We've had our TP for 10 days now and it already has about 1,000 miles on it (250 of those by dealer to go get it for us). As mentioned in a post above we traded our 2011 Limited for it... so I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts comparing the two and the few minor changes. Nothing overly detailed but hopefully a helpful tidbit on the two.
2011 Limited (LE) AWD vs 2015 Trail Premium (TP)... (previous 4Runners owned include a 2004 Limited V-6 blue & 2006 Limited V-8 gray... the TP is the first we've purchased new).
-Wheels/Tires.. I'll start here since there's always a question regarding this but I'll keep it brief. The LE comes on a 20"x7" wheel with a standard 245 60R 20 tire that pretty much just offers about 3 tire options as of today... all of which are pretty standard car or CUV tires. The SR5/Trail comes with a 17" wheel with a standard 265 70R 17 tire... a VERY common size that most types/brand tires can be had with (mud, snow, all terrain, all season, ect). Many with LE choose to grab a set of SR5/Trail or an aftermarket set of wheels so their tire choice isn't so limited... this is what I did shortly before trading our LE. The reality though is that even with the standard LE tires, the 4Runner is plenty capable for most "normal" onroad & offroad driving without getting overly extreme. However it you plan to so any real offroading, you'll be replacing the wheels. You need to choose based on your use. Appearance wise, there's not a 4Runner wheel I don't like...
-Tires... I won't dig myself a hole here, or I mean won't get to deep into tires.
My minor complaint is that Toyota doesn't put a A/T tire the Trail or TP... as least a Firestone Destination like the Cherokee Trailhawk or the Nitto's on the TRDP would make a little more sense. The factory tires are smooth, quiet and good for everyday use... but this is these are body on frame offroad SUV's...come on Toyota, you can do better than this.
-Ride... I knew if I traded, I wanted to give a Trail a try for kicks otherwise I wasn't interested in trading just to trade. I figured if I did trade, I would also be hunting down a KDSS after reading a few mediocre owner reviews regarding the non-KDSS/XREAS vehicles. My first test drive with a non-KDSS SR5 quickly put that issue to rest. A second test drive confirmed there was no need (for my use). I'm not going to say it's better than my Limited but I also won't say it's worse. Maybe my opinion will change over time or maybe Toyota improved something in the 2014-2015 4Runners but I don't think they did. As of today I have zero regrets not getting KDSS. Most owners that have had it seem to love it and wouldn't be without it on & off road. So take a test drive and decide for yourself. For the record I've never driven a KDSS 4Runner so I could be missing out but for my use I didn't need/want to spend anymore money to upgrade something I was already satisfied with. Many of the non-KDSS owners here suggest suggest for the same money or less, the suspension can be upgraded to something equal or better than the KDSS... so I'll take my chances and consider upgraded later when/if it becomes time to replace current setup.
-Instrument/interior (I believe this was a 2014 change)... MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better... Updated instrument panel is laid out a little better and looks a nicer. More importantly, just about everything illuminated can now be controlled (brightness) INCLUDIND the radio (unlike my non-nav LE). If you've driven with the headlights on in the day and you have a non-nav, you know what I'm talking about. The center console display above the radio changed as well and is now clock only... I wish they would have also kept the Miles To Empty display as well but that was moved to the center above the odometer... though not really a big deal. They' have added an option to display an Instant MPG bar as well. The info display (above the odometer) can view any of the following but just one at a time: 1) opt for nothing to be displayed 2) Average MPG 3) Current/Instant MPG 4) Range 5) Elapsed Time 6) Digital Speedo 7) An outlined picture of vehicle displayed which way the front wheels are turned and shows all 4 doors and specific door open/when open
-Green Eco light... had to jot this down... no worries, it's still here (ha!)
-Party Mode button... never understood this... didn't do anything in my LE and is now gone.
-Heat/Cooling... Dual zone only on the LE models. Though one thing to note with the manual knobs is that you actually can adjust where the air flow is just a tad more with in between settings. So if this makes sense, with the Limited you have such options at defrost, floor, vent, floor/defrost at the same time ect... with the manual controls on the Trail/SR5, there is a stop on the control in between each of those regular settings as well. Silly, but I actually like this...
