Limted vs TRD-OR Ride quality - my take

Hi all, posting this as I keep seeing this come up frequently. I feel that I am uniquely qualified to weigh in on this as I have owned both a 2016 Limited and currently own 2016 TRD-OR. I drove about 800 miles on the limited and about 250 miles on the OR so far which is probably more miles than most have done to compare the two.

In summary, the Limited (sr5 hitachi black shocks) rides significantly worse. Small bumps are moderately noticeable. Large potholes, big road imprefections and speedbumps driven over fast are worse on the Limited. Tire noise is of course slightly more in the OR. The limited comes stock with excellent michelin ltx tires which are very quiet and smooth tires. I did not take either off road on any trails. That being said the firmer seats and durable pleather was very nice on the limited and the slighly less complaint suspension were not deal breakers. I simply wanted the OR features like crawl, mts/atrac and the locker. I lost $2500 in the trade which i figured would be less or about the same as upgrading shocks / tires and adding a locker to the limited.

All of the professional reviews that state the Limited rides smoother I think are erroneous. I drove both for a significant number of miles before coming to my conclusion, not just one afternoon like the reviewers. Hope this info is usefull, peace out.

 

Thanks OP for the comparison. I have the OR model as well. I was wondering is there any specific features that you miss from the Limited that were/are not available for the other models? I did not get ANY Tech packages, just wonder if there was something you miss. I wanted the locking diff on the OR, so that is my reason for the OR.

 

Thank you,
Makes me happy
I bought an Off Road and just added on options (Tech Package, Leather Seats, ect) to make the interior more like the Limited.

 

I got the premium/tech and tow in my OR. I miss the JBL and pleather in my Limited, although the non-jbl is actually pretty good sound and decent bass. I bought my OR off the lot and didnt want to wait to order one with JBL.

Now i have extra storage behind the seat for tools and my air compressor due to the absence of the subwoofer. Overall I love the nicer ride and the cool off road tech features. Going to hit Rausch creek offroad park in PA to test them all out.

 

I have the tow as well. Last Sept when the Taco was out; dealerships told my there was NO date for when the JBL system would be available. The website had NO options for it to be ordered. I needed a vehicle; and I fell in love with my Taco.

I have had two vehicles with moon/sun roofs in the far north of Canada in the winter and had problems. I live in Texas where it can get to 100F and it can get to -40F when I go to Canada ... so the moon roof was out. So I skipped the Tech Package. I have 45 years extreme driving experience, I don't need collision stuff etc. Auto lights may have been nice.

 

What problems with the moonroof have you had?
In the last 30 years I have always had a moonroof with. I problems. Just curious.

 

You know that JBL is an option for the Off Road, right? When I ordered mine, the sales person and the sales manager all told me that the OR doesn't come with the JBL. I brought up the option package on my phone and they both, unapologetically, said "oh." My TRDOR has JBL and it sounds pretty good.

 

TRD Sport and Limited = Hitachi Shocks

Hitachi Shocks FTMFL

 

I think it depends on what you consider "ride quality". My 2007 Subaru Impreza STI had what I consider great ride quality , but I could feel all of the bumps and potholes. It could corner much better than any other car I have owned though.

I figure the off-road is tuned to absorb bumps and pot holes so it feel more like you are riding on a cloud. This doesn't necessarily mean the ride quality is worse on the limited, just different.

 

JBL and Tech packages vary based on different factors. Your location that you access the Toyota Build website makes a difference. Toyota constantly changes the website, and some people in different locations do NOT see the same thing. I am in Texas; one brother in law is in Arkansas. Months later I tested this theory. Brother in law could NOT see JBL option in Arkansas, but I could see it in Texas. Cleared browser cookies etc. I used Teamviewer to remote to his computer to verify. He was going to upgrade his old Tundra to a new Taco, but decided to wait until the JBL became available.

I was also told by a Toyota Engineer visiting our dealership that Toyota configures the assembly line in a certain way for certain reasons which also affects the availability of the options.

I do know many on this forum do have Tech Packages and JBL with their TRD OR Tacos, so there are certainly ways to get it.

At the time I tried to do a USA search for my Taco. I would have just flown to the location to get it and bring it home, but none could be found at that time. I was one of the select few to even get a Taco last September let alone finding a TRD OR model.

 

Hmmmn..OP does the limited and OR have the same wheel/tire package?

 

Hi. Limited has 18" wheels with Michelin ltx all season road tires. OR has 16" wheels wth Goodyear adventure all terrains.

The sport and limited do not have the same model hitachi branded shocks. Ones on the limited/sr5 are painted black, the sport ones are painted yellow. They are both made by hitachi but a different model. Yes I did look under the trucks on the lot and my truck to confirm this.

I know the OR is available with JBL. The blue one they actually had on the lot which I bought didn't have it. My limited was also blue and I loved the color. i didn't want to order and wait forever just for the JBL.

 

This is exactly the case. Stiffer ride means harder bumps but better cornering/handling (in general). The OR of course, rides softer than the other models so you don't eat your steering wheel.

 

The JBL is available with DC option in the TDR & Trail models.

 

I've got 5000 miles on my Limited thus far and have had no issues at all. Love the truck! It rides much better than the OR TRD and I was glad I got the Limited even though I had to give up the gizmos of the TRD model. Took the TRD offroad and if I did that often, I would surely get one but since my driving is 99% highway, I'd much rather have the Limited and the smoother ride.

 

Did you happen to buy the blue OR from New Holland Toyota?

 

The Limited has Michelin LTX 265/60R/18 tires while the OR has Goodyear Adventure All Terrain 265/70R/16 tires. I'll bet if you put 16" Michelin LTX's with the higher sidewall on the Limited, the ride will equal or exceed that of the OR.

 

Interesting to see this discussion on ride quality between 2 different suspensions. Never drove a limited, but I'm extremely happy with the OR ride on and off road. I can tell you off road bumps etc. the suspension shines...absolutely awesome. 2nd TRD truck, 1st an 2002. The cabin is far quieter than my 1st generation. Surprised the limited ride is less than stellar. I believe the OR was the best choice for me.

 

There isn't anything wrong with the Limited in terms of ride quality which is subjective to say the least. Comparing a off road truck trim to a street/light/medium duty truck trim, of course you are going to have a better suspension for those potholes and crap roads when driving the OR. The suspension was designed to handle that. I drove both, I didn't need or want all of the OR capabilities and I didn't want to add the softex seats as a dealer option nor did I want to have to add all of the options to the OR. The Limited to me rides smoother and is easier on my back compared to the OR. I'm not sure if they use different sound deadening material or if it was just the tires but the OR was louder too, then again the OR has tires geared towards off-road. If I was going to use my truck for serious off-roading then I would have taken the OR in a heartbeat but all I needed was a basic 4x4 loaded and comfortable and the Limited does that exceptionally well.

 

Glad the trim levels were ride specific. Some like the more car like ride, especially if it's rarely going off the beaten path. The limited has a lot of creature comforts I didn't need or desire. Glad you like your truck, that's all that matters in the end. My 4th Toyota Truck. Started out with a 1983 Landcruiser. All have been great vehicles. I tend to opt the off road appearance and ride. Enjoy your truck, I'm beginning to really like mine! Close to 2800 miles on it now.