What is a trail version and is it worth it?

[diver110]

The trail versions go for a healthy premium. I know what was in the 4th generation version. Same for the 5th? Worth it?

 

[USMC_4runner]

There's a good description on the toyota website but for a quick down and dirty:
-Better approach/departure angles
-KDSS
-Locking rear differential
-A-TRAC
-Crawl Control
-Multi Mode terrain Assist
-Waterproof seats
If you search around there's plenty of discussions on what people paid but you shouldn't have to pay a premium for a TE. It's worth it if you're going to go off road or will use the features often, otherwise a SR5 or limited will probably suit you better.

 

[diver110]

There's a good description on the toyota website but for a quick down and dirty:
-Better approach/departure angles
-KDSS
-Locking rear differential
-A-TRAC
-Crawl Control
-Multi Mode terrain Assist
-Waterproof seats
If you search around there's plenty of discussions on what people paid but you shouldn't have to pay a premium for a TE. It's worth it if you're going to go off road or will use the features often, otherwise a SR5 or limited will probably suit you better.

Thanks. A Toyota salesman told me all the 4WD systems on the 4runner are the same. Obviously untrue.

 

[StuB]

Wow. You salesman is seriously uninformed about the differences between the 3 models. I have a TE and love it. The KDSS makes a BIG difference in on-road handling IMHO. It is subjective as to whether it is worth it to you though. I do use mine for fly fishing and overlanding regularly so for me the TE with KDSS is worth it irregardless of the improved on highway handling. All 3 models are great and they each serve different people needs in different ways. So do your own research and have fun with it!

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Salesman just sell cars and most jump dealer to dealer and even a career Toyota salesman might still not do his homework on every model;it's better to do your own research and go into the dealer knowing more than the salesman and that's a good thing.

 

[Will733]

There's a good description on the toyota website but for a quick down and dirty:
-Better approach/departure angles
-KDSS
-Locking rear differential
-A-TRAC
-Crawl Control
-Multi Mode terrain Assist
-Waterproof seats
If you search around there's plenty of discussions on what people paid but you shouldn't have to pay a premium for a TE. It's worth it if you're going to go off road or will use the features often, otherwise a SR5 or limited will probably suit you better.

SR5 4x4's have A-TRAC as well...

 

[jreiter]

Thanks. A Toyota salesman told me all the 4WD systems on the 4runner are the same. Obviously untrue.

He was definitely wrong on that one. The SR5 and Trail both have a traditional part-time 4WD system that you shift into when needed. They are the same base system, but the Trail edition adds some hardcore off-roading goodies that folks mentioned in the prior posts. The Trail edition is really only needed if you plan to seriously off-road. However, as folks also mentioned, the KDSS option (available only on the Trail edition) is great and improves both on-road and off-road handling. You can find out lots about that feature if you search this forum. If you can afford it, I'd almost say get a Trail edition with KDSS just for the KDSS feature.

The Limited model, though, has a full time AWD system. This is the same type of system found on the 4th gen 4runners, and it is very different than the part-time 4WD systems on the other two 5th gen models. The Limited will be the best vehicle in the snow or rain, if that is your primary use. You can certainly off-road very well with the full-time AWD system, but be aware of the Limited's 20" wheels and reduced approach and departure angles when off-roading. Most Limited owners who really want to off-road will replace the wheels with 17" wheels that give them more tire sidewall, and many will also do something with the front and rear body work to give them more clearance.

 

[sandcrawler]

just to clarify for the OP, the Limited has a Torsen center differential which gives it true full-time 4WD, delivering power to the front and rear in a 40/60 ratio. you can drive it on dry pavement, mixed conditions, off-road, and making tight turns etc. with no worries. it's more flexible, forgiving, and, as you'd imagine, expensive than the traditional part-time 4WD system on the SR5 and Trail. when you lock the center diff, however, it delivers a 50/50 front/rear split to behave essentially the same as the part-time, lever-actuated system. but in short, this is not to be confused with "AWD".

the Torsen is sweet tech, but like jreiter said above the Limited's 20" wheels are a bit dissonant with off-roading. you can do it for sure, but more sidewall is a good thing.

 

[Ryan F.]

I appreciate the fact that nobody flamed you on this thread for asking. I also appreciate the fact that nobody told you to use the Search, and just answered your question. I'm serious.