-Limited leather vs Softex... I haven't had the TP long enough to really know the Softex but I really like them so far. They are comfy, should be easy to clean and they look good. My LE leather looked fantastic still when traded with only 41k on it. The LE has a different feel of thicker and a tad better quality. But that doesn't mean the Softex feels cheap, they are just different. Overall I really like these seats a ton so far in the TP and I also liked the leather in the LE... so no knocks on either.
-Seat comfort/support... We've already had the TP on a couple short runs and really haven't noticed much difference in comfort (120 mile tip and 60 mile trip). The TP seats are comfy enough like the LE...
Enture vs non-nav 2011.... not really fair to comparison for the 2011. I thought the JBL sound in the 2011 was fine along with the controls. The Entune is simply more modern, user friendly and has been a little fun to tinker with. So far I'm a fan of Entune and think it's put together pretty well. Apparently there were bugs in the beginning like most systems but I'm assuming they're mostly worked out now. Like'n the Entune.
TP sounds is equally good as well to the 2011 LE.
-Smart Key... only with the LE... OK, so I'm one of those guys that says "I don't want the KDSS for future problems, I don't want Smart Key in case it quits working and I get stranded somewhere", ect, ect.... but being someone that supposedly didn't really want it (ha), I will say I MISS that stupid thing. I don't know how many times I've already walked up to my TP, grabbed the handle and can't get in because I didn't pull the remote out and push the unlock button. The Smart Key IS cool and handy... I also miss the up/down button on the rear gate that comes only on the LE & Smart Key. The Smart Key and gate buttons should come on all levels. I miss the Smart Key but I won't lose any sleep over not having it.
-Cargo tray... like the Smart Key, this feature grew on me in our LE. The reality is that while I wouldn't probably pay for this on a new order, Toyota designed it well for it's use and I did find it handy here and there. For me, I'd rather have that few inches of extra space though so when it was time for the dealer to hunt down a vehicle for me, I didn't care enough to have it or pay for it. Some members here though wouldn't be without it and I understand there liking it. So if interested, be sure you see one in person before you order one with or without it.
-Antenna... 1950's era antenna was mounted up front on the passenger side that was on my 2011 LE is no longer in our TP... the antenna is now in rear passenger cargo window. No more getting wacked around in the car wash!! Nice change
-Engine-I read about the diesel ticking noise that some had with their 4Runners before I bought our 2011 a year ago so it was nice being a little informed before the LE. Yes, we had a faint tick on our LE and while the smallest sounds in a vehicle typically drive me crazy, it never really bugged me knowing it wasn't a problem. I don't know that our newTP could sound any better than it does (so far). Incredibly quiet, well behaved and smooooooth. It feels smoother running and a little better shifting as well. I don't know if Toyota tweaked the tranny at all (doubt it) but it feels like they may have.
-Hood Scoop & Added HP only found on Trails (possibly the TRDP's too)... I have to throw this in toward the end to be sure people understand the function of the non-funtional hood scoop. I know in some way the scoop adds HP even though they spec out exactly the same in all models. It feels like it, looks like it, so it's got to! (for those who didn't catch the sarcasm, I'm kidding but you can send me a PM and I may have some kind of something to sell you).
I've never hated or loved hood scoops but they've grown on me with the 4Runners I've seen. I think it's a nice touch added to distinguish the Trails and now TRDP.
-AWD vs Part Time... I debated this a little but didn't over think it to much. For my wife, there's no question I want her in a AWD here where we live since she's on the road every day during the winter. She doesn't have to think about it, the SUV just does it's thing to get her going. For me, the reality is that it just doesn't matter enough to worry about it. Sure, in a perfect world Toyota would have kept the Torsion found in the 4th gens (2wd/awd/4h/4l options) but I'm OK without. These vehicles have so many gizmo's now (traction controls/safety controls) that help keep the vehicle straight in most situations that it doesn't matter whether I need to shift to 4wd or the 4Runner does it for me. The AWD is there to get you rolling while the electronic gizmos do the rest.
-Trail controls/diff lock and the rest of the goodies... At some point I'll tinker these but the main feature I wanted even though it'll rarely get used is the rear locker. Only the Trail & TRDP versions offer this from the factory. Though of course several here have added a after marker locker as well that I considered doing to my LE.
Well, that's all I have for now...
