Trail w/ mods or TRD pro

[Greenamphibious]

I was lucky enough to snag a 2015 4Runner TRD Pro (in Inferno Orange) and I absolutely love this thing. This is the coolest vehicle I have ever owned. They are extremely hard to find, but if that is what you really want, don't give up. Just expect to pay full MSRP if you find one. You won't get a discount on this baby.

The stock suspension, TRD wheels and tires are totally awesome, and the stereo sounds better than anything I've ever had in a vehicle previously. I only off-road once in a while, but as far as I'm concerned this thing shines in the city and the suburbs also. Remember potholes, speed bumps, speed humps and large piles of snow? You don't even have to slow down for them. And curbs? HA! I laugh at them now. You will get a lot of heads turning and compliments from complete strangers. It is one seriously mean-looking machine.

If anyone has any questions about the TRD Pro 4Runner, I'll tell you whatever I can find out just by looking at mine.

My ONLY criticism is that the gas milage is not as well rated as Toyota claims. They say it gets 17mpg in the city, but the true rating is about 13mpg (Although I admit that some of that is completely attributed to the way I drive.:naughty I don't live very far from where I work, so a long commute is not an issue for me. Therefore, I really don't care about gas milage. If gas milage is important to you, then you don't want this truck.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Trail Edition with mods vs TRD Pro

Thanks for all the responses. I went with the trail w/ KDSS! Now it's time to mod it! I'm working with $2000 to get things rolling. Please feel free to steer me in a certain direction.

By the way, the KDSS option is definitely worth it. I just took a short 6500 mile road trip to break-in the truck, and after driving through the canyon roads in Colorado, Arizona, and Utah, I was completely sold on the feature. The KDSS makes the truck handle like my previous subaru sports car. The truck stays flat around corners (very little to no body roll).

Congrat's on the new truck. That's my choice too. I plan to by one in about a month.

My list of mods in order of importance is:

Rock sliders - I live in So Cal with lots of rocky desert roads, $650 to $725
Roof rack - Baja Utility or Drabbit's Camelback, $810 to $900
Front skid plate that fits KDSS, $290
Suspension lift with Icon shocks, Cambridge or billet UCA, rear trailing arms and Panhard bar, $4500 to $6500 ($2500 minimum)
17x8 rims with better 33" LT rated tires, $???
Custom exhaust upgrade with dual pipes or single 3" pipe - local muffler shop
Rebuild the hood scoop so it's a functional cool air intake- DIY

The TRD Pro only offers a lift without replacing any of the alignment bars and a skid plate. The wheels & tires are nice too.

 

[Jayhawk5G]

My personal preference would be a Trail Edition Premium, unless you want the Orange color exclusive to the TRD Pro. Everything else is easily added over time, and from a performance standpoint the powertrain and driveline are identical.

 

[sandcrawler]

Thanks for all the responses. I went with the trail w/ KDSS! Now it's time to mod it! I'm working with $2000 to get things rolling. Please feel free to steer me in a certain direction.

By the way, the KDSS option is definitely worth it. I just took a short 6500 mile road trip to break-in the truck, and after driving through the canyon roads in Colorado, Arizona, and Utah, I was completely sold on the feature. The KDSS makes the truck handle like my previous subaru sports car. The truck stays flat around corners (very little to no body roll).

congrats on the new rig. if you can wait for the big sales (20% off) at the end of the year that $2k (plus whatever you save in the interim) will go a long way toward some kick-ass suspension upgrades.

 

[DesertCanyons]

End of Year Sales

congrats on the new rig. if you can wait for the big sales (20% off) at the end of the year that $2k (plus whatever you save in the interim) will go a long way toward some kick-ass suspension upgrades.

[MENTION=29376]sandcrawler[/MENTION] Can you still order from the factory or hunt for the colors, accessories and options you want at the end of the year? A 20% discount would be nice on a $38k to $40k truck.

And more importantly, do you surf in Maine? :surfer:
I scuba dive and try to avoid the surf.

 

[sandcrawler]

[MENTION=29376]sandcrawler[/MENTION] Can you still order from the factory or hunt for the colors, accessories and options you want at the end of the year? A 20% discount would be nice on a $38k to $40k truck.

And more importantly, do you surf in Maine? :surfer:
I scuba dive and try to avoid the surf.

that info about year-end sales was for aftermarket parts and meant for OP [MENTION=116478]DrewJoseph[/MENTION] re: his budget for upgrades to his new rig, not dealer discounts on the vehicles themselves.

i do surf in Maine. and elsewhere when the opportunity arises.

 

[herdinor]

Nice to hear that. but if I am not mistaking, the stereo system on trail premium is exactly same as the one on TRD PRO. I thought the TRD PRO is not superior than any premium version of other trims other than the suspension/cool appearance. Am I missing anything?

I was lucky enough to snag a 2015 4Runner TRD Pro (in Inferno Orange) and I absolutely love this thing. This is the coolest vehicle I have ever owned. They are extremely hard to find, but if that is what you really want, don't give up. Just expect to pay full MSRP if you find one. You won't get a discount on this baby.

