My 4Runner when it was new(ish) and still 2WD auto w/ 15" wheels had many tanks of ~26mpg. That's cruise control at 65-67mph on long trips. Now with 32's, 4WD, armor, and a few hunderd thousand more miles under its belts, I still average 18.5-19mpg daily driving and 20-21mpg highway (still cruising at 67mph... old habits die hard).

-Charlie

Driving up the 8 from Tucson into SD clearly the 3rd gen isnt capable of keeping up with modern SUVs. The combination of older transmission and torque under 200 just does not give it the power to run with flow of traffic when a significant incline is involved. I for the most part was able to run the speed limit of 75 most of time except when the incline became steep and long. As I left El Centro and started the long climb through the mtns I shifted to 2nd and kept it up to 50 to 55 mphs which was ok for me. I was passed by another 3rd gen with 33" and a lift. I'm sure he was super charged because he was keeping up with some jeeps and 5th gens in his caravan doing at least 75 to 80.


My 3rd gen is strictly my dog car now so I don't mind being slower because it still has a 100% never broke down on a road trip record. Even though on the way back the alternator went out 300 miles from home. It still made it home even though I had to pull off the hwy the last .5 mile and turn the lights off to make it in my driveway...lol The beast didn't not break down and leave me stranded on the hwy. Slow and reliable is ok in a 26 year old vehicle.

One could always v8 swap their 4runner. A 2uz-fe gets pretty good fuel economy. Sourcing one from a junkyard wouldn't be too expensive especially out on the east coast.

not to brag but since I intercooled my 4Runner(and did some other notorious little mods here and there), i can get 100mph when empty or about 90 when rigged to the roof with gear like in the last pic on straight road! it seems not too bad for a stock mech diesel which does pretty good uphill! I dont get the average 24mpg tho, when I go 100! and also only in stock tires and the quality of fuel vary badly over here. my last trip was 220 miles and I only got 15mpg!

Unlike the more modern D4D toyota engines, the mech diesels are very capricious to the quality of diesel and tend to perform badly when fuel is bad, but not sensitive, meaning it wont be damaged by the poor grade fuel.

So my advice is if you know your 4Runner is running smooth and nothing is wrong with it, hp and torque would only be degraded from the quality of fuel...but I think gasoline is pretty good quality in the US compared to here! and a lot lot cheaper! long live second amendment!

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Always though the 2uz-fe would be cool, but would it comes with compatibility issues?

This has quite a bit of city. Up and down mountains. You can see avg speed is only 34. You can also see I have 50 miles left, maybe, and got over 400 on the tank so far.

Pretty typical unless I do all city and it drops to 21 or so.

I’m perfectly happy with the combination of MPG and engine indestructibility. It’s a good mix. I’ll take this all day long over a small turbo for 2-3 mpg.

How did you get that 5th gen gauge cluster to fit and work properly in a 3rd gen?

Yeah you’re hilarious. Tapatalk stuck this thread I don’t care about in my feed.

If you didn't care about it, then why comment?

HAHAAH !! That picture of you hitting 100mph all shaking and blurry looks like ....:Ok fellas// here we go!! we hitting 100 baby!!" Exactly what I would have expected hitting 100 in mine!

95mph.. smooth...100, hold on!!!