Meh...4Runner engine has nothing special on the Tacoma

On road absolutely yes. Offroad fuck no... unless you enjoy rollovers.

The 4runner is heavier with a higher center of gravity and less flex all things that are BAD for offroading.

I love 4runners and I'd still be driving one if I didn't need bed to haul stuff... they are nicer all around, quieter on the road, handle better and even have a higher payload despite less space. I love all of that about 4runners, but the one thing they are NOT is better offroad.

FJ cruiser on the otherhand....

I know from personal experience how easy those 4runner are to flip:

 

ah yes the classic feels > reals

When the data says youre wrong always fall back on feelings.

 

I feel like I'm back in 2001. Kids arguing over how much faster a 1.5L Civic is vs a Miata.

Go test drive a 3.5L Ecoboost. 5.7L Tundra. Who cares how "fast" a V6 is?

 

Right, 8 less hp and 5 more lb/ft of torque peak vs peak, I'd certainly call that more and way more .

I'm not saying it wouldn't walk the tacoma but your statement is factually incorrect. I would like to see the two curves next to each other though, that would say a lot more than peak vs peak especially when their peaks are within a couple hundred rpm.

 

I'll give you the center of gravity and weight. They weigh a few hundred lbs more than the taco. And yes, the center of gravity means it's more prone to rollovers. But so are jeeps, and you don't see people claiming them to be horrible offroad vehicles.

The shorter wheel base and slightly better approach angles make up for the heavier and higher center of gravity. Also it fits into tight turns on trails better than the tacoma.

As far as flex, I'd say that's questionable. Most people who care about flex, mod their 4runners or tacomas. And if we are getting into modded flex, then it's just a matter of who has more money.

I have nothing against the 3rd gen tacomas. I almost bought one. And agree that the 5th gen 4R feels outdated. But they both handle very well off road and one roll over doesn't make it a bad off road vehicle.

 

look at 91 octane hp and tq figures.... thats what the 3rd gen numbers are. also both HP and torque peaks are significantly lower in the rev range and broader (more area under the curve)

 

Show me sources and I'll believe they rate it for 91 then recommend 87. I understand how hp and tq work, the taco makes peak 400 rpm higher and tq 200 rpm higher, hardly significant enough to make the claim that it has more area under the curve. Again, I'd like to see 2 charts side by side but that will never happen because nobody cares, they are both slow, they are trucks/suvs, and nobody cares.

 

Yea. Had a 08 fj cruiser. Actually traded that in for the Tacoma. Nice car but couldn’t get over the half doors lol.

 

I make growling noises when I stomp the gas pedal so I feel like I have about tree fiddy horsepower in my third gen

 

Oh yeah, well my dad is gonna kick your dads ass!!!

 

"you're"

 

Wife drives an ‘18 4R OR Premium. I think it drives great. Pretty similar to the Tacoma. I actually like the interior. I wish it had a bigger screen but other than that I dig it.

 

Biggest problem with the 4Runner is the butt ugly front end that doesn’t match anything else on the truck. It’s like the guys at Toyota had a contest to see how ugly they could make it and still have people buy it. By far, the worst aesthetics in the Toyota roster. Only thing uglier is the entire Lexus lineup.

4 Runner front end reminds me of this:

 

My wife drives a 16 4Runner and I think it has plenty of power. However it has less pep than my dad's 07 Tacoma 4.0L and even my Mom's 05 4Runner 4.0L. It's almost like they changed the throttle response on the 5th gens. Still none of them compare to my 5.7L

 

I never said anything about 4runner's being "horrible" or "bad offroad vehicles" you're arguing with a strawman.

I said the Tacoma is better offroad than the 4runner because its lighter, flexes more, and has a lower center of gravity all of which is empirically true....

I've also owned multiple 4runners, multiple tacomas and taken them down trails back to back where the tacoma's superior capability becomes obvious.

Have you never been on a group ride with tacomas?? You'd see it in action yourself I go through so many obstacles with 4 wheels securely on the ground while the 4runners behind me are 3-wheeling like crazy. Even in your profile pic you're 3-wheeling a tiny ditch, a tacoma would be able to maintain contact which = more traction which = more stability -> better offroad.

That doesn't make 4runners HORRIBLE it just makes them not quite as good as tacomas, the simple fact the tacoma has a c-chanel rear and the body is physically disconnected from the bed allows it to TWIST which is extremely beneficial in all sorts of offroad situations. The 4runner is RIGID which is great for payload and road manners but is a tradeoff for being flip happy and unable to keep 4 wheels on the ground in situations where the tacoma will. That doesn't mean one is HORRIBLE and the other is AWESOME have a little nuance the world isn't black and white.... what it means is while both vehicles are great offroad, the tacoma is a little better

 

Pro looks good though. I have seen more 4runner pros on the streets that Tacoma pros

 

Do me a favor and hop to 3:58 in this video. This is the trail in his avatar. It's a really fun one that's really trying with open diffs. Even in my hella flexible tacoma I got on 2 wheels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9aUTFPjgR4



And here my back right tire is in the air, and I have 11" shocks. Same trail.

 

Get a pedal commander or sprint booster. No more lag and makes it feel waaay more peppy.

And I agree that the 5.7 is the best Toyota motor out there. My Tundra is a joy to drive, everything is effortless, except for parking and always stopping for gas.