Hi,

I'm a huge Toyota fan. I've got a '95 pickup that's still doing the hard work without too much complaint. But I'm getting older and spending a lot of time on the road for work. Comfort and space matter. I've test driven a couple of 4th gen 4Runners and am quite impressed.

What I'm weighing is the relative performance of the 4th Gen as a real truck. I'm talking about getting into the back 40 hauling wood, going across creeks, and generally tearing it up. Not rock crawling, but definitely pushing things a bit.

How do the 4th Gens compare with other years? My pickup does just fine and has gotten me out of some bad spots. Will the new 4Runner do the same? Should I just target a 3rd Gen?

I'm considering new and used. There are features I want, so new might be the only way to get the right combination. What about the XREAS? People cooze over it, but I'm not all that keen on more complicated systems. What about the V8? Can I just slap a supercharger on the 6 and have my cake?

Oh yeah - I visit a lot of agriculture businesses for work. This means I frequently smell like a barn, or worse. Leather or cloth interior? Leather seems easier to clean and destink, but I'm not too sure on that.

Any insight is appreciated.

MadCityRich

 

First off, let me say, that as far as SUV's go, this is one of the few remaining one's that I can still safely call a truck.

I personally have quite a few mods to my 4th Gen, but prior to that, I had no problems going snowboarding, home depot, offroading, or to a nice restaurant. It really is a great all around vehicle. i'm sure the BMW X5 corners better than it, but if you are that type of buyer, you wouldn't be here.

As far as X-REAS goes, if you aren't into complicated things and is the kind of guy who wants to be able to fix things on his own, don't get it. It does help a lot through corners at speed, but it is also costly to replace and adds one more thing that could fail to the equation. I personally got a Sport edition because it had all the extras I wanted as standard, and it also came with the X-reas system. I ended up removing the X-REAS because I wanted to do mods to my suspension which didn't allow me to have both.

As far as V6 vs V8, that's the debate in every forum, you can search and read a lot about that argument. My opinion is that unless you are towing a lot, or live at 12,000 ft., you really don't need the V8. The v6 is the most powerful V6 I've ever had and now that it has had a few years in production, it is proving itself as a reliable engine too.

For the leather vs. cloth debate, I am mixed on the topic. Leather is more durable, but you are also not going to want to get it dirty because it is so damn plush. I have cloth at it is perfectly comfortable, but I have no idea if it would keep the grass/hay smell more than leather. I get my truck dirty and I sit in my cloth seats w/ a wetsuit on sometimes (which I know I shouldn't do) and my truck still smells fine.

Anyway, wait for some other opinions, or try the search function on some specific topics. Either way, get the 4th Gen, you will NOT be dissapointed!!

 

the 4th gen lost some ground clearance compared to the 3rd gen but it does gain a lot of computing power. The traction system is superior and I would definitely give a little love below for the traction system. It's works very well in many different scenarios so you will not be disappointed.

If you plan to lift the 4th gen: don't get xreas (just a waste of $$).

v8 = it has a full time 4wd system (no 2wd). Works for me cuz that's one less thing to worry about.
v6 = part time 4wd system. suppose to give you better gas mpg but the comparison has been around only 1-2 mpg at best.

cloth vs leather. I say get cloth (less worries about tearing) and add a seat cover and call it a day. (cheaper and better I would think - and just as easy to clean).

no SC on either system now unless it already has one. the v8 SC is hard to come by and TRD discontinued it due to issues w/ the block. First year kinks as usual but both are solid vehicles. You can't go wrong with either setup.

Just remember it's a truck so it's not going to ride like a sports car but it is very nice (with and without XREAS).

GOod luck!

 

4runner's a great 4WD in stock form base model. Only modification needed is to remove the running boards before on obstacle does it for you.
If you are hauling a lot of dirty materials, I recommend you remove the carpet and install rubber flooring.

 

I have a 92 truck and had a 95 runner. My wife drives a 03 v6 runner. WE LOVE IT. Its a great rig. It is mostly hers, and my 92 is for wheeling but the 03 has seen some mild trails and plenty of snow and ice. I like the v6 since it has 2wd, I dont want to own a full time 4wd rig. The v6 also has more power than I need. It gets great mileage, mid-low 20's around town and fwy.

As far as options its all about what you want. We have the base SR5 and the only thing we wanted we didn't get was a sunroof, but not that big of a deal.

Good luck, you will like the 4th gen

 

Well- I've read tons of 4th gen v8 vs v6 threads. I bought a 03 v8 new and have a 5500 lbs boat. I don't pull the
boat long distances 2 often and the v8 was killing me at 15 mph nearly constant. So I purchased a 07 V6 and- much to my surprise i was
able to pull the boat from dallas to austin with a little better gas milage and near the same performance- obviously a little more gear shifting
going on but at 70-75 thats expected. VERY please with the v6- more so than the 8
[mansourman] 8:55 pm: was getting 300 miles to the tank w/v8 now getting close to 400

 

No matter which you choose, V6, V8, XREAS or not, the basic Toyota values will be there: Quality and durability.

We have an '03 LTD V8 with XREAS and air suspension, now with 61,000 miles. Many of those miles were accrued towing a 4000# trailer, and I wouldn't choose any other vehicle to have done the job better. We named him Ralf, after a certain F1 driver.

XREAS? I wouldn't be without it. It sharply limits the "head toss" rapid side-to-side roll oscillations that SUVs are infamous for. V8? I tow, 'nuff said. The powertrain is silent, silky-smooth, torquey and my ideal. I'd never go to a V6. Towing mpg has been very reasonable @ 16 mpg, although short-trip mpg here in cold Michigan can drop as low as 13. On the highway with no trailer, it'll closely approach 20 mpg.

Leather vs. cloth? We have leather, and I have to say that Toyota's leather is not of the highest quality. At 4.5 years old, the 'paint' has begun to disappear in high-wear areas such as the driver's seat side bolsters. But I don't know that cloth would be any better.

Ralf still has his original brakes and tires (Michelin cross-terrains), has never needed any repairs and is as tight and rattle-free as new.

Ralf gets all the crap jobs in our family: Carting the wife to and from her worksite 2.5 miles away week after week, towing my track car, hauling whatever needs to be hauled, living outdoors so our Porsche can live in the garage. He never complains. If the rest of the world were as capable and stalwart as Ralf, we'd have no wars or poverty!

Regards.

 

"XREAS? I wouldn't be without it. It sharply limits the "head toss" rapid side-to-side roll oscillations that SUVs are infamous for "


Modding the non-Xreas OEM suspension for lift can get rid of that infamous trait. My stock suspension was cushy and enjoyable on the highway but not the best thing offroad. New coilovers, rear springs and shocks improved the handling quite a lot, both on and off pavement.

 

This thread is nearly a year old guys.

Agree with Teotwaki tho.

 

I was at work and I was

BORED!