If you’re on the fence about a PRO…

I remember my buddy excited about the screen in an Edge a few years back. Until one August day the screen broke and the heated seats were stuck in high as well as the heat as he drove to a dealer sweating. Call me crazy but knobs and levers seem to have worked well for the last 50 plus years.

 

I agree that knobs and buttons are better.

It's a lot cheaper to use a computer screen to control everything, however.

Hopefully the bean counters don't win and the 4Runner continues to use knobs and buttons.

 

And that thought probably added fuel to the fire in the search to get an already difficult to find 4R, especially the TRD's and PRO upgrade. So far, it appears the difficulty in 2021 will continue, if not intensify in 2022.

6th Generation: Toyota being as secretive as they are, no one appears to have any definite clue as to what the 6th Generation will look like, beyond speculation. But the trend in the Industry does seem to be moving to 4-cylinder engines with turbos. And possibly V-6 upgrades - with a big price adder and trim upgrade required. One thing is for sure: The 4R has a large following (even among non-enthusiasts). With this thought, I don't envy the challenge for Toyota engineers. There is no margin for error in a complete re-design. Has to be right the first time.

TRD PRO Upgrade: It seems that the PRO upgrades are mostly done Port-Side. This tells me hand labor (vs. assembly line). Which may be part of the reason for the 8K additional cost. (?)

 

F-35 engineers wanted the pilots to use touch screens and eliminate joysticks. Pilots immediately balked and said they wanted their joystick.

The engineers spent the next few hours trying to explain the benefits of using a touchpad tablet to fly the plane. Finally, a pilot told the engineer that a tablet would never work… He asked the engineer if he ever tried to reach for anything while trying to pull 7 G's....... its not possible to reach out and grab or touch anything.

Engineers immediately scrapped the tablets and added a joystick again lol.

This is an argument we constantly use in software development. You may have all these groundbreaking ideas, but in the end, the user should have the final input.

 

Seems to be the difference between the "latest" technology, and the "appropriate" technology.

 

Exactly

 

My last Toyota was a 2015 Tacoma. As interest began to build for the next gen Tacoma, I was skeptical about the purported benefits and MPG improvements of the new platform. I felt more comfortable buying the last version of a mature platform rather than the newest version with an unproven one so I bought my '15 before the '16s came out. Current Tacoma models are well-adopted and well-liked but the earliest versions of the current generation had growing pains that I was able to avoid. It's a gamble, but I'm taking the same approach with my 'Runner - opting for a current-year proven platform while they're still available.

 

Same-same.

I have deposits down on both an ORP and a Pro. Although I would rock the ORP if it came in first, I find myself fantasizing more about the Pro. Already comes with everything I would need to do to the ORP to achieve my vision.

I still waffle back and forth…my latest is putting 285s (already bought KO2s for the OR) on the Pro and they rub AND it will not fit in the garage.

I guess it boils down to this; you can’t really go wrong with any 4runner trim.

 

Well imho I can’t agree when it comes to the 4Runner limited models. Maybe a bunch of bumper removals and stuff but that is a soccer suv. (Sorry in advance for those that I offended).

 

... they're all soccer SUVs.

 

found the first person I offended. Sorry Tory

 

One of the weird eccentricities of TRD Pro in Canada: integrated turn signals. I got mine and love them.

 

I wonder how difficult it would be to swap those out.

 

I don't think @mynameistory gets offended. He just gets even.

 

One thing I'd have liked to experience before buying the Pro: the exhaust drone. It's something I've gotten used to over the last few months, but I wouldn't have chosen it out of the box. But for me, buying a Pro was an expedient decision guided by the fact that there were no other choices for 2022 in the fall anywhere near me in Western Canada. So here we are. It's an amazing vehicle.

 

Can't have mine

 

Ftfy

 

It's been done. Best way is to follow @oldreds4r on instagram to get updates on when he's doing group buys for his conversion harnesses. Then you just need the mirrors.

@Old Red

 

Lol!

 

My limited looks weird now

 

No, That was just imho. The front bumper comes down so low and making no room for off-road capabilities unless you don’t mind destroying it. But I am sure they can be decked out for off-road. I think the limited has an all time 4wd but not sure if that means no center locker.

 

You are correct tho.bought it and then scraped a bunch on the White rim which pissed me off-lifted it and did wheels and tires. Now what? White rim ,not a problem but, the front and rear bumper are limiting as far as technical stuff. I will probably work on the bumper project down the road.It is full time 4. Most of the stuff I do solo camping and trying to figure out night sky photography so access to remote areas on moderate trails is about it for now. Time and money …..need more of both.

 

Hey man. It is about the journey not the destination. Sounds like the 4Runner is doing everything you need it to and that is all that matters. I love me some good nighttime photography.

 

Thanks - nice to see this...I'm looking at a 4 Runner for my wife (all our kids are in college now and my wife is downsizing her vehicle). She thinks she may like the 4R...but she is not sure if she wants the OR or Pro. She wants to have larger tires, front bumper with winch. I'm thinking OR and doing an ICON suspension lift (my mechanic priced it for me), possibly an ARB/Warn winch set up (my son has this on his Tacoma and my wife likes the look). This is not my wheelhouse however. We own a horse farm, bordered by a river and she will use the winch at least. I drive a 2019 Tacoma OR, and it is stock...to be honest it does all I need but she is a stay at home mom/wife and will be more adventurous with her vehicle.

 

To me it comes down to if you want/need the stuff you can only get on a Pro. Which is really just auto climate control, the JBL stereo (if you want factory), and possibly the exclusive color. Everything else you can add later or do aftermarket if you want.

I had a deposit for an ORP and ended up changing it to a Pro because I knew I would miss the auto climate control and stereo in my current car, and I didn't like the wheels/tires or grill on the ORP so that would have been a few grand immediately after driving it home. It also saved me the trouble of immediately wanting to ditch the grill and wheels. After changing it I'm definitely happier to be getting a Pro with all the things. My ORP was specced to about $47k (plus like $2k for new wheels/tires) so the price difference was worth it for what the $53k Pro added on top. I decided I'd rather have the Pro stuff than having the Lunar Rock color and KDSS on an ORP. The convenience/quality/warranty factor of having a lot of things already done out of the box from the factory is worth something to me as well.

The "but if you get the basic trim you can make a better car with aftermarket parts for less money" is true of pretty much every car. Not everyone either cares about the price or wants aftermarket.

 

I have dual climate control on my 2021 Avalon. My wife and I disagree so much on how one side is messing with the other that at the end of the day, I won't miss it on my SR5 Premium.

 

Haha, I never use the “dual” part. I just like being able to set the temperature and not having to constantly mess with fan settings or positions. When I drive cars that don’t have it now I find it super annoying. Imagine not having a thermostat in your house.

 

It’s like having a jacuzzi with a hot side, and a cool side. Wait, do they have those?

 

I love the dual zone and think it works pretty damn good.