Might be new soon

Jumping over from TacomaWorld.

Looking at getting my wife a new SUV and the T4R is high on the competition list along with a Grand Highlander.

We’re looking at the Limited and Pro models.
How’s the ride on the Pro? None close for us to test drive. Saw a few Limited but we didn’t want to get into test driving today and she wants to wait for a 24 before we buy.

Here’s my truck as a placeholder though

 

My vote, as if it matters, is for the glorious TRD Pro, what ever color you chose of course. Welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome.

I’ve had both the limited and Pro trims.

The limited had a smoother ride on the open highway, but any bumps or rough roads were immediately felt. This was probably more due to the lower profile tires.

The Pro absorbs lots of road imperfections and hides them really well. The only downside is the AT tires can make the ride feel rougher vs the Pro.

 

Welcome

 

Thanks for the info it’s good to know. While it won’t be mine, I was thinking if we get a limited, upgrading the suspension to a pro, I see them on fb often for 1-1.5K or convince her to get kings. if we get a pro I was thinking about the Eibach springs for a little lift though the Pros are supposed to be a little higher already. I’ll also keep non E rated tires. I don’t want 2 vehicles that drive like a truck

thanks!

 

Welcome from the center of the bourbon universe.

 

Welcome from SoCal

 

Remember—
Limited- all wheel drive
Pro- rear wheel drive (4wd)

 

I don’t think I realized that, thanks for saying. I’ll have to think which one will be better for my wife. I’m thinking that the AWD would be better since it’s probably not going anywhere it would need 4WD or tow anything

Maybe a limited with Kings or 2.5 fox would work out…
Or buy used pro fox stuff

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

welcome

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

We have had 4Runners with X-REAS, KDSS, and Pro (2017 Bilstein and now 2023 Fox). I would describe the Pro ride as “plush”. Yes, it dives a little more in braking and tilts a little more in turns. But the trade off is a ride that doesn’t jump around on shit roads and jar over potholes and manhole covers, etc. It’s not a car, so it doesn’t feel as composed as a car on smooth roads. But as soon as you hit junk pavement or dirt roads it really shines. If you’re throwing huge highway miles, it may not be top of your list. As a daily on city roads we love it.

I’m guessing you know the interior is consistent across the line. So check a premium to compare the pleather vs Limited leather.

As for 4R vs GH, it’s very much truck vs car/old skool vs new. Tech on anything else beats the 4R. It’s what we picked (and our other ride is a ‘16 Pro Tundra) but we dig trucks. That said, the Acura crossovers are hella nice and I’d do one in an instant.

 

That’s a great question and I’m sure it’ll come down to which ever she likes more. She’d probably give up the comfort if she likes the way the 4R feels from inside and looks.

great info, thanks. It’ll only get highway if we take it on trips over my truck. The rest will be in and around town. She had not really considered Acura but I feel like they’d be out of our price range for what she would like.

 

FYI, XREAS is lost if you switch to aftermarket shocks.

The limited is definitely the best in snow. As far as towing, no trim is any better or worse than the others.

 

Good to know about the XREAS. I thought it had the KDSS but was wondering why I could not change anything suspension wise on the build page.

Guess I need more to do some more research about it. Might have to just put off roady tires and leave the suspension alone if we get one.

This is why I made an account here! I know a lot about the Tacoma but almost zero about the 4R.

 

I think the limited is a great car for the wife. Reason being the all-wheel drive is set it and forget it, if you live where there is inclement weather, you don't have to worry about teaching her how to use the 4WD, and when to switch it back and forth. She can just get in and go, plus it has some nice luxury features. Only downside of the 20 inch wheels, but that's easily remedied.

If you ever watched the TFL auto review channel on YouTube, one of the presenters has a story about his mom's part-time 4WD 4Runner. They had a new third gen when he was a kid, and she spun off the road one winter because she didn't understand how to operate the part-time 4WD. Yes, that's driver error, but I think not knowing that is a common thing. Years ago my aunt had a part-time 4WD vehicle and had the same problem, it was just a push of a button and no lever, but she didn't realize that she needed to engage and disengage 4WD and got stuck in the snow. Luckily my dad saw her at the time and was able to show her how to use it.

