5th vs 4th side by side pics!

[dwulffusa]

I could not believe my luck about 2hrs ago. I was leaving Uhwarrie National Forest here in NC after some pleasant light trail riding this morning and stopped out the outpost, when a 2010 Limited pulls up in a small convoy of Toyotas.

Apparently they were returning from some marketing event at a military base I think, the guy driving was a representive of Hendrick Toyota of Fayetteville.
Apparently this is the first one in the South East due to the delay, 2 of my local dealers contacted me this week to tell me about the delay, ofcourse I already new that...

I was as giddy as a school kid and ofcourse started taking pics. I'll put my impressions in below.

 

[dwulffusa]

a few more

 

[4Funnr]

What am I missing?

What is the benefit to Toyota of letting each of the dealers have one to drive around for a few months? Do they think that will make the dealers work harder trying to sell them?

With the economy and never-decreasing gas prices, I don't think these things are ever going to sell in as high a volume as they used to. And I just don't understand how giving one to every dealer is going to change that.

Thank you for posting the pictures! This one looks a ton better than any of the other Limiteds I've seen yet.

 

[dwulffusa]

Impressions

Exterior - Chunky, boxy, just as it looks in pics, seeing it in 3D does not help...
It stands higher then the 4th Gen, very noticable at the hood and roof height.
Grabbing the chunkier door handle you expect it to have a solid thunk when you close the door, but it isnt, its typically Toyota light and perhaps even a little tinny. The drivers door is awkwardly long compared to the rear door which I dont understand the point of. The 4th gens rear door was tight enough with the wheel well protruding into it as much as it does. I did not get to sit in the back as it was loaded up.

Interior
Sitting in the drivers seat the higher roofline and upright A pillar make you feel like you are sitting far back from the windshield, kind of like in a mini cooper. The upright dashboard hangdown and flatter instrument binnacle further accentuate the 'Van' feeling. I do like the extra headroom and that your knees and feet lie lower than the 4th gen.
The dashboard plastic on the upper section looks good with the perforated type finish, but it is in fact hard like a Tundra's, definitely a downgrade from the 4th gen's padded top. The lower dash and console dont have the same finish but its not shiny and I cant say that its any worse than the 4th gen in this area.
The ergonomics of the center stack look like it will work better, the various pieces are packed tighter (smaller panel gaps) and the buttons and knobs feel a bit more refined.

All in all I was not really bowled over, I didnt get to drive it and perhaps that will sway me but on the surface, I dont see any reason to replace what I have with this one until I really need to because it is certainly not more than double the car that mine is now, and considering how well mine is running with no real reason to change, I only see myself changing for something that offers alot more and I can justify the upgrade.

 

[maine runner]

Thanks for the photos

Before members bash the truck, let me just say thanks for taking the time to shoot the photos. It's appreciated.

I think seeing it next to a 4th generation will help educate people while we wait for inventory.

You have made a big contribution with the photos and your comments.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

4th gen owners are just exibiting a natural bias and was the same with 3rd gen owners when they released the 4th gen. i've noticed more positive comments coming out over the 5th gen the more people see it.

 

[dwulffusa]

4th gen owners are just exibiting a natural bias and was the same with 3rd gen owners when they released the 4th gen. i've noticed more positive comments coming out over the 5th gen the more people see it.

Yes, I suppose it is natural to be sceptical and critical. I was thinking about this on they way back.
If you are a 4Runner stalwart and have owned at least 2 generations you will probably really like the 5th gen or like it quicker than the 4th gen owners. If the the 4th gen was your first then the change back to a more robust, utilitarian, trucky model is more of a shock that will take time to overcome, or you'll move on to something else because you dont want somethign so trucky or dont want to spend $42k to get certain features you could get for $30k in the 4th gen (like fulltime 4WD).

