SR5 vs. LTD

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You say that like it was a bad thing. :biggrin2:

Ha ha, must be that any new and unique subject matter around here is becoming exhausted and increasingly in short supply when I see friendly antics designed to incite the faithful !! That's good. Means there is less of any substance regarding the 5th gen to complain about.
 
I just recently picked up a '12 LE. I am not really a car guy so I do not really know what all the specs provide me, but I have always wanted a 4RNR because I like the truck feel and with the LE I feel like I am driving a luxury vehicle. I get the best of both worlds. Take my opinion for what it is worth. I am only 30 and the only vehicles I have owned were a '91 S-10 and '04 Civic Value Package (with only cd and air), so a nice shiney schwinn bicycle would be luxury to me. My wife and I love the LE, but now I have to deal with her driving it which puts me in her Mazda 3 which I can't stand. Don't buy Mazda, the electrical components go bad.
 
Go with the Limited. I don't think there is a single Limited owner on here who wishes they went with the SR5 instead. If you have no major plans of crawling or getting into any extreme off-roading, go with the Limited. All the little creature comforts it offers are definitely worth it. But, do save some money and skip out on all the dealer added Toyota Accessories. You can get all those things online for almost 95% cheaper then what the dealer will charge you.
 
I chose the SR5 over the Ltd. I did not want leather, did not want the nav, did not want heated seats, did not want the 20's. As I did not want all that, I could not justify spending the extra $. I will upgrade the suspension for much less and be just fine in that catagory.

I would have loved having the smartkey however. I love it with my 370Z....
 
I had a 2010 SR5, but there were too many things I missed/wanted, so I got a limited. Love the limited, and there are considerable differences between them in suspension/handling and interior creature features. For me, I wanted a limited. I couldn't stand the Toyota nav so I took it out and sold it on Ebay.
 
I bought my wife a 2012 SR5 4wd with premium package. After driving SR5 and Limited several times, I couldn't justify the extra price for a limited. If we lived somewhere where it snowed often then I probably would have gone with the limited. I personally don't like the wagon wheel look of the limited wheels. Either way you can't go wrong.
 
I went with the SR5 over the LE....got the leather I wanted in the package. I am smart enough to know when I need 4wd and when I don't. I'm not driving a M3 so I don't need the LE suspension to do 70 around an off ramp. I dont really need the nav but once a year and I have a garmin and smartphone for that. The one thing that would be helpful would be the smart key. All in all I could not justify the cost jump for the bells and whistles I did not need. Plus I would have had to dump the tires and wheels...and buy new....dubs on a 4R..come on. I did like the all black interior though, again not worth $$$$ to me though.
 
For me the Limited was worth the upgrade for these reasons:

  • Full time 4x4
  • Leather seats (can get w/ SR5 prem package)
  • Heated seats (can get w/ SR5 prem package)
  • Dual zone Air
  • XREAS Suspension
  • Sunroof (can get w/ SR5 prem package)
  • 20" Wheels
  • Upgrade Instrument Panel
  • Display Audio Navigation with Entune (can get w/ SR5 prem package)
  • Better looking interior (Only in my opinion)
  • Leather trimmed interior (can get w/ SR5 prem package)
  • Smart Key System

I don't go on trails, so I was looking for comfort. The limited gave me the most comfort.

Updated your list. I'd like the smart key and the blacked out interior (versus the gray IP lower and gray leather on the door cards on the SR5). I specifically did not want the full time 4WD or the 20" wheels, so the premium package SR5 made more sense than the Limited for me.

Honestly, if I had to do it again, I'd have probably opted for the Trail Edition because, despite no leather seats, no leather steering wheel, and no heated seats, I love how the exterior of the TE looks and the KDSS seems like the tits.
 
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My reason for not getting the limited was purely money. In Canada there's a 13k difference (w/tax) between boths.....


However, in the US I would have get the limited since the price difference is much lower and I do miss the full time 4WD (but that's about it).
 
Sr5

I have a SR5 and my friend has the limited.

As soon as I got my SR5 I bought new Revo 2's for it because the stock tires are junk. The ride and handling improved so much just by changing the tires. The ride is awesome.

I don't know if Toyota makes the SR5 look bad by throwing these stock POS tires on it, but maybe this is their way to make people justify paying the extra money and getting a limited (which I couldn't justify spending the extra $$$). I didn't really care for the leather in the limited. I think for what you are paying, people are getting ripped off. It is very cheap leather (probably mostly vinyl).

I try to avoid problems down the road by keeping things simple with my cars, and buying a 4x4 with a lever is a no-brainer. I don't need to have XREAS either. I read some articles about how expensive that can be to fix down the road. I like to keep cars for 10+ years and I am hoping to have my SR5 longer than 10 years.

And do you really need fulltime 4x4? Some people might, but I don't. I enjoy driving a rear wheel drive suv in the winter. There is a lot of weight over the rear wheels and the traction control kicks in when needed. And if I am ever in a position where I know 4x4 would benefit me, all I have to do is throw the lever back. I bet the torsen diff is really expensive to fix to. No thanks!

It's nice that Toyota offers all of the different packages for the 4runner. I am a happy 4runner owner and have no regrets getting the model I wanted.

Oh and my friends limited is nice. He hates the leather and says the nav wasn't worth it. His horn is wimpy sounding too. He beeped the other day and I turned to look for a nissan sentra or honda civic. I saw his 4runner and laughed. He said my horn sounds the same, but I didn't have the heart to tell him Toyota changed it for 2011.
 
I also went SR5 with the premium package instead of the Limited. Like many others, I couldn't justify the price. The only thing I really with I had was Nav and now that Nav is available in a SR5, I really can't justify the extra cost.

Just an aesthetic note from a female owner - I love the two tone interior when you have tan leather. Otherwise, with the black carpet and a blacked out dash in a Limited, the tan seats look out of place, like you just stuck them in there. I agree the grey/black dash combo is a different story but for me, the tan/black dash and doors is a richer look.
 
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Updated your list. I'd like the smart key and the blacked out interior (versus the gray IP lower and gray leather on the door cards on the SR5). I specifically did not want the full time 4WD or the 20" wheels, so the premium package SR5 made more sense than the Limited for me.

Honestly, if I had to do it again, I'd have probably opted for the Trail Edition because, despite no leather seats, no leather steering wheel, and no heated seats, I love how the exterior of the TE looks and the KDSS seems like the tits.


Full time 4x4
Dual zone Air
XREAS Suspension
20" Wheels
Upgraded Instrument Panel
Better looking interior (Only in my opinion)
Smart Key System


Imo, XREAS provides a better ride and the full-time 4x4 is safer on the road for my family. Those alone were reason enough for me to buy the Limited. All the other "bells and whistles" just add to my overall happiness while driving.

Bottom line is both the SR5 and Limited are the same great 4runner. We don't need to justify our purchases to each other. We should be cheering each other on and saying congratulations on our smart decisions!:party:
 

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