Which Gen-5 T4R Should I Buy?

Greetings 4Running Friends,

I am new to the forum and I am trying to convince myself to buy a 2024 4Runner for my wife before it's too late because, let's face it, it's the "Last of the V8 Interceptors......"

In short, we want a mostly-road SUV with character that we can keep for a LONG time..... like 20 years. I want to be able to service some things myself. I'm sold on the high quality of the Japan-made 4Runner etc.

The 4Runner would replace her 2019 Pilot, which is OK, but I have some reservations about it, not the least of which is the longevity of the transmission. She also has always wanted a "real truck" and she likes to be up high. We live on a gravel road. We get real snow about once a year if we're lucky but we do a LOT of driving for our commutes, our son's school, his music, and his civil air patrol! Our other three vehicles are a '22 Miata, an '04 Crown Vic and a '64 E-Type.

I tried to find a post discussing trim levels, and the listings and the Toyota website are a bit limited...... My mind is swirling..... Please forgive me for jumping in with lots of questions. But We need to decide on this soon......

We're leaning towards either a TRD OFP or an SR5 Premium. We like the SR5 Premium because we're about 99% on-road. I'd like her to have the heated steering wheel and the rest of the options seem about right on the "Premiums" but I'm worried about climate control, which I'd really like to have. The "Limited" is out because I do not want full-time AWD. We really don't need an uber-fancy off road monster, but you can't argue with the TRD-Pro's awesomeness and "terra" is a super-cool color.........

Question #1.... WHAT TRIM LEVELS OFFER CLIMATE CONTROL?

Question #2.... WHICH TRIMS OFFER REMOTE START AND CAN YOU DISABLE THE ENGINE-KILL WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR?

Question #3.... DOES LANE-DEPARTURE PULL YOU BACK IN THE LANE, OR JUST BEEP?

Question #4.... IS THE TRD'S TRANSFER CASE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE SR5's OR IS JUST THE CONTROL DIFFERENT?

Thank you in advance.....

Andrew

 

You should know that there are NO V-8s in 2024 4Runners.

 

Question #1.... WHAT TRIM LEVELS OFFER CLIMATE CONTROL? Limited & Pro

Question #2.... WHICH TRIMS OFFER REMOTE START AND CAN YOU DISABLE THE ENGINE-KILL WHEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR? Limited & Pro; I don't think you can. It's hard wired to the ignition.

Question #3.... DOES LANE-DEPARTURE PULL YOU BACK IN THE LANE, OR JUST BEEP? It just beeps.

Question #4.... IS THE TRD'S TRANSFER CASE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE SR5's OR IS JUST THE CONTROL DIFFERENT? It's just the control that's different.


Edit to #1; I was assuming you meant sync'd auto-climate control. If so, then only the Limited & Pro.

Edit to #2; You can buy an aftermarket remote start. A lot of guys on this site have it on their SloRunners. I think they're about $150-200.

 

As per trims, they are a little different in US, maybe somebody can tell you or you can check Toyota web site. As per other questions - for remote start you can't disable engine kill when door opens - it's security thing. Lane departure just beeps, you can disable it pressing button on steering wheel. Transfer case is the same on all trims except for Limited.

 

I know......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK2ijfxqlnY

 

Here's what we had in my parents' 1984 Colony Park Wagon and just about every other car since..... You set the thermostat in the car to a specific temperature, and the HVAC system blows out hot/warm/cool/cold air as needed to keep the cabin at that temp..... You don't have to wait until you are "too cold" or "too hot" to adjust the amount of hot or cold air to make yourself comfortable. It sounds silly, but hey, this car costs FIFTY LARGE! I don't need anything fancy, or even dual zone.... But when we tested the SR5 Premium the other night, there was no "climate control".... You had to tell it what to put out... hotter or colder.... I was kind of surprised.....

Thanks for the advice, everyone.....

 

Yup, that's how almost all 4Runners are. Mine is that way. I have to MANUALLY turn the knob (oh the horror!) to tell it how cold or hot I want it. Then I have to turn ANOTHER knob (gasp!) to tell it how hard I want the air to come out.

 

Basically limited or pro bro if you are in the US. Be weary of wanting a “real truck” but it isn’t going to ride as well as the Pilot.

 

Why is the AWD in the limited a turn off? For a vehicle that runs mostly on pavement & wanting climate control, the Limited is the way to go IMHO.

My 2 cents

 

I think that AUTO climate control is overrated, I wish I still have my old 2010 knobs I could operate without looking. With modern climate control buttons are smallish and you have to look at the buttons when you pushing them if you want to change air direction or fan speed. If you use "auto" it tends to set fan to highest speed and it's start blowing air still not warmed or cooled at you with a lot of noise. Then when climate control reach desired temperature you realize that it's too hot or too cold and keep adjusting it anyway. And it's not 4Runner specific it works the same way on all vehicles I drove. So I wouldn't pay extra money for that, even dual climate control I have can be substituted by closing vents for the one who's too cold or hot. But in Canada all trims are similar to "Premium" ones in US, so there' no option to buy 4Runner without all that stuff : )

 

Yet one more reason why America is superior to Canada!

 

Well, the Limited (with its full-time AWD) is out because my whole argument here is "keep it as simple as possible so it will run forever without huge repairs."

With religious care and maintenance from new, we had slippage on the 2019 Pilot's conventional 5sp automatic transmission at 55k?!?!? I triple-flushed it and it happened again at 90k. I triple-flushed it again. Now I'm triple-flushing the Pilot's transmission every 20k each time with a total of nine quarts of fluid! In fact, I have to run outside now and refill the transmission which is currently sitting empty after the first drain.....

The TRD-Pro is awesome, but we don't don't need all that crazy rock-munching capability and while I'm certain you wouldn't lose money on a TRD-Pro in the long run, that's a lot of fancy hardware to "worry about."

I guess I'm gonna need to learn how to twist those two climate knobs......

 

I have a friend with a limited & a friend with a lexus gx460. They love the AWD system with the option of 4hi & 4lo.

I have a 19 ORP. I don't mind the knobs! Lol. Good luck with your decision

 

At this point I’d say whatever you can get your hands on at a decent price is your pick.

 

As 2024 4R inventory dwindles, you may have your choice made for you. If you're not high on either the Limited, Pro, or Off Road, it sounds like you've already decided on an SR5.

No one model is less or more reliable than any of the others.

There's also been no mention of how much you're willing to spend.

BTW, the Limited is not AWD. It's full time 4WD.

 

My 2011 Limited is at 185K and the only thing I've done is replace fluids at recommended intervals and change out consumables. Your argument is invalid.

 

Whatever you do bro, don't ever replace that salty tude' you're sportin'.

 

Hondas are known for transmission issues. Runners aren’t know for AWD issues. The XREAS will leak multiple times before the AWD even thinks about giving you issues. It’s actually a simple Torsen LSD unit.

 

I think you are right. There is a nice 2024 SR5 Premium ($47,824 MSRP) with minimal additional stuff (sunroof, premium package and floor/cargo mats....all of which I actually want) arriving in late-September that I can get out the door for $49,900, $1945 of which is Virginia tax. All they are charging me on top is about $900 in "processing." Plus I can reserve it with $2000 and if something changes in the next 7 weeks, I can cancel.

Is that a reasonable deal? Seems kinda high based on what I'm reading on Edmunds and so forth, but these things don't seem to sit around long. They are SELLING, from what I can tell.....

What do yinz think?

Andrew

 

All I'm saying is there's no convincing evidence that a Limited is going to have "huge repairs". People constantly jump to false conclusions without any data. I gave him some real world data, that's all.

 

There's a thread going on right now that was posted last Friday that states the promised model he was waiting for is no longer available per Toyota. If I were you, I'd be looking for a backup deal just in case. There might not be any 2024s arriving in September.

 

Good advice....

Hey, is there a thread where folks are comparing pricing on new 4Runners? I can't seem to find it, but I'm probably not looking in the right place....

Andrew

 

Beyond stupid. I owned a 2005 V8 4runner and it was AMAZING. Why in the world do manufacturers delete the absolute best parts of their vehicles? So sad.

 

Mid 40’s seems to be the current going rate from what I’ve seen posted for new.

 

OP, the Limited's full-time 4WD/AWD system is 100% gears with no clutches to wear out (like many 4-Auto, AWD and Honda's SH-AWD/iVTM-4 systems) and no axle disconnect to fail. It's bulletproof and all you gotta worry about is whatever mechanism switches in/out of low range, the center locker and changing the front, rear, center differential/transfer case oil. You gotta deal with whatever extra goodies the Limited comes with though, but those aren't critical luckily.

The manual transfer case lever takes out the actuator in the transfer case (you still have the locker though) but you still have an axle disconnect mechanism in the front axle that moves in part-time 4WD 4Runners regardless of dial or lever.

Wondering what trim Pilot you have too, looks like lower trims got the outgoing 6-speed and the newer ones got the 9-speed. Honda's have had autos as their weaker spots but it's a shame you're dealing with such a problem!

and honestly, I don't mind Honda's VTM4/SH AWD system for light duty, you can change the fluid in the clutches easily unlike Hyundai/Kia AWD systems which are filled for life and destined to fail. Either way, it'll beat any part-time 4WD 4Runner in on-pavement conditions.

To pu$h u$ upmarket to the Limited trim (for full-time 4WD) and the GX 460! (for the V8)

 

It looks as though your questions have been addressed. I have the TRD Pro and love it but if you want to save $$ then the OffRoad Premium is the best value IMO.

 

https://www.4runners.com/threads/how-much-did-you-pay-for-your-2024-4runner.38156/

 

For 99% pavement driving and wife driving, you should consider only Limited due to all-time 4WD. All other 4Runners are part-time 4WD and that adds complications that require additional driving skill. YMMW.

 

I love awd. My LX470 is built that way. Makes driving on snow covered roads a breeze. Driving in the rain is effortless too. Just don't get to whip out the back end on dirt or slippery surfaces to play around.

 

My 2004 full time 4WD Limited v8 has 250k (249,950-ish to be exact) on it and nothing in the drivetrain has been replaced. Just regular maintenance (diff fluid changes, 2 transmission flushes, greasing zerks on prop shafts). I can only imagine Toyota made the newer models even better as technology has advanced. I wouldn't let the full time 4WD on the Limited scare you away.