What is generating such enthusiasm, specifically, for the TRD Pro?

its Pro STATUS

 

Lol. Same drivetrain and 4wd capability, and better interior is really a downgrade.

Edit: nevermind. You must have meant 2nd best to the Landcruiser, with the FJ being 3rd best.

 

here's the deal with the LC...it's a great vehicle but it DOES have drawbacks. The stock suspension rides like an old cadillac...which some might like, but I find infuriating. I don't like extreme nosedive when braking, leaning through turns and limited feel and response. I had to change shocks to get it to "feel" appropriate when I drove it on road, which was 90% of the time.

also, when you drop $85k on a rig BEFORE you even think about the first mod, unless you have #$%@ you money, you end up with $100k really fast.

It gets absolutely abysmal mileage. I mean, 300 miles for a tank of gas and that's if you are feathering the foot.

Here's what's awesome...

it will go anywhere (with different tires), it's incredibly comfortable to ride in with leather and heate/cooled seats, it's got tons of space, a nice cooler, it's quiet (which is vastly underrated, IMO).

Having owned an FJ, they are opposite in many ways but similar in many...I have simply found that the 4 Runner is a good middle ground for all of it...so in my mind, buying the top trim level in that suffices for the most part.

Land Cruiser is a status thing as well and anyone who says differently is kinda lying, IMO. That said, the MUD forum guys who use theirs for intended purposes will fight to the death that they are the best vehicles out there...and here's what I have to say about that...

...I have owned 40+ vehicles in my life. 10 of them Toyotas. NONE of them are assembled and feel as solid and rattle free as the Toyota Land Cruiser. It's not even close. After owning an American made Toyota most recently, I said I'd never buy another non Japanese made Toyota. Another reason I got the 4Runner.

Anyway, I'm rambling because I"m trying to kill time before I go home for the holidays. Happy Thanksgiving to all you Toyota Loyalists.

 

Supply and demand. Limited amounts of Pros are produced each year.

 

LOL, and that's coming from a 4Runner owner. What a world. The 4Runner, when feathered, uses nearly twice as much gas as my 6 cylinder sports car when I flog it hard.

 

you need the pedal commander.

 

Before I started messing with mine, 20+ MPG HWY was pretty doable. I know it's not great, but for a brick, I was happy.

Now, with 33's and 500# of armor and gear, I'm still able to squeeze out 17-18 hwy, and about 16 combined. I'm fine with that.

 

To make it even worse? No, thank you ... ;-) No thing on earth will make this car fast, so why would I bother? I can just switch over to the other car if I want fast and smooth.

I'm sticking to my opinion that 20mpg stock is just absolutely abysmal. Yes, we've done 22mpg coming back from Lake Tahoe, but that was mainly downhill. The stupid TRD Pro roof rack likely doesn't help either.

 

One could argue that the dozens of threads discussing this very subject, the comparison threads, the exclusive colors, and now the new suspensions being discussed on this and other forums as well as the You Tube attention has contributed to the demand. Toyota corporate may even have paid influence people out there generating more attention as well. All one has to do is search TRD Pro 4Runner and the multitude of pages and storm of information is astounding. Hell a lot of people probably don't even know an SR5 even exists these days.
Automotive forums started out as a bunch of guys doing mods and helping each other out with major repairs and maintenance. Now those subjects have gone mostly by the way side due to the 4Runner's reliability. This forum has morphed into a more color/trim/ lift/tire/rim/seat cover/floor mat platform. The aftermarket people noticed this first and they followed suit with some great add ons.
And it's obvious Toyota was paying attention to all of this by giving the buying public more bling to discuss and salivate over.

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm getting a Pro because it comes with the wheels, tires, and suspension I want, and I think it's got the coolest-looking trim ("TOYOTA" grill, blacked out bumper, etc.). On top of that, it's got the skid plate, upgraded sound system, dual climate, LEDs, and a unique color (I went with Lunar Rock). I'm aware I could re-create some of that on a Off-Road for a little less money, but I don't want to deal with the hassle of shopping for all the parts and finding a quality shop to do the work (in particular the suspension work) that then won't be covered under the Toyota warranty. I don't plan on further mods, other than maybe a Pedal Commander. I'm paying MSRP, and can't wait to get my hands on it.

I wouldn't pay over MSRP when it's not that tough to find a dealer that won't gouge you (even if you have to travel for it), but to each their own.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome!

