Call me crazy but I want the 4 cylinder version

[GatorGreg]

IIRC the 4cyl is only on 2wd models anyway. If you're going to get a 2wd, why even consider a 4runner? If you're considering a 4 cyl 4runner, then you obviously aren't towing anything.

I'm still trying to figure out what market niche the 4 cyl 4runner is supposed to serve

(Of course, I could say the same thing about 2wd 4runners, too : )

Heck, I think the AWD RAV-4 and Highlander get better MPG than the 2wd 4runner. If you want to save money and have lower initial cost, go with a CUV type vehicle: RAV-4, Highlander, CR-V, Forester, Etc.

I think the 3rd generation RAV-4 is even available with a 3rd row seat, like a minivan.

Some folks are very frugal and don't want a single luxury - kind of like Gilligan's Island The very first T4R I ever rode in was a 3rd gen 2WD 4banger. My very frugal female coworker at the time bought it brand new and she loved it. She liked it because it was a) cheapest T4R, b) best T4R on gas, c) could haul their small family and gear on camping trips in Fla (where 2WD generally does just fine), and d) was built on a rugged frame instead of unibody. May not make sense for most folks (especially on an enthusiast forum) but for some a 2WD 4banger T4R is right up their alley - remember that even a 2WD T4R comes with rugged good looks, a power retractable rear window/tailgate, pretty good ground clearance, excellent build quality, etc.

 

[killthrash]

Hey, i drive a Sienna to work everyday and i just turned 35...my kids love the Sienna!! :jump:

I love the Sienna too, it's a terrific minivan.

From the original post, it sounds like 4runner19 really wants a new 5th gen 4runner. Question is, 4 cyl or 6 cyl? I say 6, and you're ready to rock!

 

[progress4m]

...Any other reasons to get a 4cyl besides the mpg advantage? Any input is greatly appreciated. btw, anyone know what the mpg is for the 4 banger?

thanx!!

Only one, that I can think of: to please our current president, government and tree-huggers. arty:

 

[hulk311]

We are trading in both of our cars for suv's for the baby. I already have my 4runner, now we need one for her. I care more about saving gas than anything else.

thanx!!

this doesn't make any sense.

1) you're trading both cars to get 2 SUVS because you have a baby??? what's wrong with driving a car?

2) you're concerned about gas yet you want to buy an SUV??

I don't get it, buy a 4 cylinder economy car. I know this many shock you buy a baby doesn't take that much space.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Some folks are very frugal and don't want a single luxury - kind of like Gilligan's Island The very first T4R I ever rode in was a 3rd gen 2WD 4banger. My very frugal female coworker at the time bought it brand new and she loved it.

Okay, so now I'm really confused.

Buying a new, $30k vehicle can be called a lot of things but "frugal" isn't one of them.

To the OP: I gotta ask: Why is it important to "save gas?"

Seems to me what you're really trying to do is to save money, am I right?

So if you have a new baby and want to save money, why would you even consider buying any new vehicle (especially if you just got a new 4th gen 4runner a few weeks ago?) I mean, what good is it going to be to say "woo hoo, I'm getting 18mpg instead of 16 mpg" if you've also got a $600/month car payment? How much gas could you buy with that $600?

This just doesn't make sense to me. Either you're rolling in money (in which case, why worry about a few extra MPGs?) or you are trying to pinch pennies (in which case, why go out and get yourself indebted to a second new vehicle in such a short time?)

Are you really trying to save money? Or are you just looking for an excuse to get a new 4runner?

 

[mikeync]

this doesn't make any sense.

1) you're trading both cars to get 2 SUVS because you have a baby??? what's wrong with driving a car?

2) you're concerned about gas yet you want to buy an SUV??

I don't get it, buy a 4 cylinder economy car. I know this many shock you buy a baby doesn't take that much space.

Safety could be worth more than the mpg. Get T-boned in an economy car vs a sturdy 4-runner is very likely to have a different outcome.......

