Honest advice to new 4Runner buyers who go offroad

If you intend to take this truck off-road, then get the base SR5. Because to make this truck offroad worthy, you will have to do a lot of cutting, chopping and steeling. So why do you want to spend a boatload of money on the TRD Pro or the TRD off road, to lose your bumpers on the trail? The only thing that you don't get with an SR5 is the rear locker. You can get an aftermarket rear locker for as low as a 1000 bucks. Save yourself $20,000 by not buying the TRD Pro or Offroad, and use that $20,000 to modify the living hell out of your SR5.

Honest to God advice

 

As far as I'm concerned, if I go back and do it all over again, I would still go with KDSS. Because that's the most important thing to me, and I will keep fixing it no matter how many times it breaks. Because I cannot imagine driving this thing without KDSS.

So if you have an excuse like that, then buy whatever trim you want

 

The difference between an sr5 and TRDO isn’t $20k

and I’ll take my manual transfer case over auto any day of the week.

 

Isn't the super basic SR5 37 grand? Like the one with cloth seats and no sunroof etc. That's the one to get, to beat up on the trail and do overlanding with

 

Unless you really are planning to mod the hell out of your SR5, the TRD Off Road is a better purchase. You will get most of your money in resale over the base SR5, so getting better looks plus a locker is actually a very sound purchasing decision.

 

Though that kind of unicorn is probably more rare than the TRD Pro lol

 

But who cares about resale when we're all keeping our 4Runners forever?

 

Not sure the resale value stays when you chop and cut.
Would you buy my truck?

 

No, but that's only because I already have one that I'm keeping forever.

 

Maybe back in like 2018. According to the Toyota site, the 2024 2WD SR5 starts at $40, 705.

The TRD off-road starts at $44, 550.

 

Damn! Not worth it then, no way!

 

I have done it over and went with the Pro model again. I want the dual climate control, JBL system, special color, and factory capable off-roading. But I don’t do heavy wheeling. Mainly forest roads and a few moderate trails. Nothing that I’ve thrown at the truck has stopped it.

Good advice for people who are planning on doing all of your mods though.

 

These things were still pretty cheap in 2018.

I got my SR5 Premium 4wd for 34k in 2018.

It's gotta be circa 2021 when the prices ramped up to the craziness we're seeing.

 

The reality is that objectively, the Pro is the better one of them all (excluding the limited because what that offers is a different ball game, and can also objectively be the best, depending on what you’re after.)

It all comes down to money and what you value. If all of us here made $1M a year this thread wouldn’t exist and everyone would get the Pro and pay the markups.

When you factor in money and what you value the game changes.

I, for instance, found the TRD ORP to be the BEST bang for the buck. It has what I care about: manual transfer case, all the off road goodies and a sunroof. Could I have gone for the non premium? Sure! But because this is an off road vehicle, I valued having softex. I also wanted heated seats, heated steering wheel, heated mirrors etc - because I drive this car in all kinds of climate.

I didn’t care about JBL or auto headlights or dual zone climate. However, those may be MUSTS for some people making the Pro a must. To this day, I can’t justify the extra $12k + markups for a Pro. Even the Fox suspension, a lot of people take those out and upgrade it anyway!

So this falls very much under different strokes for different folks. All the various trims exist because not everyone cares about the same things.

It’s a luxury to have all these options, these great dinosaurs are going away. Whatever you buy, you have a gem.

 

Just operate it that way, don't lose a bumper on the trail like me lol. It was a big miscalculation in my case, I should have been more careful.

Made it up like a beast that it is, my rear-end let me down, more like the stupid mud flap that dragged everything with it

 

It was only a matter of time, I was thinking about the rear bumper anyways. Just fingers crossed I don't have to buy an OEM part and the thing goes right back in. I depend on half of it lol

 

You're comparing 2wd to 4wd. Base SR5 4WD is $43,975.

 

Right. Makes the OR even more of a no-brainer.

 

Although it's not the approach you chose, it is possible to offroad without a lot of cutting, chopping and steeling. An ORP that can go offroad is not $20k more than an SR5 with mods. People can choose for themselves what mods are most beneficial, but I draw the line at sweeping statements that all these things are necessary to go offroad. That's a bit hyperbolic.

 

Nah.. too ghetto. No kdss makes it drive terrible

also need the MTM option, softex, heated steering wheel.

the several thousands extra for an ORP is worth it

 

Eh. The offroad and Pro are both better than the sr5. Thats the cold hard truth.

 

I doubt it.

I'd be willing to bet my SR5 can go all the same places your offroad will go.......and I didn't have to pay for the offroad nannies yours came with.

 

Stock for stock? Yeah…no it wont

 

This is hilarious. SR5 people think ORs/ORPs are poo poo and a waste of money, and ORP people thing PROs are poo poo and a waste of money. I wonder if the 2Runner crowd think the 4WD SR5 is not necessary?

Without at least the locking diff, no your SR5 can’t go as far an an ORP can. All the other goodies are probably manageable without but not always.

 

Sure it will

 

Sure buddy. A stock sr5 is not as capable as a stock offroad or pro. Plus they have higher resale value and more features.

 

Why?

 

I sort of half agree with the OP.

But, here's the way I see it...

If you want to do mild off-roading and keep it stock, get the PRO. It comes with the best shocks and tires.

If you want to do mild to moderate off-roading, and do some bolt on modifications, get the Off-Road. You're going to junk the stock coilovers anyway, so why bother spending the money on the PRO? *I'm talking specifically about off-road capability here.

If you're going to do a hardcore build, start with an SR5 (Or, if you just really want a 4wd lever rather than a dial, the Off-Road isn't really much more $$ than the SR5). I say this, because you're likely to regear, and you might as well add lockers when you do so.

The truth is, you absolutely do not need to cut, chop, or fabricate anything to make these things capable. A decent set of tires and some recovery gear will get you pretty far. Add armor, suspension, and a slightly larger set of tires, and it will be even better.

Also, lmao at saving $20K by buying an SR5.

 

Rear locker.