Thinking about trading for a 4runner

I should also mention that i plan on purchasing a cap soon so that will help with they're overall safety and comfort during the winter season or during increment weather.... I honestly can't stand the hair and overall mess in the cab anymore but i still let them ride in the truck with me maybe 70% of the time. When they're wet and muddy as hell, there's no way they're riding in the cab.

OP, i think your better off keeping the truck, seeing as you'll get way more use out of it than an SUV. I think your family would do just fine in a double cab Tacoma.

 

Keep the Taco.

If you really want a 4Runner, get a 3rd gen. They are definitely well-built and they are super reliable

 

Since you have a DC you should just keep that, if you had a AC or RC then I would say 4Runner but a DC would make a perfect kid hauler

 

Im planning on getting a DC when I have kids.

 

Since you have a DC why not just buy a camper shell, save $35k and call it a day. The dogs would be fine in the bed with a shell

 

One year ago I purchased a 2011 4Runner Limited...completely loaded. I have a young son, too.

After 10,000 miles I came to hate that damned thing. Here's why -

1) Geriatric throttle response - I'm not a fast driver, but the 4Runner is ridiculous. You have to stand on the accellerator to get it moving, and when it does the RPMs go through the roof. It is underpowered for it's weight.

2) Handling - It handles like a Winnebago. I drove it across the country twice. If you have more than a 5 mph crosswind it will wear the hell out of you trying to fight it to stay on the road. The braking response wasn't great either. The hood literally dives when you brake...doesn't have to be aggressive braking. Lots of body roll too.

3) It catches every rock on the road. The boxy styling may appeal to your eye, but it gets beat up bad, fast.

4) It's uncomfortable. The seats in my new 2011 DC TRD Taco are infinitely more comfortable that the super adjustable leather ones in my 4Runner.

5) Navigation sucks. I literally could have put $2100 in a pile and set it on fire and would have come out even. The Toyota navigation system is completely useless.

6) 'Soft' panels. I think they use thinner sheet metal stock on the 4Runner to save weight...you can ding the panels by looking at them sternly. Hood flex on the highway (or in a car wash) was pretty crazy.

7) Cruise control. The cruise control program on that thing was dangerous. If you were ascending an incline (gentle even) it would take you up 5-8 mph over the set speed...enough to take you from the "safe" speed of 74 mph into "Sir I clocked you going 82 mph in a 70 mph zone." It's happened...see the 4Runner forums. And if that incline happened to have a curve to it...holy schnikeys...you better pay attention or you may get launched someplace you don't want to go. Mountain driving in the 4Runner **sucked**.

There are a litany of other nuances which pissed me off to no end. I was coming from a Tundra DoubleCab (loved it). I traded the 4Runner in on my new Tacoma, and since I had paid cash for what was now a scarce SUV, I didn't really lose out on the deal, either. I essentially paid $2K to drive the brand new 4runner for 10K miles / 12 months.

I had a Tacoma in 1994 that I drove for 10 years. They're hard to beat. I don't miss that damn 4Runner for a minute.

 

this is the only sympathetic thing I have ever heard you say. Normally your comments are short, to the point, and have a sarcastic meaning behind them. good work!

 

Have a 07 TRD DC Taco and 11 SR5 4runner.

1 Power is not bad imho, has decent get up and go if you need it.

2 Does not handle as good as the Taco, but it is bigger and heavier. I do not like the brakes, or at least the suspension. It takes a nose dive if you need to brake quickly.

3 Not any worse than my Taco, it has to many chips on the front.

4 Seats feel the same except maybe a little stiffer in the 4runner. But its also new and maybe not broke in as much as my truck.

5 Wouldn't have it, waste of money.

6 Hood not flexing on mine. no dings......yet.

7 Don't use it, like to drive myself and keep control.

All that said, I like both. If I had to pick one for my family and dogs,....
it would be the 4runner.
But I dont, so I'll keep both....

 

Dogs deserve love. Most people don't.

 

I also have both, and I love both. My wife really loves our 2010 4runner. It drives great, and I can get 24 mpg if I want - driving slow. I have no complaints on the 4runner.

But I also have dogs, and they go in the back of my truck. We also have an 8 month old son. He can go in either vehicle just fine.

So if you want the 4runner, I recommend it. But you already have an awesome truck. I'd keep both if you can afford it

 

Yes, I do miss her, but I don't miss the MPG she was getting. I was putting $800/month in that thing. The points you have made are vlid points. I like having my dog in the back, it is good for the family, but it is still not my Taco. Hindsight would have been to buy an older model 4Runner as an everyday driver and kept the Taco. The milage on the 4Runner is great though. Just think about it before you jump.

 

I'm here to tell you...I had both; they behave completely different.

 

I'd believe it.

Personally I enjoyed your comments on the handling. I keep telling people that the new 4runner is a fat fucking pig, but everyone's all caught up in "but it looks so good!".

Toyota has gotten way too GM for me these days. If there was a decent alternative I'd look at it, but unfortunately when it comes to trucks, there isn't.

 

ive got 2 lil girls the wife and a 60lbs pit/lab mix and we take my double cab more then the wifes brand new liberty.....planty on romm and you still have a truck bed to haul home there first batt powered fj crusier my lil girl was so excited when i brought it home for her 3rd bday...hahahaha

 

Agree 100%

 

Another reason why I'm so happy I got the manual trans this time. I couldn't stand it when that happened. I live in the mountains so it happened all the time with the auto.

 

Dude, I love my Tacoma, but if I had the chance to get a 4Runner, I'd take it. 4Runners are so sick, the 2010's at least, just they are too expensive for a full time college student like me...

You can really deck out a 4Runner really nice and the cool thing about having one is that you won't see many of em on the road. With a Tacoma, you have a very popular truck that is seen everywhere (for good reason), but the new 4Runner, you don't see those that often on the road, and that'd be sweet to ride around in a modded up one. Best of luck to you and congrats on the baby!

 

IMO keep the double cab, I have 3 kids 9/6/4 and 2 dogs. Picked up an 08 DC with cap a couple months ago because my subaru outback w/200k on the clock wasn't cutting it anymore. 2 booster seats in the back for the 6 and 4 yr old, the 9 yr old in the middle and 180# worth of muddy lab mut in the bed (with a cap) and room to spare for a passenger in the front.

 

Thanks for all the comments. I'm still on the fence about the whole thing. Would it be dangerous to have a baby in the back seat and your dogs back there too? I have a 20 french bulldog and an 80 lb rottie, both female? The bulldog is really mellow and the rottie is pretty calm.

 

Both my pits hate when they cant lay down next to the car seats in the back... If your xogs are well behaved then there is nO reason that they shouldnt be able to ride in back with them..