My wife just rolled the CRV. You can definately argue if she would have rolled in a car (and I am going to argue that it was due to incorrect response by her to the situation but I won't argue that with her personally) either way she and my son walked out of there basically without a scratch. The body held up extremely well, but now we are buying a 4runner....

and this might shock you but while the baby doesn't take much space the car seat, the stroller, the bag, the portable bed, the toys, the extra stuff that you now buy in the grocery store - that takes space

 

[harper7]

Not sure why everybody is trying to talk him out of buying a new 4runner. They are very family friendly and plenty of room for up to 2 kids. I know ,I have 2 daughters that are 11 and 13 now .
I bought a new 1997 4runner right after Sarah ,my oldest was born,then a 2001 Denali(unreliable and at 100k miles starting falling apart),a 2006 4runner and now a 2010 4runner.Great family vehicles!That is why probably at least 75 percent of the ones sold are SR5 2 wheel drives to soccer moms.

These days 4runners are very safe(much safer then most mini vans IMO) with all the air bags and full frame,they are very,very reliable and get fairly good gas milage.So I say if you can afford a new 4runner ......just go for it,but get the 270HP V-6 not the 4 cyl..:cowboy:

 

[Martinjmpr]

Not sure why everybody is trying to talk him out of buying a new 4runner.

Because he said this:

I care more about saving gas than anything else.

4runners are good for a lot of things but saving gas isn't one of them :

 

[harper7]

Because he said this:



4runners are good for a lot of things but saving gas isn't one of them :

Maybe ,but I personally consider that 17-23mpg is pretty good mileage for a SAFER,RELIABLE vehicle for the family.:boink:

 

[Vanuatoo]

My wife just rolled the CRV. You can definately argue if she would have rolled in a car (and I am going to argue that it was due to incorrect response by her to the situation but I won't argue that with her personally) either way she and my son walked out of there basically without a scratch. The body held up extremely well, but now we are buying a 4runner....

Looks like CR-V worked really well, why not buy it again?
It has far better mileage than 4runner and is more suited for city traffic.

 

[mikeync]

Looks like CR-V worked really well, why not buy it again?
It has far better mileage than 4runner and is more suited for city traffic.

It shouldn't have skidded on the ice at the speed she was going on.... There was ice, but not enough for that amount of skidding..... I had gone through it with the Armada 1 hour earlier and didn't even feel it. This plus just sitting in the new CRV's and comparing it to the 4runner and many other vehicles you just realize how sturdy the 4runner is vs what feels like a "flimsy" vehicle.

Finally we get dumped on quite a bit up here in Alaska. My wife works shifts that rotates so she has to be able to get in to work no matter what. That is why we bought the Armada, but I rather have two capable vehicles.

Unlike the OP gas mileage is not my prime concern which is why I will have an Armada and a 4runner.........

 

[Thai]

These days 4runners are very safe(much safer then most mini vans IMO) with all the air bags and full frame,

4runners are safe vehicles...no doubt. However, are they safer than a minivan? Hmmm, i don't know. A few thoughts:

1. 4runners have a full frame. What does this have to do with crash protection? Not much. In fact, a well-designed unibody will OUTPERFORM a well-designed body-on-frame vehicle in a crash. Why? A body-on-frame (BOF) vehicle is attached to each other via only 6-10 body mounts...and the body and frame do shift back and forth on these mounts. This is why it is harder to design a good crash vehicle with BOF. A unibody, on the other hand, is one piece structurally. In addition, many unibodies nowadays have structural strengthening similar to a frame design underneath. Go look under a CRV or an MDX...you will see boxed sections strengthening the unibody! An engineer can design the energy flow from a crash a lot better because the WHOLE body acts together in sync to protect the occupant inside. A unibody is almost always more structurally sound than a BOF as a whole, given everything else being equal. BOF is great for off-roading and towing, but i will take a well-designed unibody anyday in a crash.

2. 4runners have a higher center of gravity. This is very true and thus makes it prone to rollovers. A minivan is based on a car and thus, has a much lower center of gravity. Anytime you rollover, it is a bad thing...so, minimizing it is a good thing. Even though Toyota has VSC (stability control), Toyota still does not have a specific program within VSC to prevent rollovers, like what you find in Ford and Volvos.

