Any Limited owners out there? A couple questions if you don't mind...

I don't offroad, don't plan on doing any offroading, don't plan on doing an overland build, so the Limited was perfect for me. As has been mentioned, it has full-time 4wd, so no thinking, just driving (kinda like my daughter's Subaru Crosstrek). The Limited has some functional and cosmetic things unique to that model, but what really sold me was the redwood interior. It looks great on MGM, and it's pretty unique in that way. My wife's RAV4 has a black interior, my other daughter's TRD ORP has a black interior, the '22 Ford Explorer ST that I traded in had a black interior, so I'm pretty happy with the redwood.

 

Agree with your sentiment. Even a 2wd 4runner, as goofy at first sounds, is still really a nice wagon when you think about it. It’s only one step down from minivan utility, comfy, good interior layout, not too big, and a proven mechanical design.

 

Man do I love that interior!!

 

I purchased a 2021 4Runner Limited with 3rd row seat option. Husband swears by his 2007 4Runner with 300k miles so I bought one and sold my loaded Chevy. I use mine as an everyday vehicle - work, running to sports - for everything. Pros: Rides nice, sits up nicely. Tall husband and growing teenage boys so there is plenty of room for them. Lots of storage room for sports equipment and other junk. The optional 3rd row is great when needed for extra people but don't use it much. The AWD is great and I wouldn't have a vehicle without it. Love that I also have 4WD in case I need it. We have a cabin in the mountains here in Utah and we can all load up and go there even if it's snowing. Mine has the automatic running boards that come in and out with opening of the doors. Cons: Even though it's a Limited and has more options, I feel it is lacking on luxury options vs. a Chevy. I really feel I over paid for what I have and to have to pay for remote that is "so called "included" is BS. The rear gate weighs a ton and is manual - I was spoiled with my Chevy that opened and closed with a push of a button. The rear gate window is worthless to me. I'm 5'5 and it's a stretch to place things in the back. The automatic running boards don't alway close so you have to open the door and close to get them in. The paint job seems crappy. I already have a handful of chips in the paint. Now looking down the barrel of fills and extened bra coverage. I had my Chevy for 8yrs and not one chip. When it snows, snow accumulates on the front grill (black rectangle) and blocks the sensor for the front collision control. Ummm great just when you needed it - really?!? I have had to clean it off multiple times and don't know a way around it. There is something with the front suspension. I would hear a rattle periodically so I took it in to the dealer (warranty). The actual shop manager got involed - (excuse my poor explanation) apparently it is a know issue where it can rattle and their fix was to place some silcone to keep it from doing it. Needless to say it's back and now I need to go in again.
So I'm on the fence on if I'm a Toyota person or not. Just hate that I paid so much for this vehicle and I'm not 100% in love with it.

 

I'm pretty sure this is because you are starting the car while they were retracting. Try starting the car when the door is open or wait few seconds for running boards to retract and then start the vehicle.
If I'm not mistaken this was mentioned in the owners manual. Either way hope this trick helps to avoid it.

True they are very expensive for what you get. I think it's the price to pay for Toyota reliability. Unlike Chevy Toyota has no cylinder deactivation, no direct injection,.. just very old school proven reliability.

Are you talking about the remote start via phone thing that cost 80bucks year? Hope you didn't pay anything to get 2 key fobs as they are free.

I agree. Seems too weak for 50K price tag.

That's interesting and new to me. I wonder what is rattling and where they applied silicone.

True, it's pretty heavy. I bet it's a down side of having all steel body vs other manufacturers use aluminum to reduce weight.

This reminds how much my wife loves the adjustable pedals on GMC Yukon XL. Love the comfy seats and space too. 4runner interior is tiny compared to that.

Anyways hope you fall in love with Limited or maybe sell and buy a one with more features and interior space for pretty much same amount of money.

 

Sounds like a mismatch of expectations and needs. The strengths of this car aren’t in creature comforts. Most people purchase this car not “in spite” of its old schoolness, but rather, “because of it.”

I do find that the limited has an identity crisis. It wants to be fancy “automated running boards” but it doesn’t take you all the way there (no rear heated seats… unless I’m mistaken here?)

The strengths of the 4Runner are in its legendary reliability (this never is with regards to cosmetics or road chips), body on frame construction, customizability and infinite room for upgrades left by Toyota resulting in amazing aftermarket support.

