteins and approx 34" x 11.5" tires, otherwise stock (had about 11.5 inches of ground clearance). It handled anything I threw at it with a fair amount of ease.

So, foward to my first experience taking my 2010 TE on some of the same roads I took the Wrangler. Overall, very happy with the ride and control crawling over obstacles, up and down steep inclines. Interestingly the 4 Runner outperformed the Wranger on one particular obstacle...a very steep incline with basketball size boulders petruding half way up. The Wrangler sometimes bucked at these rocks (manual transmission may be the culprit), but the 4 runner crawled right up without a second of hesitance. As to be expected, the 4 Runner did require additional care in going over some obstacles due to the reduced ground clearance. Also, the TE's approach and decent angles resulted in the trailer hitch plowing the earth and a few very small scrapes up front. The longer wheel base and lower body height resulted in one minor scrape in the middle of the frame going over an obstacle. Given that the TE is still stock, none of this was a surprise. I was very happy however with the performance at this point and can't wait to start modding - add a small lift/ new shocks, and new tires to start.

On road, driving experience is night and day compared to the Wrangler. 4 Runner wins in every category, except maybe the seats...Wrangler's were by no means luxurious, but seemed a bit more comfortable for the 1 1/2 hour drive from Phoenix up near Prescott. Unrelated to on road...And I'm really excited to camp inside the 4 Runner...read some threads about unbolting the rear seat bottoms. The extra cargo space in the 4 Runner is a big win as well.

Anyways, thats my first month, mainly offroad impression/experience with the 2010 TE.

Congrats on your purchase!

I have a buddy that lives in Prescott that I go visit about once a year.
Can you share geographical location or a weblink to these roads you visit frequently?

Cheers!

 

[Raven]

Now empty your wallet like the rest of us.

Oh, so true! Not quite as bad as a boat, but the "want" list gets longer every time I buy something!

 

[wfo9]

Curious about a few things.

1. Does your TE have KDSS?

2. How was traction. Did you use ATRAC? How did it compare to BLD in the Jeep.


You will want a lift and tires first.

 

[Koddo]

It does have KDSS

I did not use ATRAC. I haven't yet researched this yet so totally unfamiliar with it. Thats my homework tonight

Edit: Also, didn't have to lock the rear diff yet

 

[Koddo]

And to Danny:

The main dirt road starts in Mayer, AZ (SE of Prescott) and is called the Goodwin Road (AKA Mayer-Bolada Rd). This road snakes through the Bradshaw Mountains and there are countless mine roads that shoot off from it. It also hooks up to many of the other major dirt roads that once connected various mining towns.

 

[wfo9]

Toyota ATRAC is similar to the Jeeps BLD (Brake Lock Differential). It uses wheel speed sensors and the ABS system to keep all 4 wheels moving at the same speed while in 4L and going straight in crawl conditions (even when some of the wheels completely lose traction).

It is explained pretty well here.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pRes2hdr8Lc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Use it, it is pretty awesome. Not as graceful as a select-able mechanical diff lock (like air or e-lockers), but it gets the job done. It can also be used in conjuration with your rear e-locker, but I think it only allows both to be active under 4 MPH.

I'm pretty sure the Jeep BLD is similar in concept, but does not need to be manually activated like on the 4Runner ATRAC. I've just wondered if the Jeeps system is as good. I know their older version of it was crap.

 

[Erkelbot]

Side note: That's the worst video I've seen in some time (though it is informative). Why is the truck talking to him? And why did they cast what looks to be a frat guy date rapist as the 'off-road guy'?

Also funny to see the LE in the showroom, but only the trail in the gravel. The most impressive feat, however, is that they attempted to show those Dunlops as capable off-road tires...

Nice work, Toyota brand team... Give yourself, and your other marketing buddies a pat on the back for me. :clap2:

 

[marshal]

having owned a 4door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and my 4runner back to back i can confidently say that in every offroad category the wrangler absolutely spanks the pants off of the 4runner - but thats what its built for. a stock wrangler rubicon and a 4runner trail with long travel front and rear suspensions is roughly in the same ballpark for capability.

onroad and for storage and comfort though, the 4runner wins hands down. the wrangler is a lot more fun to drive on the road though if you're willing to put up with the discomforts and smallness. there isn't quite anything like driving around with the top and doors off blaring music

 

[wfo9]

Yea, the video is goofy as can be. Toyota is not exactly "in touch" with the customer demographic.

I totally agree that a stock Rubicon is more capable than a stock trail. What i'm not sure of is how capable the non Rubicon JKs are with open diffs.

I plan to take a friend out who has a new JK sport, so I'm mainly wondering what trails will be enjoyable for him. We will obviously find out when we get there, but I just figured it would be useful to hear a non-biased view of how well the BLD works.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

Side note: That's the worst video I've seen in some time (though it is informative). Why is the truck talking to him? And why did they cast what looks to be a frat guy date rapist as the 'off-road guy'?

