To Trail or not to Trail

To Trail or Not To Trail

  • SR5 is plenty you dont need Rear Diff Lock

    Votes: 11 19.3%

  • Trail All The Way Deff have to have

    Votes: 46 80.7%
  • Total voters
    57
S

SirWilliamGoes

New member
I am debating on trading in my Tacoma for a 4runner and really want a trail but the price is a concern also I have been told by countless folks at Toyota that they do not sell well at all. The only reason I like the trail rather then an sr5 is locking rear diff. I do plan on doing abit of wheeling with it and on my Tacoma I have used the rear locker a good bit (not sure if it was totally necessary) So should I just save money or should I just get the trail?
 
Register to hide this ad
I have a 2013 SR5 and considered the trail. For me personally, saving the extra couple thousand and using it to pay the truck off was far more important than having all the features on the trail. Because of that my truck will be paid off in 3 years instead of 5.
 
It all depends on your intended use. Yes, the TE has a rear locker, but it also has appearance features and different interior materials. You never need a locker until you do. The trail also has better approach and departure angles due to different front and rear fascias.

I prefer the off-road flavor of the TE over the bells and whistles of the SR5 and LE. Just my $.02.
 
SIRWILLYSC said:
I am debating on trading in my Tacoma for a 4runner and really want a trail but the price is a concern also I have been told by countless folks at Toyota that they do not sell well at all. The only reason I like the trail rather then an sr5 is locking rear diff. I do plan on doing abit of wheeling with it and on my Tacoma I have used the rear locker a good bit (not sure if it was totally necessary) So should I just save money or should I just get the trail?
Click to expand...

You'll probably get most recommendations for the Trail, despite being the lowest production trim are the largest population (and/or most vocal) here. :naughty:
 
Save your money, get the SR5 4x4 and if you need a rear locker down the road, get an ARB and still be cheaper than a TE. If you want to upgrade the suspension to some good coil overs and shocks then you are still money ahead. The aesthetics are the coolest thing about the TE in my humble opinion, I will buy an SR5 instead of the TE next time I buck up for a new T4R. I'm sure my indifference to KDSS, crawl control and the other mall crawl gizmos that the TE has will catch me some flak, but I truly believe that in its most neked form, the 4x4 4Runner is a more capable vehicle than 90% of owners require. Add the products I suggested above and you have a truck that can tackle all but the nastiest terrain... great trucks!!!! Go for the SR5! You will love either.
 
The Trail doesn't sell as well because it's a niche vehicle - plus, there simply just isn't tons of them sitting on dealer lots. They also command a higher price tag as well, with features that many people will seldom use.

I love my Trail and use it for its intended purpose as often as possible. Not only is the locking diff nice to have, the KDSS is another great feature as well. Not only do the sway bar disconnects come in handy when you need a little more articulation, but the KDSS-equipped models also have a stiffer swaybar, which gives you better on road handling as well. Crawl control is something I very rarely use and could live without, but it has came in handy in a couple situations.
 
Hellamatic said:
The Trail doesn't sell as well because it's a niche vehicle - plus, there simply just isn't tons of them sitting on dealer lots. They also command a higher price tag as well, with features that many people will seldom use.

I love my Trail and use it for its intended purpose as often as possible. Not only is the locking diff nice to have, the KDSS is another great feature as well. Not only do the sway bar disconnects come in handy when you need a little more articulation, but the KDSS-equipped models also have a stiffer swaybar, which gives you better on road handling as well. Crawl control is something I very rarely use and could live without, but it has came in handy in a couple situations.
Click to expand...


I know were gettin picky here, but the KDSS suspension doesn't have true sway bar disconnects like the Jeep Rubicon. It has been discussed here before but the hydraulically controlled sway bars on the KDSS system allow slightly more "free" articulation, not more. Your articulation is still limited by your suspension travel, springs, and some other stuff. The biggest benefit to the KDSS system, as Hellamatic mentioned above, is the ability to run an utterly massive sway bar which provides a nice stable ride around town and on the freeway, and the hydraulic coupling which can decrease the "anti sway" effect for off road driving. Kind of like having your cake and eating it too, kinda.....
 
