Trump's 2019 4Runner TRD Offroad

Trump

Adventurist
Senior Staff
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Well, it's the unexpected things in life that often force changes. Our beloved 2006 Xterra 4x4, as mildly modified as it was, was nearly always our go-to vehicle for family adventure. It was our most highway friendly, comfortable, dog hauling vehicle. Two weekends ago, it saw its unplanned demise due to a distracted driver. I often pondered what I would replace the Xterra with when the time came, but was never entirely sure. I will miss the 6-speed manual and brisk acceleration that vehicle offered, but... this is a big upgrade in every other category. Truth be told, when I first was looking for a vehicle for my wife in 2008, the 4th Gen 4Runner was at the top of my list. However, at the time, it was over the top for our budget. The situation has changed 15 years later, and I'm quite happy to add this low mileage, like new, factory serviced 5th Gen 4Runner to the stable.

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Like the vehicle it replaced, this will see the majority of our road trip duty. But, it does offer a sizable advantage in offroad capability right out of the box. This stands to be a game-changer for potential trips in the future. That said, this "build" will be very short and mild in nature… Some subtle mods to cater to our daily needs and adding flexibility to our trip options.
 
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Stormtrooper white too. Love it!

Hmmm… StormRunner :coffee

The obnoxious insta-famous types shy me away from the thought of naming my vehicles, so I'll hold back on that.

Since I was raised in the desert and technically live in it now... I am quite comfortable with white. But, in this case, it was just circumstance. I really would have loved a TRD Pro color like Lunar Rock or Calvary Blue, but the price jump for a Pro was absurd for minimal additional substance.
 
Okay, first mod...

This one is possibly a bit unnecessary, but I always wanted this off the shelf product for my Tacoma.

Meso Customs Ultimate dual color map light!

I've always had very light sensitive eyes. So, having a friendlier night option is quite welcome. The quality of this light cannot be understated, and it functions beautifully.

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Before:
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After:
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Here at the Trump household, we have become quite accustomed to Android Auto in our vehicles. The integration of music and navigation in a manner that is seamless in our daily use is hard to beat. We were looking forward to the benefits a vehicle decades newer would offer from the OEM when we bought. Enter Toyota's crushing disappointment named Entune. This system, when it was new, was probably already 5 years behind the times... damn you Toyota for making such reliably briliant products and just outright failing to compete with the finishing details. I said an easy "goodbye" to the OEM Entune stereo and a happy welcome to the most feature rich Chinesium Android Tablet based stereo I've ever seen.

Before:

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After:

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This is the Cartrimhome (CTH) T10 4runner 9" stereo. It's a rather popular stereo upgrade with the 5th gen 4runner owners, and for good reason. So far, I'm very impressed with about every aspect of this upgrade. One of the biggest advantages this stereo has over typical Android Auto systems is that it's a fully functioning android tablet... there's no need to use Android Auto and limit yourself to only apps that have been approved and optimized for use with it. ALL Android apps will work and provide full functionality. That leads me to the reason I was after this:

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Fully functional Topo maps via Gaia, in dash.

Other notable features:
HD Display
Surround sound processor
Steering wheel controls work with it and can be programmed
Apple Carplay - For the Apple crowd
Wireless Android Auto - If you prefer apps to be streamlined for vehicle use
WiFi OBDII reader - Why not
Built in 4G support - Yeah, get a sim card for it and you have native internet and a built in phone number for your vehicle.
Two channel video recording - I got a dashcam with it, and will be installing that in the near future
Bonus - It weighs probably 5 lbs less than the factory system
 
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More interior lighting upgrades yesterday. Rear hatch lighting is now selectable white/red LED after installing these slick Icarus Hatch extreme lights from ArcLightLED.

Stock light assembly:
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New LED panel (note: the switch in the center):
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Installed after drilling a hole for the switch:
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Result:
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The Meso dome light for the Tacoma was finally in stock.

Sweet! I have no doubt it will have been worth the wait. I'm watching anxiously for the 4Runner ultimate dome light, and puddle lights/switch to come back in stock. I'm quite impressed with the quality from such a niche operation.
 
