2015 4Runner vs. GC

[Borisu]

I'm shopping for a replacement for my aging Xterra and on the fence between 2015 4 runner trail and 2015 Trail Rated GC.

I understand that with the 4R I get a practically indestructible truck with most of the things I would need, but for $4K extra I can get all the modern bells and whistles with much more up to date technology yet still extremely capable off road SUV.

I normally like to keep my cars for 7+ years and put quite a few miles on them, so the idea of already outdated, bordering antiquated, yet very reliable 5 speed transmission over modern and zippy 8 speed bothers me. Same with the old and time proven yet not very efficient 4L V6 over newer 3.6L with higher hp output.

While 4R was surprisingly comfortable at Highway speeds, it's very reluctant, comparing to Jeep, at lower RPMs in day-to-day city driving.

Anybody was I in a similar boat? Any words of wisdom?

 

[sn_85]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/167077-jgc-vs-4runner-can-we-sticky.html

 

[Borisu]

Thank you! I'm new here and didn't realize there is a search option.

 

[mo_mo]

I'm shopping for a replacement for my aging Xterra and on the fence between 2015 4 runner trail and 2015 Trail Rated GC.

I understand that with the 4R I get a practically indestructible truck with most of the things I would need, but for $4K extra I can get all the modern bells and whistles with much more up to date technology yet still extremely capable off road SUV.

I normally like to keep my cars for 7+ years and put quite a few miles on them, so the idea of already outdated, bordering antiquated, yet very reliable 5 speed transmission over modern and zippy 8 speed bothers me. Same with the old and time proven yet not very efficient 4L V6 over newer 3.6L with higher hp output.

While 4R was surprisingly comfortable at Highway speeds, it's very reluctant, comparing to Jeep, at lower RPMs in day-to-day city driving.

Anybody was I in a similar boat? Any words of wisdom?

Seems like you know the difference between the GC and the 4Runner. While they appear similar they are very different beasts.

NHTSA.gov has a recall and complaint section.
2015 GC - 9 complaints, 0 recalls
2015 4Runner - 0 complaints, 1 recall (a specific dealership didn't torque running boards properly it looks like)
2014 GC - 452 complaints, 8 recalls
2014 4Runner - 6 complaints, 1 recall (same as above...silly dealership)

Good luck in your new vehicle endeavor. Both should last you 7 years, but with the Jeep make sure you get the warranty on the box.

 

[Borisu]

Great info! Thank you!

 

[Greenamphibious]

The GC is a huge hunk of shit. The 4runner is not. Not much else you need to know.

 

[Slowgoat]

Thank you! I'm new here and didn't realize there is a search option.

Here is how you search, better than the search bar:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/149800-alternate-search-toyota-4runner-4th-gen-section.html

And welcome!

 

[philsey]

Use the Search [MENTION=104572]Slowgoat[/MENTION] linked, volumes have been written here on your topic - many by previous/current JGC owners.

Plus, visit some JGC forums. From what I have read here, that will be illuminating.

 

[Borisu]

That was the plan for today - I figured I start with this forum and then move there

 

[Jhalko]

Sometime new and dazzling features mean unproven and unreliable. The only thing I would add to the above is that there are quite a few of us that came from grand cherokee's here. Man, you just don't know what quality is until you drive a Toyota. Comparing sticker cost and features says nothing about the service costs and potential time lost with your jeep being repaired. And I love Jeep, I just got fed up with the problems.

 

[MSinDC]

I'm shopping for a replacement for my aging Xterra and on the fence between 2015 4 runner trail and 2015 Trail Rated GC.

I understand that with the 4R I get a practically indestructible truck with most of the things I would need, but for $4K extra I can get all the modern bells and whistles with much more up to date technology yet still extremely capable off road SUV.

I normally like to keep my cars for 7+ years and put quite a few miles on them, so the idea of already outdated, bordering antiquated, yet very reliable 5 speed transmission over modern and zippy 8 speed bothers me. Same with the old and time proven yet not very efficient 4L V6 over newer 3.6L with higher hp output.

While 4R was surprisingly comfortable at Highway speeds, it's very reluctant, comparing to Jeep, at lower RPMs in day-to-day city driving.

Anybody was I in a similar boat? Any words of wisdom?

For a fleeting moment I considered a TR Jeep Cherokee, but then I got in my buddy's and was surprised at how small they are. They also don't drive like a truck (which I don't like). I won't even get into the reliability issue which has been covered. To each his own.

 

[wfo9]

The jeep clearly blows away the t4r with technology... The diesel is very efficient, drives great, and is extremely tempting.

However,its really a car/Unibody and also has very sketchy reliability. A friend purchased one with the diesel recently and it has already been in the shop with misc gremlins (oil pressure light....)

The t4r is not really impressive in any single way (under powered and outdated are the general first impressions....) but it is rock solid in terms of reliability and construction and that grows on you real fast.

The other thing already mentioned about the GCC is how small and useless the space is. The t4r literally feels like it has 2x the utility and since it is a SUV, that becomes very useful when using it for what it was designed to do.

