My wife and I needed an upgrade in space when we started having kids. Always wanted a 4Runner for the reliability, resale value, and design.

With how crazy the inflation and various “supply chain” increases were, it was hard to find one within our budget. One thing that was important for us was the 3rd row seating.

It was darn near impossible to find a 4wd with 3rd row seating that didn’t have 180k plus miles on it. We wanted one with around 100k miles.

So we settled with a lifted 2runner with nice big “off-road” tires on it…fenders cut in the front to fit them. We live in the Midwest where we get lots of snow. I’ve never owned a 4wd vehicle here. The truck does great in the snow. I’ve never needed the 4wd…yet.

So with that being said, I’m a little sad that I won’t be able to utilize the FULL potential of the 4Runner because I know I could go on a lot more adventures if I had the 4wd, but I’m very happy owning a 2wd runner that my whole family can fit into. Plus, having a bunch of kids in that 3rd row seat helps add weight over the rear wheels when we are off road haha

If I was able to find a 4wd with 3rd row seating with low miles, I would’ve bought one.

always 4x4

can you return it??

Old thread, but buying a 2wd 4Runner is like taking a bologna sandwich to a bar-bq.

Having a 4x4 is NOT the end all-be all for off roading/traction.

There are different kinds of 'off roading'. For example, out west, you have 2wd vehicles that are 'desert runners' or 'prerunners'. You also have rock crawling as well. Here in the east we also have rock crawling, trail running and mudding. For rock crawling and mudding, you most definitely need a 4x4, but not just a 4x4...you need the right kind of tires and traction aids...lockers, ATRAC, etc.

It all depends on what you want to do and most importantly, what you, the driver are capably of...knowledge and skill. Yes, it takes 'know how' to go off roading properly.

I've seen 2wd trucks with mud terrain tires and rear lockers out do 4x4 trucks off the show room floor.

I've seen 2wd crossovers/cars with dedicated snow tires drive on snow with no problems while 4x4s on all season tires get stuck.

I've been to off road parks like Hollister Hills and Prairie City in California with my 2000 XJ (several years ago) with 4x4 and rear limited slip AND BFG KO all terrain tires...but in both places, I may have used the 4x4 less than 5% of the time. When I went to Death Valley, I don't even think I used the 4x4 once even though some of the trails required it.

So, again...do you need a 4x4...the answer is...it depends.

There's guys in Alaska with daily driven 2wd cars....

Just put a good set of tires on.

4WD doesn't help you brake in the snow or ice which is what causes all the accidents. Only helps you accelerate faster which is dangerous when its time to slow down.

Unless you frequent muddy unmaintained dirt roads or actual offroad rock crawling I think 4wd is unnecessary. I have a 2wd Tundra as my daily.

I know this is contrary to what everyone always thinks, but 4WD does help with stopping on low friction surfaces. Jetboy wrote up a nice explanation here: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3708501-post32.html

Also, Team O'Neil Rally School has demonstrated this in various videos on YouTube.

More of a difference in braking than I originally thought but I think there is too many factors for a clear cut answer. The 4WD jeep locked up all 4 tires wheras the 2wd jeep didn't. I think if you were to compare 2 modern vehicles with independent abs the difference will be minimal. You could potentially stop faster with any vehicle 2wd or 4wd if you disable abs, but would lose stability.

The real issue is the drivers that think they can stop quickly, being in a 4wd won't be enough of a difference to help them avoid an accident in the snow.

If you have to slam on your brakes in the snow you've already screwed up.

Id be surprised if theres many 2WD in Alaska. Being from NY I was unaware that 4runners, tundras, Tacos came in a 2Wd configuration, because we only have 4WD and the dealers only get 4WD here. Tires definitely help, but all wheels making torque and contact with the snow, elements etc helps because when you lose one, youve got 3 others, not 1 other with traction

4WD might be better but 2wd won't prevent you from driving to work in the snow. Even if roads are ungraded trucks have more than enough clearance in either configuration.

You only have to lose traction with 2 tires in an unlocked differential 4wd for it to become useless.

4wd for an experienced driver in the snow, at best, gets you to your destination faster as long as traffic conditions/congestion allow. Which it never does in stop and go traffic.

4wd for an inexperienced driver in the snow has the potential to create a worse accident due to the extra acceleration grip and false confidence under acceleration.

Don't forget the tendency to under-steer while in 4wd (if no center diff is present)...at least 1 wheel has to 'slip' unless you want binding of the driveline.