Regarding Rock Chips, I already looked at 4 rather new Chevy SUVs since I saw your post, and they all have rock chips. This has been a problem since the beginning of time and its physics, no paint can ever withstand 80mph rocks and expect the paint to be stronger than the rock. The solution to that is XPEL paint protection film which I’ve used in all my cars since new, while expensive, worth every dime. I did a full front on my off road premium for $1600. That’s Pennie’s to the dollar when compared to the price of a new paint job that will never match the factory.

 

My $0.02.

I have a 2012 wrangler I off road. I bought a Limited as a future replacement for the wrangler when/if it dies. Meantime I have a newer daily driver that has the heated/ ventilated seats and dual climate control to pacify my better half. As for the drivetrain, if full time 4WD is good enough for the Land Cruiser, well it’s good enough for the 4Runner. I plan to keep it stock until it is a little “worn in” and then make modifications (shocks, tires, wheels and panel cuts) necessary to be better on the trails. (No rock crawling). I understand that everyone is not fortunate enough to have that option. I guess my point is you can enjoy the options of the Limited now and turn into whatever you like down the road. This is my plan, your will surely differ. Best of luck with your decision.

 

From the description of how you would use the 4Runner the Limited would work well for you. Similar to what you describe I'm 98%+ on road. No intentional off roading, but want 4WD for snow and occasional 4WD use. Someone earlier said that if you don't off-road the 4Runner is not really cost effective. I'd agree with that probably - but it really depends on how much off road or snow capability you need and how much you want to pay for it. For me, I want true, dual range 4WD. Don't need it all that often - but I want it when I need it - and I'm willing to pay the upfront cost as well as the cost of less than stellar acceleration, handling, and gas mileage. There are always trade-offs. I liked how the Limited drove on road, and wanted real leather seats and full time 4WD - and concluded that although the 20" wheels/tires and XREAS suspension are not ideal for off roading they would work just fine in situations where I would use H4L or L4L. The 20" wheels/tires and XREAS work very well on road. On the other hand, if you prefer the look of the TRD Pro or Off Road - I think you would be just as happy driving these trims on road most of the time also. Get what you really like/want.

 

https://www.4runners.com/threads/daytonaviolet’s-blizzard-pearl-build.11655/page-9#post-561873
I bought my Limited last year and like the trim level primarily for its interior luxuries. I did replace the front bumper using the DaytonaViolet's build as a reference. I also enjoy the JBL sound system

 

24 Limited owner here, coming from Subaru. My use case is a lot of bad weather winter driving but aside from occasional gravel road to the cottage, no offroading of any klind.

1. It works and does not get in a way. I have not had it long enough to experience it in a bad snow storm, but the car has lots of clearance and I got snow tires on 17 inch rims.
2. Too new to tell first-hand on reliability. If I had a choice, I would have ordered 4Runner without it, but it came bundled with full-time 4WD that I wanted.
3. I did not, as they are not direct fit due to various sensors Limited has and would be a hassle to swap. While TRD Pro looks better, Limited is not too fugly.

 

I have the same interior and like seat leather and door panels. I do not like wood trim inserts on the passenger side dash. While it isn't exactly eye sore, I am used to luxury cars with real wood and this falls short of that.

 

I purchased my '21 T4R Limited 3 years ago. I needed the 3rd row for my family, and could justify it as a sensible family vehicle. I really didn't intend to offroad at that time.
I can only echo the great inputs that @nova @steelevo and many others have contributed to this thread.
1. The 4x4 Limited is still a 4runner from the start and will get you through the snow, and nearly any forestry roads without mods. Start there, enjoy the quiet, quiet ride from those OEM tires.
2. You are already on the first step toward a modding addiction by joining this group, once you see what your vehicle can do, it only takes a little work to start to get you there. The best first mod is a good set of All Terrain tires. My fav starter is the Falken Wildpeak AT4W LT C-Load 275/70/17 matched to the TRD Offroad-Wheels. I've got 30,000 miles on them now and they've only gone from 18/32 to 14/32 tread depth in that time so they've still got another 30,000 in them before they get to 10/32.

RE Full-Time-4WD - I've taken mine off-road quite a bit, only in situations of Wheel-Lift, Extreme Slope, Ledge Climbing would you "NEED" to lock the center diff and switch to 4LO. As soon as you do that you are going to rely A-TRAC for reliably preventing wheel slip through obstacles. Because the 4-LO gearing and disabled VSC/Traction Control, A-TRAC is an essential low speed traction device.
but on basically any surface the Full-Time-4WD is very very nice.

