The 4Runner TRD Pro Series Proves Toyota Still Has a Soul

In college, I owned several older vehicles, but the one that I held more dear was my 1986 Toyota 4Runner SR5. Though I enjoyed it in the early 2000s, every time I drove it, I felt as if I had been transported to the 1980s. As great a time capsule as it was– it was even better on the trail. Thanks to the new TRD Pro Series, Toyota has finally built another 4Runner that lives up to the first-gen (below).


As one of the debuts this past week from the 2014 Chicago Auto Show, the 4Runner was joined by the Tundra and Tacoma pickups as vehicles receiving this new TRD Pro Series upgrade.

PHOTOS: See more of the 2015 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Series
This upgrade package was conceived with Toyota Racing Development (TRD), and features Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs, tuned front springs, TRD front skid plate, black wheels, and the unique Inferno color.

PHOTOS: See more Toyota 4Runner Models
Each of the TRD Pro Series models have certain unique components separate from the others. For the 4Runner that means exclusive mods like a 1.5-inch lift for the front suspension, an added inch of overall wheel travel (how much the shocks can go up and down) and 17-inch black alloy wheels.

RELATED: See more of the 2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Series
This special model of the 4Runner ditches the milquetoast current Toyota for the old-school “TOYOTA” badging on the front grille. It is definitely the best 4Runner the brand has built in years. We say, “Kudos” to Toyota for letting us know they still have a pulse.






http://www.boldride.com/ride/2015/toyota-4runner-trd-pro-series#gallery/3


I would not pay for all the extras. I would buy bone stock and build my own

 

Available on 4X4 models of Tundra, Tacoma and 4Runner, all TRD Pro Series vehicles will be equipped with:
TRD Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs
TRD-tuned front springs
TRD front skid plate
Unique front grille with “TOYOTA” badging (pays tribute to early iconic Toyota models)
TRD floor mats
TRD shift knobs
Black wheels
A hot new color, Inferno, is joined by Black and Super White, cool classics for off-road rigs.
Rock Star 4Runner
Adding to its rock-crawling prowess, 4Runner TRD PRO will be exclusively equipped with:
1.5” lift for the front of the vehicle
1” of additional wheel travel
All-new 17-inch TRD all-black alloy wheels
Black TRD Pro badges
Black front and rear lower bumper accents
Street Cred On and Off-Road
The TRD Pro Series is the most-advanced yet in a long line of TRD packages for Toyota trucks that dates back to 1998 when the first Off-Road package was introduced for Tacoma.
TRD has been an in-house engine and chassis developer for successful Toyota racing activities around the world for nearly four decades. It also develops motorsport-derived accessories for Toyota, Lexus and Scion street cars and trucks. TRD’s U.S. operations were first established in 1979 and are headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., with an additional facility in Salisbury, N.C.
The TRD Pro Series will start getting down and dirty in the fall of 2014.