I would say altitude, but 3500ft isn't a lot. More likely the big age difference and slight refinements over the passed 12 years.

Yeah, the 4R is not slow. 0-60 in ~7 seconds beats out some cheap compact sporty cars.

I constantly find my '23 Pro hunting between 4th and 5th gear. Pedal Commander has made it feel way more "powerful" meaning responsive to pedal input but I wouldn't say it felt great.

My old '18 Highlander felt like it had way more power than my Pro does.

I have a 21 limited, it feels quick compared to my 16 limited. My 21 is all stock and the 16 is heavily modified and much heavier.

Just don't drive in D (intelligent overdrive mode), the very second you remove foot from gas pedal (in speed over 40MPH), transmission shifts into overdrive (i.e. 5th gear - ratio 0.72) lowering RPM to save fuel. Constant shifting burn fluid and plates in transmission. Feeling of new vehicle more powerful is same feeling, when you had on just installed new clutch plate in manual transmission - minimal slippage. if you install bigass tires, added tons of metal plus other things added a lot of weight, but not added torque. solution? do not use transmission intelligence and drive in S4 in a city, use D only on long HWY drive. if you need accelerate, switch to lower gear, S4 or S3.

Huh...I have rented a lot of cars in my day and I don't think I've ever seen a 4Runner as a rental vehicle.

Orlando International is (by far) the highest volume car rental location in the US...so, if it would be anywhere, that's as good a place as any.

i still have one of those... ;). i love me a manual trans.

I miss that car. Underpowered, manual trans, rear wheel drive, rear engine, no power steering or power brakes. Air cooled, have to keep the RPMs up.

A kid really learns how to drive cutting his teeth on a car like that.

It has served me well over the years.

i just finished restoring my 66. 2 and 3 gears feel "quick" on the street.

4Runners aren't slow, but they aren't speed demons either. People these days have also been spoiled by just how darn powerful vehicles have become. I mean the 4Runner's engine is a 4.0 liter V6 that makes 270 horsepower. I remember back in the 1990s when full size trucks came with V8s making like 220 horsepower. You could get a V10 for the Dodge Ram that made 300 horsepower, which was a big deal back then. I remember in 1998 when it was a big deal how you could get a 245 horsepower V8 for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. And regular compact cars came with 120 to 150 horsepower engines. Now all those vehicles would be considered pathetically underpowered. An SUV the size and weight of the 4Runner with 270 horsepower ba k then would have been considered a monster. But now such vehicles have like 300, 400, 500, and 600+ horsepower, so people are very spoiled.

My 4Runner drives very smooth and quiet and accelerates plenty fine for normal daily use. It isn't any speed demon but I do not see the vehicle as slow either.

Are you referring to that "Eco" mode I see come on all the time?

This is the fastest stock 4Runner I’ve seen. God bless these three young officers for their service and survival. Police Chase 4 Suspects Wearing Ski Masks In Vehicle Up To No Good. St-Louis County PD. Jan. 26-2022 - YouTube

The 4Runner doesn’t have an “Eco” mode. That light is tied to the pedal and turns on and off based on how far down the gas pedal is pressed. It’s more an indication of “Hey! You’re driving economically!” rather than a dedicated mode that affects shift points, throttle response, etc. It is somewhat confusing, especially given my 2011 has a setting where I can turn that light on and off. Not sure if 2014+ have that setting, but it doesn’t change the way the vehicle performs.