3. Minivans are widebody. Again, this is great at preventing rollovers. But, in addition, the crash space between the outer sheetmetal and the actual occupant is substantial in a minivan. This is good because there is "breathing room" between the door panels and the occupant...and is also vital for kids or infants in carseat because they are farther away from the doors.

4. Minivans have the same amount of airbags as 4runners.

5. The ONLY big point for the 4runner is that it is heavy...and physics favor the heavier vehicle in a crash. However, minivans are no lightweight either...my Sienna is around 4500 lbs, which is within 200 lbs of the 2010 4runner and equal to 4th gen 4runner (more or less).

 

[Thai]

Okay, so now I'm really confused.

Buying a new, $30k vehicle can be called a lot of things but "frugal" isn't one of them.

To the OP: I gotta ask: Why is it important to "save gas?"

Seems to me what you're really trying to do is to save money, am I right?

So if you have a new baby and want to save money, why would you even consider buying any new vehicle (especially if you just got a new 4th gen 4runner a few weeks ago?) I mean, what good is it going to be to say "woo hoo, I'm getting 18mpg instead of 16 mpg" if you've also got a $600/month car payment? How much gas could you buy with that $600?

This just doesn't make sense to me. Either you're rolling in money (in which case, why worry about a few extra MPGs?) or you are trying to pinch pennies (in which case, why go out and get yourself indebted to a second new vehicle in such a short time?)

Are you really trying to save money? Or are you just looking for an excuse to get a new 4runner?

Good analysis...and good post!

 

[M1911]

Safety could be worth more than the mpg. Get T-boned in an economy car vs a sturdy 4-runner is very likely to have a different outcome.......

My wife just rolled the CRV. You can definately argue if she would have rolled in a car (and I am going to argue that it was due to incorrect response by her to the situation but I won't argue that with her personally) either way she and my son walked out of there basically without a scratch. The body held up extremely well, but now we are buying a 4runner....

I'm sorry, but I don't understand that reasoning. A 4Runner is FAR more likely to roll over than a CRV, and unlikely to protect you any better in a rollover. A station wagon is far less likely to roll over than an SUV or CUV, will drive better, handle better, be easier to park, get better mileage, etc.

and this might shock you but while the baby doesn't take much space the car seat, the stroller, the bag, the portable bed, the toys, the extra stuff that you now buy in the grocery store - that takes space

For a single kid, a station wagon or CUV is plenty big.

You should buy what you want, but think it through first.

 

[M1911]

It shouldn't have skidded on the ice at the speed she was going on.... There was ice, but not enough for that amount of skidding..... I had gone through it with the Armada 1 hour earlier and didn't even feel it.

What keeps you from skidding is your tires. Put snow tires on it.

This plus just sitting in the new CRV's and comparing it to the 4runner and many other vehicles you just realize how sturdy the 4runner is vs what feels like a "flimsy" vehicle.

That doesn't give you any indication of how well or poorly it will do in an accident.

 

[4runner19]

Okay, so now I'm really confused.
Buying a new, $30k vehicle can be called a lot of things but "frugal" isn't one of them.

To the OP: I gotta ask: Why is it important to "save gas?"

Seems to me what you're really trying to do is to save money, am I right?

So if you have a new baby and want to save money, why would you even consider buying any new vehicle (especially if you just got a new 4th gen 4runner a few weeks ago?) I mean, what good is it going to be to say "woo hoo, I'm getting 18mpg instead of 16 mpg" if you've also got a $600/month car payment? How much gas could you buy with that $600?

This just doesn't make sense to me. Either you're rolling in money (in which case, why worry about a few extra MPGs?) or you are trying to pinch pennies (in which case, why go out and get yourself indebted to a second new vehicle in such a short time?)

Are you really trying to save money? Or are you just looking for an excuse to get a new 4runner?

Buying a new, $30k vehicle can be called a lot of things but "frugal" isn't one of them.

Originally, we were in the market for a 2010 BMW X5. Base price on that vehicle is $48,000. We thought about it and decided it would be cheaper to buy a brand new 4runner and a used 4runner. 2 cars for less than the cost of one. It's somewhat frugal. =)

To the OP: I gotta ask: Why is it important to "save gas?"