The salesman you talked to is an embarassment. My salesman (the man I have bought 4 Toyotas from) knew freakin' everything about my Limited and the differences between the trucks. Anybody in the Western Washington area should PM me if you need a guy to help you out.

I think that the one thing many TE owners forget to mention is that the looks of the TE are pretty cool. I passed on running boards because I wanted to maintain the ruggedness of the 4 Runner. The TE embodies ruggedness. I would go so far as to say that the heart and soul of every 4 Runner is a TE.

I bought a Limited because I wanted full time 4wd, and the center lock met my needs perfectly. I love this thing more than any vehicle that I have ever driven. Without question or hesitation it is the greatest purchase of my life. Toyota delivered on this deal. Take your time to figure out what your needs are, and then just go do it.

 

[Tilo]

WHo is your salesman? Please give me his info...

So I went 4Runner shopping this weekend and I've been to 5 different dealerships and they all said that the Limited does not usually come with a 3rd row seat and that no one has it...huh? They searched the entire Tri-state area but there weren't any and they also said that if we order one from Japan it will take 8 weeks and they couldn't even tell me the price until it arrived to the dealership and if I change my mind because of it, I'd loose my deposit.... WTF is going on? Every dealership in town is trying to convince me out of the car I want to purchase... I want to buy a 2011 4Runner Limited with a 3rd row... What is so hard about this? I read that you have one now and I was hoping that you could tell me how you got it. I live in NY but Im willing to drive to Washington if to get it.

 

[Tilo]

WHo is your salesman? Please give me his info...

So I went 4Runner shopping this weekend and I've been to 5 different dealerships and they all said that the Limited does not usually come with a 3rd row seat and that no one has it...huh? They searched the entire Tri-state area but there weren't any and they also said that if we order one from Japan it will take 8 weeks and they couldn't even tell me the price until it arrived to the dealership and if I change my mind because of it, I'd loose my deposit.... WTF is going on? Every dealership in town is trying to convince me out of the car I want to purchase... I want to buy a 2011 4Runner Limited with a 3rd row... What is so hard about this? I read that you have one now and I was hoping that you could tell me how you got it. I live in NY but Im willing to drive to Washington if to get it.

 

[diver110]

I appreciate the fact that nobody flamed you on this thread for asking. I also appreciate the fact that nobody told you to use the Search, and just answered your question. I'm serious.

I did get a little flamed on the 4th generation site for a similar question. Personally, I am always happy to answer newbie questions. What people may not realize is that the search engines on these sites (not just this one) suck. You put in a reasonable search term and get tons of irrelevant reponses. It is just easier to ask the question. If someone is not interested in a newbie question, they can just ignore it. No need to get uptight about it.

There is a decent deal out there on a 2009 Trail if I can get to it in time. Otherwise have not ruled out 5th generation, though was told some people prefer the 2009 because it is a bit smaller.

 

[JB.]

There is a decent deal out there on a 2009 Trail if I can get to it in time. Otherwise have not ruled out 5th generation, though was told some people prefer the 2009 because it is a bit smaller.

Just so you're clear on the transfer case differences.

 

[Will733]

...was told some people prefer the 2009 because it is a bit smaller.

Though it LOOKS a lot bigger, due to the boxy features, it's actually very similar in size...

5th vs. 4th
75.8"W - 75.2"W
189.9"L - 189.2"L

Half an inch wider and longer isn't really gunna make or break anything.

 

[Ryan F.]

I appreciate the fact that nobody flamed you on this thread for asking. I also appreciate the fact that nobody told you to use the Search, and just answered your question. I'm serious.

I did get a little flamed on the 4th generation site for a similar question. Personally, I am always happy to answer newbie questions. What people may not realize is that the search engines on these sites (not just this one) suck. You put in a reasonable search term and get tons of irrelevant reponses. It is just easier to ask the question. If someone is not interested in a newbie question, they can just ignore it. No need to get uptight about it.

There is a decent deal out there on a 2009 Trail if I can get to it in time. Otherwise have not ruled out 5th generation, though was told some people prefer the 2009 because it is a bit smaller.

Yeah, man, I got smoked early in my life on this Forum for some questions that in hindsight were pretty silly. I just figure what the hell, answer a question if you can, and be nice. What is the freakin' point of being a jerk on a Forum?

