Not sure why people complain about SR5

M

Marlin 444

New member
All I read on this forum is how bad the SR5 handles going around bends and the nose dive.

How fast are you people actually driving? Do you really think KDSS and XREAS really turns your 4600lbs+ SUV into a sports car?

The reason I am posting this is when I was about to buy my SR5 4runner, I started looking on this forum to see what people thought of it so I was prepared when I go for a test drive. All of the bashing of the SR5 almost made me think I should go buy a MDX or spend more money on a Limited or Trail w/ KDSS because I really thought they were far surperior.

Well I test drove a Limited and a SR5 back to back and really couldn't tell the difference in the handling. So I went with the SR5 and couldn't be happier.

The only change so far is I put Revo 2's on the stock rims because I didn't think the OEM Bridgestones were aggressive enough for the winter.

I think the SR5 handles just fine for a SUV of this size. If you stick with the speed limits around bends and give yourself enough distance to stop at red lights and stops signs, then you are fine. Sure you are going to have the nose dive if you slam on your brakes, but how often do you really do that?

And the gas mileage this thing gets is sickening (in a good way). Best I got was 23.7 on a 400 mile road trip (loaded with 3 people and gear) and the worst was 19.1 all city driving. This is with less than 1500 miles on it.

Hope I didn't make anyone mad, but being a newbie and using this site for info before I purchased almost made me steer clear of the 4runner.
 
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x3.

I first drove the SR5 and didn't like the ride. It felt rough (Yes, I know it's a truck!) and bouncy. I then drove a Limited version and the ride was much better and smoother however, I wasn't planning to spend 40k for a Limited version especially after I saw a couple used Limited's that had very bad leather wear. The used vehicles only had 10k miles on them. A month later, I test drove another SR5 and it rode much better than the first. So here I am! I ended up getting a Mag Gray SR5 w/ 3rd row seat option. I may eventually get aftermarket leather but at the moment the cloth seats work fine. Just got the windows tinted today and added the stubby antenna. Already on order are AVS bugflector and window visors and OEM exhaust tip
 
Marlin 444 said:
All I read on this forum is how bad the SR5 handles going around bends and the nose dive.

How fast are you people actually driving? Do you really think KDSS and XREAS really turns your 4600lbs+ SUV into a sports car?

The reason I am posting this is when I was about to buy my SR5 4runner, I started looking on this forum to see what people thought of it so I was prepared when I go for a test drive. All of the bashing of the SR5 almost made me think I should go buy a MDX or spend more money on a Limited or Trail w/ KDSS because I really thought they were far surperior.

Well I test drove a Limited and a SR5 back to back and really couldn't tell the difference in the handling. So I went with the SR5 and couldn't be happier.

The only change so far is I put Revo 2's on the stock rims because I didn't think the OEM Bridgestones were aggressive enough for the winter.

I think the SR5 handles just fine for a SUV of this size. If you stick with the speed limits around bends and give yourself enough distance to stop at red lights and stops signs, then you are fine. Sure you are going to have the nose dive if you slam on your brakes, but how often do you really do that?

And the gas mileage this thing gets is sickening (in a good way). Best I got was 23.7 on a 400 mile road trip (loaded with 3 people and gear) and the worst was 19.1 all city driving. This is with less than 1500 miles on it.

Hope I didn't make anyone mad, but being a newbie and using this site for info before I purchased almost made me steer clear of the 4runner.
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So far almost 8 months later and 5K miles later I am fairly happy. I miss the bed in my Chevy 1500 and the room of my crew cab but do not miss teh 12-13 MPG. I am avg 17-20mpg with 95% city. To me the runner handles well, better than my 07 wrangler did. My only complaint is that for a $35K car (I got an SR5) it has alot of road noise.
 
Marlin 444 said:
All I read on this forum is how bad the SR5 handles going around bends and the nose dive.

How fast are you people actually driving? Do you really think KDSS and XREAS really turns your 4600lbs+ SUV into a sports car?

The reason I am posting this is when I was about to buy my SR5 4runner, I started looking on this forum to see what people thought of it so I was prepared when I go for a test drive. All of the bashing of the SR5 almost made me think I should go buy a MDX or spend more money on a Limited or Trail w/ KDSS because I really thought they were far surperior.

Well I test drove a Limited and a SR5 back to back and really couldn't tell the difference in the handling. So I went with the SR5 and couldn't be happier.

The only change so far is I put Revo 2's on the stock rims because I didn't think the OEM Bridgestones were aggressive enough for the winter.

I think the SR5 handles just fine for a SUV of this size. If you stick with the speed limits around bends and give yourself enough distance to stop at red lights and stops signs, then you are fine. Sure you are going to have the nose dive if you slam on your brakes, but how often do you really do that?

And the gas mileage this thing gets is sickening (in a good way). Best I got was 23.7 on a 400 mile road trip (loaded with 3 people and gear) and the worst was 19.1 all city driving. This is with less than 1500 miles on it.

Hope I didn't make anyone mad, but being a newbie and using this site for info before I purchased almost made me steer clear of the 4runner.
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Thank you for that post! The SR5 rides and handles great for a body-on-frame SUV. I drove a 2011 Explorer (unibody) and I hated it. The nose dive on the 4Runner sucks, but it can be corrected for a few hundred bucks with Bilstein shocks. I had no need for the "fluff" that comes at a $6000+ premium with the limited, or the super off-road ability of the TE (although I would have bought one if they actually made enough to make it possible to find one without ordering from Japan and waiting 4-6 months). The SR5 is a great looking and capable 4X4 vehicle, and can be made to look like a real truck with a few simple mods. I hope you will be as happy with your purchase as I have been!
 
Agreed, I love mine.

