5th gen T4R....where do we go from here ????
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Bill42
New member
LOL. Of course, with that model you'll have three handles on each side ...
I pulled this off an article. It in part addresses their thoughts on why two kinds of SUVs in their lineup.
"It's usually a pretty safe bet that an SUV based on the body-on-frame architecture that is characteristic of a pickup truck is going to be less car-like and more truck-like. But let's face it: For some people, the purpose of having an SUV relates to being able to bang the stuffings out of it, something that a unibody-based vehicle just won't be able to deal with. In the mid-size SUV market, Toyota added the unibody Highlander as a compliment to the 4Runner. According to Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager, Toyota Div., this two-SUV strategy in that segment (overall, the company has a five vehicle lineup, including the RAV4, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser, as well) works well because their research finds that people who get out of sedans and into an SUV go into a Highlander, but those who are replacing an SUV tend toward the more robust 4Runner."
I pulled this off an article. It in part addresses their thoughts on why two kinds of SUVs in their lineup.
"It's usually a pretty safe bet that an SUV based on the body-on-frame architecture that is characteristic of a pickup truck is going to be less car-like and more truck-like. But let's face it: For some people, the purpose of having an SUV relates to being able to bang the stuffings out of it, something that a unibody-based vehicle just won't be able to deal with. In the mid-size SUV market, Toyota added the unibody Highlander as a compliment to the 4Runner. According to Don Esmond, senior vice president and general manager, Toyota Div., this two-SUV strategy in that segment (overall, the company has a five vehicle lineup, including the RAV4, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser, as well) works well because their research finds that people who get out of sedans and into an SUV go into a Highlander, but those who are replacing an SUV tend toward the more robust 4Runner."
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Bill42
New member
Of course, I could be incredibly off base. Here are some demographics from JD Powers;
2006 4Runner Buyer Demographics
Favorite TV Shows**:
CSI
Desperate Housewives
Law & Order
Favorite Sports or Activities**:
Walking for Exercise
Health Club
Gardening
* Source: Power Information Network, a division of J.D. Power and Associates
** Source: J.D. Power and Associates Car and Truck Media Reports
Uh, Desperate Housewives!? Gardening!!?? Apparently women are part of the targeted demographic. Or is it only supposed to appeal to women who BTW are significant influencers of purchasing decisions within the household.
Possibly some of the gals could chime in as to the attraction for them to the 4Runner. Then again, maybe some of the guys do watch Desperate Housewives and garden! I think I need to check my assumptions...
I know this might seem off topic but really if you can drill down and identify what Toyota sees as the 4Runner target and how that might change over time I suspect we would have a better shot at articulating what the 5th Gen. will look like.
Any marketing/research majors out there wishing to chime in?
2006 4Runner Buyer Demographics
Favorite TV Shows**:
CSI
Desperate Housewives
Law & Order
Favorite Sports or Activities**:
Walking for Exercise
Health Club
Gardening
* Source: Power Information Network, a division of J.D. Power and Associates
** Source: J.D. Power and Associates Car and Truck Media Reports
Uh, Desperate Housewives!? Gardening!!?? Apparently women are part of the targeted demographic. Or is it only supposed to appeal to women who BTW are significant influencers of purchasing decisions within the household.
Possibly some of the gals could chime in as to the attraction for them to the 4Runner. Then again, maybe some of the guys do watch Desperate Housewives and garden! I think I need to check my assumptions...
I know this might seem off topic but really if you can drill down and identify what Toyota sees as the 4Runner target and how that might change over time I suspect we would have a better shot at articulating what the 5th Gen. will look like.
Any marketing/research majors out there wishing to chime in?
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1st_runner
New member
Just my thoughts.........I hope Toyota doesn't change much with the 4Runner. I have an 04' & I think it's perfect. I hope they don't go in the direction of more luxury. That's what Lexus is for. I hope they keep it truck like and not go the direction of "car like". Maybe a little more aggressive looking and lose some of the bulkiness that I think they added to the 06's.....front bumper looks closer to the ground & the it looks ass heavy. But, definitely keep the power down rear window. Just my thoughts. I think it should be kept for what it was originally built for, off road adventures & not soccer moms.
dwulffusa
New member
I agree with Bill 42's comments, I expect it will grow to suite the repeat customer. I would like to see a more luxury orientated limited model, with smoother lines on the dash, a more pushbutton orientated climate control, a traditional instrument cluster without turrets and fine silver trim around them (ala '08 landcruiser spy shots).
