I have espresso leather 3rd row seats from a 2019 LC in Atlanta. They were never even opened. I took them out a couple weeks ago to put in a drawer kit.
Bump! Same noise in my '96 1FZ-FE w/ 210K miles. Have appt with Merriam in a week. Curious to know. Been speculated as flex plate crack or rod bearings by weekend mechanics, but not certain.
So, I currently have both an FZJ80 and a 2014 4runner Trail model. We off-road fairly often with both. Both have their merits and weaknesses. I would surmise that for your purposes, the 4runner is probably the better vehicle. I understand all of the soul vs soulless comments, but the 4runner...