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Okay, so we went to a dealer to see how they drove.
He first drove an off road premium. Took it out on the highway.
Then he drove the hybrid, same model and saw the extra HP.
The first one was a color we were not a fan of. The second was better, but gosh darn, I wish we could compare all the colors side by side. We just hate going into a dealer and wasting their time, ya know?
I like to pin point what I want and do the dickering via text or email.
So he kicked those tires and thinks the non hybrid is fine. So now we need to do a deeper dive on inventory, color and prices. We live in a big city area where they just don't do deals. I typically fly up to 800 miles away and drive it home to save $5K.
He first drove an off road premium. Took it out on the highway.
Then he drove the hybrid, same model and saw the extra HP.
The first one was a color we were not a fan of. The second was better, but gosh darn, I wish we could compare all the colors side by side. We just hate going into a dealer and wasting their time, ya know?
I like to pin point what I want and do the dickering via text or email.
So he kicked those tires and thinks the non hybrid is fine. So now we need to do a deeper dive on inventory, color and prices. We live in a big city area where they just don't do deals. I typically fly up to 800 miles away and drive it home to save $5K.
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Reading some of the other responses, see how comfortable he is with opening and closing the rear hatch. Powered rear hatch is only on the premium versions but they make aftermarket kits if your dream vehicle turns out to be non premium
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This allocation thread allowed me to find the 4Runner I wanted and I only had to drive 6 hours!
https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...vin-eta-ship-status-dealers-hold-status.2707/
For my two cents I would first make the decision if you want hybrid or petrol.
Hybrid is heavy and has minimal give back in the mpg. But has a lot more torque for Pulling.
Petro is petro and less torque.
For most people a TRD OR is sufficient. For my money I wanted ventilated seats and a 14 inch screen as well as a sunroof for the cool Autumn Redwood Coastal California Drives.
TRD OR
TRD ORP
TRD PRO ( hybrid only)
Trail Hunter ( hybrid only)
So you have to make a decision on hybrid or petrol and that will set you on the right path.
Just my two cents.
Hybrid is heavy and has minimal give back in the mpg. But has a lot more torque for Pulling.
Petro is petro and less torque.
For most people a TRD OR is sufficient. For my money I wanted ventilated seats and a 14 inch screen as well as a sunroof for the cool Autumn Redwood Coastal California Drives.
TRD OR
TRD ORP
TRD PRO ( hybrid only)
Trail Hunter ( hybrid only)
So you have to make a decision on hybrid or petrol and that will set you on the right path.
Just my two cents.
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Get the non hybrid for sure. The hybrid just weighs more and takes up trunk space. If you want more power on the non hybrid just use 91/93 octane. You will get 20hp more.
Great responses. I decided on the Off Road Premium (ORP) Hybrid. Originally I was going to save the $$ by not going premium, but the more I looked at those extra features, the more it made sense. I am very happy with that decision. I do some off-roading, but not rock crawling (I am more interested in being there, not getting there). I did add better skid plates afterwards, although that was mostly as they had a huge sale so I got them fairly cheap (OEM ones with aluminum front plate for a total of around $700; steel front would have been a little less). Lots of rocks out here in the deserts in the southwest, so probably more important than some areas. Beyond that the only additions I have made were a couple inexpensive ditch lights. The OEM roof rack and cross bars came with it; I did want those and have used them several times. Mine also came with the OEM aux switches which I wanted as well--the ditch lights are connected to one of those. There are nice aftermarket switches though (search this forum) so they are not critical, although apparently adding the OEM ones also add an alternator (again, search this forum; that has been talked about a lot). Mine also came with the sun roof. I did not necessarily want to pay for that, but did not object. It does take a few inches of roof height away where it is. I use it when I can and it is enjoyable.
Hybrid: This is where I went back and forth a bit. I liked the idea of a bit better mileage (I was also strongly considering a Ford Bronco, which in many ways I liked--but it gets horrific fuel mileage and that was a big deal as I am on-road most of the time). Folks say the mileage is not much different--basically true I suppose, but probably at least 5%. Adds up. I did test drive the non-hybrid although did not do a side-by-side comparison. However, I can say the hybrid has lots of oomph...actually makes it pretty fun to drive. I have only towed a small utility trailer so far, probably total maybe 1500# loaded--did not even feel it. May do bigger stuff later where I am sure the hybrid will help a lot. That all said, my biggest sticking point--as others have mentioned--is the hit in cargo storage space. You lose around 6-8" of height. There are a couple storage compartments--maybe 9" or so front to back each--so that helps a bit. But getting a folding table in--too wide to put in vertically. I have very large dogs (one I had until recently was around 200#) and they manage fine--although I do get an unusual amount of fur stuck to the ceiling ;-). I came from an old Sienna--way more room in that. But the 4R is way more fun and capable!
