4th gen -> 5th gen advantages

G

gloch

Member
I currently have a 4th gen V8 and had planned to keep it forever or at least until 500k miles. Now, my daughter wants to sell her '14 TE 4Runner and I am considering it.

What are the main advantages of the 5th gen Trail edition over a 4th gen Sport edition with a V8? I will miss the 4.7. Is there anything that will wake up the 6 cyl? I do like to camp/overland and have been planning to upgrade the 4th gen with lift, winch, rack, etc. for off-road adventuring here in Utah. Is the 5th gen a better platform for that?

Thanks!
 
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The '14 Trail has a locking rear diff, that the V8 4th gen never had. The 5th gen has more headroom. That was the main reason I never bought a 4th gen. There are forced induction options if you need more power.
 
4th gen has a better turning circle. I have to 3 point turn to get into my small driveway now. And yes you will miss the V8.
 
I have an 06 Tundra with the 4.7 and it eats gas, about 15 tops.
I suspect your 4th gen does too. I suppose the 5th gen with the 4L should do better.
Either one has one of the best engines Toyota ever built. If you don't have a hankering to get a newer vehicle, you won't go wrong keeping your 4th.
Joe
 
Joewildlife said:
I have an 06 Tundra with the 4.7 and it eats gas, about 15 tops.
I suspect your 4th gen does too. I suppose the 5th gen with the 4L should do better.
Either one has one of the best engines Toyota ever built. If you don't have a hankering to get a newer vehicle, you won't go wrong keeping your 4th.
Joe
Click to expand...

My 2004 V8 Limited with a small lift and bigger tires got 14 mpg. My 2020 ORP with stock everything gets 14 mpg.
 
offshorebear said:
My 2004 V8 Limited with a small lift and bigger tires got 14 mpg. My 2020 ORP with stock everything gets 14 mpg.
Click to expand...


You must drive very aggressive.
My 2021 trd has averaged 20.3 for the last 13k. My 3rd gen 3.4L gets the same.

5th gen has less to worry about for age rot and maintenance, otherwise idk if there's a big difference.
 
One disadvantage of the 5th gen is the V6. Living in the mountains, this thing struggles sometimes climbing steep passes.
 
02SE said:
The '14 Trail has a locking rear diff, that the V8 4th gen never had. The 5th gen has more headroom. That was the main reason I never bought a 4th gen. There are forced induction options if you need more power.
Click to expand...

The e-locker would be nice to have. Obviously, I could go with an ARB setup on the 4th gen, but that is a chunk of money.
 
Joewildlife said:
I have an 06 Tundra with the 4.7 and it eats gas, about 15 tops.
I suspect your 4th gen does too. I suppose the 5th gen with the 4L should do better.
Either one has one of the best engines Toyota ever built. If you don't have a hankering to get a newer vehicle, you won't go wrong keeping your 4th.
Joe
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm oblivious but my 4th gen isn't too bad. I'd say 18 on average. I do a lot of freeway though.
 
gloch said:
I currently have a 4th gen V8 and had planned to keep it forever or at least until 500k miles. Now, my daughter wants to sell her '14 TE 4Runner and I am considering it.

What are the main advantages of the 5th gen Trail edition over a 4th gen Sport edition with a V8? I will miss the 4.7. Is there anything that will wake up the 6 cyl? I do like to camp/overland and have been planning to upgrade the 4th gen with lift, winch, rack, etc. for off-road adventuring here in Utah. Is the 5th gen a better platform for that?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

One big disadvantage, in my opinion, is that the 5th gen is only part time 4WD. Put it in 4WD and you'll get binding from the transfer case. The 4th gen has a limited slip in the transfer case, you don't get the binding with that.
 
downshift said:
One big disadvantage, in my opinion, is that the 5th gen is only part time 4WD. Put it in 4WD and you'll get binding from the transfer case. The 4th gen has a limited slip in the transfer case, you don't get the binding with that.
Click to expand...

So why did Toyota change this? I think I would prefer the limited slip.
 
downshift said:
One big disadvantage, in my opinion, is that the 5th gen is only part time 4WD. Put it in 4WD and you'll get binding from the transfer case. The 4th gen has a limited slip in the transfer case, you don't get the binding with that.
Click to expand...

5th gen Limited is still full time 4WD/AWD with locking CDL, same as the 4th gen V8 4x4's. V6 4th gens were only part time 4WD as well, only the V8's were full time (and possibly limited trim, not sure on that).

I have a GX470 (basically a 4th gen V8), and had a 5th gen Limited at the same time. Adding a Sprint Booster/Pedal Commander made a HUGE difference on the 5th gen, totally transformed how the power is delivered. The 5th gen's V6 actually makes more power than the V8 in the '03-'04 non-vvti models, the difference is negligible once you've addressed the awful throttle by wire of the 5th gens, but the V6 does like to be revved to make its power compared to the V8. Even compared to the '05+ V8 with it's power bump, you won't be disappointed unless you're doing a lot of towing, where the V8's torque comes in handy.
 
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IanB said:
V6 4th gens were only part time 4WD as well.
Click to expand...

The V6 4th gen actually had the multi-mode transfer case. So it had 2wd, Full-time 4wd, and Part-time 4wd (locked diff in the T-case) choices. It's really the most versatile system.

Some 3rd gens also had the Multi-mode T-case.
 
I think the lack of multicolor also has to do with mpg on the EPA test. The basic transfer case in 2wd is more efficient. But the 4R gets pretty terrible mpg in any trim by modern standards. I'm not sure it's meaningful.

I'm sure it's cheaper to build the simpler transfer case and that's probably the biggest driver. Toyota cut a lot of costs on the 5th gen in various places. This was probably one of them.

I'm really surprised that the new tundra didn't come with a multi mode transfer case. Especially for a $70-80k trim. It's the only full size without it. My guess is that the Borg Warner auto 4wd system doesn't meet Toyota's durability requirements. It's a clutch based system and clutches wear out. Plus they have a torque limit where they'll slip even fully "locked". They're great on the highway. Probably not very good long term in the dirt though. Apparently use like snow plowing will ruin the clutches in short order. They're really only intended for slippery highway use and occasional off road. I can see why Toyota said no to the Borg Warner TOD design. But Toyota could have used an aisin transfer case.

Toyota's torsion differential is much better for longevity, but also more expensive to manufacture.
 
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