comfort on long trips?

[echo44]

Hi I am looking for an suv to take long trips with for me and my dogs. I cureently have a 4 door jeep wrangler and the seats are nice for long trips the noise is really bad. So I bought a 4 runner limited last week and drove it for a day and returned it.
I was surprised how the seats felt more like car seats than suv seats being kind of low to the ground. If you raise them it seems your head is very close to the top. Just wondering if it was just a matter of me not being use to the 4runner. How do you rate the comfort on long trips? Any recommendations? I may go back and try the 4runner again also looking at 2008 exterra, yukon and possibly acadia?

 

[rockwall]

Are you serious?

This is a 4Runner forum! As for comfort, power and looks the T4R is the ultimate truck. Those other brands you mentioned are overpriced domestic crap that will be rattle buckets within 10,000 miles.

 

[toto]

I'd agree that the seats and the ride position could use some improvement. I had a '94 4Runner, and that was even more car-like. It felt like your legs were straight out in front of you, like a sports car. The distance between the top of the seat bottom (where your thighs hit the seat) and the floor was just too short. That kept me away from 4Runner for a long time. I came back in 06 for a few reasons. I was glad to see that the seats and the position relative to the floor are better now than the '94, but there's still more than can be done. Several members have made the comment that if you adjust the seat higher, you start having headroom issues.

The most truck-like seats I've seen were in the Mitsubishi Montero of the 90's. You could practically sit normally in those seats, like a desk chair! Plus, they were on gas shock mounts for an even better ride.

I think the seats are a matter of personal preference. That's something you definitely have to consider when you test drive it. I haven't had my 4Runner on a trip of any decent length, so I'm afraid I can't pass along any experience as to how the comfort changes over time.

 

[LandRvr Convert]

I had to play around with my seat position a bit when I first got my 4Runner. I have the Limited with a sunroof.

I just went to Florida and back last weekend (850mile RT) and it was a very comfortabe ride. I'm 6'3" 240 and I was fine, in fact, I felt like I could have driven alot more than I did and still would have been comfortable.

BTW, I test drove an Exterra right before I decided on the Toyo and I was NOT impressed with the Nissan at all. It felt really cheap compared.

Just my .02

 

[majmattmason]

It is going to be a personal preference for you about the seat height off the floor. You are right, the 4Runner is more car-like versus truck-like in the seating and if you have a tall torso, you might have an issue with the headroom like I do, which is why I ordered a Limited without the sunroof. Love this truck!

The ride of the 4th Gen 4Runners is great, imho. I was sold on it when I rented one for a trip out west. I couldn't get over how smooth the ride was, very limo-like. Having owned a 4Runner before, I knew the build was first rate, the resale value was the best of any SUV and it fit my tastes, not too giant of a vehicle, but capable in every way I needed.

So try the others and see if they are more to your liking. I owned a Suburban years ago and the problem I had with it was the cavernous space inside that made it hard to reach the radio, A/C controls, etc. I just prefer the Toyota and its features. Happy hunting!

 

[Uneek]

I'm 6'1", it took me a while to make the driver seat comfy because for the longest time I was use to having the seat in the lowest position as with all my other cars. However in the 4Runner there's not enough thigh support. I raised the front about half way and it's much better now. I did not raise the rear part and I don't have any headroom issues either. I do have a moonroof in mine. Some who's been in my cars say I have the seat reclined a bit much--I don't think it's reclined that much, not enough that it should be commented about it. Who sits in a full upright position anyways. The 4Runner compared to my '05 Tacoma took more tweaking to get the seats comfy. I had to fiddle with lumbar too, in order to get good back support.

However the same cannot be said about the 4Runner's passenger seat. That seat just sucks due the lack of thigh support. Can't get comfortable in that seat.

 

[colorado]

We just did Colorado to Pennsylvania, 3400 miles RT, 2 1/2 days each way in a '07 SR5. The overall ride is just fine, and in my opinion a great compromise between truck-like and car-like. A huge improvement over 3rd gens for highway driving (had a '98 previously)

I find the driver's seat quite comfortable after figuring out the adjustments. Like others I opted for no sunroof to gain the extra headroom. But, as mentioned previously, the passenger seat leaves a lot to be desired. Even your dogs will be happy to ride cargo.

All that said, I went through weeks of SUV test driving and researching only a year ago -- and couldn't find another that beat or even came close to the 4Runner.

 

[Neversummer]

So I bought a 4 runner limited last week and drove it for a day and returned it.

How do you rate the comfort on long trips?

I may go back and try the 4runner again

I'm confused

You bought a new 4Runner and drove it for a single day then returned it? Damn...you must have taken a HUGE hit on that deal, how much did you lose?

But then you say that you might "go back and try the 4Runner again"...but you only just bought one?? And you kept it a day???

Mine has been back and forth between Colorado and Chicago twice now and the long distance comfort has been exceptional imho. Highway driving was great and the truck was not effected by cross winds or uneven surfaces at all. It tracked true and steady. Plus I felt very safe in my surroundings.

Overall an exceptional touring vehicle, especially if you encounter any type of adverse weather or terrain.

 

[majmattmason]

Height issues

One's overall height can have something to do with the fit of a car, but if you have long legs and a short torso then the headroom probably won't be an issue for you. If, however, you have a long torso like me, your overall height doesn't matter when it comes to headroom. It's the height from your hips to your head that counts. I'm 5' 11" and only have 1" of headroom (in the morning, we all shrink during the day) and that is with the seat all the way down and the backrest tilted back. That's also why I like the telescoping wheel so much. It's one more thing that makes the 4Runner fit like a glove to me.