Have you/do you own a 4Runner too?

They’ll definitely get it by 2025 according to Toyotas overall plan.

 

We have both. I think the tacoma is more enjoyable to drive than the 4runner....and I don't consider the tacoma to be particularly enjoyable to drive.

The hullabaloo about the 4.0 and 5 speed auto is just that. It's slow, it has massive kick downs and gets shitty fuel economy. The 3.5 in the tacoma is a middling engine as well, paired with a badly programmed 6 speed.

FWIW, we've had more issues with our 2018 4runner than our 2019 tacoma. Not major issues, but at 50K miles the cheap plastics in the 4R are beginning to show that they will age not so gracefully.

One thing in the 4runners favor, it won't smoke on a steep hill like the Taco does. Also, the stock suspension on the T4R held up better than the Taco OR. While both have been replaced I was having all sorts of issues with the rear bilstiens on the Taco.

 

What part of the country do you live in? Sun damage to the plastics?

 

It spent the first 2 years in Norcal. We now live in Southern Utah. Vehicle is garaged.

The door panels and the plastic trim about the glovebox look bad. Has notihng to do with sun damage.

There's a lot of stroking that goes on these forums over 4runners and land cruisers. I own both in addition to the Taco. They all have their drawbacks. They are not magical, they are not perfect. They are not without their idiosyncrasies.

All three get out wheeled by Jeep XJs. All three get worse fuel economy than my Ram 2500 diesel work truck. These vehicles excel at nothing in particular. What they are is fairly trouble free and don't depreciate. Their in-class competition also sucks.

When I purchased them, they represented a good value for the money. With the prices now, I wouldn't consider buying either until the market cools off.

Ia actually think long trips in both newer Toyotas are borderline punishing. My old 80 series land cruiser is much more comfortable and refined on long trips.

 

Thats fair and I don’t disagree with much of that based on my recent experiences. Maybe a little harsh, but truthful. And I did sell my Tacoma now without replacing it because of this market like you mentioned.

As for the more risky wheeling, I have an older Jeep trail rig for that. I enjoyed pushing the Tacomas I had on trails and they did awesome…but it was no serious rock crawler or anything. I didn’t expect it to be the best at anything, but was good at everything. I did enjoy how capable the Tacomas were while still maintaining good on road drive ability on 33s. I just ultimately didn’t like the 3.5/6 speed combos. For the amount of money I had into the vehicle it wasn’t worth it to me long term. By selling it now I actually made money by owning it this year.

I think the maneuverability of the 4Runner while off road and it’s capability would suit my needs. We like to explore and take longer trips, but it wasn’t as enjoyable in the Tacoma. I would describe what I’m searching for as the desire to be comfortable while still having the vehicle fit onto the trails… and also have a better on road experience than my 3.5L Tacomas did. Fuel mileage isn’t paramount. Just want at least 300 miles range on the highway. I like the modern conveniences of passive keyless entry, push button start, LED headlights, etc. I like that Toyota holds its value and is likely more comfortable on road than a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.

It’s asking a lot, I know. We are all searching for something and perfect doesn’t exist.

 

I think all anyone can do is get as close as they can to perfect by checking as many boxes as you can between comfort, performance and function. If need be, modify to suit your needs. Some people get their rigs dialed in, some people modify and others just move on. In our case, my wife really liked the way my truck drove but needed an suv so the 4runner checked that box. MPGs weren’t a huge concern since she (mostly) works from home and catches flights the rest of the time.

 

Yeah everything is sort of a trade off. For me, I bet I would like the 4Runner with a Magnusson supercharger. That might be my ideal SUV until they redesign the 4Runner entirely. And it would still cost less than a Wrangler Rubicon. Probably not many Jeep fans here, but they do hold their value really well. I like the new Wrangler Unlimited and it has a nicer interior than the 4Runner. That interior is a little small for me in width/height dimensions. Toyota quality/reliability still has them beat in my opinion. I definitely feel proud when owning a Toyota because of it.

