I drove from NC to CO and back for CO4RJ this past August. The wife and I were very comfortable for all the driving. The only issues I had were the loss of power I suffered while going up long, steep inclines and a leaky ball joint boot. I have 33" BFG A/Ts on the stock alloys with stock gearing (4.10). The entire trip I avereaged about 290-310 miles per tank depending on what state I was in. Until I re-gear I figure the power loss will be a fact of life I will have to deal with.

 

Replaced a grand voyager with my 03 4x4 sport. 12 hrs trip so far is the longest and I am completely happy with my truck. If it was to get totaled today I would buy the same thing again tomorrow..

 

I'm thinking the Limited offers more seating adjustments for only the drivers seat ,but that is still a up grade compared to what the SR5 offers? That would mean the Limited is probably the better choice for tall people,

Right on both counts. My post should have identified the driver's seat as the one having more adjustability in the Limited. I don't believe leather and power seats are options on the Sport and SR-5 models (except perhaps as aftermarket items). The Limited package includes a bunch of nice stuff beyond the fancy seats, of course.

IMHO, bigger tires carry too many penalties to be worthwhile unless you're a serious off-roader and truly need the increased ground clearance: loss of torque, more unsprung weight, lumpier ride, loss of speedometer and odometer accuracy, potential for problems with traction control, VSC and other systems which measure wheel speed.

 

Owning a 3rd and 4th gen I can honestly say that both are comfortable travel vehicles. I drive my 3rd to Mobile from Houston about 5 times a year.

 

Guys................. thank you for the helpful responses. Is a Big plus to learn the experiences of 4Runner owners.

 

I wonder why leather seats in the 4Runner are more supportive then cloth seats?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by khaug
I don't believe leather and power seats are options on the Sport and SR-5 models (except perhaps as aftermarket items).


My Sport came with Leather from the dealer but I agree that it is probably aftermarket. It's a good job though. No power either, but I like it regardless.

 

My Sport came with leather, but it was a port installed option, just like my wheels.

 

We just did a trip from Denver to IL and back via Memphis, put about 3k on the truck in 10 days. Rode well on the highway, just the way I thought it would, with the exception of a (suspected) mis-balanced wheel in the RT front, which vibrated at 70+. Seats are a little stiff, but not unconfortable. I think the ride will improve when I put Bil's on and get the wheels rebalanced (again). Am tired of taking it to shops who rebalance the wheels w/o using the proper equipment and then leave me with a crappy ride! Other than that, the truck was great on this trip, especially at 75-85 on I-25!

 

I was talking to a 3rd generation 4Runner owner today who happily said the 1st ,2nd and 3rd generation runners are built for only guys 5 '11 and under. He went on to say because Japanese people are not normally tall that the height of Americans were not a consideration in making the 4Runner. The last sentence I agree with him. I told him that thanks to the 4th generation 4Runner, even we tall guys can now enjoy Toyota fun. He said,"true but you will never know the feeling of fitting comfortably in the 1st,2nd or 3rd generation 4Runner. With that he road off with a smile on his face in his 2002 Black Limited with mods

 

.....and no V8.....

 

I'll see him again after I buy my 2004 Limited V8, He's a buddy of mine, I can't wait to see his expression:cry:

 

Come-on guys, give me abit more feed back from those of you who have yet to share your opinion on the seating size of the 4Runner.

 

I would rather drive my 4Runner on long distance trips than in town so much. I love it.

 

Bama,

I have the factory leather in mine and I will never not get full leather again. I can drive for hours with no fatigue. Don't buy the BS about how hot leather gets. All you have to do is get some good shades for when parked (Cee Bailey's) and turn on the AC!

You will not regret, nor be uncomfortable, with the leather option.