We live in southern california and my wife is hittin LA traffic everyday. She commutes from the beach city to orange county everyday. For anyone who lives in the area, you know what I mean. And on some days she has to drive out to depositions which could be an additional 200 miles round trip. Her current vehicle was bought brand new in 2007 and now has 48k miles.

Seems to me what you're really trying to do is to save money, am I right?

Arent we all trying to save money here and there. I like the 5th gen for the look. Like I mentioned before, we have a 4th gen v8 SE that we can use if we need to pull something or require the extra muscle. My wife can care less how many pounds she can tow with the car or how big a rock she can crawl over

So if you have a new baby and want to save money, why would you even consider buying any new vehicle (especially if you just got a new 4th gen 4runner a few weeks ago?) I mean, what good is it going to be to say "woo hoo, I'm getting 18mpg instead of 16 mpg" if you've also got a $600/month car payment? How much gas could you buy with that $600?

Gas is a concern but the safety of my family is more important. She currently drives a 2007 corolla type S. It worked well when it was just the two of us. It's a great car!! But, my family is growing and I feel safer knowing my family is in a bigger car. I'm sure its safe to assume that a bigger car like a 4runner is safer than a compact such as a corolla. The 4gen is not a new car, its just new to us. With the amount of mileage she racks in, I feel safer with her in a brand new car.

This just doesn't make sense to me. Either you're rolling in money (in which case, why worry about a few extra MPGs?) or you are trying to pinch pennies (in which case, why go out and get yourself indebted to a second new vehicle in such a short time?)

My wife is an attorney and Im in law enforcement. We are in no way "rollin in money" but we are comfortable. We worked hard to get to where were at and be able to afford some luxuries. The main reason that we decided on 2 suvs is because we tried out the car seat in her car and it just doesnt fit. I am 6' tall and with the carseat in the backseat, I would need to pull my seat further up and have my knees dangerously too close to the steering column. We also had problems trying to fit the stroller and the portable playard in the trunk.

Are you really trying to save money? Or are you just looking for an excuse to get a new 4runner?

Honestly both.

 

[dwulffusa]

Hey, i drive a Sienna to work everyday and i just turned 35...my kids love the Sienna!! :jump:

I simply dont understand the negative sentiment attached to minivans in this country. They are quite easily the most sensible and versatile people carriers for the average family, unless you also need your vehicle to pull 3,000+ lbs, or have a holiday home only accessible by a rutted 2lane trail at the top of a mountain.
Now how many have that need?? The number of SUVs - mid and full size out there that dont have tow hitches, and the mere availability of 2wheel drive models, supports that it is not many.

So the only reason they are burning gas and wobbling down the road on truck frames is for image. But hey, thats why we cut our hair, buy new clothes, wear silver watches etc etc.

He needs a 5th Gen SR5 V6. Because he wants it. The fact that other vehicles would do a better job at serving all his needs, for less money, better performance and better gas mileage is almost irrelevant.

Now let me head out and pick up an LR3 to drive for the night.
:jump:

 

[Thai]

The fact that other vehicles would do a better job at serving all his needs, for less money, better performance and better gas mileage is almost irrelevant.

Actually, see above post...he is concerned about all that you wrote...thus, these are relevant factors....

 

[mikeync]

Great points above by Thai and M1911. I did learn a few things that I did not know / hadn't thought of in regards to the 4Runner vs other BOF vehicles.

Now with that said don't teach me about winter tires - I know all about it and some so that comment will be ignored - others well taken and thank you guys for writing informative posts.

With all that said in my case yeah the vehicle needs to make it up a mountain on a regular basis in snowy and icy conditions (that is where the in-law lives) and that is a major reason for the 4runner.

If I lived in the lower 48 there are a few other vehicles that I would have looked at.

OP - sorry for the extra outside your posting writing

 

[4runner19]

OP - sorry for the extra outside your posting writing

No problem at all. All input (relevant or not) is greatly appreciated!!