When I test drove it, I could not feel the difference between either edition. of course, I my previous cars were inches from the ground.. and were looking at high 10s to low 12s, and high speed bends.
That said, I hated the way truck felt.. But I felt same way about Hummer.. Landcruiser.. Landrover and ML350... So, I figured it was just due to me never owning a truck in my life before.
Boy, was I right! :D
 
I have no problems with my SR5 handling. Took a week to get used to it as far as I can recall, but now I don't like handling of my wife's Mazda3. It's too stiff and too light in my opinion, almost like a bicycle : )
 
Leather has been fine

PGRunner said:
x3.

I then drove a Limited version and the ride was much better and smoother however, I wasn't planning to spend 40k for a Limited version especially after I saw a couple used Limited's that had very bad leather wear. The used vehicles only had 10k miles on them.
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I have had my Limited for about a year with about 12000 miles on it and the leather is just fine. I take good care of it and clean and condition it often- so disagree with that statement.

I did like the SR5 when I test drove it but I also wanted all the extra gadgetry that comes with the Limited- plus the full time 4WD, which is why I ended up buying the Limited.
 
Marlin 444 said:
Sure you are going to have the nose dive if you slam on your brakes, but how often do you really do that?
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Not that often, but when you need to stop or maneuver suddenly the last thing you want is violent nose dive.

having said that I basically agree with you, the stock ride isnt THAT bad. Issues like ride/handling/power tend to get a bit blown out of proportion on this board IMO

I usually recommend an SR5 to anyone who wants to lift, TE or LTD to others. With the Canadian trim packages, I think the line between the SR5 and TE is pretty slim. You don't have an option for KDSS, and you loose the rear locker, but for the 6K price difference you could put sweet front and rear air lockers in an SR5.
 
I think an SR5 with Bilsteins offers the most bang for the buck of all models.

A Trail really appeals to me and I think the 4wd gadgetry is cool but I'll be honest and admit that the four wheeling I'll be doing is easily accomplished by an SR5 with some decent tires. I have no real need for crawl control, rear locker, etc. KDSS is awesome for the on-road handling it provides, I wish it was available on the SR5 too because that is an option I'd spend the 2k for. I'm not sure it is worth the price jump from SR5 to Trail Edition plus KDSS price for me though.

I really wish heated seats were standard on all models though! My wife doesn't want leather which is the only way to get heated seats. So that means aftermarket and I'd rather not have my interior torn apart on a new vehicle.
 
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offroadingatc said:
Not that often, but when you need to stop or maneuver suddenly the last thing you want is violent nose dive.

having said that I basically agree with you, the stock ride isnt THAT bad. Issues like ride/handling/power tend to get a bit blown out of proportion on this board IMO

I usually recommend an SR5 to anyone who wants to lift, TE or LTD to others. With the Canadian trim packages, I think the line between the SR5 and TE is pretty slim. You don't have an option for KDSS, and you loose the rear locker, but for the 6K price difference you could put sweet front and rear air lockers in an SR5.
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Good advice. My only complaint on my 2011 TE is the nose dive. It is real and rather than ask how often does it happen I suggest people test it out at night on a lonely road, low beams @45mph. That way you will know what to expect when you do need to slam on the brakes. I plan to try to remedy the problem with the Bilsteins up front. Need to get advice from Toytech whether I just need shocks or shocks w/ springs to do the minimum lift on the front to balance front and rear. Hope that fixes it.

I like the road handling of the TE otherwise. In fact I like everything about it compared to my 99 SR5. They are different vehicles handling wise. The 99 is sportier and rougher riding. I think the 99 has better quality inside-seat fabric, carpeting, and plastics along with thicker sheet metal. The TE has so many more features - 4 disc brakes, bigger, better engine, larger interior all make for more comfort on long trips.

The bashing you read about is mainly us nit picking.
 
I have a limited but would have opted for an SR5 if the wife didn't want the Nav. I test drove the sr5 and loved it. It was what really made me fall in love with the 4R
 
chetJ said:
I have had my Limited for about a year with about 12000 miles on it and the leather is just fine. I take good care of it and clean and condition it often- so disagree with that statement.

I did like the SR5 when I test drove it but I also wanted all the extra gadgetry that comes with the Limited- plus the full time 4WD, which is why I ended up buying the Limited.
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I saw a saw a couple 2011's and the side bolsters on the seats were perforated and it looked worn out. I told them (dealership) I was worried about the leather and that I wanted to see a 2010. They showed me a 2010 that had roughly 15k miles and the leather had no creases compared to the 2011's. I noticed immediately that the 2010 seats were NOT perforated. Guess that what made the difference between the 2 seats...it looked similar to this thread
Pics are in post #8

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/75569-do-your-leather-seats-look-like-crap.html
 
Mine is fine with the new BFG AT KOs in C Load range. Handling could be firmed up, Im sure XREAS fixes that on the LTD. As far as KDSS...I have no idea how a swaybar disconnect system helps handling and nose dive.
 
As far as KDSS...I have no idea how a swaybar disconnect system helps handling and nose dive.[/QUOTE said:
It allows for a thicker swaybar. Thicker swaybar=better handling. KDSS does nothing for the nosedive.
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Disagree on KDSS not decreasing nose dive. I test drove an SR5, Trail Ed. and a Limited one after another last week. Swerving back and forth and hitting the brakes at different speeds to specifically to evaluate body roll and nose dive.

Without a doubt the SR5 had the most body roll and nose dive with the Limited coming in a (pleasant) second. IMO the Trail Edition w/KDSS had the least roll and with minimal nose dive. It also conveyed the most road feel, responsiveness as well as road surface vibration.

S1
 
I like my SR5 and I'm really glad I bought it. All I need are better tires and stiffen the truck a bit more.
 
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