TRD Pro vs Off road with KDSS

Take a chill pill little man. I was unaware that KDSS was option for the US market. All Off Road's here in Canada come with it and the sunroof and 360 camera.

 

Wow, good insult there!! Very impressive.

So you were unaware of those options differences, but you commented about the sunroof being a $630 option... got it... you're unaware of even what you already said yourself, much less anything useful to add to the discussion.

 

I found it out after the fact. My point still stands regarding a large price difference between both models regardless of the configuration.

 

It's not the original $12k difference you stated, or the $8k difference you updated yourself to, but rather just under a $5k difference as the ORP is $51,755 with KDSS & Moonroof. That still leaves the ORP in the U.S.A. lacking the following which have cost & value, whether you personally want them or not:

• Auto headlights
• Automatic climate control
• TRD Front skid plate
• TRD Roof rack
• Fox Shocks
• Mutli-terrain monitor
• JBL sound system
• Remote start
• All terrain tires
• All weather floor liners

Discounts & negotiation are highly variable and regional so I leave those out.

 

im interested in this comparison. i am tossing around the idea of trading up from my 2012 to new. lots of good info here.

 

I have not heard of the PRO Fox being unreliable no.

 

If you go to Toyota.com, you can compare models, and decide if the price difference is worth it to you.

 

ive done that and that is also very helpful!
good to hear from people that have done specific mods with and without kdss, etc. ill take all the info can get haha

 

Yes they do mine included with all the high tech stuff. Not saying all the high tech is good. The LDA drives me nuts I shut it off. Because Canada is a much smaller market Toyota only allocates fully optioned 4Runners here. In the USA options tend to vary state/region with many differences. Living in the "North" I look south and say "What's a 2wd 4Runner" let alone Tacoma or Tundra.

 

@CalcityRenegade

Because KDSS isn't your springs and struts.
It's a hydraulic, beefier sway bar system.

Sounds like you could benefit from a little bit more time researching before yapping - like "little man" @SolarOctane has

 

Great consolidated list there of PRO differences.
Very helpful.
You're right I don't personally want a lot of them turds lol but half of those items are quite valuable indeed

 

It is the road manners of the KDSS that impressed most buyers including me. Some extra offroad flex is just a bonus, I would buy KDSS without that. Infact, I found out later that KDSS articulates more offroad. The dumb salesman was just saying it helped with cornering and body roll.
We all know that the most flex comes out totally getting rid of the swaybar. And if absolute craziness offroad is the goal, then the answer is Jeep.

 

KDSS is super obvious onroad, don't believe me, drive one. Offroad it is 50/50 whether one notices any difference or not.

 

Surely someone shared this already, but if not -

Toyota KDSS Ultimate Test | Legit or Gimmicks?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueshf401B0k

 

i haven’t heard of it either.

if that helps, I have just a little over 20k miles and I’ve been abusing my fox shocks with high speed desert fun and so far so good. If they do fail, I hope it’ll be before the warranty expires

 

Agreed about those two dealers. My wife bought her 21 Rav-4 at Surprise Toyota, no hassles, salesmen are not on commission and no mark up over MSRP, why go anywhere else?
Also avoid Bell road Toyota.

 

It is legit both onroad and offroad. Here is offroad. And this is baby KDSS, the serious KDSS on 200 series flexes way more

 

Unless you are focusing super closely, you're not going to feel the kdss on our truck off-road. It's not like a solid axle is doing its thing underneath you, you don't get that kind of feeling

 

I got straight out of my 2016 Hemi Grand Cherokee and started driving this truck. The reason I'm alive here without any injuries, it's because KDSS works onroad

 

Keep in mind that if the KDSS system leaks, it's an expensive fix. I'm going through this right now with my 2021 4Runner. The front KDSS piston is leaking and it is being covered under warranty (caught it before it expired by a month and half). But so far I have been waiting a month and half for the dealer to get the special tool in to pressurize the system once they replace the piston. Dealers are not required to have this tool so it gets shipped from dealer to dealer as it's needed so it can take months (like in my case) to get the system repaired.

