I love my 6th gen but ride quality not as smooth as 5th gen?

[Burgi]

my sr5 is currently at the dealer for the brake squeal and they put me in a 23 TRD off road. This is my first time driving a 5th gen and I’m amazed by how much smoother the ride is. It’s definitely super slow compared to the 6th gen and the steering is heavy and unresponsive but ride quality is vastly better than the 6th gen.

Why is this? Is the boxed frame on the 6th gen? Suspension?

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[DangItsDen]

my sr5 is currently at the dealer for the brake squeal and they put me in a 23 TRD off road. This is my first time driving a 5th gen and I’m amazed by how much smoother the ride is. It’s definitely super slow compared to the 6th gen and the steering is heavy and unresponsive but ride quality is vastly better than the 6th gen.

Why is this? Is the boxed frame on the 6th gen? Suspension?

It’s the sr5 6th gen suspension vs the off-road trim setup on the 5th gen. If you ride in a 6th gen TRD off-road you’ll have a similar experience. Upgrading your suspension will give you a smoother ride. Even bilstein 5100s with a decent coil-over will be an upgrade over the sr5

 

[Burgi]

It’s the sr5 6th gen suspension vs the off-road trim setup on the 5th gen. If you ride in a 6th gen TRD off-road you’ll have a similar experience. Upgrading your suspension will give you a smoother ride. Even bilstein 5100s with a decent coil-over will be an upgrade over the sr5

I test drove a TRD or premium when I got the sr5 and didn’t notice a difference in ride.

 

[ggrant20]

I haven't driven the new SR5 at all so can't speak to the difference in trims, but drove the 5G a lot across all their trims and I think it was a lot softer suspension overall (especially the Off-Road models like your loaner). I can definitely see how it would feel "smoother" as far as eating up small jitters and bumps in the road. Where it fell short for me was any time you turned, the amount of body roll they had would make me borderline carsick at times. The 5G Limited trim with their XRES suspension had a tighter ride and when they announced the new generation I remember thinking "I hope they tighten up the suspension to be like the Limited"

I personally think the new suspensions are night and day better for my preferences, the mushy/rolling handling was one of my biggest gripes before. I have always leaned towards a tighter, sportier suspension though so definitely think this is a personal preference and can see how the softer ones feel smoother.

I would be curious how the new Limited/Platinum drive, their variable suspension probably makes a big difference being able to change for the best of both worlds.

 

[onlywayman]

After having the limited for 7000 +miles with the avs (adaptive variable suspension) depending on road conditions the options are there
eco/slower more economical
comfort/mushy
normal/perfect for me
Sport/smooth fast roads
sport+/smooth winding roads
Just my opinion which means nothing to my wife! hope it helps

 

[kydo]

My 4runner Limited hybrid was super rough ride in the beginning. I even complained and brought it back to the dealership to have them look at it. They lowered the tire pressure and told me to use comfort mode but it barely helped. But surprisingly after break in (about 1000) when i got it back from its 1st oil change the ride was noticeably smoother. I doubt they did anything to the suspension so maybe the suspension system needs time to break in as well? I ride in normal or eco and its pretty smooth now, i don't even need comfort mode

 

[FoozGrind]

My 5th gen def held the road better. I feel like the 6th gen is a bit loose on the road.

 

[DangItsDen]

My 5th gen def held the road better. I feel like the 6th gen is a bit loose on the road.

Sounds like your alignment might need an adjustment. I just had a leveling kit installed and the alignment numbers before were not symmetrical or in a good spot. I never noticed wandering on the highway, but its even better now with proper alignment.

My 5th gen is lifted 3" and has aftermarket UCAs and big heavy K03s and that thing drives straight as an arrow and honestly doesn't ever want to turn compared to the 6th gen. Steering is way heavier in the 5G.

 

[FoozGrind]

Sounds like your alignment might need an adjustment. I just had a leveling kit installed and the alignment numbers before were not symmetrical or in a good spot. I never noticed wandering on the highway, but its even better now with proper alignment.

My 5th gen is lifted 3" and has aftermarket UCAs and big heavy K03s and that thing drives straight as an arrow and honestly doesn't ever want to turn compared to the 6th gen. Steering is way heavier in the 5G.

Oh i was not referring to alignment. I mean my 5th gen felt like a tank. The steering felt tighter. I couldn't turn the steering wheel that easy with a pinky finger. Mine was lifted 2 inch's with 20's and offroad tires. My 6th gen rides fine. But I miss that tank feeling still. I am bias a bit. I've been driving the 5th gen since 2016 and just got my 6th in March so i am just adjusting to change.

 

[Dr_Al]

Chances are what you're feeling is partially due to the 23 having mileage on it. The shocks/ struts are well broken in. I believe they are rated for less than 100k miles. It's also possible that they may have been replaced with who knows what. I'm not saying that the 5th gen doesn't feel different but there's probably more going on than just the design differences.

 

[rockymtncole]

After having the limited for 7000 +miles with the avs (adaptive variable suspension) depending on road conditions the options are there
eco/slower more economical
comfort/mushy
normal/perfect for me
Sport/smooth fast roads
sport+/smooth winding roads
Just my opinion which means nothing to my wife! hope it helps

Can confirm that the suspension in my Limited is quite comfy when I want it to be. Not sure which setting equals the normal SR5 setup.

 

[kekecarioca]

The TH Old man EMU shocks are quite balanced in comfort and impact. You can definitely feel the road and imperfections but it does not rattle your teeth out. They ride really smooth otherwise : it is a SOLID truck foundation. The extra weight of hybrid battery and wider stance make it feel really planted.
I am comparing to a 3rd gen with Bilstein 5100's and Old man emu springs and that feels eons away from the 6th gen.

 

[Coldwiz]

What air pressure are your tires at? Over inflated tire has been the most common reason for ride complaints on new 4Runners and new Land Cruisers.

I've owned every gen 4Runner other than a 5th gen but have ridden in several of those and had some as rental cars and I think they all ride about the same. My 6th gen isn't any different. But on my test drive, I quickly realized that all the tires had 50 psi in them. Set them to 33 or 34 and then all was good.

 

[jaymay82]

Nothing to do with the SR5 vs. TRD. It's a 6th gen vs. 5th gen.

I own both a 5G SR5 and a 6G SR5. The 5G definitely rides smoother and absorbs more bumps on the road than the 6G. FWIW, I came from a '13 TRD Sport Tacoma and both 5G and 6G SR5's are a smoother ride.

The 6G4R smokes both in terms of acceleration.

 

[2222CareBearStare]

I have a 23 TRD ORP and a 25 TRD ORP. I also test drove a 2025 SR5, sport premium, and limited. Here’s my two cents.

23 TRD ORP: the smoothest on bumpy roads with minimal chatter in the frame and cabin. Also better interior materials and less flexing of door panels…more solid feel.

25 SR5: second best ride quality. Bumpy but not intrusive.

25 TRD Sport Premium: noticeably bumpier than SR5 with a lot of rattling/chatter in the cabin. Empty passenger/rear seats vibrate a lot on bumpy roads.

25 TRD ORP: definitely worse on bumpy roads. Just like the sport premium but more jittery feeling in the frame and seats.

25 limited: most jittery of all the trims I tried. Sometimes it even skipped side to side on the road when going over small, frequent bumps. On a particularly bumpy patch of asphalt my son was falling side to side in the back seat. He even complained about it. When I told the salesperson I didn’t like how jittery it was he said he agreed.

I also had a 24 Tundra Limited TRD ORP and it was worse than the 4Runner. I wonder if the poor ride quality might have something to do with the new TNGA platform and the TRD suspension.

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