 

[Jernik]

When I was looking, a mere $4K extra wouldn't get all the fancy bells and whistles... make sure you're comparing apples to apples when looking at the options list. Maybe it's different if you don't want a sunroof, but it was a must have for us. At the time, anyway, the models/pricing to get a similar equipped JGC with sunroof was closer to $8K more IIRC when optioned out as close as I could get to what the Trail Premium gives us.

I've had Dodge/Jeep for the last 10+ years, so I'm not on the "they're all junk" bandwagon. I guess looking at it statistically, you have slightly better odds of an issue with Jeep than you would with Toyota, but in 10 years and 5 Dodge/Jeep vehicles, we didn't have any problems with any of them. The JGC is nice. So is the 4R. Depends on what your needs/wants/tastes are right now.

I can tell you we have been thrilled with our first Toyota (the 4Runner) and absolutely no regrets in choosing it. Still puts a smile on my face every time I get in it.

 

[MATTYDIRT]

Anybody was I in a similar boat? Any words of wisdom?

I was in the same exact boat with very similar thoughts. When it came time to upgrade the Tacoma this year, I was dead set on a JGC due to it's modernized interior, features, MPG's and it's a sharp looking vehicle. After doing a bunch of research and striking out on finding a good deal on one, I started to read more and more reliability issues with the transmission and the electronics (ironically what made the vehicle so appealing) and Jeep's customer service. I was about to spend $40k for a vehicle and planned on keeping it for a long time if I loved the car, and if I didn't I wanted to know that I wasn't going to get nailed on the re-sale value.

I drove to a toyota dealer ship to see if they would give me top dollar trade on my '09 Tacoma TRD Sport and I discovered the 4Runner Trail. I test drove it and was slighly impressed with the electronics, but I still felt it didn't have the quality/refinement of the JGC. The Trail model didn't have a sunroof or leather, which were deal breakers for me.

After some seriously long debate over buying a JGC and rolling the dice on reliability and almost certainly taking a larger hit on re-sale, I reluctantly kept on searching and opened my options up to a used 4Runner Trail. My major hold up was the lack of leather and the command on price for a 2-3 year old Trail with 30k miles. With that said - it proved my thought on buying a car that holds it's value, so I decided to start looking for a new 4Runner Trail Premium that had the sunroof and leatherette.

So, I know what your thinking and I would ask yourself what kind of car are you really looking for? A real SUV with off road capability and ability to modify/customize or a road warrior SUV the bells and whistles? It's much more complicated than that, I understand, but in retrospect, that is how I look at the two vehicles. In sum - I love the looks of the JGC, but the 4Runner is more reliable and durable for a long term car.

My only gripes with the 4Runner (and I'm being very picky, cause I spent $37K on a car) are the less than stellar MPG's, the very thin clear coat that most Toyota's seem to have and the Entune navigation. I understand Jeep's NAV is one of the best for factory GPS. Other than that - the 4Runner is more off road capable, modifies/customizes easier, more trunk space, more durable (quality leatherette vs. real leather), more reliable and better resale. It was a touch decision, but I am happy with my truck. My only problem is figuring out how to afford all the modifications I'd like to do. I guess I wouldn't have that problem with a JGC - but there's no fun in that!

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Jayhawk5G]

I'm shopping for a replacement for my aging Xterra and on the fence between 2015 4 runner trail and 2015 Trail Rated GC.

I understand that with the 4R I get a practically indestructible truck with most of the things I would need

I normally like to keep my cars for 7+ years and put quite a few miles on them

Any words of wisdom?

You gave yourself all the words of wisdom you need, 4Runner hands down... this is coming from a former Grand Cherokee owner. The design is great, everything else... not so much.

 

[Photi]

From Truedelta.com about 5 minutes ago:

 

[Borisu]

Thank you, everybody, for the feedback. It was especially useful to hear real life experience stories from those that had Jeeps before!

They are not exactly apples and apples, of course, mostly due to difference in how they need to be configured. Yet, they are in the same ballpark as far as pricing and features.

If I go with GC, I’d want one that is Trail Rated – this means it’s going to have leather, which I don’t really care about. I don’t need (or want, for that matter) a sunroof, so there goes the need to spend extra 1-1.5K on either vehicle. I do want the touch screen infotainment system and they come at a price in GC and already included with 4R (Here’s about $1K difference right there). I don’t expect to be taking it off road too much, but I do want the tools to allow myself to do that if I so choose – hence the choice of 4R Trail vs. Trail rated Jeep. Well, that and the kinetic suspension add-on available on Trail that also helps with cornering in day-to-day driving. I will be coming from an off-road edition Xterra after all, so I’m not ready to give up that yet. Additionally, I’m not planning to lift, modify or otherwise alter either one of the vehicles – both are enough capable off road in their stock versions for the extend that I maybe taking them.

