You knew you were going to start something here 😜

My question is this: has your wife driven cars without BSM, or only with it? If she’s never been without it, I can more easily understand her insistence on it. If, like most of us, she’s driven a bunch of vehicles without it, and has only had it in recent years, then I scratch my head a little when that’s the deal-breaker on a whole vehicle decision. Maybe that’s just me, cuz I have yet to own a vehicle with BSM. As others have said, I would view it as a supplement only, and never as something to substitute for visually identifying hazards. Just my thoughts.

Both of us have driven older cars without it. But since owning one with BSM, we think that it is far more useful than other electronic nannies. It is great to use in daily.

Yeah, I understand that it and a lot of other 'new tech' can be very useful. Maybe she waits a year to see if it's on the 2021s.

Reviving old thread! Anyone actually install an aftermarket bsm system? I’m going to try one. Our Hyundai Palisade had this feature, very nice to have as a backup to properly positioned mirrors.

BMS would be a nice addition.

I see blind spot monitor come up as a deal breaker relatively often in online comments about the 4Runner... can anyone explain to me why its a must have?

I just got my first car that actually has it a few months ago... I don't find it all that useful. Doesn't replace a shoulder check, I'd never rely on it, and even if I did, sometimes it comes on when there isn't even a car there... seems to pick up interference from somewhere, there are a few spots near my house where it always comes on for no reason, usually near a hospital or research lab in the area... in those cases it is more annoying than anything, since I do a shoulder check, see no car, start to change lanes and then notice the light is on and swerve, even though there isn't actually a car there.

BSM allows for quick glance, esp in emergency lane change. BSM works during rain when rain would just make side mirrors hard to see. BSM works in fog. BSM works at sunrise/sunset when the sun shines directly into the side mirrors blinding you of side traffic. BSM works when there is a jackass in a lifted truck (who has not properly adjusted his aftermarket HIDs) behind you blinding you.

While shoulder check is good, it also takes a your attention away from traffic in front. BSM allows a quick glance and your attention is back to the front.

BSM may give false positive in rare spots/situations. But it will never give a false negative, which is what you fear.

Most BSM now includes cross-traffic warning which is very useful backing out of a parking spot and you have big cars blocking your sight of oncoming traffic. Yes, your rear view camera helps with that but most rear view sucks at extreme angles and won’t give you a clear picture of oncoming traffic (esp in rain).

And, of course, BSM has been shown to save lives. So there’s that.

I don't get all the rage about blind spot monitoring. I slap on bubble mirrors and get rid of the blind spots all together.