SR5 vs Limited

Hello all!

I'm a soon to be tundra owner, upgrading from my 2019 Taco. And I have been contemplating sr5 off road vs limited hybrid off road.

I am upgrading for several reasons. We are starting a mobile coffee trailer and needed a hauler to tow it around. And also we have a family of 5 and the Taco was just way too small for my kids to sit comfortably. Aside from that I like to do light off roading/overlanding.

Originally I was all for a loaded SR5 knowing it could handle everything I wanted. But as time went on I became convinced I should spend the extra money and get the hybrid. The extra power will make towing a more enjoyable experience. Especially when my wife is towing. And I love the chrome delete that comes with the limited. Also, my wife wants ventilated seats

At the end of the day I would get a loaded SR5 for 6-7k less than if I chose the hybrid. And when it comes down to it, it seems like all I’d miss is the hybrid upgrade I likely will hardly notice, chrome delete I could do on my own, and ventilated seats.

Am I wrong here? I’d love to buy the SR5 knowing it’s fully capable to keep me happy for a long time and that I won’t regret not spending the extra money for the limited. Any advice or insights is welcome. Thank you!

 

Buy once, cry once.

Get the hybrid. You won't regret it!!

- signed, a happy hybrid owner who tows a travel trailer.

 

Get the hybrid, seriously

-non hybrid owner

 

What the others said…..Hybrid all the way. Also if you can find one, make sure it has the advance pack for load leaving rear suspension

 

If you pick the hybrid make sure you can live with out the rear under seat storage, that’s where the battery is located. I could not so I bought a non hybrid.

 

Non-hybrid, limited with chrome delete and 3 inch lift with Trd off-road package. Oh, and tow mirrors with 6.5 bed!

 

I don’t believe that the seats are real leather in the limited and I HATE softex that’s why I went with an SR5 and am upgrading to katskins with heated and ventilated seats from my local shop. Non hybrid= less stuff to break / replace when it wears out= higher resell in 10 years.

 

You do realize that the gasser and hybrid have almost the same towing/payload capacity right?

 

I have an SR5 TRD Sport premium and love it. The Softex is as good as low grade leather that comes on 90 percent of vehicles that don't have nappa leather. I live in deep south and no difference in temp in the summers. I think Softex will last 1000 years and not get stretch marks like every other leather I have had.

The limited was a no for we due to the chrome. I had zero interest is spending time and or money doing a truck make over

If I had to buy again I would 100 percent buy the exact same truck.

The only legit concern is resale. KBB does not give proper credit for option packages. Not a Tundra thing but a KBB thing So a SR5 premium that is ventilated seats away from being a limited will get dinged. If you trade frequently the then give that some thought. If you plan on owning it a long time then get what you want/need and dont lay awake at night worrying about a few bucks in 2032 resale value.

For hybrid non hybrid test drive and make your pick. For me not with the $s and when I bought it heavily impacted availability.

You will notice a heavy slant on these boards to higher models is my experience as a long time truck but first time Tundra owner. But buy what works for you and your budget and enjoy the truck.

 

more importantly than any of that, get the load leveling rear if you are going to tow

 

I,don’t like leather, or sun/moon roofs so the limited was out for me.

went with the sr5 offroad which in my opinion is the best bang for your buck.

 

I was in the same boat recently. Came from a 2021 Tacoma and I only have one kid but man road trips were brutal in the Tacoma with a short bed and luggage overflowing into the cab. I was really wanting a long bed for business purposes so options were very limited for me. But I was deciding between an SR5 off road with all the upgrades. After dealer discount it was going to be around 58k. Didn’t have a long bed though and was still in transit to the dealer so never actually got to see it. Also was black and had a black truck before and was not a fan of it always being dirty. Other truck was a hybrid limited long bed in smoked mesquite. Had the 360 cameras, trailer assist, digital rear view mirror, and a lot of other options. Some I wanted some I couldn’t really care about. Truck with discount was around 62k. I was thinking I really wanted the off road package for the diff lock, but I had them on both my last two Tacomas and never used them so figured why not go with the nicer of the two models and get a lot of the features my Tacoma didn’t have. Ended up just going with the limited as it had the long bed I needed. There are some cons though, like stated above the hybrid does not have the under seat storage so storage space is limited in the cab. Not the end of the world as you can add a bed cover and throw stuff in there. Also you will hear about MPG not being as good as the sticker states. I only have about 600 miles on my truck so not to sure what I’ll be getting but work from home and it’s a truck so gas mileage really doesn’t matter to me. Overall I love the truck and it’s light years ahead of the Tacoma in terms of power and tech. Plus I’ve driven on the highway a few times since getting it and it does not have the downshifting issue Tacomas had. But at the end of the day if you really want that stuff that comes in the limited just spring for that if you are going to live with this truck long term. It was about a 4k difference for me to go with the hybrid limited and I thought it was well worth it over the premium SR5.