From a styling perspective though, I still think the 3rd gens look sharp, they are simple, balanced, right sized for offroading, and they werent too different from the 2nd gen in looks. I can see the 4th gen being polarizing in the beginning as well from a styling perspective, but it had alot of kit, and a dash of car like creature comforts and finishes. Decontenting the 5th gen together with the slab sided box styling may have been a bad move and push current owners away.

The boxiness I think can be softened without too much rework.
I'd like a photoshopper to work on the front and rear bumper and make them protrude outward below the headlights and tailights aboout 0.5inches. Also give the fender extensions a bit more meat.....(which they could consider doing in the mid life refresh, together with making a trail available with ATRAC... : ) )

 

[pahns51]

Great Job- This really helps people that are thinking from moving fron GEN 4 to GEN 5. I can't get past the copycat FJ taillights and how they stick out same with the headlights. Otherwise it looks good. That hollow tinny sound of the doors sounds more like Sequoia like. Did anybody that was driving it comment on it?

 

[dwulffusa]

Great Job- This really helps people that are thinking from moving fron GEN 4 to GEN 5. I can't get past the copycat FJ taillights and how they stick out same with the headlights. Otherwise it looks good. That hollow tinny sound of the doors sounds more like Sequoia like. Did anybody that was driving it comment on it?

The guy driving it just said he had been driving on the trails for the last few days and it went well but did not offer up too much info in the way we would, no mention of the drivetrain or how he fealt about the styling or fit and finish. I was too busy doing my own thing taking pictures, and hopped into the tricked out (offroadwise - sorry didnt get a pic) Tundra and Tacoma that were in the group and they were heading into Uhwarrie and left the 4Runner at the outpost.
He did not know about the delivery delay...

 

[4RBob]

If you look at the Trail Edition bumpers, you'll see they are smaller in the lower sections and also less body cladding overall. IMO, the Trail Edition looks much, much better than the SR5/Limited.

ps - Your pics really show how much the taillights stick out. I don't like that look at all.

Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[dwulffusa]

If you look at the Trail Edition bumpers, you'll see they are smaller in the lower sections and also less body cladding overall. IMO, the Trail Edition looks much, much better than the SR5/Limited.

.

I agree the nicest one I have seen is the black Trail in the link below. The styling just looks like it works in that execution and color.
The shallower bumpers as you say probably contribute to a slightly less boxy look.

As much as I was intending to get a V8 (sigh) Limited for my next one, I dont think a 4Runner is a $42k car that the market in general will support in terms of resale and so if I bought a 5th gen it would probably be a trail edition, I would love to have the option fulltime 4WD and leather though, so I will deliberate further.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?t=56917

 

[harper7]

It would be easier to get a Limited with full time 4x4(I personally would rather have full time 4x4 with the Torsen T-3 center diferential that the TE does NOT have) and all the goodies(like smart key/push button start and black leather seats and steering wheel) and swap out the bumpers/cladding with Trail Ed. ones. They are only plastic and can easlily be changed or painted,the sheet metal is all the same.The chrome painted plastic on the Limited can be painted black or changed with OEM TE parts to get the black out look.

I personally am not big on the fake hood scoop anyways as I have one now. The wheels and tires need changed on both models in my opinion anyways and you can add a rear locker in the future if needed on the Limited alot cheaper then adding a Torsen to the TE. KDSS and Crawl control can not be added but the Limited has XREAS but I don't see my personal need for KDSS and Crawl.

The biggest kicker is dealers are all saying the Trail Ed. is not going to be made in large numbers and they will not come off the MSRP and one dealer even said he pre sold his for $3000 over invoice. They will come off the Limited almost $3000 (~ $38,000 with out NAV) so that makes around $5000-$6000 cheaper which you put towards modding it to look like the TE.
That is what I'm planning on doing.Let me know if you see any holes in my plan or your opinions on it.

