Full-time 4wd, auto climate, smart key, seat heaters/coolers, nav/touchscreen, etc. Sure its a bit prettier, but modding is half the fun. Lift, wheels, tires, a bit of de-chroming, a few body mods and maybe a rear locker and its a pretty nice upgrade.
The non functional hood scoop doesn't count as bling?
Haven't had a chance to go off-road yet, or even hit snow. Since my TE was lifted, the first thing I noticed was how low I felt. Second thing I noticed was how smooth and quiet the ride felt. Tough to say if its because its an LE or because I'm back to stock suspension/tires though. I think the KDSS might have kept the ride slightly flatter when cornering vs the x-reas, but the difference seems negligible so far. Otherwise its all very similar apart from the feature/technology upgrades.
Now, between the two 4Runners I owned a new Ram ecodiesel. There were definitely a few immediate differences I noticed between the two:
Again, ride height - I feel like I'm sitting on the ground.
Brake feel - which I'm already getting used to but the brakes sure didnt feel good at first after coming from the ram. The pedal seems to travel half way down before you get much actual stopping power.
Transmission shifting/electronic throttle behaviour - I used to think the T4R was bad for this, but it is significantly better than the ram. The 'rolling stop' shift/throttle delay on the ram was atrocious. You learn to get used to it but driving a 4Runner again is a real improvement in this area. Shifting and throttle response all seem much quicker and smoother in the 4Runner.
Power - The 4Runner isn't slow, but stepping on the accelerator doesn't bring on the pin you in your seat torque feeling you get from the ram. No surprise here really and I'm sure 5th gen owners are tired of hearing about it. The 4Runners power is adequate but certainly not excessive.
Wind/window noise - This is a weird one that may not matter to most people but I've always liked to drive with my window open, or at least cracked open. The wind noise I got in the ram was too much for this. Drive around with the window cracked and you couldn't hear the radio. Sure, you could find some combination of cracking the rear passenger windows or the rear cab window where the noise/buffeting wasn't too bad, but it was inconvenient and often too cold for that. It was a real 'oh yeah' moment when i cracked open the window on the 4Runner driving home and it was quiet with no buffeting. One of those small but meaningful things you forget about.
Ride Quality - This one is close. I had the ram equipped with the air suspension so it rode very smooth, but I think the 4runner has a slight edge in this department. At least with the factory tires/suspension.
A few small ergonomic things about the 4Runner I like better too. The tactile differentiation on buttons is a really nice small thing that I appreciate. The drivers window button has an indentation in it that differentiates it from the rest of the windows by touch. Makes it easier to locate without looking. Same as the power lock button and the steering wheel volume button. But I dislike the fact that Toyota still uses the same cruise control lever they've been using since the 80's, and still no illumination for moonroof or mirror controls.
