Bought a 4Runner Trail Edition over a 3rd Gen

I don't understand why anyone that doesn't need a truck would buy one. My preference would be sedan, suv, truck last.

 

that could be said for about 90% of the things everyone has use of or has for personal stuff. don't really need a vehicle period. I have feet. don't need spouse or kids. don't need a job, could live out in the boonies and plant my own food. etc etc etc.



just because you don't need it doesn't mean you don't want it. the wife refuses to drive a car, she feel in love with Tacoma's and hasn't owned anything outside of a Tacoma since we bought her 2006 Tacoma.

 

Personally just purchased a new (to me) '16 Tacoma. Tried like hell to make myself buy a 4 runner ('13), but couldn't do it. I don't care for the look of them, and have driven a truck my whole life - if i use my bed for its purpose 5 or 6 days a month, it's worth every penny. Not to mention a lightly used 4 runner will cost you an arm and a leg.

Plus, back seat room etc aren't that much different between the 2.

 

Ill have to disagree here, the 2017 runner has a huge amount of space when compared to the 2017 tacoma. With both of my kids in the back of my runner there is way more room. In the Taco the passenger seat would have to be almost all the way forward in order to get the rear facing child seat in.

 

4Runner weighs more than a taco. And the the 4Runner motor makes about the same power as a supercharged Tacoma. Same motor, but it has VVT-I.

 

Yeah, that's true. I also wasn't really happy with the gas mileage of the full time 4wd either. The Kdss have been in use in landcruisers since 2008/09 I believe. So it's been around, but honestly, I'm not a real fan because ours is always leaning. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Always drivers side high, which is opposite of tacomas. I think it's because both hydraulic cylinders are on the drivers side. And we have King coilovers, and the passenger side has a few turns more preload than the driver. Drives me crazy. I might pull out the system and run normal sway bars eventually.

 

I agree with you also, the Taco rear seat room was one of the 2 main reasons it's not in my garage. With soon to be 2 young kids, the car seats were cramped. Yes it'll work, but the 4runner definitely has more rear seat room.

 

I've been wondering if this will happen. Let's hope not.

I'm hoping this works.

I don't see the logic in a marketing terms. Toyota already has a highly successful mid size unibody product in the Highlander. I could almost see the T4R going away if as opposed to competing with its own brand.

Not only has the T4R been a decent sales success it's chassis mates sells decent...at least world wide.

 

4Runner has tons more rear seat room than the Taco. The leg room is amazing in the 4runner. I'm 5'8" and my tiny 5 year old twin girls can barely squeeze between my seat and the rear in my Tacoma.

This has baffled me, my Tacoma is almost the same length as my brother's F150 yet his cab has an insane amount of room in it. I think the hood of the Taco is just too long. Should have taken advantage of some of that space to get more room in the cab. There's plenty there with the tiny engine.

 

I owned my 2016 trd off road for a few months and quickly sold back to the dealer for nearly what I paid out the door to get back into a 4runner. The taco's are great if you need a bed, but they carried the wrong things over from the 2nd gen and dropped the good things . Was a stout rig though and I'll still recommend them without much reservation.

 

by that same token why do they have a RX350 competing the highlander and also why have the GX460 vs the 4Runner.

different markets to cover.

comparing a highlander vs a 4runner is totally different markets in Toyota eyes. highlander is for city folks and about 95% of them never see any type of dirt road. now the 4runner I would say about 40-50% see a dirt road and guessing about 20-25% see low to med off road duty. taking highlander off road on a regular basis would be detrimental to the frame since its not made to take that kind of abuse compared tot he 4runner frame.

I have my 4runner just for that reason, I could care less about the bumps, holes and what not that I drive over since its a BoF vehicle. if I had a highlander I would be worried about stress fractures and what not.

edit : forgot to add, the Tacoma is only made for the NA market (the hi-lux is a totally different beast). same goes for the 4runner, its only made for the NA market (the fortuner is also a different beast)

 

Stated differently, I personally see no benefit to driving a truck over a car or suv other than the bed. Obviously, others do.

 

I agree. I personally cant stand trucks, I rather have the suv. but it works for us since she loves the truck and I love my 4runner. so we can have the best of both worlds. truck bed when I need it (stupid honey do lists) and suv for trips.

 

5 speed slush box? Pass. T4R would have been tempting with an MT but its not at all without it.

 

Less pillars to have turn into blindspots. One of my big pro truck bullet points. And for carrying big or dirty stuff without a trailer. Aside from that i would be fine with a 4runner

 

I can understand the Highlander vs. RX & T4R vs. GX being marketed to different groups. If the T4R goes unibody & doesn't remain BOF I don't see a good case for it. Just seems have two midsize SUVs, both being unibodies, similar price point & vehicle content wouldn't produce the ROI.

 

I really dig the 4Runner, but for my hunting activities and household trash things, how do you folks deal with the mess (and smell)?

I opted for a truck because of the ease of throwing muddy, bloody, and dirty things in the back, without having to worry about my cab smelling like...animals.

 

Der. You're right. I had it backwards. The Trail is 500 pounds more than the Taco.

 

It's not a huge difference. I'm sure my Tacoma weighs more than my wife 4Runner tho
I wish they would have put the 4Runner motor in the taco. That's why the TRD supercharger never appealed to me. $4k to get the same HP as a 4Runner? Pass.