Personally I would not go for the Pro or Trailhunter. If you really do heavy-duty off-road I would probably not say that, but sounds like that is not the case. From what I have seen here they seem to get comparatively poor fuel mileage, and the snorkel noise on the Trailhunter gets a lot of complaints. MPG is weird though--people here with the same model as mine often get a lot lower MPG than I do (I average around 23.5 overall) and I do not know why.
Hybrid: This is where I went back and forth a bit. I liked the idea of a bit better mileage (I was also strongly considering a Ford Bronco, which in many ways I liked--but it gets horrific fuel mileage and that was a big deal as I am on-road most of the time). Folks say the mileage is not much different--basically true I suppose, but probably at least 5%. Adds up. I did test drive the non-hybrid although did not do a side-by-side comparison. However, I can say the hybrid has lots of oomph...actually makes it pretty fun to drive. I have only towed a small utility trailer so far, probably total maybe 1500# loaded--did not even feel it. May do bigger stuff later where I am sure the hybrid will help a lot. That all said, my biggest sticking point--as others have mentioned--is the hit in cargo storage space. You lose around 6-8" of height. There are a couple storage compartments--maybe 9" or so front to back each--so that helps a bit. But getting a folding table in--too wide to put in vertically. I have very large dogs (one I had until recently was around 200#) and they manage fine--although I do get an unusual amount of fur stuck to the ceiling ;-). I came from an old Sienna--way more room in that. But the 4R is way more fun and capable!
Personally I would not go for the Pro or Trailhunter. If you really do heavy-duty off-road I would probably not say that, but sounds like that is not the case. From what I have seen here they seem to get comparatively poor fuel mileage, and the snorkel noise on the Trailhunter gets a lot of complaints. MPG is weird though--people here with the same model as mine often get a lot lower MPG than I do (I average around 23.5 overall) and I do not know why.
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So it looks like NON hybrid, stick with the off road premium is his choice.
Honestly, now it's down to colors and price. Everyone in our area has 2025s with about 10K miles for 56K. Hubby is wondering how close to 56K he can get with a new 2026 one.
I still can't believe how pricey these are. I just bought a new passport and it's loaded. 49K plus tax.
Honestly, now it's down to colors and price. Everyone in our area has 2025s with about 10K miles for 56K. Hubby is wondering how close to 56K he can get with a new 2026 one.
I still can't believe how pricey these are. I just bought a new passport and it's loaded. 49K plus tax.
If you have a Costco membership, take the 15 seconds to go through the Costco Auto Program. They will give you a person to contact or a partnered dealer will reach out to you. Just be ready with exactly which vehicle you want and they'll see what they can do. They will give you a Costco price for the vehicle and you can either take what they offer, or take the Costco pricing sheet to a dealer you want to work with and see if you can get a better deal. I got ~8% off MSRP using Costco Auto and it was the easiest car transaction ever. Again, just be prepared with exactly what you want (trim, color, options, etc)
if price is a concern, 10 grand less...
get a SR5 4wd*, much cheaper if you don't need
the extra fluff, and it's got ATRAC you will likely never
ever get into a situation where you -need- a locker
I have a 4runner with a locker, and one without, and the
places I use a locker (very few) I can get through without it
ATRAC in 4lo is pretty awesome
*I do suggest going up in tire size to at least 265's,
stock SR5 baloney skins seem a bit small.
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Its keeps the rear wheels from spinning separately and locks them forcing the wheels to spin at the same speed in short. If he hunts and goes on trails then it would be very helpful for him going through mud and what not.
From what you've mentioned so far the offroad prem. hybrid (the model i have)is what I would suggest for y'all or if you want to spend more money for some added capability/coolness the TRD Pro is also an option but those can get rather expensive depending on your local dealerships.
I'm a retired army guy with a bad back and I'm 5'11 and my family of 5 (including me in that number) Traveled from Alabama to the Outer banks, NC and the trip was a breeze. Super comfortable for me with my back and its super fun to drive. I went to the 4runner from a F150 and I don't regret it.
My main concerns from switching from the f150 to the 4runner was the lack of a bed and the smaller rear seat....These can be mitigated though with a trailer hitch storage rack (harbor freight sells them for pretty cheap) and the rear seats can be reclined slightly to give more head room, but during the trip I have a 17, 11, and 5yr old and they all fit comfortably in the back seat. I would also suggest getting the floor and cargo covers from Lasfit to protect the truck.
Bonus also mentioned above is this is a Toyota and a 4runner so your resale and reliability are pretty much guaranteed for the most part.
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IMHO
locker is absolutely not needed in mud when you have ATRAC...in fact in mud
a locker can bury you deeper, faster, than an open diff using ATRAC...because
when locked there is no ATRAC intelligence between the two rear tires
just saying the truth here when we are talking 10,000 difference between models
The locking dif can absolutely get you out of situations ATRAC won't. There are many videos showing this very thing and it has gotten me out of situations. Having a locking front even more help and a lot of guys install that too as it is not a stock option.
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