acurry420

Hello everyone,

I am looking into getting a GX470 or a V8 4Runner. I really like the nicer amenities of the GX. I'm coming from an Acura TL 6-speed, so I prefer a little more sporty ride and would love to find a KDSS GX. It will be mostly my commuter/family hauler, but would get the occasional offroad trail use. It would also be able to tow my mustang if/when needed.

I've read that if the Nav goes, it's a pricey fix. I've also read that work on KDSS can be pricey too.

So I want to hear from all of you how your NAV and KDSS are doing after all these years? At what mileage did they go out and how much was the repair? If they still work after all these years, I'd like to hear your success stories too.

Assuming the CarFax and inspection go well, would you rather get a stripped down version (non-KDSS, non-NAV) or get one loaded with KDSS and NAV?

My Unicorn would be an Ash Blue with Tan interior, KDSS, without NAV. I've been searching for about a month now and the only KDSS equipped ones I've found also have NAV, which I won't use and don't want to worry about it failing. Are there aftermarket suspension systems that handle on road like the KDSS.

I welcome your opinions and knowledge.

werewolf

I was looking a month ago for what you were looking for. Below is what I learned

KDSS -- rarely breaks unless you seriously off-road. It is a hydraulic system which can leak -- very few dealers actually know how to service the KDSS or have the special equipment to do so. The big real-life advantage are the bigger sway bars and better on-road manners. Google KDSS lean to see what can go wrong

You can go to aftermarket to stiffen the suspension but there doesn't appear to be a clear winner. Google Bilstein 5100, metaltech, arnott on this forum.

The NAV gets dated pretty quickly - there was a refresh in 2007 and you can get updated NAV disks from the dealer or ebay. I priced them at cUS$120. The HVAC is partly integrated into the NAV

Most sports looks to be silver or grey. Send me a PM if you'd like a couple of leads on a sport

maxx430

I'm sitting at around 140k miles and neither my navigation or kdss gone bad nor have I heard of them being a common failure to cause concerns. The navigation is old school but it does the job, I use my phone 90% of the time for navigation or you can replace it with a huge Tesla style screen (search here on this site).

chiph9

No problems with the Nav. However my discs date from 2013 and that's as new as they'll ever get (no more updates are being released).

Chip H.

acurry420

Thanks guys. I test drove an '04 today with NAV. The ride felt similar to a 4Runner, but it's been a while since my last 4Runner drive. I did find the seating position and cushion much better than the 4Runner. The swing out tailgate is a little odd, but no issues with using it. I didn't like how I had to use the NAV screen to change some of the HVAC settings, so I'm going to try to focus on a non-NAV one, even if it makes it significantly harder to get KDSS.

Does anyone know of an aftermarket lift kit that gives similar performance to KDSS? I know ICON and OME have good systems, but has any comparisons been done?

maxx430

Not that I know of. My KDSS has bigger sway bars and that is a separate function from the lift.