I off road all over Arizona and the 4runner is starting to show this abuse. Either the limited or the trail will work. The limiting factor on either is ground clearance and tires. At stock heights both are to low to go over very big rocks and the stock tires are to easily cut. I like the trail for better approach/departure angles and the limited for it torsen diff. The atrac on the limited will pull you through more than people realize. If you are just going to stay on fireroads/graded roads then anything including a Higlander will work. If you are going to do harder Jeep type trails expect some undercarrage damage from the rocks, you may want aftermarket skid plates and sliders. Are you willing to take a new vehicle and trash it in the desert? It beats the crap out of the suspension all day, bottoms on rocks, more dust than you can imagine and it gets inside even with the windows up, brush and cactus scratching the sides etc. That is why most harder core off roaders use a older Jeep etc. for playing in the desert. Most newer suvs I see in the desert do not do much more than very easy trails as people are afraid to break something or get them dirty. If that sounds like you get what will suit your needs the other 99% of the time. That crawl control stuff would be useless to me. Learn how to read the terrain and apply the gas and brakes as needed. Eventually you will look at a obstacle and know if low range is needed, how fast and how much gas to apply etc.
