I found that my new 4Runner felt much more sluggish when new because the adaptive transmission hadn’t yet learned my driving style. I drive it with a very heavy foot and you can’t be hesitant to mash the pedal down. The problem of perceived sluggishness seems to be more with how the pedal interfaces with the engine, which accounts for the popularity of accessories like Sprint Booster and Pedal Commander with these models. I am getting tired of mashing the pedal down so frequently for every day driving such as merging lanes. The 5th Gen is reported to have a 0-60 time of 7.5 - 7.7 sec., which isn’t so bad for a vehicle this size with a naturally aspirated engine. I preferred the feel of the V-8 from my ‘04 GX 470. I don’t know why Toyota stopped offering that engine in the 4Runner.