Yeah, there's nothing else currently on the market that even comes close to what I want besides the 4Runner. The 4Runner has it all -- serious off-road capability, body-on-frame, great on the road, smooth ride, a good level of "creature comforts".
we love our 3rd gen 4runner, and for the little trips around or when you want to be extra comfortable, the rav4 adventure has been super capable so far. AWD is of course no 4x4, but it's a great daily for zippin around but still havin some capability. maybe a baby 4runner.
I’ve had mine for 7 years. I don’t off-road unless you count construction zones. It’s a great vehicle, super reliable, looks nice, and drives like the day I bought it. When I look at depreciation, I don’t think I could have leased a mid-size car for what my cost of ownership has been with the 4Runner.
Having said that, I was in the dealership last week and the interior of the new Highlander is pretty damn nice. Not sure I could go there but the Platinum Highlander has caught my eye.
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2012 Shoreline Blue LE 4WD w/ 3rd Row.
I went from a 2017 TRD Pro to a 2017 Range Rover Sport 5.0L Supercharged and can chime in about it.
The RRS is better in most ways (features, speed, handling, fuel economy, etc.), but it better be considering it's 2x the price. I've had mine since 12 or 15k miles on the odometer and recently cracked 40k. I haven't had any reliability issues, but I (purposely) bought the goldilocks year where you get the widescreen infotainment, but not the dual screen one that has had software issues. It's been on a strict 16k mile service internal, 5k mile tire rotation, and once every 6 month software update interval.
I felt just a touch more confident in the 4Runner when off-roading for whatever reason, but the RRS can definitely hold its own on all of the same trails I took my 4Runner on. It just does it in a much more electronic/tech way if that makes sense. The 4Runner felt more mechanical and engaging.
That being said, I'm hoping the 6th Gen 4Runner brings me back to the platform.
The 4runner would only be for you if need a very capable offroad vehicle for weekend gateways. The RRS is very capable if you modified the tires and protect the underside. The 4 runner Pro comes ready for serious offroad adventures which most buyers don't have the skills or desire to take. Taking trips to the back country 50 to 100 miles from anyone or anything I would never do in a RRS. I know my 4 runner will start every time, won't break as long as I pick the right line and offroad right and make sure it is maintained right. I never knew if my RRS would get me back to the house after leaving the dealer for one of the routine maintenance services. I do believe if your lifestyle isn't occasionally about getting deep off grid in some very rugged terrain than most SUVs can be the 1 for you instead of the 4 runner
Last edited by Thebeastlives; 04-05-2020 at 11:30 PM.
Is there anything that comes close to the 4Runner? I have not seen anything. These are the closest competitors for me personally:
Lexus GX: inferior looks, full time 4WD, requires premium fuel
Lexus LX: Same as GX, expensive
Does the 4Runner ruin you for other vehicles or is it just me?
I guess it depends on how much off-roading you do and are you willing to mod.
Lexus GX advantage is that you get FULL-time 4wd AND KDSS all in one package...that is a killer deal. The V8 is a big plus given that 4runner is under-powered. But yes, it does require premium fuel...but the extra power and comfort features of a Lexus (interior quality, LED headlights, very quiet) may be worth it for some. Downfall of GX is the approach angle is pretty bad due to the front end design.
Personally, i went with Land Cruiser. Again, full-time 4WD and KDSS combo is what i want. You get the great ride and plenty of luxury. Expensive yes, but at least it runs on regular gas...and with low gas prices these days, i love it.
Is there anything that comes close to the 4Runner? I have not seen anything. These are the closest competitors for me personally:
Lexus GX: inferior looks, full time 4WD, requires premium fuel
Lexus LX: Same as GX, expensive
Range Rover: expensive and notoriously unreliable, air suspension
Tundra: too big if you aren't towing massive trailers regularly
Tacoma: too small, wind noise
BMW X5: unibody, poor reliability
Does the 4Runner ruin you for other vehicles or is it just me?
IF the new Bronco lives up to the media hype, its going to grab a lot of market share. It will be from the Jeepers fed up with the fiat reliability and FJ cruisers who want the removable top. I can even seen some 4Runner owners jumping ship.
