Are you looking to purchase a Toyota 4Runner for off-roading? The last thing you want to do is walk into a car dealership unprepared. You have a handful of options: TRD Pro, Venture Special Edition, TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium, Trail Special Edition, Limited, and the Nightshade Editions. As a long time 4Runner owner and off-road enthusiast, I am going to talk you through all of your options.
If I was looking to purchase a 2021 4Runner for off-roading, I would be buying the TRD Off-Road Premium. I am going to talk you through all the models with pros and cons though. I will talk about drive capabilities, off road options, interior trim and exterior features on the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro, Venture Special Edition, TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium and the Trail Special Edition.
| Models | Special Features |
| TRD Pro | Rear locking differential Crawl Control Off-road tuned Suspension by Fox 1″ front lift Special Limited Color |
| Venture Special Edition | Blacked Out Wheels and exterior Cargo Basket |
| TRD Off-Road | Crawl Control Rear Locking Differential |
| TRD Off-Road Premium | Crawl Control Rear Locking Differential Softex Leather |
| Trail Special Edition | Special Limited Color |
Table of Contents
Drive Capabilities
When looking at a daily driven street vehicle, you really don’t need to worry about most of the features. If you are looking to take this rig into the backcountry you are opening up a whole new can of worms. You will likely be looking to upgrade a few things to make your vehicle more capable off-road. You should keep this in mind when shopping for a 4Runner. Look if you plan on replacing the suspension, why pay the huge sticker price for the TRD Pro? Almost all 4Runners on the road these days are 4×4, and you really see more of the Trail/TRD Off-Road editions then ever before. Don’t get the the new Trail Editions confused with the 2016 and earlier Trail Editions. Toyota renamed the Trail Edition in 2017 to the TRD Off-Road. They now offer a 2021 Trail edition that is essentially an SR5, but with a couple other options. You do not get the rear E-Locker or crawl control on the new Trail Editions.
Off-Roading
If you are really into off-roading then you will definitely want to be looking at the TRD off-road trim levels, or even the TRD Pro. Both of these trim levels, including the TRD Off-Road Premium, come with crawl control and a rear E-Locker. These two things can be game changers when off the beaten path. If you get stuck, flip on the rear locker, and you’d be really surprised at how much having both rear tires locked up can do. Crawl control is a crazy thing to witness in action. In the cab it makes a ton of noise while modulating the brakes and transferring power to the wheels that need it. If you get into the TRD Pro model you get all these features plus the Fox tuned suspension.
TRD Pro Suspension
The TRD Pro comes with Fox suspension, or if you buy one that is a 2017 or older, you will get the Bilstein suspension. The Bilstein suspension is the same as the 6112 I used to have on my 4Runner but with softer TRD tuned springs on them. The TRD suspension will give you a 1″ lift in the front over every other model in the lineup. These are generally a 2.5″ diameter shock as well, which means it can hold more shock oil and stay cooler as you bomb through the desert at 100 mph. The rear suspension also gets the Fox tuned shocks, or the Bilstiens in older models, but retain the same rear springs that every other 4Runner on the road has.
KDSS or Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System
One feature that is only available on the TRD Off-Road model is KDSS or Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. No the pro does not come with this option. I personally have KDSS and love it. In stock form you will get a little more articulation off-road with it, and you get much better on road handling characteristics. I wrote an entire post on KDSS and you can find it here. The short and skinny on it is that it is a hydraulic like sway bar system with heavy duty sway bars front and back.
Crawl Control and Multi Terrain Select
Like I said above, the crawl control is crazy to see in action. It makes a lot of noise, but can get you unstuck, or up a hill better than your right foot can modulate. Crawl control can also help you descend hills without ever touching the brakes. You will have two knobs on the ceiling that let you choose the speed and how rough the terrain you are going through is. This is also where your E-locker switch will be.
Interior
If you want to get the most plush interior on your 4Runner I suggest you go with the Limited or the Nightshade edition. Those 2 models will have the nicest seats and leather of all the 4Runner models. These 2 trim levels however aren’t the best for off-roading. They feature an all-wheel drive system rather than a selectable 4 wheel drive system. So although the interior is nicer, it may not fit your needs as a trail rig. Pretty much every other model in the lineup has the same interior with a few tweaks here and there. The premium trim level (SR5, TRD Off-road Premium, and so on), will get you the leather/Softex over cloth seats. They will also get you a sunroof, although I believe now you can get the sunroof on a standard trim level.
When you get into the TRD off-road and the TRD Program levels, you will notice some more features than you will get on the SR5. The biggest one may be that the SR5 has a knob for the 4×4 transfer case and the TRD’s have what they call a J-shifter. This gives you that sure feeling of getting into gear. I’m not sure if there is actually any difference to the transfer case.
The other main thing you will notice in the TRD models over any of the other ones is the Multi-Terrain select and Crawl Control knobs on the headliner where, in an SR5 it is a sunglasses holder. They also have the carbon fiber looking center console, with the TRD shift knob. This shift knob is a definite improvement over the basic one. You will also find the Pro comes with TRD embroidered on the headrests
Exterior Features
With the different trim levels comes some different exterior features. The SR5 is your basic 4Runner. It looks just like every single one you see out on the road. When you move into the TRD off-road models you will find a few extra things.
TRD Off-Road Exterior
The TRD Off-Road gets the silver front and rear bumper garnishes, along with a non functional hood scoop. For me having the hood scoop was a must. I just liked the way it looked.
TRD Pro Exterior
When you get to the TRD Pro trim you also get the Heritage grill, and the bumper garnishes are now black. The last couple years the TRD Pros have changed the roof rack to be like the old FJ Cruisers roof basket. I am not a big fan of this roof rack, it sits very high and looks more unusable to me than your standard roof rack and crossbars. The TRD Pro gets different wheels too. They are flat black and have a little different offset than all the other wheels. This year they came out with a flow formed wheel that is supposed to be lighter. The TRD Pro wheels will also give you a 1″ wider stance over the other trim levels.
Limited Exterior
The Limited has an entirely different front and rear bumper with chrome accents on it. These bumpers have far less approach and departure angles than that of all the other models. One thing the Limited gets that none of the other models get is proximity sensors in the bumpers. I think these would benefit my wife more than anything as she likes to bump things with her bumper.
Nightshade Edition
The Nightshade Edition is the same as the Limited, but all the chrome has been blacked out so to speak. I’d say it’s more of a smoked chrome rather than blacked out. Both the Limited and the Nightshade come with 20″ wheels. The 20″ wheels will not do you a lot of good when it comes to going off-road. You will not be able to air them down like you would the 17″ wheels on the other trim levels.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to go off-road in your 4Runner, yes the basic SR5 trim level will get you there. If you really want to get into a little more crazy stuff I highly recommend stepping up to the TRD Off-Road trim level. You will get the rear locker, which can help in those situations where you just can’t get enough traction. If you really have to have the limited color for the year, and don’t care about the rear locker, look at the new Trail Edition. If you have the money to spend and want to go off-road without upgrading your suspension down the road, then grab the pro.
Keep in mind the Pro comes with a hefty price tag. In Colorado you will wait roughly 6 months to get a TRD Pro, and you will likely pay up to $10,000 OVER sticker. This brings the total price close to $70,000. For me I would never buy a Pro at the price. I got my Trail Edition (now the TRD Off-Road edition) for $37,000, then proceeded to upgrade things. This way for that $70,000 price tag I can make it exactly how I want it, not start with how Toyota wanted it and build from there.