 

FYI: Toyota of Selma tried a 40% markup with me. More than 20k on top of MSRP. Assholes.

 

Insane! Greed.

 

Toyota of NoHo tried to sell a 500mile AG for $69k to me in back in April lol.

 

welcome from SoCal and Congrats enjoy

 

This is a few reasons why we went with our’s, vs another trim. Our’s has a build date of 6/2020 and we bought it at the end of September, with 5 other AG Pros left on the lot...we still paid MSRP, but at least no markup. We planned to wait until September 2021 but we don’t like the LR color, so jumped on this one while we could. Love it!!!

 

Just found this recent review of a 2021 AG on YouTube, based on a trip to Baja. The reviewer is a former TRD racer and tech. Very interesting, and hopefully informative to OP re the appeal of this model.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6iykIfU6qc

 

Nice thanks for posting it i enjoyed the video

 

One thing I’m glad he mentioned was the suspension. You’re not going to get a lot of travel with a 4R. If you want that then get a jeep. But I think the Fox suspension and set up is underplayed on this forum by some not all. Is it the best? No. But it’s pretty dang close for a 4R. Again I’m not out rock crawling and beating mine up but out on rough uneven farm land or moguls I guess at a decent speed it feels like you’re floating on a boat. While this isn’t the suspension for everyone and that everyone likes, for me it was worth paying extra to get it like this stock and under warranty. I don’t work on trucks and if I did and enjoyed that I would probably gone with a different trim. But for a stock off road truck/suv the Pro is strong!

 

Oh yea and to answer the OP, a Pro is bad ass and no one will argue that! But I think all 4R are bad ass and worth the money spent. No on road/off road compromise like you get with a Jeep sometimes.

 

Exactly !!! But at least with a 2021 TRD/ORP I'll get the same old school mechanics as in my 2010 FJ - which is what I want.

By the way, there's a dealer in my area that is advertising a 2014 FJ with 22,000 one owner miles !!! Trouble is, they are asking $49 grand for it.
LOL !! Going to be hard letting my FJ go.

Rick

 

if I buy an FJ I’m looking for a clapped out piece of crap. Since I’d replace everything anyways.

 

I think a lot of folks who bought one is because it's a pretty complete vehicle off the lot, the right size, the right capabilities, and cool colors.

 

But then you’d be stuck with a Subaru (with what I assume is a CVT)

 

I posted this in a different thread but I bought a brand new 2019 TRD Pro right off the lot. However hindsight is 20/20. If I had to do it over again, knowing what I know now, I'd buy the Off Road. Save money and the Off Road is basically the same vehicle. All the mods are the same, cost the same regardless of trim level. I can't explain why I opted for the TRD Pro. Vanity, maybe? Don't get me wrong, I love it to death, but the Off Road makes more sense.

 

yeah but it’s off road capable and rides like a Cadillac. And dual climate control.

 

The Off Road makes sense if you know you’re going to do mods, but the reason I’m going for a Pro is that I don’t want to deal with that. I think that’s why most people who opt for a Pro make that decision. If you want to upgrade an Off Road or an SR5 into a Pro equivalent, you’ve got to buy wheels, tires, shocks, grill, etc., and, if you can’t do the work yourself, find a good shop and pay labor on top of everything else. Can you do all that for less money that just paying for a Pro? Probably, but it seems to me the savings get overstated sometimes. If I can get a fully loaded vehicle off the lot pretty much how I want it, with everything under warranty that’s worth something to me too.

 

well you’ll find on this forum that there’s a few who seem to have strong opinions about how you spent your money and also figure pro owners to just be IG influencers who mall crawl. Shocker I know. While I know I will eventually upgrade most of the things on my rig I’m glad I got everything in one purchase. Plus I don’t think people give Toyota enough credit for the R&D they did to give the pro such a balanced ride vs capability. The more I drive and off-road my ride the less inclined I am to start changing out suspension components.

 

As a 2020 TRD Pro owner, what made the difference for me was two things. 1. I wanted all the off-road things 2. I wanted all the luxry things (that the limited had to offer). And that was it basically...and probably that I'm a little lazy, I realize I could have upgraded all the things with an off-road premium but I just wanted it all in a single package. Plus with all the 'hooplah' that you're talking about...the re-sale value is really great. That's what it boiled down to for me at least. Hope that helps!