Now here's a forward thinking individual.
It sometimes seems like more of us need to accept that going into the future it is completely possible for the 4Runner to move forward while respecting what all that we love about it. Until we do, Toyota will continue to sell us the bare minimum they need to to get us to buy it, and by us accepting the status quo they will feel no pressure to introduce anything like, say, a front locker option, better headlights, something.
The Land Rover Defender is an example of what we DON'T want to happen. However, whatever peoples' opinions about Jeep Wranglers are, it's undeniable that it didn't get any softer, just became modern. As a matter of fact they've beefed up the axles and further improved its rock crawling chops. It still has solid front and rear axles, front and rear lockers, removable tops, etc. yet they're able to have modern powertrains (once again, whatever your opinion may be) with decent fuel efficiency, and all the tech every other car built since 2018 has had, all without sacrificing the model's legacy.
Technology in 4Runners isn't bad. Hamfisted, half-assed implementations of technology are bad. The Land Cruiser has more tech than the 4Runner, yet it's reliability goes unquestioned. The black sensor box is embarrassing because it clearly didn't have the design care that we expect of Toyota, and they need to be held accountable. If Toyota is known for their reliability, then we can trust that they can design a rugged vehicle that is still modern, but they won't while we fight change.
If only you were right that we were getting features in exchange for the price bumps, but we don't. I don't want to sound rude but this comment is exactly why Toyota continues to do what they do. It's one thing if the same vehicle remains unchanged and costs the same every year, minus maybe adjusting for inflation, but that hasn't been the case.
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She is a sexy truck.