 

[LyteFly]

This is not a flattering pic of the 5th gens rear, the tail lights look hideous :wow:

 

[pahns51]

The guy driving it just said he had been driving on the trails for the last few days and it went well but did not offer up too much info in the way we would, no mention of the drivetrain or how he fealt about the styling or fit and finish. I was too busy doing my own thing taking pictures, and hopped into the tricked out (offroadwise - sorry didnt get a pic) Tundra and Tacoma that were in the group and they were heading into Uhwarrie and left the 4Runner at the outpost.
He did not know about the delivery delay...

Thanks- One more question- Did it seem like the door handles were lifted off the Sequoia? and the fender mounted antenna looks out of place on a 42k limited. Was that to give it a more truck look or a cost cuttting measure?

 

[sandcrawler]

It would be easier to get a Limited with full time 4x4(I personally would rather have full time 4x4 with the Torsen T-3 center diferential that the TE does NOT have) and all the goodies(like smart key/push button start and black leather seats and steering wheel) and swap out the bumpers/cladding with Trail Ed. ones. They are only plastic and can easlily be changed or painted,the sheet metal is all the same.The chrome painted plastic on the Limited can be painted black or changed with OEM TE parts to get the black out look.

something tells me switching out the limited front and rear for the trail edition's cladding is going to be more complicated than that...

 

[mikeync]

What am I missing?

What is the benefit to Toyota of letting each of the dealers have one to drive around for a few months? Do they think that will make the dealers work harder trying to sell them?

With the economy and never-decreasing gas prices, I don't think these things are ever going to sell in as high a volume as they used to. And I just don't understand how giving one to every dealer is going to change that.

Thank you for posting the pictures! This one looks a ton better than any of the other Limiteds I've seen yet.

Here are my thoughts on this. It does seem like some significant delays with getting the 4runner to the market. So Toyota can choose. You either sell what you have and get a small amount of cash in BUT you have nothing to show all those people that come to the dealers looking for cars. Those people move on and spend their money on something else - lost sale. Now if you had something to show they would possibly still keep the 4runner on their little shopping list. The majority of people that are looking for cars are ok waiting 8 weeks if that is what it takes.

So you give every dealer a car and they can show the customer what is coming. The people like it and now one other big upside -- instead of taking whatever the dealer has they end up special ordering the vehicle. That leads to less cost of vehicles sitting on the lots and often leads to less discounts down the road (fewer vehicles ordered with stupid options that nobody ever wanted) AND possibly more money in options chosen when customers custom order. You know if you are spending $35k what is another say 4-500 for that option you like...

This is why it makes perfect business sense to get a car to every dealer instead of trying to sell them as quickly as possible.

Now when you have a decent availability of cars then you can decide to either cut your losses and sell the demo cars at a smaller profit or keep them for the full year and sell them at the end of the year at no profit / small loss. Either way makes perfect sense if you consider it from Toyota's perspective instead of yours as a customer that wants this car ASAP....

The question to ask oneself is if you were going to buy this car has this delay led to a loss in sales for Toyota. While there might be 1 or 2 of these most people say darn it, but then go ahead and wait a few more weeks

 

[dwulffusa]

Thanks- One more question- Did it seem like the door handles were lifted off the Sequoia? and the fender mounted antenna looks out of place on a 42k limited. Was that to give it a more truck look or a cost cuttting measure?

Dont think the handles are from the Sequoia, those are huge and very square.
I dont understand the need for a whip antenna, what is the sharkfin for then?

 

[4Funnr]

.(which they could consider doing in the mid life refresh, together with making a trail available with ATRAC... : ) )

The Trail Edition does have A-TRAC.

 

[ToyTech99]

Sorry, but the 5th gen looks like it was beaten with the ugly stick too many times. It's almost hideous to look at, especially from the rear. And what's up with those skinny tires? I think the little lady who lives next door has wider tires on her Corolla.

Overall, I'm very disappointed in the looks of the 5th gen.

 

[4Funnr]

I dont understand the need for a whip antenna, what is the sharkfin for then?

I don't understand the whip antenna either but the sharkfin is for satellite radio (standard on Trail and maybe Limited?) and may also work for Navigation Traffic conditions information.