What do the different Toyota model letter acronyms mean?

Okay, I have to jump in and ask mine, what the hell is a Prerunner?

 

I love the old row crop tractors. They have that look, like they can kill you just by sitting still.

 

I think I read somewhere a while back that a "prerunner" was a pickup that traditionally drove along the route of an off-road truck race to make sure the course was clear/safe.

 

Exactly this. They're also generally 2wd, extreme suspension mods/travel, fiberglass fenders, etc. They started getting popular here in So.Cal. back in the mid 90's, in fact a couple of friends when I was in HS built one out of an early 90's F-150. Desert racing was pretty popular back then and several courses were within 100 miles of where I grew-up so it was a popular activity to drive your Pre-Runner out to the course to spectate, one friend actually got a job on a race team running parts and supplies between pits in his pre-runner.

Today I don't see as many 'home-built' Pre-Runners as I used to, although there is a guy down the street from me who built what appears to be a very functional one out of a 2nd Gen Taco. So they're still out there.

 

We bought a brand new 2012 Highlander SE and I always figured the SE stood for “Special Edition” as opposed to “Sport Edition”. Toyota often releases an SE towards the end of a design span.

 

It is Marketing badgery.

Gives the Marketing folks a method to differentiate the model line trims.

My truck is labeled as a TRD Sport SR5. Don't care what it means, I like the truck. Its just a bit confusing on part websites when sifting through the model selections.

 

ACLBFTMFW

 

Limited to stores for menopausal women in distant suburbs At least that is the Rav Limited demographics around here

 

All that, and I think the 2wd class races before the 4wd class. I might have conveniently made that up over time.

 

My wife's 2007 RAV4 has 4WD lock button you can activate if you're stuck. Outside of pushing that button, it's AWD for the rest of the time.

Here's a (crappy) video showing how it works - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDQoe9f6JY

I will say that RAV4 of hers is pretty capable offroad and in the snow.

 

Limited as in that driver is demonstrating their limmited-intelligence of operating a motor vehicle by tailgating a dump truck.

 

We used to have a top trim Sienna XLE and I vividly remember my 8-yr old son, then, saying LE meant Low End! LMAO

 

LOL.....

We had a bottom end econo box Corolla CE. I always figured the CE meant "Cheap Edition"

 

I think this is also the case in EU. In EU standards, a vehicle can only be labeled 4wd if it can operate in 4wd 24/7. All others like Tacoma are part-time 4wd.

I never liked awd as a label, as an awd vehicle can be 4wd if it has a lockable central diff. According to US naming, g-wagon is not a 4wd but an awd vehicle.

 

I’ve also like Toyota’s SE’s. They always look different then the other models. My wife has a 2016 RAV4 SE and the front grill is different from the others. You can take a base RAV4 and a Limited, and looking at the front, they look the same. Looking at the RAV4 SE, the front is different.
The 2021 Highlander SE is also different, it looks a lot nice IMO.

 

LOL. Good one too!

 

It does

CE replaced the DX in the Toyota world

Honda - DX for us poor people. LX for middle class. EX for rich (honda lingo)

Toyota was DX, LE, XLE.

Then they went CE, LE, XLE, Limited.


Since then they have been adding the S, SE, and XSE to anything that moves

 

That's not exactly how the RAV4 4WD system works. It's normally FWD and only activates the 4WD viscous coupling in certain conditions. While you can use the lock button to pull in the coupling manually, it automatically releases the coupling at 25mph and reverts to FWD. Only the automatic system can activate the 4WD coupling above 25mph.

 

I think it's: Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD

 

PRO - perfect revenue opportunity. Slap on some stickers and $1500 shocks and charge $10k more.