The stock suspension, TRD wheels and tires are totally awesome, and the stereo sounds better than anything I've ever had in a vehicle previously. I only off-road once in a while, but as far as I'm concerned this thing shines in the city and the suburbs also. Remember potholes, speed bumps, speed humps and large piles of snow? You don't even have to slow down for them. And curbs? HA! I laugh at them now. You will get a lot of heads turning and compliments from complete strangers. It is one seriously mean-looking machine.

If anyone has any questions about the TRD Pro 4Runner, I'll tell you whatever I can find out just by looking at mine.

My ONLY criticism is that the gas milage is not as well rated as Toyota claims. They say it gets 17mpg in the city, but the true rating is about 13mpg (Although I admit that some of that is completely attributed to the way I drive.:naughty I don't live very far from where I work, so a long commute is not an issue for me. Therefore, I really don't care about gas milage. If gas milage is important to you, then you don't want this truck.

 

[Range]

Nice to hear that. but if I am not mistaking, the stereo system on trail premium is exactly same as the one on TRD PRO. I thought the TRD PRO is not superior than any premium version of other trims other than the suspension/cool appearance. Am I missing anything?

You are correct. It's not superior in any way because most people are putting on aftermarket hardware and complaining about the shocks not handling the weight. Then they're removing the shocks and replacing them with ICON's or 5100's. The PRO is an appearance package compared to the TE with "better" shocks but if most are replacing the shocks then all the PRO has is a different front fascia, different interior and PRO badges. For those that don't want KDSS or a sunroof and don't plan on adding any extra weight then the PRO is a good fit. This whole "rarity" thing is retarded because if Toyota came out with a TRD PRO that has a sunroof and KDSS and shocks that could actually handle some extra weight then the "rarity" bullshit goes out the window. It's not a Mercedes Gullwing, it's an overhyped Toyota 4Runner that caters to people who want something cool looking with a solid reputation off the lot. Don't get me wrong, I like the looks of them but the price is stupid because you can get an SR5 or a TE and make it look like a PRO and have better shocks with KDSS for less than a PRO's cost.

 

[ic0517]

On cars.com, there are 55 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro's listed across the whole USA. Some more might be in the "Base or Unknown" Category. I assume it does not include Canada or Mexico.

Then among the 55, some of them are NOT TRD Pro's look more like Limited, or they screwed up the pictures.

Point is, they going fast. Sh!t or get off the pot as my dad used to say.

Closest listed one is 221 miles away from my home zip code of near O'Hare airport.

 

[off-road runner]

Thanks for all the responses. I went with the trail w/ KDSS!

You'll be happy with that, I went Premium w/KDSS. The whole line of 4runners are great looking vehicles IMHO and all are fairly capable of off-roading out of the box (tires?). A few things that kept me away from the TRD was 1.) the auto daytime lights, I hunt a lot and don't need lights coming on if I don't want them on. 2.) KDSS wanted to try on the new one. 3.) Availabilty, my dealer said it could take 3 mos even if he could get one.

IMO I think the TRD pro is probably the best looking off the line (non inferno) with the front face lift and the black rims but it is not any more capable than a Trail.

 

[Matteblack]

I recently had this very debate. I ended up going with a Trail Premium for $5K+ less than I would have gotten TRD Pro. My reason is I really wanted a sunroof and I wanted to mod it myself. The parts I would have payed for I will replace anyway! Good luck making your decision!

Agreed, get the TEP plus specific mods and parts that YOU prefer. The lack of a sunroof is a huge knock on the Pro IMHO.

MB

 

[adam2562]

no reason for a pro if you plan on modding it.. imo the pro's are good for ppl who are afraid to mod a vehicle and just want a tad bit more offroad-ability vs a stock sr5

 

[Shaolin]

I live in Virginia Beach, VA. There is a lot of lifted Toyota Enthusiasts out here. One major problem though...no mountains, deserts or trails near by. Only a few man made trails. I bought the TRD PRO for the rarity, resale value & to have a vehicle that stays family oriented (being able to park inside garages etc). It's all about your preference, location and how much $$$ you want to spend.

I plan on keeping my TRD PRO in immaculate condition. I'll do mild trails here and there but plans on driving through the Rocky Mountains or 5 feet deep in water or mud? I'll pass..... Until it's fully paid off then I'll go crazy.

 

[serial0l0]

Yeah, I bought a TRDP mainly because I wasn't going to have any fluid cash available for wheels and tires right away because I was selling & buying a house at the time. Also, there were no KDSS TE's to be found at the time. My dealer had a black TEP coming in but it was optioned to $1.5k less than the TRDP they found.

I think you made a good decision on the TE with KDSS. If I would have had that same decision to make I probably would have done it too. I love my trdp but there is something awesome about a stock trim level 4runner. It may be that the trdp seems to be advertising what it can do and a TE or a TEP is a sleeper...lol. I don't know. I love em all!

Congrats on your new truck.

 

[phillyd2]

no reason for a pro if you plan on modding it.. imo the pro's are good for ppl who are afraid to mod a vehicle and just want a tad bit more offroad-ability vs a stock sr5

At least somebody stumbled over the correct answer. Plus you get some very useful extras with the TE :trophy: