Limited vs Off Road Premium?

Hello all

New to this forum and looking to pull the trigger on a 4Runner later this year and looking to get some advice on the Limited (AWD) vs OffRoad edition.

I live in Reno Tahoe area. Drive 95% on road, 5% on light to medium off road (dirt, gravel, gnarly rocks, washes, mud, whoops, washboards etc)

When I am on road during winter I drive to work or play on potentially windy roads with patches of snow/ice or just straight snow 1-3” and occasional 1-2ft in bad conditions if trying to drive over a pass.

would the Premium AWD be a better choice for me than the OffRoad edition? It looks like the Premium I won’t get the Crawl Control, multi terrain select and maybe tracs and locking rear differential?

Any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!

 

The premium has all the off road tech, but the limited does not. I would say go for the off road premium unless you want the creature comforts.

 

Good tips so far

my only hesitation with the ORP would be driving on winding roads with patches of ice/snow then dry road.

I know close to nothing about the intricacies of 4WD, AWD, RWD etc in this driving situation but I’ve heard and read on blogs that if I’m in a say OFfRoad Premium in 4H (because I’m on a patch of pavement that looks slippy due to snow/ice etc) then get onto dry pavement and forget to take out of 4H while going around a corner it will Lock up on me and ruin my gears or transfer case or something.

I also hear that RWD isn’t good in snow/ice

This is why I’m leaning to the AWD Limited but don’t like the extra CO$T and then not having some of the OffRoad features like crawl control and multi terrain select etc (Although not sure if I would need all that for occasional light-medium off-roading or deep snow blizzard use).

Are this legitimate issues with 4WD in having an ORP?


I have a Subaru now so I never really have to worry about switching back and forth from 2H to 4H

 

Neither here nor there but I had to double take your name... I thought I read "Klansman 55"...

If you truly plan on doing off road, even 5%, then get the OR. It's just set up better...17" wheels, locker, less plastic down low... Otherwise there's nothing wrong with a Limited if you intend on street use. Except, of course, that it's ugly.

 

Yes, I’ve heard that before about name. Especially these days lol

 

Where I am we have some limited night shades that look pretty cool. I believe lifted and different tires plus a gobi rack and tint may be all that was done but it looks good. I like the black chrome on the exterior of the nightshade myself and toyed with it as I like the idea of AC seats ever since the raptor spoiled me. In the end I felt more comfortable with the locker and better off-road ability for my future home in OBX but for now it’s maybe the dunes and some trails that either would be fine on.

I don’t care for the limited stock but with 8-10k additional sunk in they can look really good. I am happy to try to get some pics if you want to see what I mean just say so.
Good luck both are great. The AWD would be easier for street rain and such.

 

Hmmmm

is it easy in the OffRoad to switch from 2H to 4H and back and forth (ie does it involve having to stop, go into neutral, shift etc) or just pull it back and forth as I’m driving ?

 

You can shift between 2H and 4H at normal driving speeds, so that's no worry.

Determine your mission first, then determine what you'd like next. Someone above pointed out that the LE is full of "creature comforts" but MTS and CRAWL are also creature comforts, so to speak. They're definitely wonderful technology and can do things that you can't but they're a 1% solution and you should never get yourself in a situation in which you "need" them--you should drive with others and appropriate recovery gear and "use" them but not need them.

Many people who drive winter roads swear by the LE's AWD feature, but the reality is you should drive slowly and can probably do what you need with 4H. I think if you hit ice you can't see then the AWD will be superior, but in most cases safe, slow driving will get similar results. For myself, with limited icy driving experience, the LE has been great, although I slipped on the ice when walking the ski area parking lot and that hurt.

*also, your name makes me think of Landon Donovan.

 

2H and 4H you can shift on the fly up to 60mph. I don't live in a mountain town but I've been in that situation at the ski hills a few times (patches of dry asphalt and slick ice). It's fun, but I can see how doing it full time in Tahoe might get annoying.

I'd get the Limited for that reason. It's the same as every other truck except it has a locking center differential. The other stuff (wheels, tires, armor, suspension, etc.) can be changed just as easily as any other 4Runner. The offroading you're talking about will be handled fine in a Limited and you can mod it later to be just as capable if your offroad needs change.

Heck, sometimes I wish I went with a Limited just for those ventilated front seats.

 

On the price difference, TrueCar suggests (and these may be local numbers) these prices:

TRD OR $38,300
TRDOR w/KDSS $41,000
LE FT4WD $44,900

 

The TRD OR is starting to look like the winner. In Reno I might only have to drive to work in patchy snow and ice 5-10x a year. The OR would be more cost effective it seems and if I ever have to drive over the Sierra mountains through more inclimate winter weather Passes I would have the crawl control etc as back up if Things get bad in certain spots

 

*If you've not driven the KDSS yet, you should definitely test drive this as well. Just to muddy the waters more.

 

I’ve heard/read great things about the KDSS. I could add that to a TRD OR and still be cheaper then the AWD LE.

It looks like the LE doesn’t come with KDSS as an option either. Base AWD LE without options is MSRP $47k in my area

 

All LE come with XREAS, which is not the same as KDSS but also serves to reduce body roll. You'll get split opinions on what is better (and some hate the KDSS), but generally OR/KDSS, PRO, and LE all ride better than SR5. The KDSS and LE probably ride better than PRO, but at this point it gets picky.

 

Thanks for the input

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgor...-ice-four-wheel-drive-versus-all-wheel-drive/

https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a32799848/awd-vs-4wd-in-snow-and-ice/


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