Sweet! I have no doubt it will have been worth the wait. I'm watching anxiously for the 4Runner ultimate dome light, and puddle lights/switch to come back in stock. I'm quite impressed with the quality from such a niche operation.

And it's back out of stock. Wow. I did manage to snag one.
 
This time around, even Heidi was looking for glare reduction. The hood scoop, although enhancing the tough appearance of the 4runner, reflects a tremendous amount of light back at the windshield. This might be her favorite addition yet.

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And here's an example of what a savior it can be...

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Note that both those photos are taken from the same location. That matte black really tones down that reflective surface.
 
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I was happy to lose the factory pulse width modulated halogen high beam/DRL's yesterday. The PWM DRL looks terrible... like your altenator has died, and your headlights are struggling to stay alive. A couple DRL LED drivers from Xenon Depot paired with their LED pro bulbs fixes that, improves the high beam, and plays nicely with the Toyota PWM DRL.

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Old on left, new LED on the right.

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Finally catching up on some updates here…

Daily dog hauling is the majority of what we do with the 4Runner. Even on days that we don’t have any plans, taking the dog to the park or to a trail for a hike is common. Seasonally that includes swimming in the river. And, as always with her condition (Megaeophagus), we have to protect the 4Runner from the possibility of random regurgitation without warning. Yes, that sucks as bad as it sounds. We have a “hammock” style cover for the rear seats and that works well. but that doesn’t protect door panels.

Canvasback is a proudly made in the U.S.A. company that makes some great interior protection items. Lucky for me, the 4Runner is well represented in their line of products. I was very happy to see door panel protection available when I found their website. The panels are custom fit to the 4Runner’s door shape. They are secured in place with either Velcro at the top or with plastic tabs that hook into the window seal with Velcro down low. I chose to go with the tabs with my order. They fit great and do an excellent job of protecting the rear door speakers and window switches from damage from liquids. Canvasback was even able to add red stitching on the boarder of the panels to match our TRD interior. OCD approved!

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For good measure, I also bought their cargo area protection, should we need to pile the dog into the cargo area. Again, fitment is great and trim stitching in red was included.

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I finally finished the dash camera install that was included as an option with my stereo replacement. It’s a Chinesium HD camera that seems to be very solidly constructed. Memory is done at the camera with a microSD card that can be ejected and removed immediately in the event of an accident. All settings are controlled via the app on the stereo (tablet). From the app you can change quite a number of settings for the camera, except switching from km/h to mph for the displayed speed… not a big deal, but annoying. Segments of video can be locked/saved, or the app will start overwriting old files after the SD card reaches its capacity. Stills can be taken during video playback and saved as well. It has been working without issue for about 3 months now, so I’m pretty happy with it.

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During the routing and hiding of the dash cam wiring, I added another sweet product from Meso Customs.

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This “puddle light” switch and wiring is a simple plug and play way to gain control of the lights on the under-side of the rear view mirrors. Normally, these only illuminate after the vehicle is unlocked via the key fob. This three position switch and wiring allows you to manually turn the lights on, leave in normal (auto) configuration, or disable completely.

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I have plans to add Meso’s LED light pods to upgrade the lights when they come in stock again. They are quite a bit brighter and can be somewhat effective as rock lights… really more side obstacle clearance lighting, and that’s more what I’m after anyway.
 
Not new territory here, and most with SUV's know the struggle. Cargo space runs out quick when you are going to do any additional activities in combination with a multi day trip. So, roof storage as flex space is a must. The factory rack doesn't have much space after adding a bike or SUP so it had to go. This full length Prinsu should work nicely.

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Not sure how I feel about this one yet, but I'm going to give it a chance...

I decided to upgrade the door courtesy lights to LED since everything else is and they stand out now with their dim yellowish glow. I saw some cheap LED plug and play lights that were cool white with a red rear facing strip of LEDs in the housing. After installing, I discover the red blinks when powered. It could bring attention to an approaching vehicle from the rear of an open door and add a level of safety. So, we'll see if it turns out to be more annoying than benefit.

Before:

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After:

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