The majority of the driving will be in the city and on paved roads, of course, so day-to-day experience will be the most crucial deciding factors.
4R has less bells than GC, but I can leave without them – I don’t have to have automatic climate control, I’m perfectly fine with manual adjustments. I don’t have to have power lift gate – it’s a nice feature, but I’d like to think that I can handle the exercise of opening and closing the gate. I don’t care about leather either. Adaptive CC, blind spot monitor, etc are not even available on 4R, but they would add too much $$$ to GC, so that’s not a consideration either.

My main issue with 4R is transmission. My X is 6sp manual, which makes it infinitely more responsive than its AT version. The 4R transmission is very slow at lower RPMs and I’m afraid it’s going to drive me insane after some time (or I’d get used to it). GC is very “peppy”, especially considering its weight. Gas mileage is also a bit better in GC, but not quite enough to justify the price difference. I’m mostly on the bandwagon because of reliability and $4K price difference. What kinda makes me lean toward GC, even considering the Toyota’s reliability, if I can afford extra $4K is that, in my experience, when manufacturers start offering 100K mile powertrain warranty, they mean it. I’ve had Isuzu Rodeo when they were offering 120K mile powertrain warranty and I had zero issues with the engine or transmission over 100+K miles I had it. When Hyundai’s started doing their insane warranty, their cars suddenly started breaking all records of reliability too. I wonder if Jeep’s 100K powertrain warranty is not just a marketing scheme, but rather an indication that they’ve improved significantly.

 

[Jayhawk5G]

Thank you, everybody, for the feedback. It was especially useful to hear real life experience stories from those that had Jeeps before!

They are not exactly apples and apples, of course, mostly due to difference in how they need to be configured. Yet, they are in the same ballpark as far as pricing and features.

If I go with GC, I’d want one that is Trail Rated – this means it’s going to have leather, which I don’t really care about. I don’t need (or want, for that matter) a sunroof, so there goes the need to spend extra 1-1.5K on either vehicle. I do want the touch screen infotainment system and they come at a price in GC and already included with 4R (Here’s about $1K difference right there). I don’t expect to be taking it off road too much, but I do want the tools to allow myself to do that if I so choose – hence the choice of 4R Trail vs. Trail rated Jeep. Well, that and the kinetic suspension add-on available on Trail that also helps with cornering in day-to-day driving. I will be coming from an off-road edition Xterra after all, so I’m not ready to give up that yet. Additionally, I’m not planning to lift, modify or otherwise alter either one of the vehicles – both are enough capable off road in their stock versions for the extend that I maybe taking them.

The majority of the driving will be in the city and on paved roads, of course, so day-to-day experience will be the most crucial deciding factors.
4R has less bells than GC, but I can leave without them – I don’t have to have automatic climate control, I’m perfectly fine with manual adjustments. I don’t have to have power lift gate – it’s a nice feature, but I’d like to think that I can handle the exercise of opening and closing the gate. I don’t care about leather either. Adaptive CC, blind spot monitor, etc are not even available on 4R, but they would add too much $$$ to GC, so that’s not a consideration either.

My main issue with 4R is transmission. My X is 6sp manual, which makes it infinitely more responsive than its AT version. The 4R transmission is very slow at lower RPMs and I’m afraid it’s going to drive me insane after some time (or I’d get used to it). GC is very “peppy”, especially considering its weight. Gas mileage is also a bit better in GC, but not quite enough to justify the price difference. I’m mostly on the bandwagon because of reliability and $4K price difference. What kinda makes me lean toward GC, even considering the Toyota’s reliability, if I can afford extra $4K is that, in my experience, when manufacturers start offering 100K mile powertrain warranty, they mean it. I’ve had Isuzu Rodeo when they were offering 120K mile powertrain warranty and I had zero issues with the engine or transmission over 100+K miles I had it. When Hyundai’s started doing their insane warranty, their cars suddenly started breaking all records of reliability too. I wonder if Jeep’s 100K powertrain warranty is not just a marketing scheme, but rather an indication that they’ve improved significantly.

You should probably get the Jeep Grand Cherokee...

 

[Greenamphibious]

If I go with GC, I’d want one that is Trail Rated – this means it’s going to have leather, which I don’t really care about. I don’t need (or want, for that matter) a sunroof, so there goes the need to spend extra 1-1.5K on either vehicle. I do want the touch screen infotainment system and they come at a price in GC and already included with 4R (Here’s about $1K difference right there). I don’t expect to be taking it off road too much, but I do want the tools to allow myself to do that if I so choose – hence the choice of 4R Trail vs. Trail rated Jeep. Well, that and the kinetic suspension add-on available on Trail that also helps with cornering in day-to-day driving. I will be coming from an off-road edition Xterra after all, so I’m not ready to give up that yet. Additionally, I’m not planning to lift, modify or otherwise alter either one of the vehicles – both are enough capable off road in their stock versions for the extend that I maybe taking them.

TRAIL RATED just means 4x4 its not some mythical unicorn Jeep. Hence no trail rated badges on 4x2.... in other words it is gimmicky marketing crap!

 

[Jetboy]

The GC is a lot closer in overall concept and design to a Highlander than a 4runner. If you're wanting a crossover, you might take a look at a Highlander. An RX350 is another option to consider as well.