Also funny to see the LE in the showroom, but only the trail in the gravel. The most impressive feat, however, is that they attempted to show those Dunlops as capable off-road tires...

Nice work, Toyota brand team... Give yourself, and your other marketing buddies a pat on the back for me. :clap2:

I heard that "frat guy date rapist" brah scored well with the 4runner's key demographic.

 

[DannyLlama]

And to Danny:

The main dirt road starts in Mayer, AZ (SE of Prescott) and is called the Goodwin Road (AKA Mayer-Bolada Rd). This road snakes through the Bradshaw Mountains and there are countless mine roads that shoot off from it. It also hooks up to many of the other major dirt roads that once connected various mining towns.

Thanks! I'll have to check it out next time I'm up there.
Mostly accessible without a lift?

Thanks!

 

[Vwright14]

I went from a 2012 jku sahara to my 2012 T4E T.E. and I'm happy with the trade. Better ride, more room, better quality and totally just as capable for what i put it through. No the engine isn't as smooth and isn't as willing to Rev but it makes more trq down low so that's good for me.

 

[heygenius]

I currently have a modded 2010 2dr Wrangler and a 2014 4R TEP (the latest in a long line of 4Rs). I will say that of all the vehicles I've owned, the Jeep rides like crap, handles like crap, is underpowered, gets dismal mileage, is noisy and has the aerodynamics of a brick... that said, it's still the most fun to drive! As another poster said, nothing like cruising down the beach, top down, doors off, radio blasting... BUT if I could only have one vehicle, the 4R is the one. It's almost as capable as the Jeep (4R is stock, Jeep is not), rides great, decent mileage (relatively speaking of course), tons of room, lots of creature comforts and it's a Toyo so the quality, while not perfect, is leaps and bounds better than my Jeep (which always runs, but does have squeaks, and on occasion will do some really weird things that require me to unhook the battery to reset the computer). I will say one area where the 4R seems to dominate is in snow. The Jeep does great, but the 4R does seem to to outperform it (note - I'm in VA so the amount of snow I get to drive in compared to my brothers up north is minimal)

 

[Stifler]

love my 4runner on the road and mild trails/camping.... love my 2007 JK for wheeling with family and my 06 Unlimited is by far the best wheeler in my fleet.

 

[Vwright14]

I also had some problems with my jeep and what's funny about jeep people is that they put up with the crappy quality, oh Its a jeep part of owning one, no no no if i have a damn near 40k dollar vehicle that really doesn't have much to it ,i expect it to not be in the shop all the time

 

[cbreze]

Thanks! I'll have to check it out next time I'm up there.
Mostly accessible without a lift?

Thanks!

I lived in Prescott in the 70's and 80's and know that area well. Back then I was driving a 64 jeep Wagoner and spent many a day and night in those mountains.
Another approach if you want to start from town(Prescott)would be to get on Mt. Vernon aka the Senator Hiway south from Gurley St. This road goes in to the heart of the Bradshaw Mountains and there are many off shoots. A straight thru shot to Crown King is about 37 miles then on to the I-17 is about another 35 miles.
Would be a great 2 or 3 day camping trip. You can come out either on the I-17 road to Phoenix side or the Congress side.(hwy-89) or Mayer. Either way it's a great run and many, many roads off the main to explore. Google "Palace Station", as this is an old stage stop from the 1800's the forest service still uses and someone lives there in summer. There is a small graveyard here from the pioneer days and if anyone is there(in stage stop) they will let you in for a peek. The graveyard is free to explore. Kind of sad to see the baby graves and wonder of the hardships these people endured just going from Phoenix to Prescott back then. Bring maps either paper or GPS to see where the little tracks go for an off road adventure you won't soon forget. Late spring is a good time as the snow will have melted and fewer people. Snow can get heavy at times and deep back in there so a non winter trip is better.
And yes, accessible mostly without a lift. Enjoy!! I'd love to do it again myself, but I'm not anywhere near enough. Maybe later.
Other places to check out or maybe Google for more info: Fat Jacks, Horsethief Basin.

 

[desertred]

I also had some problems with my jeep and what's funny about jeep people is that they put up with the crappy quality, oh Its a jeep part of owning one, no no no if i have a damn near 40k dollar vehicle that really doesn't have much to it ,i expect it to not be in the shop all the time

It's definitely a "Jeep Thing" and seems to expand to other models than just the Wrangler. I have a '88 XJ that needs the rear suspension replaced, the track bar mounts replaced, brake work, and a new steering gear and column. The tranny is also definitely moving south. Yet, I can't seem to part with it. Of course, I'm just looking at a price tag of $3K (+maintenance) versus $40K when I purchased the vehicle 110K miles ago. Overall, one of the lowest cost of ownership vehicles I've had when including purchase price.

After living in Colorado (Jeep Country?) for the last 4 years, I think there is a law preventing someone from getting rid of one (unless its left at the bottom of a ravine) - pretty sure there is. :suspicious: