I'm upgrading to a 5th gen (specifically a 2014 TE premium) but I'm keeping my 4th gen. My 2008 has treated us great so far and I enjoy driving it so I see no need to get rid of it. I'm trading in my 2012 f150 which lately has been less than stellar. Down the road I plan on picking up an older 3/4 ton diesel or older tundra.

So the 2wd owners wouldn't feel inferior?

In my case it's an addition and not an upgrade, as I plan to keep my 4th gen for as long as I can.

I posted more or less the same as what I have typed below in response to a similar question in the 5th gen forum a little while ago:

I have an ’03 V8 Sport Edition and a ’14 Limited. From my perspective, other than the decrease in low end torque going from the 8 to the 6, it rides bigger and you sit higher, but handling feels crisper. The best analogy that I can come up with is that my ’03 drives like a previous gen Lexus sedan and my ’14 (with X-REAS) drives like an Infiniti sedan. Both handle and ride well, but the ’03 feels a little cushier and the ’14 stays flatter through turns and feels as though it’s ready to handle a quick maneuver better. All said and done, in my opinion, they're probably fairly equal in handling when pushed to the limit. Otherwise, the rest of the differences are based on the obvious changes you’d get going from a sport edition to a limited along with the new features that have come out in the past 11 years…heated and vented seats, rear back-up camera and parking sensors, nav, better stereo, etc. You also get the ability to cut off traction control without going under the hood. You lose the soft close rear hatch, locking fuel door, convenient wheel size, and a few other things.

My ’03 is without a doubt my favorite of all vehicles I have owned. But, considering I’m not truly sold on anything until I’ve had it for a while, I really like the ’14 Limited a lot more than I thought I would and will definitely be getting a 5th gen 4Runner (TE with KDSS) for my next primary vehicle purchase (the ’14 is my wife’s vehicle but it’s our primary family vehicle and I always drive).

I'm not going to pretend that I'm the first guy to own both a 4th gen and a 5th gen and there is a lot of feedback on this forum about this scenario. But, if the 4runner (any 4runner) is your weapon of choice, there's no better replacement/addition to a 4runner than another 4runner.

I bought my 4th Gen a year and a half ago from a guy who was in the process of trading it in for a 5th Gen. I ended up seeing him a few weeks ago and we chatted for a while. He said he loves his 5th Gen and is happy he made the move.

For myself, I'm so-so on the 5th Gen. I think I'll just rebuild my 4th Gen if the need arises.

My wife and I were seriously thinking about getting a 5th gen in the future and rented one while we were out of town visiting friends and we were not really impressed.
There was more space inside which was nice.

If we ever actually do get one I wont be getting rid of the 4th gen that will become my full-time play toy.

I sold my 4th gen for a '13 Tundra... does that count?

Hello

I am driving a 2013 Tundra Crewmax ... Whopah!!!

I won't trade up to a 5th gen, I love my 4th gen and I just don't see any benefit to the 5th gen over the 4th for me. I've posted this many times and its rather late so I will try to condense as much as I can...

-The 5th gen exterior from '10-'13 is nice, I love the '14+ headlamps and tail lamps, but I absolutely despise the ugly front ends for most if not all the trims. The designer who did the refresh did a poor job in my opinion when it came to the grill and front end.

-The 5th gen interior feels "off" compared to my 4th gen, not as comfortable and controls always feel out of reach or not where they should be.

-The amount of de-contenting in the 5th gen is another reason I do not like them, Toyota charges more for the 5th gen but removed the T3 Torsen that made the 4th gens so versatile, not to mention a lack of a 4.6L 1UR-FE V8 when the drivetrain is all ready to bolt into the frame via the GX460 drove it further down my desire list.

There is a ton more things that make the 5th gen less appealing to me in my eyes vs. the 4th gen; many of which I wouldn't really consider negatives had the 5th gen been my first 4Runner. Bottom line, the 5th gen isn't something I really feel I want. I wouldn't turn down a free one, but I'm not going to swap the 4th gen for a 5th.

I will probably at best, just use a 5th Gen Frame when my 4th gen frame is damaged beyond repair. Supposedly the 150 platform is slightly stronger than the 120, even though dimension wise they are identical.

No...

I had a '04 Sport V6 and my goal was to sell it before I hit any big repairs. In Oct of 2013, the head gasket failed, and that definitely counted as an expensive repair. Other than that, it was a very solid and reliable vehicle.

I now have a 2014 TEP, and I do enjoy it much more than the '04. With the '04, I couldn't get a moonroof because there wasn't enough headroom for me. The 5th gens have a higher roof, so I can fit in there fine with the moonroof. The combo of moonroof + rear window is sweet! Beyond that, I never really liked the seats on the '04 because I couldn't crank the front up to support my legs. I ended up putting a handful of washers between the front of the seat and the floor to prop them up a bit and this helped. The bolts are plenty long enough to accommodate this.

In addition to having leg support on the driver seat of my '14, I also really enjoy the softex seats and the seat warmers. Leather would also be nice, but I very much prefer the softex over cloth.

I'm also a huge fan of the sliding cargo tray. It's perfect for how I pack when going on camping trips. I think that those who don't like the cargo tray just don't know how to use it to its full potential. The rear bumper on the '14 seems like it sits out further than on my old '04, so you effectively have to reach over the bumper to access the cargo area. With the tray, you slide the gear toward you to reach it. This is especially important if you have a water container because you can just dispense water out of the back without worrying about spilling in the interior.

Though I really like the look of the black interior on my '14, it definitely shows rub marks on the plastic very easily. The gray interior of my '04 was never showed any problems. My solution was to create a simple metal rail that clamps onto the back and sides of the cargo tray. This prevents gear from touching the panels in the cargo area, and also allows me to have some simple tie downs to keep my gear from shifting while off road.

The '04 did feel a bit more peppy on the throttle, but I appreciate how the 5th gen drives. It seems to encourage you to drive with a lighter foot.

After 10 years of owning my old '04, I knew all the places where rocks would hit and ding up the paint, especially along the rocker trim and the rear fender. I noticed immediately that Toyota has a different choice of materials in these areas on the 5th gen. The rocker trim on the Trail is an unpainted plastic, and the lower portion of the rear fenders have a stick-on guard to protect against rock hits.

I recently put a new suspension in my '14 and new tires, so I can also appreciate that Toyota gave us room to put a 285 spare under the truck. :-)

I have zero regrets for selling my '04. It was a good truck, but for me at least, the '14 is a much better vehicle.

My father had the 1st gen, 3rd gen and now has the 4th gen. I have the 4th gen as well. We're a 4Runner family at heart so we decided to go test drive the 5th gen because my mom kept driving my dads truck and not her BMW. After the test drive my mom said to my dad "if you surprise me with that truck its going right back to the dealer". The 4th gens and even the 3rd gens are just timeless works of art. The body styling, engine and all around features have always outshined every other brand of SUV out there. I have a 2003 V8 with 122,000 miles and it still runs beautifully. When the engine dies I'll either have it rebuilt or buy a 2009.....that is unless Toyota decides to hire an engineer with a pair of balls that has dropped and lets the top brass know there are millions of owners who miss the Toyota of old days.

im with you on that all the way I had to have the v8 when I was looking I love it people dont expect it to have a v8 and the sound gets many looks when driving not to mention with bigger tires and more armor it still gets around very well, I will be keeping mine quite a while longer and when i do get something else if i do it will like be a tacoma just for all the aftermarket accessories available and the bed I miss a bed sometimes ,however interiors V8 and prices are what led me to purchase my 4th gen tacomas are still mostly over 15k for what id want and the interiors kind of feel dated . But as mentioned I think ill be holding on to mine for a good while really wish it had a locker but other than that very happy. Not to mention in my opinion the 5th gens are still too much money and too new to be getting wheeled hard if I sratch or dent mine Im not too upset however a 35k 5th gen id be a little more upset .

I live in Texas so I hardly use the heater but if you set it to 80 for example it won't blow air until it's 80 degrees?

If so that's effin awesome.

Ahhh, an old thread, but still a relevant subject to ponder...

I got my V6 SR5 2008 in '12 with 28k miles. Exactly 9 years later with 174k miles and haven't spent a single dollar on anything other than oil changes, a gas cap, tires and break pads.

It feels time for a 5th gen...I'm thinking 16/17/18 Off Road or SR5 Premium. I'm used to the leather and sunroof.

But as far as the debate goes, I don't think it's worth 30k to buy the same vehicle just so it's a little newer. Those 4th gen 4R are what they are for a reason.

Seems silly to trade it off now, the later 4th gens are just starting to hit the bottom of their price curve being 10-12 years old. I'd be hesitant to dump a vehicle I paid a premium for and know basically the full history of just as it's starting to get to the cheapest part of ownership. Especially since you're considering the 5th gen, a very similar platform overall. At the rate you're going your 4runner will easily last another 5 years, more likely 10 with little more repairs.

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