Head & leg room question on GX 470
 

I need a bit more towing oomph than my 2003 4Runner with a V6 can provide. Was hoping to go Sequoia but my wife, who mostly will drive the rig (I use it on occasion for hunting & towing) wants a smaller rig. The other thing is I need a more "upright" seating position as I'm about 6' 5" and the 4Runner seat has to be all the way at the bottom to provide "barely enough" head room and then the seat is lower to the floor than I'd prefer (it's more comfortable for me if my legs aren't stretched out straight). Looks like the Lexus has more head and leg room, will it allow me to raise the seat up significantly higher than in the 4RUnner and still keep me away from the sunroof? Anywhere close to a Sequoia if anyone knows?

Thanks,
BB

There's piles of headroom in a GX470 due to the high roof, but I can't compare to a Sequoia or tell you how far up the seat adjusts compared to a 4th gen 4Runner. You'll be best served by tracking one down and going to sit in it to see if it suits you. There's 2-3" extra height available compared to the 4Runner roofline. If you liked your 4Runner, you'll love the extra room in a GX.

I'm not tall. About 5-11. My hair rubbed on the runner roof under normal seat height. And getting in and out,I had to be aware of the roof. Not too much of a problem, but still. The GX has so much extra that I don't even notice the roof being there. Also seamed like the seat was farther away from the floor under normal conditions. One of the things I find uncomfortable in the Taco and Runner.
It's a LOT more powerful at lower RPM than the 4.0 V-6 in the runner. The extra gear and lower diff ratio. But its heavier, and more top heavy.
But all in all, its a light duty truck, in a tuxedo, and a 4 Runner on Steroids. Toyota really missed the boat on some things that really irritates me. But over all, its a great rig.

Thanks, fortunately I have almost no hair so that hasn't been an issue! I think also that I'm proportionately longer on my legs so that makes my torso a bit shorter. Overall, I think the things I would miss in the 4Runner are a) it's "sportier" (less top heavy) b) fuel economy (ours has the V6 which gets up to 23 on the freeway) and c) the liftgate as opposed to the swinging tailgate. But given my overall height and the need for a higher seat and the fact that I'm now towing a heavy boat, I think the Lexus would be a smart move. Still thinking about a Sequoia but the wife thinks it just too big.

Thanks again,
BB

The gas mileage is more about driving style than anything else. My Niece and her Husband have a TRD-pro. We can easily beat their gas mileage, anytime anywhere. And over all the extra comfort and low end power is well worth a couple miles to the gallon. but since its a heavy car, you need to drive it as such.
The rear door is a bit strange, even awkward. I'm not a fan, but haven't found it to be awful. Yes I would prefer a lift gate or even a tail gate.
Lie flat cargo area would be nice too. And without caverns to loose stuff in.

I could go on all day about what I don't like about it. But what we wanted was a light duty truck, in a tuxedo. Wife didn't want the extra size of the Land Cruiser (witch I preferred). And it fits that exactly. It's her daily driver, so she won out.

6'4'' here, and we have the following T4Rs:

3rd Gen w/ sunroof
4th Gen w/o sunroof
1st Gen GX
2nd Gen GX


I can't fit in the 3rd Gen 4runner. With the seat adjusted to nearly a gangster lean my head still brushes the headliner. I ride in it as seldom as possible as a result.

the 4th Gen w/o sunroof has plenty of headroom with the seat all the way down, but the slope of the front of the roof still makes it feel like I am sitting just a tad high with respect to the windshield. This is a subjective issue, but bottom line is, 4th gen w/o sunroof has sufficient headroom.

1st Gen GX - gobs of headroom. I think the GX is advertised as having 41", and you can tell. The higher roof line also makes for a better vertical line of sight through the windshield and makes the overall experience feel less cramped.

2nd Gen GX - My concern before biting the bullet on this was that its 38" of advertised headroom would be insufficient. After sitting in one, I can confirm it feels like I have just as much headroom as the 1st Gen GX, despite it supposedly having three inches less headroom - so there you have it. It feels like the 2nd Gen GX's seat can adjust down lower than the 1st Gen GX's, which may be where the headroom comes from despite the 2nd Gen GX having a lower roofline.

The 2nd Gen GX also feels much bigger on the inside than the 4th Gen T4R/1st Gen GX, and I suppose that's because it is - definitely wider, so it feels less cramped when you have someone in the passenger seat.

I traded my 17 4 Runner two weeks ago for a 19 460GX. I'm 6-4 and it has plenty of headroom (with a sunroof) . Also looked at the sequoia and land cruiser but they both had way less headroom with the seats all the way down.

That's my experience also...while I was waiting for the paperwork for my '15, I sat in a brand new Sequoia and my head was on the ceiling.

No issues (maybe 1.5" headroom w/seat all the way down) in the 5th gen T4R.

I'm 6'4" and a tall seating height.

I've searched this sub and found two post that were helpful. I've searched the mystical interwebs and found some useful info too.

What I am trying to compare is a used GX470 vs. 4runner limited.

I don't plan on trail riding or much off-road activities. The extent will be the occasional trip to the beach (OBX) and snow.

From what I've researched it seems they are the same drive-train, so you're essentially getting the 4runner reliability and lexus comfort.

The MPG gap seems minimal; 15/19 GX vs. 16/20 V6 4runner.

Better handling on the 4runner, more head room in the GX.
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I have a toddler and one on the way so I need something that will fit two seats.

Any thoughts/opinions would be welcome!!! Thanks for your time.

The GX I'm looking at is a 2007 with 123k miles on it. Good records and clean as can be. Price is 15k.

You revived a VERY old thread, but I'm going to respond because you must have searched far and wide to find this post.

The GX470 has more utility for a growing family. You mentioned the kids on the way and the GX470 has 3rd row seating allowing you to fit 7 total people. That's enough room for you, wife, two kids, and 3 of your kids' friends.