4Runner owners......Lexus GX instead ?

I have an 06 470 and love it. It's taken me plenty of places and the only problem I had was blowing out the rear air suspension on hells revenge. Zero regret here.

 

@w.adventures

 

16-17 daily local

19-20 on highway

'14 V6 Tacoma only gets 18 locally

 

As much as I love the V8 in the GX, the barn door opening is a deal killer for me. Everything else I'm flexible about.

 

It's the same chassis underneath, except for the rear air bags in the GX. The advantage to the GX is you can get some of the fancy TRD features and still get all the luxury of the 4Runner Limited. The GX also gets the "ambulance door".

I have a 2020 4Runner Limited, traded a 2011 Limited for it. When I was looking around, the GX was considered; however, the spindle grill is pretty unique look and it will come off on the first wildflower you run over. If you are going off road I would suggest you stick with 2012 or older (your looking at an '11). With the earlier years you have a better approach angle and you can get an aftermarket bumper if you want.

However, if you're not going in the dirt and don't mind the unique look of the spindle grill, there is nothing wrong with it.

 

I think the 4runner looks better lifted with bumper/sliders/etc than the GX. I'd love the GX otherwise. The 4.0 is fine, but I wouldn't hate that 4.6 if it were an option.

 

Yah I would go with the 4.6 in a minute.

I'm not expecting a sports car but I think the 4.0 is OK at best, it's 0-60 time is like 9 secs. The throttle response is non-existent and torque is weak. This the biggest complaint about the platform. A lot of people use a Pedal Commander or Sprint Booster (me). It helps with the throttle response and it is much better. I don't have to plan my pass as much as I used too.

I think that Toyota used it because it's pretty reliable, then made is sluggish to get the MPG up.

 

This is one of the few things that hangs me up from trading in the taco.

Also keep in mind that while tacos / 4runners hold their value, the GX models depreciate like a rock. You can buy a 4 year old 460 for half of the 60K MSRP. A 4yo taco you could almost sell at list in the current market.

 

Ha, my wife hated the bard door, U hated the spindle grill. So it went away quickly.

The Taco and 4runner are two different beasts. I have both. The 4runner is the daily driver and road trip car. The Taco is for HomeDepot and fun. The 4Runner is great but you can't put a piece of plywood in the back. Some people say they use the roof rack, but I have yet to see any on actually do it, none the less load it up by them selves. Life is too short to wrestle with plywood.

 

What's the big deal with the barn door opening? I really don't get it. We have that on our 2012 Rav4 and it's never been a sticking point for us. Are you just worried you're going to wack it on something?

 

My wife prefers the spindle aka Predator grill but I'm with you. I like the older GX460's.

 

I never made the connection until that predator pic.

 

yea yea yea.......

lame garage pic......

6 months after (used) purchase...now with 102K miles.....great car...

 

I keep 'er clean.....

 

now...thats too funny.........

 

I’d take a GX470 over a 4th gen 4Runner V8 all day. When I decide to sell my 470, will probably get a ‘10-‘13 460 to replace it.

 

Other than replacing the timing belt, those 4.7s are as solid as they get. I would probably take one over a 4.6 any day

 

I'm revisiting this comparison (again) now that I've sold my Tacoma. The GX is nice obviously, but besides the increased towing capacity I'm having a hard time finding other overwhelming advantages over the 4Runner. A limited 4Runner seems extremely close to the GX on interior plushness.

 

Go drive both and see what you think. I have the T4R Limited, it's very nice and I'm happy with it, but lacks the little details of the Lexus. Either one is a good choice for a road trip with a bit of adventure.

The advantage of the 4Runner is about $10K and you won't mind getting it dirty. Also if you plan to be off road, you will want the 4runner. There are also options for off road bumpers.

However, for the daily driver the Lexus has je ne sais quoi. Just a bit of refinement that makes it more more comfortable. Also the electronics are not quite as . . . Toyota.

Off road, even though the Lexus has some fancy off road options (Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control systems and KDSS), the spindle grill is removable by the first small obstacle. Neither one of them have locking rear diff. I'm not sure you can/should add one either because it has a locking center diff and may be too much binding?

Either one that you get, make sure you lock stuff in the back of the vehicle. I found out the hard way. Toyota's do not have glass breakage sensor and thieves know this. They break the rear door window, flip down the seat and drag stuff out through the window. The alarm is never triggered. I use

$13 Lumintrail 4 Foot 3mm (1/8th Inch) Braided Steel Coated Security Cable Luggage Lock Safety Cable Wire Double Loop (4 Pack)

cables like these with

Luggage Combination Cable Lock Gym Lock 4 Digit Combination Padlock for School Gym Locker,Sports Locker,Jewelry Box,Cosmetic Bag,Computer Case, 2 Pack

combo locks and loop it through the tie downs.

This should help as well https://www.autotrader.com/car-reviews/2020-toyota-4runner-vs-2020-lexus-gx-460-whats-the-difference

 

BTW one more thing.

The biggest reason to get the GX is the V8. The 4runner uses a tired old 4.0 is just about asleep when it comes to punching the gas. It's the number one complaint - throttle response is non-existent.

If you go with the T4R you may want is SprintBooster (or similar). This changes the throttle response to make the T4R much more responsive (not faster). Still not a V8 but makes it so much better when you need to go. Jason at Burtman Industries has good pricing and fast shipping. If you want to go that route.