Jernik
New member
I have both, so I feel qualified to highlight the areas where a Jeep is > 4Runner. 
1) Think of all the times you went on an adventure. Which ones do you remember most? Which ones make the best stories for telling your friends at Happy Hour? The trip where everything went perfectly as planned? Ha! While those are nice, the memory of those trips don't last as vividly in the mind. No, the trips that make for memorable stories involve some sort of catastrophic break down that involves creative resolution to get back out of the woods. 4Runners are too reliable, score 1 for the "anything could break at any time" Jeep.
2) Nobody ever looks at your rig and asks "how reliable is that thing?" Drop the top, lose the doors, and safety/reliability are the last thing anyone thinks about. Even though a sunroof and rolldown tailgate window help, it's not the same. Jeep 2-0.
3) Breaking stuff usually gets an automatic (although generally begrudging) green light from the significant other to spend money on cool upgrades. You want to put a V8 in your 5th gen 4Runner? Ain't gonna happen because there's no reason to replace a perfectly running engine. After the 3rd breakdown in the Jeep, she'll be begging you to do that small block Chevy swap!
4) When a Jeep breaks on the trail/road, the odds are high another Jeeper will be by shortly and stop to help. It's a great way to network and meet new people that share a common interest - getting home before midnight. To further enhance the social aspect of Jeeps, they provide plenty of opportunity to hang out in the garage with all your buddies drinking beer while working on the Jeep. 4Runner owners have to plan their social interactions with other people and come up with more creative ways to disguise their alcoholism.
By my score, that puts the Jeep up 4-0.
The 4Runner is a great vehicle, it truly is! But when it comes to adventure... embarking on a trip not knowing what to expect, what obstacles and peril one might face and need to overcome to get back home, the Jeep wins hands down, no contest. The Jeep can make a boring, everyday run to the grocery or mall an adventure all on its own! Can a 4Runner do that? I think not.
eep:
1) Think of all the times you went on an adventure. Which ones do you remember most? Which ones make the best stories for telling your friends at Happy Hour? The trip where everything went perfectly as planned? Ha! While those are nice, the memory of those trips don't last as vividly in the mind. No, the trips that make for memorable stories involve some sort of catastrophic break down that involves creative resolution to get back out of the woods. 4Runners are too reliable, score 1 for the "anything could break at any time" Jeep.
2) Nobody ever looks at your rig and asks "how reliable is that thing?" Drop the top, lose the doors, and safety/reliability are the last thing anyone thinks about. Even though a sunroof and rolldown tailgate window help, it's not the same. Jeep 2-0.
3) Breaking stuff usually gets an automatic (although generally begrudging) green light from the significant other to spend money on cool upgrades. You want to put a V8 in your 5th gen 4Runner? Ain't gonna happen because there's no reason to replace a perfectly running engine. After the 3rd breakdown in the Jeep, she'll be begging you to do that small block Chevy swap!
4) When a Jeep breaks on the trail/road, the odds are high another Jeeper will be by shortly and stop to help. It's a great way to network and meet new people that share a common interest - getting home before midnight. To further enhance the social aspect of Jeeps, they provide plenty of opportunity to hang out in the garage with all your buddies drinking beer while working on the Jeep. 4Runner owners have to plan their social interactions with other people and come up with more creative ways to disguise their alcoholism.
By my score, that puts the Jeep up 4-0.
The 4Runner is a great vehicle, it truly is! But when it comes to adventure... embarking on a trip not knowing what to expect, what obstacles and peril one might face and need to overcome to get back home, the Jeep wins hands down, no contest. The Jeep can make a boring, everyday run to the grocery or mall an adventure all on its own! Can a 4Runner do that? I think not.
eep:
