Anyone who thinks Toyota will do away with the 4runner is smoking some serious stuff. The 4runner still outsells the FJ Cruiser and highlander and it's the main competitor for the pathfinder and explorer. The 4runner will never be replaced and it is priced right for the market. Gas mileage isn't crazy especially considering it's a rugged SUV with lots of off-road capability. It is the best mid-size SUV on the market especially for it's price. Have any of you seen what prices all other vehicles are going for nowadays. It's crazy, and the 4runner is priced just right considering all your other options. No doubt 4Runner is here to stay!!!

I agree with this. The Sequoia is actually much more logical in the overall product line than the 4R. They could probably cover the segment with RAV4 (compact), Highlander (midsize) and Sequoia (fullsize) plus the FJ as a niche product. If anything doesn't fit in the overall scheme of the US market, it's the 4R and my beloved Land Cruiser.

Even though the Highlander is nice and size of the new has come closer to the same , I wouldn't dare to take a Highlander where I take the 4R. Totally 2 different type of vehicles , but may attract some of the conservative.

I personally would never buy a Hybrid , even if it was in the 4R . I think its a scam that the american tree huggers get sucked right into. Would I buy a V6 yes , but kind of pointless considering gas milage , would I buy a diesel , possibly if it was a cheap enough option. On an F250 it is a $5000.00+ option and the gas prices are not any cheaper if not more expensive right now here in Wi.

Steven , I see what your saying about the competition of those other vehicles , I would guess mainly because of size comparison , maybe if people dug into what its really about the may go the 4R way if they new it's strengths , but most people don't care. I see where your coming from.

I might buy a diesel in a 4Runner as well IF the deisel engine option was more reasonably priced than the Ford's $5K.
Speaking of fuel prices just this morning on the way yo work I noticed that Diesel is $3.739/gallon and Unleaded Regular is $3.099/gallon.
At those prices a diesel engine's increased MPG would need to be fairly high just to off-set the price per gallon difference.
Then add in the cost of a diesel engine option and it really gets interesting.

I just wished I lived in an area where the spread in cost between gas and diesel did not get so far apart.

I argree that many people simply shop on size and do not compare other attributes or simply have less needs.
For me, the 4Runner's attributes simply fill my needs better than the competition. Cross-over, mid-sized, SUVs do not.

Fortunately the Lexus shares the same platform as the 4Runner and LandCruiser. Sequoia shares the same platform as the Tundra. I would think the future of the 4Runner also depends on the sales of the GX which is currently nicely positioned between the RX and LX.

that would be awesome if a diesel 4runner was released in america, my friends father used to live in Africa and had a 86' 4-door pick-up, that was a diesel. he said it was the best vehicle he's ever owned. Diesel itself is a scam....isn't diesel a by-product of gasoline? therefore it should be cheaper. and quality of the product has decreased....in my dads 06' 3500 Duramax we have to run additives like crazy to get it back up to power. i think im gonna move to Saudi Arbia and invest in the oil companys

If you've seen this already, forgive me for the repeat. But speaking of the Duramax, have you guys seen the news about this guy in Kansas? The first story I saw on him was in Fast Company.. Motorhead Messiah

His company is SAE Energy (SAEenergy.com) and the guy is for real. I would LOVE it if a progressive car company like Toyota would put this guy's technology to work for them.

this is amazing, a 600hp motor that gets 60mpg. heck if it even got half that it would be amazing. you should start a new thread.

the 4runners fate is often on my mind when i see a new sequoia,tundra, OR LC because in my opinion, all 3 trucks are ugly.
The FjC is the same still, either love or hate...... I wouldnt drive one.
The tacos are basically the same, tho I sitll liked the prev. gen better, but still maintains a masculine and functional truck.
The new highlanders look nice and are powerful, to me this is THE ONLY vehicle toyota has improved (visually).
The 4r is being pinched out and I bet the next gen will be a bigger, featureless american made piece of apple pie (sh|t).

As far as a new 1st gen, id have to see it first! Thats a BIG SHOE to fill.

I hope they do some soul searching because I hope to upgrade my 2000 4runner in 2009 or 2010. Crossing my fingers.

Dave

Just read that article. Very interesting idea. I'd think the Big Three (esp. GM) would pick this guy up before any foreign auto makers. But still would have a huge impact if it were implemented. That turbine engine-hybrid is a pretty crazy concept!

Isn't that insane? Sort of takes what we normally think of in hybrids and turns it upside down. Instead of thinking of the gas engine as a main power source connected to the driveline, he uses a hugely over-sized turbine just to power the batteries.

Kinda makes me wish I was better at turning a wrench. I know my way around building and remodeling homes pretty well, but generally don't trust my automotive skills much more than changing an oil filter without F'ing something up!

I've always felt that any automaker can get big power and yet get big MPG numbers .

I'm not going to give my reason why I think that way so it does not start a flame war.

Just my thoughts and beliefs

I do think it is a chicken and egg thing.

First you gotta give Honda their due for coming out with the very first mass production hybrid, and then Toyota for following soon after. But really those were still not a giant leap for people to buy -- they still use gas you can find on any street corner.

But (though it kills me) I have to give GM credit for taking a GIANT leap and coming out with a fleet of flex fuel cars that take ethanol, when just a few major cities in the US had maybe a half-dozen or so pumps even selling the stuff. Sure, all it really requires is a stainless steel fuel system and a chip that knows what to do when you put gas or ethanol in it, but it was still a leap.

Just my own thoughts with nothing but common sense and marketing knowledge, but I would bet that we will see at least GM and Toyota and maybe Honda get more and more imaginative in what they are willing to try. And I base that on 1)current events, 2)the fact that most logical people know we need to get off the Middle East's tit, and 3) the pretty big successes they have seen in more recent years with hybrids, diesels, and flex fuels.

I think there were a lot of things in the way preventing progress...

1) Auto maker unions block new technologies stating it will obsolete their work force on an unproven technology.

2) Auto makers don't want to retool unless they can reap substantial benefits (hence the reason Chrysler never implemented the rotary engine on a domestic vehicle - they own the US patent since the 70's, but never put it in a car).

3) Reliance on oil gives many other perks which are not publicly mentioned, but put cash in certain people's pockets. (story on coal last night on the news about how efficient coal is and how clean burning it is, but then they go on to say the technology to make coal clean burning is more than 10 years away...)

On the side of GM, I like the direction they are trying to go, working on all fronts for fuel technologies. The bad side is they need to improve on reliability and quality. They have an impressive hybrid on the full sized GM SUVs that looks very promising.