 

Can’t go wrong with either but if you plan to leave it alone, I’d go with the Pro. I wanted all the Pro bits, the special color for my model year, and had zero desire to tinker with aftermarket suspension.

Also didn’t want the added complication of KDSS. For how I drive the truck, stock for stock, the ride comfort of the Fox shocks outweighed any benefit of KDSS.

I knew I wanted a Pro when I’d be in the market, love everything about it. If it’s anywhere near as reliable as my 3rd gen, I plan to maintain/keep it for decades so price difference wasn’t as big a concern.

 

I think that’s an important point about KDSS. How exactly are people driving their 4Runner that body roll is such a significant factor to them? It’s an almost 5000lb. Body on frame SUV with high ground clearance. Does it really need to be driven like it’s a sports car? I slow down a bit more for say a tight off ramp, but other than that body roll is not something I notice or think about in my Pro. I also have owned many sports sedans, hot hatches and sports cars, and done HPDE & track days. I think maybe KDSS helps more for those who don’t understand or manage mass and weight transfer in their vehicle with their normal driving technique.

KDSS can help balance front to rear articulation off road, but it also stops flow of fluid below certain speeds and that can be better or worse depending on the situation at all 4 corners. The one front wheel ramp test, or equivalent off road pics are only one situation. If people watch the full videos posted, there are examples shown where it performs worse, but the proponents never mention those cases. It’s a good system for what it is, but it’s not exactly the magic elixir to all things that the Pro-haters here proclaim it to be. If it was offered on the Pro, I’d have had a hard time deciding one way or the other.

 

It's more fun driving a siow car/suv/truck fast than a fast car/suv/truck slow. KDSS all the way IMO.

 

I'd like to thank everyone that responded. I keep reading more, and watching more reviews...still undecided.

The pros for the Pro, are for me it's ready to go off the lot. This might be the biggest for thing for me. I don't mind working on vehicles, but tearing apart a new 50K car isn't something I feel great about. The tires aren't the greatest, but I can live with them till they need replaced. The cons are the cost, and I'm not crazy about the roof rack. That's about it.

The biggest thing I don't like about the ORP is the stance. I wish it didn't bother me but it does. I'd probably go with Bilstein 6112 up front to level it out a bit. I'd also need tires for sure. Still on the fence about KDSS. Part of me likes the added simplicity of not having it, but others seem to really like it.

I think I'm down to a TRD PRO, ORP with KDSS, or without, or just keep my junk American made Tacoma TRD and forget about it. The last option makes the most sense...damn it.

 

Even with the KDSS, the shocks are too softly valued, so it rides like a boat, but not as much as a boat as the trims without KDSS. It'll still nose dive on braking and tilt to the sky on hard acceleration. if you're considering replacing the shocks on the Pro, you'll likely want to do the same on the Off Road model. The KDSS really comes into play on side to side lean in corners (i.e. city traffic).

 

@kane22 - after 4 pages of responses, it's obvious that those with a Pro recommend a Pro and discourage buying an Off Road with KDSS. Those with an OR with KDSS will recommend it and discourage buying a Pro.

You may as well flip a coin. Or keep your Tacoma, as you say.

 

It seems that way. I'm sure they're all good. I think I'll hold out for a PRO a little while longer. Maybe the urge to buy something will pass

 

I was getting a Pro no matter what, I like the looks on the outside and all the additional features that come standard on the inside. I got one for MSRP and they gave me 3k more on my trade than the highest Kelley Blue book was going to give me. No brainer for me. I live near the beach and use it during fishing season on the beach, construction sites at work when I don't take my ram 3500, and my pleasure vehicle. That's all I ask of it. Trade time you'll always get more for a Pro than an off-road with all the add-ons because it is a Pro, and there is a limited supply of Pros.

 

I’d say if you can swing a Pro, then by all means, go for it.

I haven’t heard of any unhappy Pro owners on this forum.

 

Can't wait to see what you get! I've been shopping for almost a year! I'll pull the trigger eventually.