That said, in no way do I want it to lose the body on frame, robust appeal, it is a great match of sport and utility, and its secret offroad abilities are a fun trick in its hat. The extract from the article is true, sometimes you just want to beat it up over some ruff stuff and give it the berries, it always handles it without any hassles and returns to its quiet self on the highway.
My only problem is holding out until the 5th gen arrives, I dont think I have the patience and dont want to own the first year off the new model.
A short wishlist for the 5th gen :
Smoother/one piece look dash and console
Hand operated parking break
Steptronic/tiptronic auto
Turbo Diesel v6 option with manual tranny
Optional lighter interiors including dash and door caps with wood for limited / black and silver trim for the Sport (optional leather)
Optional power tailgate
Optional remote start
More power outlets for cellphone charger - navigation - ipod etc
Factory navigation/mp3/cd/blue tooth/ipod hookup etc for functionality of an Avic Z1 (at no more than $2k! extra)
to name but a few!
That said, in no way do I want it to lose the body on frame, robust appeal, it is a great match of sport and utility, and its secret offroad abilities are a fun trick in its hat. The extract from the article is true, sometimes you just want to beat it up over some ruff stuff and give it the berries, it always handles it without any hassles and returns to its quiet self on the highway.
My only problem is holding out until the 5th gen arrives, I dont think I have the patience and dont want to own the first year off the new model.
A short wishlist for the 5th gen :
Smoother/one piece look dash and console
Hand operated parking break
Steptronic/tiptronic auto
Turbo Diesel v6 option with manual tranny
Optional lighter interiors including dash and door caps with wood for limited / black and silver trim for the Sport (optional leather)
Optional power tailgate
Optional remote start
More power outlets for cellphone charger - navigation - ipod etc
Factory navigation/mp3/cd/blue tooth/ipod hookup etc for functionality of an Avic Z1 (at no more than $2k! extra)
to name but a few!
RunnerUp said:
I agree on the landcruiser... the difference is that the Landie is sold the world over and has earned its legendary status with age and service to humantiarian organizations, whereas the 4Runner/HiLux Surf seems to be only sold in a few countries (and not even in Australia). That said, Toyota seems to sell enough 4Runners in the US that its future is safe.
I agree with comments about diesel... it would be nice to have the option of something like the 3.0 Turbo Diesel that Toyota offers in its trucks in other countries but the US seems to be going more down the alternative fuel path, leaving diesel to big-rigs and the F350s of the world.
My hopes for the 5th Gen...
1/ slightly smaller - keep the same wheelbase but trim some of the excess flab off the front, rear, and sides. Cars and trucks really need to stop getting bigger with every new model version... the front bumper of the 4th gen sticks out way too far. Why can't they put a svelte landcruiser-style bumper on it??!
2/ Manual transmission option. Oh how I'd love a six speed stick shift. If that's not going to happen then at least bring back the normal parking brake instead of that godawful foot brake.
3/ Better interior - the 4th gen can't seem to decide if it's supposed to be utilitarian or luxury inside. The result is a mishmash of an interior with lots of ugly silver, cheap easy-scratch surfaces, weird climate controls, and too few useful accessories.
4/ Better visibility. My one main safety gripe with the 4th gen is the crummy visibility. After almost a year I still haven't got used to it. The pillars always seem to get in the way.
5/ Get rid of the hood scoop. It's annoying and pointless.
I wouldn't say the interior is ugly at all. I like it a lot. I think it beats domestics like the Ford Explorer hands down. Whatever material the dash is made of is pretty high quality, and I love the round dials around the instruments. You are right about the climate controls though. I'm not too sure what happened there, but they could have made them look a lot sleeker.