You should get whatever best suits your needs and wants. I mean these things last for a long time, you might as well be driving something you like. I have a 2011 Trail non kdss. For me it came down to what I wanted. I'll be honest, if you can make it that long, wait until the end of the year to buy new. Besides entune, there were no other changes made between the '11 and the '12 Trails. But because I purchased at the end of the year when the dealership needed to move cars for a quota, I saved $3000-4000. Doing it that way, you may be able to get a Trail edition for an SR5 price. Happy hunting, and enjoy.
 
Not sure if you are in the market for used or new but the majority of the used TE's that I came across seem to be selling for the same price to 1K higher then the SR5's. Shop around, there are deals out there.

Oh and my vote is for the TE, besides the features, it just plain ol looks SEXIER!
 
SOcalTRAIL said:
I know were gettin picky here, but the KDSS suspension doesn't have true sway bar disconnects like the Jeep Rubicon. It has been discussed here before but the hydraulically controlled sway bars on the KDSS system allow slightly more "free" articulation, not more. Your articulation is still limited by your suspension travel, springs, and some other stuff. The biggest benefit to the KDSS system, as Hellamatic mentioned above, is the ability to run an utterly massive sway bar which provides a nice stable ride around town and on the freeway, and the hydraulic coupling which can decrease the "anti sway" effect for off road driving. Kind of like having your cake and eating it too, kinda.....
Click to expand...

Yeah and anyone who has had first hand experience of actually disconnecting them, knows they're a PITA.

I love my trail and all and wouldn't trade it for the world, but if I were to do it again, I would most likely get a stripped down version of the SR5. My rig will eventually have C/O's, Bumpers front and rear, locked front (maybe). With all that, whats left of my TE? Black accent parts, optitron gauges, and a fancy sway bar system (cause lord knows I'm not taking out KDSS like Socal). Plus If it weren't for KDSS I'd probably go LT for the rear.
 
I love my Trail but honestly what would you expect me to say! I can tell you mine drives totally different than my wife's. My 2012 TE was cheaper than my wife's 2010 SR5
 
SIRWILLYSC said:
so the kdss not as beneficial is what your telling me???
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's not beneficial - it is. My TE is non-KDSS and I'm considering installing manual sway bar disconnects. I'm not a rock crawler, but it would be nice to have more articulation off-road. However, I'm only looking for more articulation in very limited situations. I wasn't willing to pony up the $$ up front to get it. As has already been said, you can always install a locker later on and there's other ways to get the KDSS effect.
 
KDSS is pretty sweet on-road. The exterior differences of the TE are probably only noticeable to other T4R enthusiasts(I can spot one a mile away).
I have a two-step philosophy regarding guns and cars:
1. Buy what you like(within reason), and be happy.
2. If you can't afford what you like, save $, then see step 1.

With that in mind, I should be able scoop up that Aventador I've been eyeing sometime in early 2040.
 
Buy the vehicle that will not give you regrets.

When you are on your deathbed will you really give a damn over a few bucks ?
 
SIRWILLYSC said:
..... also I have been told by countless folks at Toyota that they do not sell well at all.....
Click to expand...

I'm staying out of the "which one" debate, but I feel like commenting on the above.

I'm always suspicious of the motives behind dealers' remarks, which tend to be self-serving and/or, um, inaccurate.

TE's DO sell in low volume, but that's intentional because they're purpose-built, and produced in low volume..... a fraction of the other two models.

TE sales are very region-driven. They are common in CO, and rare here in IL. Seems to me, I've read they should be relatively available in NC/SC. Member [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] can comment.

Dealers commonly downplay or denegrate models they don't have. They want to sell what they have, eg "you really don't want RED, noone buys them as they are so hard to _______".
 
KCcarguy said:
You will spend WAY MORE money making your SR5 right than just buying a TE. I learned the hard way.
Click to expand...

Looking at your signature I am confused by your statement. Are you saying if you had purchased a trail you would not have modded anything?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 887 (members: 7, guests: 880)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,314
Messages
3,554,100
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top