 

SR5 All the Way!

The Limited trim adds electric seats. I'm the only one that typically drives my truck and I don't mind setting the position manually once and leaving it there. The non-motorized seats are about 1000 times more likely not to have mechanical problems in a few years.

The Limited trims add chrome detailing. Many people end up removing the chrome by replacing or painting it. So you're paying extra for chrome that you may want to pay even more money to remove.

Limited trims adds heated seats/steering wheel. I suppose that would be nice in colder climates but when I lived in the Colorado mountains I just wore gloves and thick clothes when it was cold outside. On snow/ice days you had to run the engine for 30min to melt off all the ICE that formed on your windows before you could drive. Trying to remove it with a scraper without first warming up the windows was almost impossible. The heated seats and steering wheel don't help. By the time the ice melts the entire interior is warm.

The Limited is likely to have the giant 14" screen which I hate because it looks really out of place. The 8" screen looks much better and blends into the console. The high end JVC option is only marginally better than the standard option and that's why most people that went JVC end up sending $1000's more to try and get decent high fidelity sound. (I did add the mini hide-away Amp to my base system that makes it's sound pretty decent)

The Limited deletes the handy shelf above the glove box for some strange reason. It's a really cool design feature that all the higher trims delete.

My SR5 came fairly loaded, OEM traffic camera, center console safe, bed step, running boards, USB power package, mats, etc. So I never felt like I'm missing something. I do like some of the features that higher trims have but they can be added much cheaper than buying the high-end package in order to get them. Like the genuine leather seats in the 1794 limited edition.

 

SR5 will tow a coffee trailer and not even know it’s there. There are several arguments to be made either way, but a well optioned SR5 probably brings the most value for your money. Downside is that if you think you will offload it in 5 years or less, you won’t see that investment in the options come through. They will only see ‘SR5” and value it at that. If you think you will keep it a long time, then that won’t matter near as much.

On the flip side, making your wife happy is your job. The Hybrid is probably the best driving experience. And if you have the money and it wouldn’t be better suiting going somewhere else, then spend it.

If money was no object, I would get a 1794 Hybrid or Pro, but it is, and for my needs the SR5 TRD OR is more than enough.

 

I have a loaded SR5 OR and like it a lot. 14" screen, softex seats, heated steering wheel, etc. One minor thing that surprised me, frankly, was that the premium package that got the softex power seats with lumbar did not come with the memory function. I am the only driver so it isn't a huge deal but I kind of like having a memorized reference driving position that I can always return to after trying different ones. And there is really no way to backfit that feature... it needs a wire harness and another computer and programming, etc. Not sure if that programming is even possible. Pretty crazy that one would have to go to a whole 'nother trim level to get one almost trivial feature. But there it is.

 

Question for the hybrid owners: I was a bit surprised to read some of the advice, did you test drive both the hybrid and non-hybrid when you purchased?

I recently went non-hybrid after extended test drives of a limited and a TRD Pro. I went into this test wanting to buy the TRD Pro. My passenger and I honestly could not feel an acceleration difference at full throttle between the two trucks. We could definitely hear TRD Pro exhaust, but actual acceleration felt nearly identical from a stop. Obviously this wasn't a controlled test with a stopwatch or sitting on a dynomometer to measure horsepower. I am an engineer, logic tells me that with the increased horsepower-to-weight ratio of the hybrid, it has to accelerate faster. I was just disappointed at the amount of perceivable difference. Since the fuel mileage was also only marginally improved, it was hard to justify the additional $14k for the Pro/hybrid.

 

i heard both arguments saying the hybrid has better off the speed line and then people say the non hybrid has very similar power and you won’t notice much of a difference. Watched a ton of videos before I bought mine and figured they are very close to each other. I test drove the only the hybrid as it had the long bed I was looking for. The only trucks on the lot that was a non hybrid were a base sr5 (which I wanted more features than that) so didn’t bother test driving that and a 1794 which was past my budget I wanted to spend so didn’t bother with test driving that either. But I’ve heard both have similar performance just the hybrid gives you better off the line performance. But who knows if that is really true or not. I’d have been fine with either but was limited to one truck cause my need for the long bed

 

