6th gen 2017 4R, will it exist?

[tobyson21]

Fwiw

I just drove from Miami to Key West and back in an Eco boost Expedition XL (the Ford "Suburban"). I carried 6 grown men with luggage driving moderately. As you can imagine it's flat (bridges were the only real rise in elevation) but I got 21 mpg (calculated). That included some driving around the islands and some of me playing with the 420 lb ft of torque

I found the ecoboost really impressive. Flat torque curve, very minor turbo lag (I'm used to tuned Subaru motors....lag......~2800 rpm ...boooooooostttt..omg...shift!!).

Really an impressive drivetrain altogether. Shifted well, downshifted when asked. Felt reasonable quick, engine was quieter than ours.

I still wouldn't buy it, but I wouldn't mind if TRD fixed the bearing problem in the supercharger and released the kit

 

[G8RB8_12SR5]

I just drove from Miami to Key West and back in an Eco boost Expedition XL (the Ford "Suburban"). I carried 6 grown men with luggage driving moderately. As you can imagine it's flat (bridges were the only real rise in elevation) but I got 21 mpg (calculated). That included some driving around the islands and some of me playing with the 420 lb ft of torque

I found the ecoboost really impressive. Flat torque curve, very minor turbo lag (I'm used to tuned Subaru motors....lag......~2800 rpm ...boooooooostttt..omg...shift!!).

Really an impressive drivetrain altogether. Shifted well, downshifted when asked. Felt reasonable quick, engine was quieter than ours.

We have an '04 Expy we'll probably be replacing with the new Expy (most likely 2018 when they finally do a body redesign). I drove a 2015 F150 XLT with the Ecoboost for a week. Man that thing was fun to drive. fftopic: over.

 

[05Rrunner]

I wanted to join in, I drove really fast motorcycle one time. I also drove a new Ford and it was really fast and cool. V-8 sounds great. What all this has to do with the 2017 4Runner I have no idea.

 

[1engineer]

I wanted to join in, I drove really fast motorcycle one time. I also drove a new Ford and it was really fast and cool. V-8 sounds great. What all this has to do with the 2017 4Runner I have no idea.

I got a new mountain bike for Christmas. It has big tires. It's purple.

 

[CO-Cygnus]

I got a new mountain bike for Christmas. It has big tires. It's purple.

Who needs the 4R to get around in the snow?

 

[Beer_Runner]

I drove my WRX fast through the snow last week. :car:

 

[GG Allin]

I wanted to join in, I drove really fast motorcycle one time. I also drove a new Ford and it was really fast and cool. V-8 sounds great. What all this has to do with the 2017 4Runner I have no idea.

The point is, most people agree, the 4Runner lacks horsepower and or torque.

 

[bigbwb]

The point is, most people agree, the 4Runner lacks horsepower and or torque.

Touché. After researching the reviews of the latest Tacoma with the new 3.5 V6 and the old 4.0L, performance wise it's basically identical. If this motor is directly dropped in the new 4R, with its extra weight, performance will be a big let down. Likely slower 0-60 etc.

 

[GG Allin]

Touché..........

Wasn't meant that way. It's just kind of hard to be off topic when we're talking about a vehicle that does not exist. So any speculation or comparisons to what other car companies are doing is relevant.

 

[Quentin]

Who needs the 4R to get around in the snow?

Who needs a fat bike?

https://youtu.be/8y8UtQynFdM









Me. I needed a fat bike.

 

[M1911]

The point is, most people agree, the 4Runner lacks horsepower and or torque.

The 2016 4Runner is reasonably fast. Probably just about as fast to 60 as my old 4th gen V8. The issue for me is that to get that speed you have to run the V6 at high rpm, and the engine is loud and unpleasant when you do so.

It has plenty of horsepower. It needs more low end torque. Another gear or two in the transmission would help as well.

 

[Gecko]

Based on my experience, I'd say that the 4th gen V8 feels significantly faster than the 5th gen.

There were a few times where I inadvertently laid down a patch of rubber, and overall, it was significantly faster passing, towing and in day-to-day driving.

30 more lb-ft of torque and being 300lbs lighter will certainly have that effect...

Trying to pass on the highway with the 5th gen takes some calculation. With the 4th gen V8, it was a breeze.

I don't think anyone here is particularly excited about the Tacoma's V6 being dropped into the 4Runner, so I really hope that doesn't happen. As a more expensive product that's also heavier, the 4Runner needs some additional power.

In a perfect world, I'd like to see them retain the 4.0L V6, add the Atkinson cycle technology and bump it to 290-300hp with 320-330lb-ft of torque and an 8AT. One can hope.

 

[Jetboy]

Did anyone notice the MT version of the new taco with 4.10 gears is a full second faster 0-60 than the AT with 3.73 gears?