Regarding Styling - A lot of people really hate on the chrome. At this point the chrome is more of a rarity and so I really dig having it on mine. All of us who wheel hate the low hanging plastics. It tends to to be a problem that solves itself. for a fairly small amount of money you can give yourself a higher clearance cut that follows the body contours and gives a ton of clearance. The mods to exchange the Aluminum Crash Bar and Front Facia for something like the TRD/SR5 models are fairly expensive so I went with the cheaper option that suited me.

 

Thanks for your two cents, shooter. I tend to suffer from ABOS (Acute Boyscout Overkill Syndrome) and find myself trying to cover every possible base when I make a significant purchase--most often to the point of being totally unrealistic. I agree...the Limited probable makes the most sense for me, and at the end of the day I need to drive one--and maybe also ORP for comparison purposes.

Much appreciated.
TimG

 

I think this might be it right here. Start out stock, enjoy the creature comforts and the full-time 4WD, and keep the mods mild...including wraping/paining the chrome, ditching the side steps, some ORP rims with WildPeak rubber in stock size. Down the road a little, when the X-REAS starts to leak, maybe new suspension with a mild lift and whatever (hopefully) minor body modification/trimming is needed to make that look good. It's all starting to come together in my head

I've bookmarked the write up you shared as well for reference. Many thanks! TimG

 

Just. Wow. Somehow you fixed every single aesthetic that I dislike about the Limited's stock form. It's beautiful...

I noticed you did not mention a lift and/or removing X-REAS but I'm seeing a lot of clearance between those 275's and your fenders. Just sayin'.

Thanks,
TimG.

 

I just purchased the 4runner limited in January. Awesome vehicle. As you stated, 98% of the time the vehicle will be used in the treacherous parking lots of Costco, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. 2% of the time on fire roads for light "over-landing". You can change the tires to all terrain in the future to add more capability. You should match the vehicle to your needs and not to someone else's IG photos of the outer banks. BUT, those photos are amazing and maybe some day ...

 

TimG: Yeah, I would for sure drive a Limited and a OR, ORP, or PRO if you can. That way you can hear/feel the difference when driving the vehicles. If possible, try to take the vehicles out on a highway so that you can get them up to ~75 mph for a few miles. I test drove both a Limited and an OR before I bought my Limited. If I was into off-roading I would have bought an ORP. Since I am not, and 98%+ of my miles are on road, I went with the Limited since I thought it rode a bit quieter/smoother on pavement - also, as I previously stated, I just really wanted the full time 4WD and leather (although I did think the Toyota synthetic leather felt pretty good). Looks like you are in central NJ - so you will be driving in the snow. Can't beat the full time 4WD for use in the snow - especially where you have extended times when there is snow on side streets, subdivision streets, parking lots, etc... - but main roads/highways are cleared. Yes, you can easily go in/out of 2WD/4HI with the turn of a knob or push/pull of a lever - I did it for over 12 years with a part time 4WD Tacoma - the FT 4WD is just so much better for driving in varying conditions of snow/ice. I'm surprised they don't offer the FT 4WD on other trims. You give up being able to operate in 2WD - but who cares? Costs more upfront - FT4WD only available on Limited - and you need to rotate the spare in (Limited comes with a full size, matching spare) to avoid a situation where a never used spare is on the vehicle with three other highly worn tires (difference in tire diameters can cause some strain on the center diff). So you will replace 5 tires instead of 4 when your tires wear out - but your tires will last longer so that is pretty much a wash - and you'll never be in a situation where you need the spare but it is an old, dry rotted POS. You drive around in 4WD with an open center diff most of the time - H4F (instead of 2WD), lock the center diff and now you are in H4L (same as PT 4WD in 4HI), go into low range with center diff locked = L4L (same as PT 4WD in 4LO). Limited doesn't come with a lockable rear diff like the OR, ORP, and PRO trims - but it does have ATRAC and if you don't intentionally off-road that would get you out of just about anything you could get into.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Hope you love your new Limited. As for the Outer Banks, if you've never been there....you owe yourself a trip one day. It's magnificent and there are miles and miles of beach to drive on.