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Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packin' right here, all right. We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower. We're talkin' some f'in muscle.
IF the new Bronco lives up to the media hype, its going to grab a lot of market share. It will be from the Jeepers fed up with the fiat reliability and FJ cruisers who want the removable top. I can even seen some 4Runner owners jumping ship.
I hate the Raptor because it's too long, too wide, and too stupid.
I'm a RWD junkie. I don't think I ever drove a FWD.
I would bet you would be hard pressed to even notice the difference on a SUV like ours.
This still goes to making his point... highlander would be a valid choice for most who don't take advantage of the 4Runner 4WD capability off-road.
I won't even include snow driving or general adventure road trip use because the highlander also comes in AWD and can hold it's own just fine there too.
Toyota's future plans for the Land Cruiser are to take it back to its off-road roots - more off-road, less luxury. When that happens - if that happens - it will be a worthy alternative to the 4Runner.
Toyota's future plans for the Land Cruiser are to take it back to its off-road roots - more off-road, less luxury. When that happens - if that happens - it will be a worthy alternative to the 4Runner.
I too would love to see that happen, but if the LC200 size persists then it would still be limited as a trail rig. I have been to some pretty tight/narrow trails which really me feel like even the 4th gen was a bit large. The technology on other other hand in the LC200 great. Trail cam and the turn assist in specific are phenomenal.
The only other product that holds off-road clout I would consider at this point in time that isn't a 4Runner is the GX470, and perhaps the 460 if aftermarket catches up.
Most all of the things working against the GX are superficial, as in aesthetics. That said, I think those that are fixed up appropriately look pretty dang good. Google images search for "long travel GX" comes up with some pretty nice examples. Bottom line, it's every bit as capable as has a lot to offer and in some cases more so than the current 5th gens.
My brother being the "Ford guy", has high hopes for the Bronco, and to a degree so do I. If they do a good job on it, I would consider buying one over the 4Runner if they do a good job on a Raptor style desert build that excels in the open desert.
The Mercedes G Wagon would be a pretty legit option but it's a bit too rich for me.
The only vehicle i would consider at this point...after 6yrs/100,000 miles of ownership of my 2014 T4R that i love dearly...?
an LC-200...anything under 150K miles...
its my dream vehicle, and im currently fighting the urge to trade in my wife's car, and my old F150, gifting my wife my Runner and going out and finding an LC.
thats it, thats the list!!!
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Patrick L
Ft. Washington, Md.
2014 SR5 w/ 3rd row
My TRD-Pro-Lite
The 4runner would only be for you if need a very capable offroad vehicle for weekend gateways. The RRS is very capable if you modified the tires and protect the underside. The 4 runner Pro comes ready for serious offroad adventures which most buyers don't have the skills or desire to take. Taking trips to the back country 50 to 100 miles from anyone or anything I would never do in a RRS. I know my 4 runner will start every time, won't break as long as I pick the right line and offroad right and make sure it is maintained right. I never knew if my RRS would get me back to the house after leaving the dealer for one of the routine maintenance services. I do believe if your lifestyle isn't occasionally about getting deep off grid in some very rugged terrain than most SUVs can be the 1 for you instead of the 4 runner
I've got 275/55R20 KO2s on it, so it's very capable off-road and on deep snow/slush/etc.. I haven't bothered with underbody protection because I rarely go rock crawling (whether with the 4Runner or the RRS) anymore due to lack of time.
Which year was your RRS? They are far more reliable on their new platform (2014+) and the majority of current reliability issues they get dinged for are centered around the 2014-2016 touchscreens being slow/unresponsive and the same issues with the new dual screen system on 2018+ models. Mine has been solid up to 40k miles. I'll be keeping it for a long time, so I'll get to see firsthand how it does up to 100k miles though it's CPO'd so I'm covered until then if things do go wrong.
That being said, if I had to pick between a 4Runner and a RRS to take out wayyyyy into the boonies I'd give the nod to the 4Runner. I say this as someone that had a lemon 2017 4R TRD Pro that had all sorts of reliability problems.