Dunno. When I had a third gen I ran the antenna wire for my CB out through the hole for a tail light wire. But that doesn't look the same on my fifth gen. I'll have to see what the sixth gen has by way of existing holes in the body.
I definitely want running board on mine -- I had them on my 3rd gen, and I miss having them on my 5th gen.
But I'm unsure about what the various terms mean.
And I absolutely don't want this style (seen on a TRD Pro yesterday)...
I'm 6' and my wife is 5'9", we slept in our 4Runner (3rd gen) only twice, when we were younger. I might give it another go when I get our next one, but my wife wants a converted van.
Land is a word, cruiser is a word, anything which cruises on land is a land cruiser. ;)
What I find annoying is people referring to any brand of SUV as a jeep.
I wouldn't be overly concerned. I don't recall seeing such a recommendation on my 4Runners (3rd and 5th gen). Maybe 300k miles total between the two. But I do a bit of desert off-roading and I use 4hi whenever I'm on dirt, so I don't think it's been an issue. I definitely go months without using...
When we bought our 1997 4Runner, we had the dealership install running boards and I'm glad we did. We bought our 2010 4Runner used and it didn't come with running boards, and we wish we had them. So our next 4Runner will definitely have them.
There is a video on YouTube explaining the transfer cases of 4Runner, Tacoma, and Land Cruiser and it says that the full-time 4WD system can be either locked or unlocked in both 4hi and 4lo.
Edit: Other videos indicate that there is no unlocked 4lo option.
Maybe consider getting a Corolla Cross.
After we parted with our beloved 1997 4Runner, we had a Highlander for a while, and it never left us stranded, but we knew it couldn't take us to all the places we wanted to go, so we have a 2010 4Runner now.
The only debadging I'm considering would be to remove the ones from the hood, indicating the engine. I don't know which (if any) trim levels will have them, but I find them highly offensive. However, my wife probably won't let me. :(