My big question though would be, what is she using it for? Just a daily driver/ mommy mobile? If there's no desire to do any off-roading with it, the Grand Highlander is 100%. the better pick. Other than off roading, the Grand Highlander will do literally everything better than the 4Runner.

So if I had a Tacoma or something similar that had off-road capability, I would want my wife to get something super comfy that gets reasonably good mileage. I drive my 4Runner, my girlfriend has an Elantra that gets 40 plus MPG. Whenever we go on trips that aren't going to involve any off-roading, I love taking the Elantra. It's not a luxury car of course, but it is quite comfy, has a decent stereo, and has great range. A 12 gallon fill up in her car goes a lot further than 20 gallons in my 4Runner. We went away for a long weekend last month, and drove 4 hours, drove around the whole weekend, and then didn't have to put gas in it until we were heading back. In the 4R I would have been to the gas station twice already by that point. Personally I would not want my household to consist of two sub 20 MPG vehicles.

She'll probably really hate this one, but a Sienna would be a great choice as well. Minivans are super practical and handy to have around the house, I have a buddy with an 80 series Land Cruiser who dailies a 20-year-old Sienna and he absolutely loves it. He has two teenagers and the whole family is into mountain biking and surfing and things like that, and the minivan is great for hauling all that stuff for them.

 

That’s some great information and makes sense. She plans to test drive both of them before she decides which is good. Well, once there is a grand highlander in the area to test drive. She was not a fan of the Sienna but she looked at them. This will be her daily mommy mobile. I’d like her to drive the hybrid version of the GH but she isn’t interested in hybrid, something about hating my Prius I had before my truck. Though if that’s the only one to test drive, she won’t have a choice.
she like the look of the 4R and after the comments here, we’ll stick with the limited going forward. She does know how to use the 4WD, I taught her in my truck, so that’s a plus but she’d prefer not to deal with it.

Thanks for the info. I think we just need to drive them and go from there.
She would wait till there is a 24 4R to buy though, something about not buying a new car that is already obsolete

 

If there’s a Mazda dealer nearby, check them too just for a comparison. Great driving dynamics and excellent bang for the buck. I recommended one to my mom after driving literally every current unibody SUV available in the US.

 

Good suggestion! I have a friend that just bought a Mazda SUV (CX30?), she absolutely loves it. She was a Toyota person, she just assumed that she was going to end up with a RAV4, but she drove the RAV and didn't care for it. Somebody suggested the Mazda and she fell in love with it.

 

What's the tint on the front windows of your truck metering at? Looks darker than 28% VLT (you're in Florida, right?).

I just had my two rear doors redone on my 4Runner and they meter at 4.8% VLT and although the legal limit for an MPV is 6% in the back, there is a 3% tolerance so I'm legal. Front windows are exactly 28%.

 

Sorry, I’m in MD. They fronts are 30% ceramic. Legal is 35 here

the back is 30+ what ever is stock.

 

Looking at prices, the 23 4R have discounts and the grand highlanders have market adjustments listed of about 3K.
We’ll still test drive a GH but I’m not about market adjustments lol

 

Luckily, we’re in a position where we can wait, unless her Rogue shits the bed but so far so good.

 

Thinking more, I’ll have to get my wife to test drive a Pro for the KDSS and then a limited for the XRES and see what she likes more.
She says the selectable 4WD isn’t an issue in a Pro. We will be waiting till there are the ‘24s on the lot so she can have the latest if we’re spending money on it.

Anyone else have any thoughts? I know it’s a moot point in. Few years once the suspension is upgraded and the limited would lose the XRES.

 

Out of those two I'd say Pro.
I personally think (and bought) ORP -- much better value if you are going to mod it at all.

 

KDSS only on ORP. Pro comes with fox.

 

I’ll need to look at the differences between them then. The ORP at a close dealer is priced the same or slightly higher than a limited.

 

Oh I thought it had the fox and the KDSS. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

Look closely at what is included by dealers. They are going to add random junk and get the price higher (orp costs roughly 3K less than limited). If they are, just keep looking elsewhere, or ask them to not included port installed accessories.