My advice is not to assume standard features. I do not like leather seats or a lot of chrome. My last Tundra was a 2016 Platinum, so I went to Toyota.com and compared standard features and optional packages for the Platinum, Limited and SR5. I found base and loaded SR5, Limited base and loaded and Platinum models on Dealer websites that were optioned very differently and picked a well optioned Limited with the Nightshade (black out) package and softek seats. The point is, I like to research and by what I like. And I found it…by the way, Limited does not always have sun roof…

 

I test drove both for something to do but my mind was already made and had ordered a Hybrid. Some will say it isn't cost justified but I cut my annual fuel burn by about 40% going to the hybrid. As for towing I only towed with the Hybrid but can say it tows WAY better than my 2012 Platinum did, my Surf boat is 5000 lbs and you don't even know its back there. Load Leveling rear is a must, or prepare yourself to add aftermarket air bags.

Non Hybrid owners will say it's not worth it, Hybrid owners will tell you the opposite. I would go with the opinions of people who Actually own one. I would buy another tomorrow

 

You saved almost half of your gas bill by going with a hybrid???

Am I reading that right? 40%?

 

I did something similar, I went to the Toyota website and looked for the Truck with the most shit on it.....and bought it LOL

 

Hey, cool it with the voice of reason and practicality crap! That's not how we roll here!

 

You cut your fuel burn by 40%? The hybrid gets 1mpg better than the non-hybrid at most

 

He must be using that new math!

 

Wrong. LOL But you enjoy your day now

 

What do you average for mileage?

 

I got a Limited Hybrid, not by choice, but because I wanted the color. The only solar octane's trucks they had coming in at my dealership were Limited Hybrids, so I grabbed the cheaper of the 2 coming in. I'm missing the pano roof, which I didn't want, the JBL, which I was indifferent to, and the upgraded headlight package, which I kinda wanted, but it's not the end of the world. I'm more than happy with the Hybrid. My son ended up finding a solar octane SR5 a month later at another dealer, which was a nightmare to buy from, and copied me.

The Hybrid feels heavier and more substantial on the road. My son's SR5 feels lighter and more nimble, more of a sporty feel to it. My son and I can feel a difference off the line, but not by a substantial amount. I think the experts rate the Hybrid at a 1/2 second faster to 60. My truck weighs about 500 lbs more than the his. Both are TRD ORs. I live in Phoenix, so the ventilated seats are appreciated. The memory of Limited is also great since I'm over 6 feet tall and my wife is 5'3". I'm a bit older, so I appreciate more of the features in the Limited than the SR5 gives. My son wanted a Limited, but it wasn't in his budget. So I have fun telling him I got the fine Corinthian softex over his SR5 softex, but we both know it's the same. It's just fun to pick on him and make him pissy. That's what he gets for copying me.

 

I test drove a 2022 non hybrid Platinum first. (Summer of 22). Loved the AVS, HUD, and felt it had plenty of power over the 2017 Tacoma I was replacing. Deal fell through due to ADM. I disliked the start/stop, even though I thought the "if you don't press the brake too hard it won't shut off" trick was pretty cool.

I then test drove a 2023 hybrid at the 2022 LA Auto Show. The Toyota rep was urging us to stomp on it to really feel the power, and hoo boy did that truck deliver!! Decided then that the hybrid was for me. 583 lb ft of torque rocks!

I think it boils down to price and if you care about the extra torque or not. I enjoy the extra grunt when pulling my travel trailer, but YMMV! I also despise start/stop and the hybrid is the best of both worlds with that regard - I still have it but the transition is seamless. To those that worry about future reliability, I say that Toyota hybrids are the best in the business and I'm confident that I'll have no problems.

Another common complaint about the hybrid is "muh STORAGE". I still have storage space for road flares, bungee cords, ratchet straps, first aid kit, "D" shackle, and other items. And that's WITH the JBL! So IMHO unless you drag around a lot of overlander crap you should be fine.

Personal choice, no doubt. My $0.02, backed up by the fact that I voted already with my wallet!

EDIT: I just saw the above convo about mileage. DO NOT think that the hybrid gets you better mileage! I get around 18mpg and that's stock truck. 12mpg when towing. Hybrid purchase should be for TORQUE not MILEAGE!

 

Or have a car seat in the back and the under seat storage is basically useless unless you want to take the car seat out every time you need to access it. My solution was what I did in my Tacoma. Jump pack, first aid kit behind the rear seat and then a weather proof case with tool kit, more robust first aid kit, and other various gear I like to have just in case. Do have a Diamondback cover so don’t have to worry about it being stolen but has worked out well and don’t have to unhook my toddler to access any of it

 

This was initially important to me, but now I have kid seats there permanently so it's kind of difficult to access the storage