 

There is much more interior space!!! The seats are wider and more comfortable. While the steering feels similar, the 4runner has slight heavier steering. The 4runner has incredible build quality with bullet proof reliability. The materials selected by Toyota for every part of the 4runner seem higher quality. Just to name a few, I think the metal on the frame is thicker, interior is plastic but not cheap looking/feeling plastic like the taco. I have 136,000 miles on it and ~20,000 is off road. In 11 years I haven’t even had a hint of an issue.

I do NOT have any issues with the transmission unless the cruise control is on while ascending a steep grade.

I may grow to love the Taco as much as my 4runner but right now the 4runner is the clear choice.

 

Sounds like it’s got a great track record for you so far. That’s great. What’s up with the cruise?

 

I drive a 3rd gen DCLB SR5 and my wife drives our 2018 SR5 premium. We love our 4Runner. Very comfortable for longer trips and we got the 3rd row version to have the extra seats if needed. We only have one kid right now but we figure it’s nice to have for the future.

 

being in S’ern UT, have you noticed that your a-pillars get sticky in the summer when the sun is beating down? Mine did…I had forgotten about that till reading your post about the plastics.

 

Please explain what happens when they get sticky and how you managed to noticed that. Lol.

 

I have not noticed it. My son has complained about it on his second gen Tacoma.

 

I recall it was when replacing my registration/ inspection sticker. Was wiping off finger prints and hit it with the back of my hand. I have an OCD thing with sticky surfaces so it stood out immediately. It’s like they were melting. It’s not an area that gets touched a lot, obviously, but it bugged the hell out of me.

 

That makes sense. I haven’t had to mess with inspection stickers in the windshield in the states I’ve lived in for years now. Does the plastic look visibly weird after that?

 

I didn’t notice sticky plastic living in the PNW. Finally a benefit to our climate.

 

Nah. Which is what confused me. Definitely sticky, but never looked any different.

 

Yep!

So weird.

 

Just to echo most everyone else:

4Runner is better in basically every conceivable way, in my opinion. Only real downsides are no bed, shorter wheelbase not ideal for towing, and purchase price (but not that off base from Tacomas).

I've owned two 5th gen 4Runners and I loved them both more than any vehicle I've ever owned, including higher performance sports cars. The build quality is ridiculous and the ride is much more comfortable than the Tacoma.

I also love the Tacoma a lot, especially as I use the bed basically every other day for hauling household crap and we tow a smallish travel trailer. The 4Runner was a bit less confidence-inspiring while towing in the curves due to the shorter wheelbase and it always made me cringe to throw muddy, dirty, wet camping stuff in the nice, carpeted, expensive trunk.

But man I miss the 4Runners. Would love to own both but that's financially ridiculous. Also that roll-down rear window.....it's the best.

Never felt like the drivetrain needed any tuning or was caught off guard by weird shifting or power onset. Tacoma definitely has some quirky driving behaviors.

Also, I never had any issues with the front wheel vibrating. However, my sister has one and had the wheel vibrations but eventually got it sorted out with a handful of tire rebalances. It'd probably drive me up the wall if mine had done that.

 

I can see how the Tacoma would work really well for you. I don’t tow anything so the shorter wheelbase would be fine for me. I like the maneuverability and found my Tacoma was about the limit of length I’d want to put onto the trails in my region. There were some long bed Tacomas that struggled, and one that did awesome because he was more skilled. He did need to pivot on his sliders on purpose to make it thru sometimes, where I did not in my short bed. It’s kind of tough to buy 1 rig that does it all so to speak. Tacoma is actually great at that challenge. 4Runner brakes felt a little weird when I drove it, but it’s been almost 2 years so memory is fuzzy.

A tire out of balance can make you crazy. I had a recent experience with a new set of tires needing to be rebalanced a few times. I was getting vibrations in the steering wheel/truck. After seeing me three times at the tire shop they finally said one tire was out of round. It wouldn’t balance well enough and they replaced it under warranty. Never had any other issues after that.