It should also be noted that one of the favorite pastimes there is watching ding dongs from out of state who don't think they need to air-down before going into the notorious deep sands of OBX get horrifically stuck and having to get assistance

Thanks,
TimG

 

BTW - don't forget to do the break-in oil change at 1K miles. I just did my last weekend. My neighbor, who just got a Bronco, asked the Ford dealership about it but they told him it wasn't necessary. I follow the Care Care Nut and Scotty Kilmer on Youtube (both decades of experience as mechanics) and they both highly recommend it.

 

The lift is a 2"/1" Cornfed Lift for X-REAS - It was inexpensive and easy to install. I really got it because I was worried that with the Winch the front end would sag. It has a 3/4" preload collar and 1/4" spacer so it doesn't mess with geometry and doesn't cause the shocks to bottom out. It stiffens the ride minimally, but it sits a lot more level and doesn't dampen trail performance. I couldn't justify ripping out a working $3,500 suspension system. I gotta wear it out first.

 

I just bought a 2024 Limited last Thursday, and here are my thoughts in response to the OP. I bought the Limited mainly for a few reasons:

1. The FT4wd. This is my 4th 4Runner and I've had full-time 4wd on 3 of them - this 2024, a 2020 Limited that I traded in for this one, and a 2003 V8 (which I wish I still had). I love never having to think about whether to put it in 4wd or not. For me, the peace of mind is worth the extra cost of the Limited and the potential reduction in fuel economy. Nobody buys a 4Runner for fuel economy anyway.

2. I like some of the other extras that come with the Limited that are not on the SR5, SR5P, OR or ORP, such as the real leather seats (the Pro has these), ventilated seats (it's hot here in Texas in the summer), JBL sound system, memory seats, auto climate control, and birds-eye view camera (the ORP and Pro have an even better system, I think).

3. I prefer not having a fake hood scoop. I had one on my 2007 4Runner, and was ambivalent about the looks and never noticed any glare from it, but I always thought it was a purely cosmetic thing that must create additional drag without any real benefit.

As for the negatives:

1. Gulf States Toyota is the distributor here in Texas and it seems they outfit all of the SR5, SR5P, OR and ORP with the 17" TRD wheels and Nitto A/T tires, and I think those look a LOT better than the 20" wheels and Bridgestone Duelers that came on my Limited. But I can buy a set of 17" TRD wheels and A/T tires of my choice for about the same cost ($3,500) as Gulf States charges for that upgrade package, or perhaps even less than that. And that is my plan.

2. I'd prefer having less chrome but I'm old and it doesn't bother me as much as it bothers some people.

On the whole, I bought this 4Runner because this is the last chance I'll have to buy a brand new 5th gen model. I know the 5th gen models, regardless of the Trim level, are as reliable as an anvil if you take proper care of them. There's no way to know what type of growing pains the 6th gen models will have or how long it will take Toyota to iron them all out. I intend to keep this one for the rest of my life (I know, famous last words). I don't care about a bunch of whiz-bang technology. I don't care about buying the last year model before a major makeover. And I don't really care about gas mileage. I care about reliability and functionality. And that's what you get with a 5th generation 4Runner.

 

Limited is for the rich people, other trims are for the rest of us peasants.

 

Nope, Pro has the same poor man's seat material that comes on SR5P & TRD ORP.

 

Just curious, are you running snow tires?

 

I stand corrected.

 

Everyone has an opinion some are right and some are wrong.....of course if you own a limited like I do you are wrong. Get tired of BS opinion sometimes on here. I could say the same kind of stuff like your fake hood scoop too. Every time I see one I have to laugh. Anyway, this thread is asking questions on the Limited why are you even reading the thread if you so Pro TRD ORP's?

 

Yes. Michelin X-Ice. In my experience good snow tires make more difference than 4WD/AWD on both ice and in deep snow.

 

Fact! Finally someone gets it lol!

 

• The AWD is impressive to me. It knows what is happening before I ever realize on wet curves. Saved me several times. Limited is more Lexus system. Point and go. $8500 Limited will be right behind the $50k Pro on trail. With A-trac there will Corolla Pros soon.

 

You joke but in the 90’s Toyota and Chevy swapped platforms to rebrand. Chevy got the Toyota Corolla to sell as a Geo Prism. Toyota got a the Chevy Cavalier to sell as a Toyota Cavalier… Toyota took some and added a big wing and a body kit then sold is as a limited production TRD Cavalier.