New-To-Me 2019 4Runner TRD Off Road in Barcelona Red (1 Viewer)

[Will Van]

Last week I traded in my 2019 Tacoma and bought a 5th gen 4Runner. It is a Barcelona Red 2019 T4R ORP with the dealer "blackout" package. Both trucks had about the same mileage, and the local dealer gave me a good price on both the trade-in and the new 4Runner.

Here is the old Tacoma...

...and the new 4Runner.

I've only put about 250 miles of mixed city/highway on the Runner since purchase, but I am very satisfied. The Tacoma was a decent truck, but 99% of the time, the bed was empty. I was also getting some odd whining sounds from the rear diff, some vibrations from the front diff, and some clunking from the armor.

The straw that broke the camel's back was a recent 2,000-mile road trip I took with my fiancée. The Tacoma cab was overfull to the headliner. The bed was basically empty. I was tired of shuffling luggage around looking for my gear in the back seat. The 4Runner is a much better solution for my needs.

My only complaints on the 4Runner:

• No keyless entry/push-button start
• Tacoma had a better dash display for various info
• No real-time tire pressure data
• Cruise control display was better on the Tacoma (it would display "set" speed and "actual" speed)

However, overall it is obvious to me that the 4Runner is a better built vehicle. It is roomier, more comfortable, quieter, "tighter" steering/feel, better ride, more utilitarian for my needs, and arguably a better off-road vehicle because of the wheel base. The TSS on the Tacoma was really annoying too. It would constantly interfere with braking and cruising when it sensed a vehicle "too close." I'm glad the 4Runner doesn't have it.

On my Tacoma, I made the mistake of immediately doing a bunch of mods to the truck before driving it much. Skid plates, sliders, tires, Decked cargo system, graphics, interior mods, etc. Some of the mods were nice. But on the majority of them, I wished I would have waited to see how I liked the truck without them.

The rear Decked system is cool in theory, but it was a PITA day-to-day. It ate up tons of bedspace and I ended up carrying more junk than I really needed. I had a mobile truck-repair station with all the tools and gear.

The armor definitely protected the truck, but killed mileage and the clunking was annoying.

Regardless, I'm trying not to make the same mistake twice. For the 4Runner I'm just going to drive it for a while before deciding what I want to do. I want to baseline the MPG and really get a feel for how the truck handles and drives.

Eventually, the areas I'm considering modifying are:

• WeatherTech Floor Mats
• Marathon Seat Covers
• Sliders
• Skid Plates (aluminum for mileage?)
• Rear Cargo Slide or Storage Solution?
• Trail Wheels
• 275/70/17 BFG All Terrains
• ARB Dual Compressor
• Dual Battery
• Removable fridge for long road-trips
• Roof rack delete
• Pro Grille and Front Valance Delete

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[dogfishlake]

I like it!
I think the fact that the 4runner is still made in japan really shows.
I got rid of my trd pro 4runner (my now ex wifes) in kind of a poorly thought thought out process.
Thinking I may go back to a 5th gen.
I like the red, looks great.
Looking forward to what you do with it.

 

[dogfishlake]

I had slee sliders on the pro and loved them.
If you go that route I have the install tool so holler of you need it vs buying it

 

[Jetboy]

Looking at the list, I'd go with maxpider floor mats. They really are a lot better than weather tech. They're basically similar on shape and waterproof, but have velcro type bottoms and a softer rubbery top so they're not loud or slick on top.

Skip the seat covers. Softex is super durable. Six years in on mine and literally zero signs of wear. They hold up much better than real leather. I was skeptical at first. Now I'm sold. I would take softex over leather without a doubt on a truck or utility vehicle even if it were more expensive.

I'd also skip the dual battery. I've yet to need or want one. Even with a fridge. I'd just get a 100w solar panel for charging at camp and a lithium jumper kit in case you need it. The dual battery is as lot of unnecessary weight and expense.

Sliders and skids are pretty necessary equipment if you're going too far off the pavement. If you do plan to go play in the rocks, you really need to reinforce the lower rear control arms. And also put some skid plates on the rear lower shock mount area. If you want to really play in the rocks, you really should also get the protection for the frame mount side of the rear suspension control arms. The other place that gets pretty hammered in the rocks is the front lower control arm alignment mounting tabs.

a few mild bumps on the rocks isn't going to cause a lot of damage. What I mean is if you are going to be rock crawling where you're going to drag the bottom over big rocks on a regular basis. It's just not quite ready for it without some reinforcement on those specific parts.

Good luck with the 4r!

 

[Will Van]

I like it!
I think the fact that the 4runner is still made in japan really shows.
I got rid of my trd pro 4runner (my now ex wifes) in kind of a poorly thought thought out process.
Thinking I may go back to a 5th gen.
I like the red, looks great.
Looking forward to what you do with it.

Agreed, the Japanese build quality is apparent.

I had slee sliders on the pro and loved them.
If you go that route I have the install tool so holler of you need it vs buying it

Do you need a special tool to install rock sliders? Or just Slee rock sliders?

 

[dogfishlake]

Agreed, the Japanese build quality is apparent.



Do you need a special tool to install rock sliders? Or just Slee rock sliders?

The slee sliders use holes already in the frame except for 1 (maybe 2, can't quite remember) on each side. There is a kit with the proper drill bit and a riv-nut tool. It's pretty easy to do with the kit. I'll send it to you if you go that route vs having to buy it

 

[Will Van]

The slee sliders use holes already in the frame except for 1 (maybe 2, can't quite remember) on each side. There is a kit with the proper drill bit and a riv-nut tool. It's pretty easy to do with the kit. I'll send it to you if you go that route vs having to buy it

Roger that. Thanks for the offer!

I'll let you know. I actually had my eye on the RSG sliders because I have a discount code. Dunno if they install the same way though.

 

[Will Van]

Looking at the list, I'd go with maxpider floor mats. They really are a lot better than weather tech. They're basically similar on shape and waterproof, but have velcro type bottoms and a softer rubbery top so they're not loud or slick on top.

Skip the seat covers. Softex is super durable. Six years in on mine and literally zero signs of wear. They hold up much better than real leather. I was skeptical at first. Now I'm sold. I would take softex over leather without a doubt on a truck or utility vehicle even if it were more expensive.

I'd also skip the dual battery. I've yet to need or want one. Even with a fridge. I'd just get a 100w solar panel for charging at camp and a lithium jumper kit in case you need it. The dual battery is as lot of unnecessary weight and expense.

Sliders and skids are pretty necessary equipment if you're going too far off the pavement. If you do plan to go play in the rocks, you really need to reinforce the lower rear control arms. And also put some skid plates on the rear lower shock mount area. If you want to really play in the rocks, you really should also get the protection for the frame mount side of the rear suspension control arms. The other place that gets pretty hammered in the rocks is the front lower control arm alignment mounting tabs.

a few mild bumps on the rocks isn't going to cause a lot of damage. What I mean is if you are going to be rock crawling where you're going to drag the bottom over big rocks on a regular basis. It's just not quite ready for it without some reinforcement on those specific parts.

Good luck with the 4r!

Thanks for the feedback. I really like the WeatherTech mats. I use them in all my vehicles and I'd like to continue to support them. I'll take your advice on the seat covers. I was never crazy about the fit on them anyway.

Skids and sliders are on the to-do list if I plan on offroading. I'll probably do full RCI skids (engine/trans/t-case and fuel tank), and RSG sliders. I would just consistently use it off-road on my property. Not a full rock-crawler though. I'll build a different vehicle for that.