I can believe that. But this doesn't not apply to all 4x4 vehicles. Some vehicles automatically disengage ABS when in at least one 4x4 mode...while other leave it engaged (some off roaders actually hate this)...and can actually increase the stopping distance. So, as with all things...results may vary...

So I'll throw a little knowledge and experience in here to better reinforce these two points that I agree with.

-The majority of modern vehicles do not fully disengage ABS/VSC/TRAC features in 4WD. Toyota is one of the quickest examples that comes to mind, the VSC OFF button doesn't actually fully disable the VSC system on many of the older Toyotas and on newer ones there is even an option for "Fully Disabled" by holding the button for something like 10 or 20sec (the owner's manual will tell you if your vehicle has that feature and how to make it work). Additionally the 4WD position does partially deactivate the various systems in the sense it increase the tolerances before it engages the further down the 4WD setting you go.

I remember one specific instance where my '04 V8 4WD in 4Lo, Center Diff Locked, 1st Gear it still fought me with the A-TRAC/VSC functions when I went through a section of the V-Notch (well at the time was more of U-Notch having been worn out then) obstacle at Hollister; the 4Runner HATED having one wheel in the air and the opposite corner not getting good traction, it kept trying to nanny/mimic a locking diff but wouldn't let me get the acceleration I needed to "bump" the 4Runner over to let the free spinning wheel catch the next edge of the notch obstacle; it was so violently rocking/jerking the truck that we all though it'd snap a CV axle. I eventually had to pull the ABS Relay and force a full failure of the ABS system to get it to let me rock the 4Runner the way I needed (I think we may have even thrown a strap on the front to provide forward tension, it's been years.)

The 5th gen A-TRAC is more mature as is the Skid Control ECU programming, but I am sure if you search the forums you'll find that it still likes to try and take control from the driver despite the "OFF" warning lights being on in the combination meter. Point being that Toyota and other manufacturers don't build these vehicles for skilled drivers, they build them to the most common denominator, clueless people who barely understand how to operate the vehicle and they don't trust them even if they push the "safety nannies off" buttons.

-In regards to Inv4drZm's points, 4WD does not affect the braking performance of the vehicle directly. Having 4WD does not improve braking performance or make the vehicle suddenly stop any different than a similar 2WD model (though I will point out that some vehicles get upgraded brakes when you select the 4WD option, so performance might be improved because of that).

That being said, 4WD does have the potential to improve traction and to allow the vehicle to better control itself in low traction situations. It does this because when the vehicle sees a wheel slipping it'll start engaging the ABS/VSC/TRAC system to control it, I have noticed that most safety systems like VSC/TRAC on Toyotas and other brands just don't seem to be able to handle icy conditions well (even when "Snow" mode is selected). I think it's because they prioritize managing wheel slip versus, since managing a controlled slide is an advanced driving technique and reliant on the driver's skill. Many times if one or more tires starts to slip on ice, the VSC/TRAC system kicks in so aggressively it will break the other tires loose and the vehicle just starts sliding while the car constantly keeps trying to prevent them from locking up which just extends the slide and you have no real control of the vehicle (see it every winter with my own 4Runner and other vehicles). I often joke that VSC/TRAC is trying to kill me in the winter...

With AWD/4WD you have a somewhat lower likely hood that one or more tires will start spinning/slipping at significantly different speeds (still possible if you're really trying, but less likely in general) because the AWD/4WD system is either managing torque output and/or the axles are locked together through the center differential. This in theory could allow you to have better control in those situations without the VSC/TRAC trying to take control away from you, in practice it seems to be 50/50 in my experience.

4WD is a tool that can compliment decent skills and driver aptitude, it is not a panacea nor an automatic improvement in braking or driving prowess by simply having it on the vehicle as an option. You can offset a 2WD vehicle's issues with better winter tires or better driving skill vs. someone with a 4WD vehicle with improper tires and poor driving skill. This is often why you see so many AWD/4WD vehicles spun-out in the winter, too many people get too confident and/or think that because they have those systems they don't need to adjust their driving for the conditions.

~

Long story short, 2WD vs. 4WD comes down to preference, cost, application, and opinion. Personally?

They're called Rav4 & 4Runner, not Rav2 and 2Runner; I never saw the point of selling a 2WD option for these vehicles when they are being advertised for adventure/off-roading/trails, even in a lot of the marketing crap you might see a "this is a AWD/4WD model pictured". If you're looking for a capable Truck/SUV for on-road and off-road use and you're not happy with a Honda Ranchero (Ridgeline) or a Highlander, and are looking at a BOF Truck/SUV then in my mind there is no question, you get the 4WD option.