 

[harper7]

There is a decent deal out there on a 2009 Trail if I can get to it in time. Otherwise have not ruled out 5th generation, though was told some people prefer the 2009 because it is a bit smaller.

If you can find any 2009 Trail Ed's at all, at any price ,it would be considered a minor miracle. They made very few 2009 4Runners as they were not selling and very very few were TE's .I'd bet they are one of the rarest 4Runner Editions ever made and probably the most capable oem drivetrain of all the Runners.

I was looking for a 2009 TE in the late summer of 2009 and only found 1 new TE in the whole country. I'm pretty good and researching and locating stuff too.Decided to wait on the new Gen. and glad I did as I love my Limited.

You need to go and test drive some 4th and 5th Gens to see what YOU like. They are both great trucks if you ask me and I've owned both. They are not perfect , no truck is,and they have their little quirks. All the more reason I love em! I make them perfect..............for me!

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Do you realize this post is 4 years old?

 

[bleaches]

Hi everyone. New to the forum and sorry to hi-jack your thread for a little bit here OP. But since I am in the same dilemma as you I thought I might as well ask it.

I've been leaning towards getting a TE over the SR5 as well in the 2015 model and I am happy to hear all the benefits that people are listing here are practical in on road situations as well.

I have looked around the dealerships where I live (lower mainland BC) and for the life of me, can't seem to find a dealer who has a T4r TE available for test drive.

For all the TE owners out there. Did you actually test drive the TE or did you just take the SR5 for a spin and called it a day? for those of you that did both. Is there really a need to keep hunting down a TE to test drive or would a SR5 be a close enough representation in performance and handling to call it a day?

Thanks in advance !

 

[Swarty]

For all the TE owners out there. Did you actually test drive the TE or did you just take the SR5 for a spin and called it a day? for those of you that did both. Is there really a need to keep hunting down a TE to test drive or would a SR5 be a close enough representation in performance and handling to call it a day?



Thanks in advance !

I test drove but I live in a large city so there were quite a few used and new for sale to compare. Not all trails have KDSS which is pretty different handling IMO. If you drive the sr5 and think "I'd like this to corner a bit flatter" you probably want to look for KDSS. Otherwise it's just added complication and limits your suspension mods. The rest of the trail features are off-road and would be hard to test on a test drive... At least around here they would frown on it.

 

[rdswriter]

Like you, I could not easily find a Trail Edition with KDSS to drive before I bought. I have never bought a new car in almost 30 years of driving… and was looking for a 1-2 yr old 4Runner, 4WD, Trail Edition. Because there aren’t a lot of used ones out there, I decided to buy new because of:
- minimal cost difference, and 0% financing for 60 months on 2014 T4R
- being able to get (pretty much) exactly the features/color I want
- advantages of warranty & extended warranty
- knowing the history of the vehicle (which was none bc new)

If you can’t find a 4Runner with KDSS… just drive a loaded SR5 and you’ll pretty much get the experience of the Trail premium (except handling). This forum was immensely helpful to me to understand the advantages & expectations of KDSS.

In the end… I was able to get one with KDSS and drive it before I bought it because I was very serious, committed to buying a T4R (either that one or another)… and willing to put my name on the dotted line to have the dealer source it. The dealer found a magnetic grey TE Premium with KDSS in Arlington, VA; I put a “transferable” deposit down; and the dealer and had it brought down to Tampa, Florida. I drove… I liked… I bought. You likely can do the same if you put a deposit commitment for a 4Runner… and then have a contingency that they have to source one with KDSS and let you drive it first.

I gotta say… as 4WD, off-road capable, factory SUVs go… the on-road performance of the KDSS is very impressive. Granted, I transitioned from a 15yr old 1999 Explorer (Eddie Bauer) so my perspective is probably a little skewed. That being said, I drove a lot of other SUVs and no other 4WD SUV with the capabilities & features of the 4Runner seemed to handle nearly as nice on pavement as the T4R with KDSS.

In closing, one thing I didn’t negotiate was new tire exchange… but other members on this forum have. I would STRONGLY urge you to try to negotiate either (1) different tires than stock as part of the sale, or (2) a $400 to $500 credit to have them keep the stock tires & install/balance the tires that you will source & provide. The stock tires are okay for road… but you’ll wish you had different tires – both for functional & aesthetic reasons.