JAXJeremy
New member
Just did 1200 mile round trip with about another 100 miles of side driving between Jacksonville, Florida and southeast West Virginia..my 4r only had 1600 miles on it, so not even broken in..Couple weeks ago I'd driven it for a few hundred miles but nothing compares to almost 9 hours of seat time each way. This included long stretches of highway driving as well as carving around unimproved roads with steep switchbacks up in the Appalachians in both wet and dry conditions. Felt like I really got to know my 4runner, so here are my impressions..
To this point my most recent long road trips have been in a newer Honda Ody, so that's my comparative vehicle. I know they're nothing alike, but I've driven the exact same route in the Ody so I have a good frame of reference.
On the road at speed the 4r feels solid, maybe sure footed is a better word. I was cruising at 80 or better the whole way and had plenty of juice any time I needed to pass which was pretty frequently. Not sure whether the Pedal Commander helped with this, but I noticed it was plenty responsive on highway.
Another plus, didn't feel like I was getting buffeted by the big rigs like you would in a smaller vehicle..
Cruise control is so-so..don't really care for the location, but it works fine. I used it when I could to give my leg a rest, but never for more than 10 or 15 miles at a stretch..
On the road, I was averaging just shy of 20 mpg and was very happy with that. The interior feels quiet even traveling at speed, much quieter than the minivan actually..
I've heard people complain about the seats, but they felt comfortable to me. I appreciate the firmness and didn't find any problems sitting 2-3 hours at a stretch..
When I got to where I was going in West Virginia the roads became really windy, felt like the 4r did a good job handling the curves, had to use the brakes a bit more than I'm used to, but I finally got around to downshifting and found that helped a lot letting the engine do the work..I'm riding the factory Dunlop AT20's and went through quite a bit of rain and never had any issues with hydroplaning.
The town we were in has a lot of steep hills, in some cases 10% or better grade where you have to come to a complete stop and then start again..navigating that in the rain was interesting, especially when the beeping from the traction control started..Got a little nervous before I realized what it was.
all in all I'm impressed with the overall comfort and driveability over long distances. very happy that I got the 4R..:thumb:
To this point my most recent long road trips have been in a newer Honda Ody, so that's my comparative vehicle. I know they're nothing alike, but I've driven the exact same route in the Ody so I have a good frame of reference.
On the road at speed the 4r feels solid, maybe sure footed is a better word. I was cruising at 80 or better the whole way and had plenty of juice any time I needed to pass which was pretty frequently. Not sure whether the Pedal Commander helped with this, but I noticed it was plenty responsive on highway.
Another plus, didn't feel like I was getting buffeted by the big rigs like you would in a smaller vehicle..
Cruise control is so-so..don't really care for the location, but it works fine. I used it when I could to give my leg a rest, but never for more than 10 or 15 miles at a stretch..
On the road, I was averaging just shy of 20 mpg and was very happy with that. The interior feels quiet even traveling at speed, much quieter than the minivan actually..
I've heard people complain about the seats, but they felt comfortable to me. I appreciate the firmness and didn't find any problems sitting 2-3 hours at a stretch..
When I got to where I was going in West Virginia the roads became really windy, felt like the 4r did a good job handling the curves, had to use the brakes a bit more than I'm used to, but I finally got around to downshifting and found that helped a lot letting the engine do the work..I'm riding the factory Dunlop AT20's and went through quite a bit of rain and never had any issues with hydroplaning.
The town we were in has a lot of steep hills, in some cases 10% or better grade where you have to come to a complete stop and then start again..navigating that in the rain was interesting, especially when the beeping from the traction control started..Got a little nervous before I realized what it was.
all in all I'm impressed with the overall comfort and driveability over long distances. very happy that I got the 4R..:thumb:
and comfortable (heated seats, yes).
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