TRD PRO Tundra/4Runner/Tacoma

[euser]

Does anyone have experience with any of these vehicle? I'll be in the market for a new vehicle next year and have been browsing whats out there. I currently have an '02 limited 4Runner, so naturally that is what caught my eye first. I'm on the fence between the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra. I haven't driven a new 4Runner yet, but the lack of power in the 3rd gen kills be on the steep mountain roads and eats gas fast. I'm currently leaning towards the tundra.
I want something that can hold its own off road, but is also a good daily driver. I don't plan on loading whatever I get up with crazy lift and turning it into something that is not very comfortable on road. I'm interested in something that can tackle realistic obstacles and is a good middle ground. I'm not rock crawling or tackling all those crazy self imposed stuff, I'm just traversing a typical desert and alpine type landscape. I mainly use my vehicles to access trails for hiking, camping, and mountain biking.
I'm interested in opinions from people who have any of these about strengths and weaknesses and if they hold up to your expectations.

 

[BrianSD_42]

You should post this in the 5th Gen section :cheer2:

They'll be glad to talk about TRD Pro editions.

 

[Hepar]

The new crawl mode looks pretty cool!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TClCqnEeiGA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[euser]

You should post this in the 5th Gen section :cheer2:

They'll be glad to talk about TRD Pro editions.

Haha yeah, I've seen the debate between the trail and trd pro owners. I figured because I included the Tacoma and Tundra it'd better be put here. If it was with the 5th gens I'd probably just get a majority of the comments along the line of "its an appearance package, get the trail." I'll pay more for the (in my opinion) badass look of the TRD Pro versions.

 

[Breadman03]

I just had my 2011 across the country with 6 people inside, along with a cargo box on top and a cooler hanging from the hitch. Power was fine, though I spent a decent amount of time in 4th gear while at high speed at higher elevations.

I'm very happy with mine, though I would opt for a Sequoia or Tundra if I intended to use it for such duty most of the time.

Are you going to be hauling kids? Stuff? Campers? Or are you looking more for day trip excursions since you aren't stuck on the East Coast where there's essentially no accessible trails?

 

[euser]

I just had my 2011 across the country with 6 people inside, along with a cargo box on top and a cooler hanging from the hitch. Power was fine, though I spent a decent amount of time in 4th gear while at high speed at higher elevations.

I'm very happy with mine, though I would opt for a Sequoia or Tundra if I intended to use it for such duty most of the time.

Are you going to be hauling kids? Stuff? Campers? Or are you looking more for day trip excursions since you aren't stuck on the East Coast where there's essentially no accessible trails?

Well, I don't have kids yet, but they will come eventually. It'll be a daily driver, so I'll be hauling stuff around every now and then mostly in the bed/back. I plan on doing day trips and some weekend camping trips every now and then. Up in the mountains is the best place around here to escape the 115 degree weather. It won't always be in the mountains though, I'm military so I'll eventually have to make my way back out east into the desolate flatness.
I haven't experienced the power of newer V6s yet. I drove my 3rd gen up the first time and it was a slug. I've been taking a friend's pro-4x Titan the last few trips and that V8 definitely makes a difference over what I'm used to.