Hi all. We now have c. 1400 miles on our '03 4WD Limited V8, so I feel qualified to pass along some initial impressions. It's Titanium with the Stone interior and has all options except nav.

First, some history, for perspective: We spent the past 5 years and 75K miles in a '98 Limited. It was a well-assembled and finished, robust, extremely reliable vehicle. As the miles rolled up, though, I came to realize that it had a cramped passenger compartment, was moderately noisy, was seriously short of torque for towing my 4,000# trailer, had marginal braking capacity, had a primitive 4WD system and a harsh ride. I would not have bought another 3rd gen 4Runner, and I suspect that many share that opinion, as sales had fallen to less than 1/3 the level they reached at the peak of the model run.

My overwhelming impression of the '03 is one of silence and refinement. The powertrain is almost totally slient (someone else commented that it almost seems some primal force is moving the truck) and road noise is almost completely absent. Below 60 mph, this is the quietest vehicle I've experienced. From 60 mph on up, wind noise becomes audible and while the absence of other noise exaggerates its loudness, I measured 68 dBA @ 70 mph inside our truck, identical to the figure posted by a new Mercedes E500 that Road & Track tested in the current issue. This is a quiet vehicle!

With X-REAS and air suspension, our truck rides firmly, although it's significantly better than the '98. The tradeoff is great handling, with body roll and brake dive much better than the '98's. Steering is accurate and precise, although a little on the light side for my taste. On undulating back roads, the "head toss" for which the gen III 'Runners are notorious is almost completely gone. On bumpy corners, the back axle stays on the ground much better than our '98's did, and almost feels like IRS. I do find that the truck will develop a mild hobby-horse pitching on old Interstates with slabs that have settled, but this has been rare so far.

The powertrain is wonderful, with a huge amount of low-speed torque which allows the '03 to effortlessly do stuff which the '98 had to work at. Full-throttle acceleration is very strong (I'd guess the quarter mile time will be in the high 15 sec. range). Upshifts occur at only 4800 rpm (it is, after all, a truck engine!), giving about 33, 58 and 82 mph in first, second and third. This short gearing will be great for trailer-towing. 70 mph in 5th gear requires just 2000 rpm.

On dry pavement (the only condition I've encountered so far), the 4WD system is completely transparent - you don't know it's there. I'm eagerly awaiting a major snow so I can get a feel for how much grip is there and how well all the traction and stability control goodies work.

I like the gadgetry. The outdoor temp and compass are nice, and the auto climate control is entertaining as it shuffles the fan speed and the choice of air outlets here and there as it warms up from a cold start. The auto-dimming mirror works well, as does the Homelink transmitter. Alas, the mpg readout is ridiculously optimistic, telling me I'm getting 15% better mileage than is actually the case. The truck has averaged 16.7 mpg so far (calculated from the odo and pump figures), and the only highway trip I've taken yielded 17.4 mpg @ 75 mph cruise for 160 miles on a cold and windy day.

The seats seem more comfortable then the '98's were, and I have no headroom problem (I'm 6'2"). The interior width increase is very noticable, and relieves the claustrophobic feeling the narrower '98 could produce.

While I'm at it, there are some things I don't like: The instrument illumination during the day is really awful, and there are times when you simply can't read the speedo, tach or gauges. The foot-operated parking brake sucks, IMHO, and the double-decker cargo shelf is plain silly and useless. The placement of the window/doorlock/mirror switches is less desirable than the '98's, but I'm getting used to that. And the Homelink buttons on the overhead console badly need to be illuminated.

Whew, I see I've rambled waaaay on here. But I think that's a measure of my great enthusiasm for the truck. I'm very happy with it, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next five years.

Best!

-Karl

Hey all,

Just to present some changes to Khaug's 3rd gen 4runner since 1998:

1. 4wd system is no longer primitive...that changed in 1999 with Multi-mode 4wd system (you can drive 4wd on dry land);

2. Noise level improved around 1999-2000, when there was a TSB regarding wind noise...i believed it called for a change in the door seals and shape of outside mirror;

3. Braking performance improved with the introduction of 4-channel ABS with Brake Assist (and VSC) and Electronic BrakeForce Distribution (EBD) in 2001;

Most car reviewers have pegged the 3rd gen 4runner, before change #2 above, around 69-70 db at 70 mph.

Thanks.

Thank you very much for the review!

Its great to read a true opinion other then the car mags..

I'm glad you enjoy it, please let us know how it handles the inclement weather, after today in Toronto and a dumping of snow on a magnitude of WOOAHHHHH I'm yearning for the 4X4 myself.

I've test driven the limited 3 times. I'm very happy with the way it drives, as well as the interior layout. I personally think the limited looks like a totally different car than the sport or SR5. I'm actually going friday to put a deposit on one, and should have it by early next week..hopefully before christmas..