Thinking of buying a 4R, differences between 15 and 16? (SR5/TRD?)

I was pretty set on eventually buying a Taco, but after honestly evaluating my needs and intended usage, it seems a 4R suits my needs much better.

I like to mountainbike and camp and cart around the dog, so I think a SUV suits me better. I don't really have much occasion to do pickup truck stuff. I still think certain design elements of the 5th gen 4R's look a bit strange, but all in all they tick the capability, resale, reliability, and offroadability boxes.

I'm looking at buying a few years old, and I see a good amount of 15 and 16's. Are there any model year differences that make any difference other than one simply being 1 model year newer?

There are 3 SR5's local that are currently attracting my attention:

A CPO white '15 SR5 with 25k miles for $27,995.
A MGM '15 SR5 Premium (tan interior) with 31k miles for 27,980.
A MGM '16 SR5 (with sidesteps) and 35k miles for $27,495.

I'm kind of thinking the Super White CPO one is the best deal based on mileage and being CPO, but how important is that with these? When I was thinking of a Jeep, CPO was a MUST, but with these being reliable as the are, do I really need the extra warranty? I'm thinking it certainly can't HURT though.

I'm drawn to the sunroof and heated seats of the Premium, but unsure of the tan "leather". I think I want cloth this time around. Price seems pretty good though based on other I've seen.

The '16MGM has the most miles but is slightly cheaper, and one model year newer. The more I look at this color, the more I like it. Not sure if the giving up being Certified and having 5-10k more miles is worth the $500 savings over the other two.

BTW, these 3 are by far an away the best deals within 100 miles of me. I prob can't go wrong with either one.

Other concern is that I was dead set on getting a TRD Taco, however it's a few grand more for the 4R and I really don't want to spend that much or have to go new. Is the ATRAC on the SR5 better than open diffs? I won't be rockcrawling with the thing, just unimproved roads and snow wheeling, the beach, and maybe some mud (though I try to stay away from it). I'm looking more for something I can blast through deep snow with and take down logging roads and such in the mountains.


Thanks for any info!

 

I got my wife a ‘14 SR5 Premium with 3rd row. I love it. When we were looking for a Taco for me, we decided to possibly upgrade her 4Runner. However, when we got to looking we noticed their really isn’t much difference. i know some electronics are newer.

Good luck with your search. The hardest thing for us was finding a 3rd row SR5 Premium.

 

Thanks.

All the ones I was looking at are without the rear seat, which is what I want. The cargo space is more important to me than the passenger capacity. I rarely ever have people in the back seat, never mind a 3rd row, haha.

 

Totally understandable. Unfortunately with all the kids we got it was either a 4runner with 3rd row or a minivan.

 

Good choice! Though you can't beat a minivan for the space to gas mileage ratio. A friend of mine has one as her car camping vehicle, and she raves about the space. Much like you, I could just never bring myself to drive one, haha.