Hi everyone! Bought a 2016 Limited last November, tried to get on a few facebook groups to ask some questions about mods and in particular installation of an Apple CarPlay system, but no luck. Either no replies or rude snarky replies. So hoping to find more help here!

New to the 4runner ownership club here in GA. Just picked up a minty fresh 07 SR5 with only 118k miles!
Looking to start with adding a roof rack and the Rago interior side panels. A leveling kit and maybe some wheels or maybe just new tires. Also want to black out all of them chrome emblems!

Hello guys,

my name is Christian and me and my wife are fresh and happy owners of one of the few 5th generation 4Runners in Germany. Searching for information about the 4R I often ended up here and felt very comfortable. We live in the north of Germany, 150 mls west from Berlin and got our baby in the end of May. It was a long way until here.

The third generation was the last officially sold by Toyota in Europe. To get a new 4R here you have to import it or have a dealer to do it for you. In December 2018, after some research on the US Toyota-site, we configured our 4R and I asked a Toyota-dealer to import it. Probably it would have been possible to do the buying/shipping/importing by myself but the German homologation of a foreign vehicle can be tricky. The documents of our car have some remarks regarding special authorizations. I am not sure I would have gotten them as a private person.

Another important aspect is that importing the 4R through an official Dealer provided us with the Toyota Warranty. I hope we will not need it but it’s nice to know we have it.

Perhaps you are asking why we came up with the idea of importing a 4Runner to Germany, that’s something for my second post.

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We love to travel and specially to be out in nature to hike. After reading many magazines about trips from Overlanders I also wanted a vehicle for travel. It should be tough, reliable and with room for us and our stuff.

First I was heading for a new 70 Series Landcruiser, a GRJ76. It’s sold here by only four dealers and is generally imported via the Middle East (Toyota doesn’t sell them here either). It’s a great machine but with a heavy bias on offroad capability. After a test-drive in April 2018 we realized we were not tough enough for it. From where we live, in any direction, the first 500 mls until we reach a dirt road, we have to drive on asphalt, mostly Autobahn/Highways. It’s no fun to drive a 70 Series Landcruiser over that distance at the usual driving speed on these roads, around 90 mph or more.

So I started to look for something with serious offroad capability but also good onroad behavior. It should have a ladder frame, a solid rear axle with a lockable differential, permanent or part-time AWD, low gear, a gasoline engine and should be easy to get serviced in South and North America (that’s where we want to make our big trips). With this boxes checked, there are not too many options left.
tbc Christian

After the GRJ76 we drove a Mercedes G. It was much better onroad and as a G500 it’s a first class vehicle. But the best quality was built until around MY 2000. Good Gs with 35 Kmls cost here around 55 K$, are nearly 20 years old and not free from rust and wear. Besides that, a G is at home in Europe but in case we need to repair something in South America, it could be costly regarding money and time.

Another point is the image. These things as new can cost easy over 150 K, and who will know I bought mine used for much less? When it comes to dependability, a 20 years old G even with only 35 kmls is not the same as a new Toyota.

It was then in the end of July 2018 and we had to stop the process and concentrate in the arrangements for vacations with my sister and my brother in law. They live in the north of Argentina and we wanted to meet in Chile in the beginning of September to make a trip through Chile and Argentina. We met in Santiago and started from there with a 4Runner SR5 as a rental car.

We had plenty of luggage and everything fitted nicely. The roads were mostly dusty with several passes in the Andes reaching up to 14.000 ft. We also had some long stretches of perfect straight roads through the desert. At 100 mph the 4R felt perfectly settled and very quiet. I was very impressed. Since I am far away from 15 posts, let’s go for another one.

Recently bought my first T4R, a 2005 v6 SR5 (pic below). And I have thankfully found answers to some questions after being lead to this forum. Time to join. Hello to everyone.

05 v6 SR5

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That's a clean 4runner.

Wow that is impressive to bring a 4Runner all the way to Germany. Makes me feel better that I have a 4Runner here in the states (Washington, DC area).

Hello everyone! Just got a 2005 4Runner SR5 with the 4.7L. Searched high and low for one with the V8, and found mine within 5 miles of where I live! It is a 1 owner Runner that was purchased in Germany by a guy in the Army and dragged across the US. Carfax checks out with similar duty stations as mine lol. It's got high miles (244k) but was incredibly maintained. My last 4Runner, a 98, had about 350k before I sold it, so I wasn't as concerned. And my 99 Taco I had previously went from 80k to 250k with nothing more than maintenance. So I'm sold on Toyotas in general lol

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Blessings and respect. I am a new member and a new owner of a 1999 Toyota 4 runner. I have in the last few weeks read so many post on here that have been so helpful. Thank you to all the members for sharing thier experience and such so we as 4 runner owners can get the most enjoyment ( which I call fulljoy) out of our Runners. Thank you and respect.

Hello everyone,

so there are also 4R going the other way, from Germany to the US. Congratulations. I would love to have a V8 but with the prices for fuel and taxes in Germany it’s beyond my limits.

Nice to know that these vehicles are able to run so far without major problems. During my research I read that the 4R is in the top ten list from Consumer Reports for vehicles with 200k and without bigger issues.

Our rental 4R in Chile was like new, it had only 18k but probably only on the dirt roads and under rental conditions.

Continuing my little story, after returning from vacations we had three options left: a new Landcruiser (200 Series), a Fortuner and the 4R.

The Landcruiser is still a nice machine but too big for us and the style is so so. The dealer had a Fortuner, built in Thailand and imported from the Middle East. It’s derived from the Hilux and is also sold in Australia, South Africa and South America but not in the US/Canada and Europe. We did a test-drive but weren’t impressed. It’s a nice vehicle but hasn’t the room and the character of the 4R.

Since we had the opportunity to drive a 4R on our trip, we knew the highs and lows and there was no need for further test drives. The decision was made. Besides figuring out how to get one over the Atlantic the biggest issue was the color. Our rental car was Barcelona Red and we liked it very much. But gray also looks good and with the TRD-Wheels it’s a strong combination. Gray is also less striking. Perhaps because of it’s rareness, size and design, the 4R is here an absolute eye-catcher. With a red 4R we would always have all the eyes on us, that’s not what we want.

This is the red 4R we had in Chile. It had a fulltime AWD with the Dial-Type transfer case, so I thought this was standard also in the US. Later, as I was configuring ours, I learned that only the SR5 and the Limited have fulltime AWD.

I cannot understand why the TRD Pro and the TRD Offroads are only available with the part-time system. It looks like Toyota doesn’t trust the fulltime AWD of the 4R in serious offroad conditions. The actual Landcruiser has fulltime AWD and Crawl-Control + Multi-Terrain select.

In Chile the rental companies allowed only two cars to be driven offroad, the 4R and the Subaru Forester. Offroad means in Chile/Argentina the small non-official roads, since even some of the main roads are gravel roads. It’s good to make sure you are allowed to drive on these small roads because they are often the ones who take you to specially nice spots in the mountains and you will have no problems with the insurance in case anything happens.

One nice hike we did was only possible after driving through a farm road. It wasn’t serious offroad but we needed every inch of ground clearance and for more than 3 miles you had to stay in first gear. That gave me nice figures for the average fuel consumption on that day.

Because of the high altitude the Forester may lack some power, the 4R is definitely the best choice. For those who love mountains I recommend the northwest of Argentina and the region between Santiago and the Atacama-Desert in Chile for vacations. We did a round trip starting and ending in Santiago and it was amazing. Great Landscape, friendly people, affordable prices and very safe.

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