Oh, and this was mentioned a few posts ago, a remote start would be a nice feature. I live in Omaha, and having a remote start really helps. I'm not sure why these haven't really become mainstream, but they are incredibly convenient.
arouth said:
I guess it's a love it or hate it style, but I still maintain the materials suck. The black plastic of my center console has a bunch of small, whiteish scratches that I can only assume came from a key or other object bouncing off it... whatever the case, it apparently doesn't take much to scratch the surface. Same for the gray plastic lining the trunk... very easy to scratch. I even managed to scratch it with a piece of finished softwood, which is telling!
wilsoncwil
New member
Just looking at Toyota and their history with the 4Runner they will probably keep the design conservative yet stylish.
My only wishes for the next generation would be for Toyota to make the 4Runner a Jeep SRT8 Killer and the GX a Porsche Cayenne Killer. In the meantime it would be fun to see them make a version of the new Tundra that will be a Dodge SRT10 Killer.
My only wishes for the next generation would be for Toyota to make the 4Runner a Jeep SRT8 Killer and the GX a Porsche Cayenne Killer. In the meantime it would be fun to see them make a version of the new Tundra that will be a Dodge SRT10 Killer.
I dont think they will take it to the next level of luxury since it will then start to tread into Lexus territory.
As far as going green , I personally sure the hell hope not , another scam the consumer falls into.
I'm not against refinement and improvements at all , just hope it stays on the utilitarian/truck side of things , and the v8 stay an option.
My lease is up in 09 , probably a year before the next gen appears. My milage will come in 25-30k miles under so I'll do the buyout if all works out well.
If they turn in into a yuppie , mall hopper and gear it tword the soccer mom / family wagon , I will have to look else where and that would suck.
As far as going green , I personally sure the hell hope not , another scam the consumer falls into.
I'm not against refinement and improvements at all , just hope it stays on the utilitarian/truck side of things , and the v8 stay an option.
My lease is up in 09 , probably a year before the next gen appears. My milage will come in 25-30k miles under so I'll do the buyout if all works out well.
If they turn in into a yuppie , mall hopper and gear it tword the soccer mom / family wagon , I will have to look else where and that would suck.
I agree with pipspeak that the interior seems to be lost between two worlds. They should offer a more utilitarian version of the interior, especially for the SE. On the flip side, the Limited should have at least a touch of wood trim, like the Limited versions of Tundra, Sienna, or Sequoia.
I hate the current trend Toyota has with the silver plastic trim. They're even doing that to the Lexus line! I think it's supposed to look like polished aluminum, but it doesn't, and it's a lot easier to scratch. Fortunately, I think the amount of silver is acceptable in the 4Runner with the gray interior. The worst is the current Tacoma, with a big silver hump in the center of the dash! So let's stop that trend, Toyota!
I hate the current trend Toyota has with the silver plastic trim. They're even doing that to the Lexus line! I think it's supposed to look like polished aluminum, but it doesn't, and it's a lot easier to scratch. Fortunately, I think the amount of silver is acceptable in the 4Runner with the gray interior. The worst is the current Tacoma, with a big silver hump in the center of the dash! So let's stop that trend, Toyota!
Uneek
Super Moderator
toto said:
Oh yeah, even the radio is silver!
Either way, I still like the 4Runner and Tacoma interiors. I think the overall shape of the Tacoma dash and interior is nicer. The 4Runner has higher grade materials though. On the other hand, the interior could be a whole lot worst.
I think with the interior a lot of it is personal taste. When I saw pictures of it online before I bought it I did not like it, but when I actually sat in it I liked it a lot.
I agree with the earlier posts that as people get older they start wanting more luxurious interiors. That being said here are some pictures of some of the competitors. Now maybe i'm biased, but I think when it comes to interior quality and design the 4runner has them beat.
I agree with the earlier posts that as people get older they start wanting more luxurious interiors. That being said here are some pictures of some of the competitors. Now maybe i'm biased, but I think when it comes to interior quality and design the 4runner has them beat.
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*wishlist*
Member
yuck. i'm glad the 4runner has a nice interior.
Naija4Runner
New member
The interior of the Ford explorer most especially looks drab!
The 4runner looks far better.
The 4runner looks far better.
