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Originally Posted by Hawk_
Completely agree with most of your post, though I'm less well-versed on how quickly Toyota can move production lines and ramp up their production scale on TNGA.
The 4runner is a fantastic vehicle for the market segment it's targeting. Rather than doing away with the vehicle, I am glad Toyota continues to produce it and sales are strong. That being said, to keep things fresh, Toyota keeps adding special option packages to keep interest.
When Toyota was making TSS standard on their lineup, 4runner was one of the last ones to get it. If I'm not mistaken, the 86 and 4runner were the only ones excluded from MY17/18 when it became standard.
The interior... the head unit... is extremely dated and a testament to the power of plastic molds. The Land Cruiser is a very capable vehicle as well (granted it's twice the price), and the interior does not look quite so dated.
I've heard other people here make the argument that they'd rather the vehicle be reliable as all these creature comforts have a habit of breaking... Well, I sort of get that angle, but it's a bit of a cop-out IMHO.
It's gotten to the point where it seems like Toyota is not even trying to re-engineer and improve the vehicle much anymore besides changing a few styles here and there. It's a real shame. Toyota has even been late to the party (across all models) for integrating Android Auto and Apple Carplay. IDK if it's a combination of a licensing and pride thing or what. But, it's what one of those things where many cars in 2020 have 6-8" displays by default. Not all have Nav b/c that's generally an upgrade (even on Lexus). So, why not let people at least use their Andoid/Apple phones that are continually getting better/faster and constantly downloading revised nav software from Google/Apple? It's a total money grab by Toyota, but Acura, and other brands do the same thing so not singling out Toyota here.
But, sales keep increasing year to year so maybe there is no incentive for Toyota to rock the ship? That being said, if sales declined in hopes for a new generation, Toyota could use that as an excuse to slash the model altogether.
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I’m not sure why people think Toyota is making so much money off the 4Runner. When you take all the costs involved in producing a vehicle, from design, assembly changes each year, marketing, recalls, etc. I don’t think they sell enough of them to make that much. And a full redesign on the new platform, and most likely moving production to Mexico or Texas, would take multiple years of strong sales to pay for. My guess? They are making the minimal changes each year because they haven’t decided if it’s worth it to keep making it.