The gearing is what's killing our perception of performance, but IMO 4.56 is just too low for a stock 4runner. 4.10 or maybe 4.30 gearing would do wonders for performance.

 

[M1911]

Based on my experience, I'd say that the 4th gen V8 feels significantly faster than the 5th gen.

It might feel that way, but it's not. 0-60 for both are in the mid 7 second range.

 

[Knight-Errant]

The point is, most people agree, the 4Runner lacks horsepower and or torque.

True...reminds me of a recent thread where folks were discussing why Toyotas are durable/reliable. Most people seemed to agree that one of the the reason why they have such longevity is because they are under-powered.

I'm just wondering if there would be a trade-off in durability/reliability if the power/torque did indeed go up...if so would we still want more power?

I know many folks on here are proud of their 200k+ mile cars )

 

[CO-Cygnus]

True...reminds me of a recent thread where folks were discussing why Toyotas are durable/reliable. Most people seemed to agree that one of the the reason why they have such longevity is because they are under-powered.

I'm just wondering if there would be a trade-off in durability/reliability if the power/torque did indeed go up...if so would we still want more power?

Toyota already has proven engines and transmissions that would improve power in the 4R. The 4.6l V8 used in the 4R's cousin, the Lexus GX, is a good example.

It's not that they can't give the 4R more power, they choose not to.

 

[1engineer]

True...reminds me of a recent thread where folks were discussing why Toyotas are durable/reliable. Most people seemed to agree that one of the the reason why they have such longevity is because they are under-powered.

I'm just wondering if there would be a trade-off in durability/reliability if the power/torque did indeed go up...if so would we still want more power?

I know many folks on here are proud of their 200k+ mile cars )

From an engineering standpoint, it is always a trade off between power and durability. The only way to improve both is to increase the quality of components. When you do that the machine costs more and you have a smaller market. It is always a trade off. The mid 80's Toyota pickup had 105 HP. It is regarded as one of the most reliable and durable trucks ever.

 

[Osmith]

I don't understand why the heck people NEED more power in the 4Runner. I am perfectly happy with it has towed my 16 footer perfectly with more weight than I felt comfortable, it handles outstanding in the snow, has more than enough get up to pass the average semi.

Sounds like we have a lot of driver error I'm my opinion. These people complaining should have bought other vehicles. And then they would complain how it's breaking and not reliable wish they had a 4Runner and lived with the lack of 50 more hp/tq.

 

[Knight-Errant]

Toyota already has proven engines and transmissions that would improve power in the 4R. The 4.6l V8 used in the 4R's cousin, the Lexus GX, is a good example.

It's not that they can't give the 4R more power, they choose not to.

I agree, withholding the V8 is a conscious decision. I think one reason they withhold the V8 is to further distinguish between the Lexus and the Toyota.

Luxury cars are very profitable. If the 4runner Limited had a V8 then many folks who need or want a V8 might buy the 4runner limited (with a V8) instead of stepping up to the (more profitable for Toyota) Lexus.

What are thoughts on the V8 being under-powered by today's standards? The mustang 3.7L V6 makes 300 hp while the Lexus 4.6L V8 makes 301 hp.

I feel like engines that debuted in the 2000's (maybe around 2005-2014) are some of the most dependable engines we've seen, at least the naturally aspirated ones. Between the developments in CAD design, computer simulated testing, and manufacturing they're pretty solid and tested. One of the reasons I was ok with the older engine and 5speed transmission in the 4runner is because I felt it wasn't "beta" setup up, like the 9 speed that was released in the new Cherokee (talk about problems!). It may have been an "older" drive-train, but it was a pretty solid one, and I hope to keep the 4runner for a long time.

I'm coming from a 2008 Honda civic, so the 4runner really moves in comparison :zoom:

 

[Dalko43]

I don't understand why the heck people NEED more power in the 4Runner. I am perfectly happy with it has towed my 16 footer perfectly with more weight than I felt comfortable, it handles outstanding in the snow, has more than enough get up to pass the average semi.

Sounds like we have a lot of driver error I'm my opinion. These people complaining should have bought other vehicles. And then they would complain how it's breaking and not reliable wish they had a 4Runner and lived with the lack of 50 more hp/tq.

I agree there needs to be a balance between reliability and performance, perhaps erring on the side of reliability.

But the 5th gen's engine is universally acknowledged as being somewhat lackluster, both in terms of grunt/acceleration and mpg.

There are modern V8 trucks getting similar mpg as this 4runner. Granted, transmissions likely have a huge affect on those areas.

An updated transmission (at least 6 forward gears) and an engine with a bit more uummph (turbo gas, turbo diesel, v8) would do wonders for this type of vehicle, and you wouldn't necessarily need to compromise the vehicle's longevity or reliability.