Death Wish 5
“Toyota's shift logic engineer should be shot”
Starring T4R member Charles Bronson

I’m in the mountains all the time. I always use S-mode. As far as mtn hwys, it’s mostly to keep it in 4th going up grades, but also to keep it in 5th going back down. Off-road I’m in S-mode 90% of the time as well. Pretty much the only time I’m not in S-mode is city driving.

I find that the Sprint Booster has no effect on the shifting behavior going up/down hills. If your foot is absolutely still on the pedal there is no variation of the voltage going to the ECU, and the ECU uses it’s other criteria to determine when to shift. If you goose the pedal that’s another matter. If you’re in cruise control with your foot off the pedal the ECU is in total control. Sprint Booster is out of the equation.

I do find this shift behavior annoying. At least with my 3rd Gen (drive by cable), when kicked down under heavy acceleration, I could ease up on the pedal and it would upshift to 5th gear. My 5th Gen takes way too long to shift.

This along with other annoyances with Toyota I knew about prior to buying last December. Just took a deep breath and dove in.

I have a Limited so no "S" mode. Some of these features I didn't research enough on. Thinking I should have gotten a TRD something. Looked at Tacoma but didn't want stickers all over my truck. Didn't realize the 4R TRD didn't have stickers. Oh well. Is what it is, right?

There's a thread somewhere like "For those that complain about 5Speed Trany" IMO the OP's/my complaint could be mitigated with a 6speed or better yet an 8speed Transmission. That said, I don't know all the ins and outs of transmission design vs application. In other words, for those that like off-roading, is there a drawback to more gears? IDK

I quit driving 45K/year Jan 2020. Back then it was in an F150 and cruise control was nearly always on. My solution with this truck is keep Cruise OFF. Its not a 100% solution for the OP but much more tolerable. To me.

Wish there the heavy braking didn't happen when someone changes lanes in front of me while in cruise. Where's that setting? Just kidding and not wanting to derail the topic.

All 5th gen Runners have sequential mode. It's a step left from drive instead of having individual gear positions like before.

Yea the gearing on the 4runner is Sh..T! I have found my truck either gear hunting or at least stuck in a gear way too long when going up simple passes.

I’m quite happy with my 4Runner.

Just wanted to mix it up a bit.

Yes I get that but the Limited doesn't come with other settable Logic modes.

I use manual gear selection nearly daily since I'm driving down steep hills on a regular basis. Small steep gravel roads. 20 mph is speeding. Rather use my trans than brakes. 1st gear is my friend. Guys following me I'm sure are wondering...WTF? Is his brake lights out in that brand new truck??!!

There's no shift logic choice in any 5th gen 4runner.

I know it’s not an option for everyone but with a supercharger the transmission never unlocks out of 5th. It’s so much more enjoyable to drive. Last summer we drove down to the Smokies and the 4Runner always stayed in 5th, no matter the size of the grade. I’ve driven the same path with no supercharger and it constantly hunts between 4th and 5th. I used to just leave it in 4th on grades to avoid all of that. Before the 4Runner I had a first gen Tacoma and it did the same thing. Then I would just lock or unlock overdrive. It’s just something I had become used to driving a Toyota.


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I had a Tacoma for a very short time (a week) and talk about bad shift programming. It was horrible. I actually returned the truck to the dealer from fear of living with it.

The 4runner has been actually great for an automatic SUV. If I know I'll be driving up some hills or twisty sections, I just throw it in S4. Feels great and never lacking for power then. Of course I'm not at any serious elevation. but even without shifting it just going a little deeper into the go pedal lets her shift down and it wont go back up until letting off.

I will say the cruise control is a bit weird with shifting and such. The worst thing I've found is going slightly down hill with cruise on it will try its hardest to to reduce your speed rather than let you roll a bit.

I get what you're saying, OP, but it's really not that bad.

I live at 5000 feet and play in the mountains almost weekly, so I go up to 11,000+ feet with long, steep grades. I lock fifth out suing S mode and it's fine. Slow, but fine in terms of shifting.

As a matter of fact, I like that it sticks in 4th too long wen driving in regular mode. Where I drive, climbs are followed by descents and remaining in 4th going down is better than it upshifting to 5th.

Having said that, I would not mind a supercharged. Thin air and grades like that, plus all my lifts, tires, armor and gear -- let's say I'm usually in the right lane when climbing. Passing a semi is a cause to celebrate.

I find it incredible how many people don't want to engage their vehicle when they're driving. Don't be mindless and take over.

I drive north through the Adirondacks fairly frequently and, yes - In cruise control there is a bit of gear searching. Cancel cruise, use your foot, and work the transmission/rpm to sit where you want it.

We drive a vehicle with the aerodynamic qualities of a brick. When it's windy, it's affected. I've never driven an SUV that wasn't affected by the wind - including the GF's CX5.

My mistake, I was thinking there would be an MTS setting that could help but looks like this feature is only used at crawl speeds. I don't have MTS so didn't know till I looked at it closer after your comment.

It's the Flint Hills. The hills themselves aren't necessarily tall (only a couple hundred feet up/down), but the hills are constant, meandering, and pretty steep (for a hill) and the highways are forced to go up and over. The grade is what I'd consider to be lower moderate when compared to grades I drive in Colorado. Also, the area is wide open prairie with no trees. The wind is always blowing hard from the north or south and typically at speeds of 10mph to 15mph constantly and 20-55mph during weather changes, which are often. It's common for semis to get blown over in the area.