Death knell for the Xterra. Is the 4Runner soon to follow?

[Bigshankhank]

To add to this, I wouldn't be surprised if the gooberment tried to pass something like this on us as an attempt to thwart those like me who will probably only buy used once the real high mpg requirements kick in.

That's when they'll throw another "Cash for Clunkers" party to try and get all the used cars and decent parts vehicles off the road and out of the junkyards, making keeping these things unsustainable. Think, in 30 years you'll see fifth gen Runners at Barrett Jackson...

 

[Jailguard]

I wouldn't own a Jeep Wrangler if you payed me. If they discontinue the 4Runner or make it into a crossover I think it will be time to go back to an F150 or possibly a Bronco if they get it off the ground.

 

[Sphonaut]

I am not sad the xterra goes, however I owned a 2002 Xterra from 2009 to 2014.

And it was a great 4x4 vehicle off road. I traveled many 100rts of km`s on gravel, dirt and mud roads and it always made it to the remote fishing holes in BC. It really performed well offroad ...all you need nothing to much.

But...the ridding was very very bumpy, the seats uncomfortable over long distances (and yes i drive long distances) and not cheap on maintenance.

Thats why I bought a 2015 Trail edition.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Just remember that as a segment of the car buying public, Toyota really doesn't give a damn about those people who really care about the 4Runner being BOF because we're a tiny percentage of the buying market... and most 4Runner customers would probably love a crossover variant. I'm willing to bet many can't even tell you which are the drive wheels or what BOF means.

This x 1000.

Right in the sweet spot... for you. Who happens to be a 4Runner owner, 4Runner enthusiast, on a 4Runner board. Read for comprehension and you'll see that I'm not talking about us, I'm talking about the majority of 4Runner owners. Who don't do anything like what we do with their 4Runners. Hell, I bet nine out of ten guys on this board with 4th or 5th gen trucks don't ever do anything a minivan couldn't do. For them, the 4Runner isn't necessary, and since they're the ones buying most of the 4Runners, they're the ones Toyota is looking at when they make decisions.

And this, too.

We are a tiny, tiny, insignificant speck of a percentage of a minority of people who buy NEW Toyotas (There's no reason for them to care about the used market as they get nothing from used vehicle sales. I'm on Toyota #4 and the last time Toyota Inc saw a dime of my money was in 1985.)

The dumbest business decision Toyota could possibly make would be to cater to our tastes.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Another point...

To those who lament the passing of the mid-sized BOF SUV from the market: Not sure how old you are but consider that it's not like the mid-sized BOF SUV segment was always out there - it wasn't.

When I started getting interested in vehicles in the mid 70's, there were basically 3 categories of 4x4's: Jeep-sized vehicles (which are compacts in terms of their overall size) like the Jeep CJ, Land Cruiser FJ-40 and the (original) Bronco and Scout, "full" sized wagon-type SUVs (we didn't use the term back then, though - I first heard the acronym "SUV" some time in the mid-80's) based on full size pickups like the Blazer, Ramcharger/Trailduster, and Suburban, and pickup trucks. That was it. The closest thing to a "mid sized" SUV might have been the Land Cruiser FJ-55 or the Land Rover 109 wagon, but those were very minor "niche" vehicles, certainly not enough to constitute a separate category.

No mini-truck 4x4's, either (unless you bought a 2wd mini-truck and had it converted - there were places that would do that.)

My point with all this is that you may notice that the full sized SUV segment, represented by Chevy/GMC and Ford is still going strong, and probably always will because there will always be a demand for that category of vehicle (the Suburban, for example, has been in production since 1935.)

Nissan probably figured that anybody who really wanted a mid-sized 4x4 with off-road capability would be just as happy in a Frontier as they would in an Xterra and the 99% of people who were just looking for a "rugged wagon" will be just as happy with the unibody Pathfinder or one of their other crossovers.

Sooner or later, I think Toyota will come to the same conclusion with regard to the 4runner. The 4runner will either disappear or will become a unibody crossover with pretensions of "off-road-ness" and anyone who wants a true BOF 4x4 will be directed towards the Tacoma.

 

[Bigshankhank]

This x 1000.



And this, too.

We are a tiny, tiny, insignificant speck of a percentage of a minority of people who buy NEW Toyotas (There's no reason for them to care about the used market as they get nothing from used vehicle sales. I'm on Toyota #4 and the last time Toyota Inc saw a dime of my money was in 1985.)

The dumbest business decision Toyota could possibly make would be to cater to our tastes.

Yes, this goes for Jeep enthusiasts as well, those who fear the inevitable full independent suspension eliminating their front solid axles, losing the ability to fold down the windshield, etc al. So few people buy and utilize the full capabilities of these machines that to cater specifically to them would be folly.

 

[LandCruiser]

Went to Publix to get some frozen pizzas.

Three 4Runners on the parking lot (including mine).

The other two were a brand new LE 4x2 being driven by a round elderly lady with an orange perm and an SR5 4x2 pre-refresh 5th gen driven by a milf in the tightest damn yoga pants you can imagine.

I mean the thigh gap was...

I forgot my point.

 

[MLPbrian]

The other two were a brand new LE 4x2 being driven by a round elderly lady with an orange perm and an SR5 4x2 pre-refresh 5th gen driven by a milf in the tightest damn yoga pants you can imagine.

How can you tell if a 5th gen 4runner is 4x4 vs 4x2? I thought the only way to know is by poking ur head thru the window and see if they have the 4wd dial/lever since 5th gens dont have the 4x4 badge on the outside.

 

[LandCruiser]

How can you tell if a 5th gen 4runner is 4x4 vs 4x2? I thought the only way to know is by poking ur head thru the window and see if they have the 4wd dial/lever since 5th gens dont have the 4x4 badge on the outside.

Easy to tell from the front or from the side.

CV axles and all.

 

[santanvalleydirt]

It's kind of a shame. I liked the Xterra, but would never think of getting one. The older Pathfinders were more appealing IMO, but then they became minivans and it just all went downhill from there on out. :nicethread:

 

[Bevo]

and an SR5 4x2 pre-refresh 5th gen driven by a milf in the tightest damn yoga pants you can imagine.

I mean the thigh gap was...

I forgot my point.

You know the rules.

 

[shadow247]

I wonder if CAFE standards play a part in an auto mfgs. decision to keep/drop a particular vehicle?

This plays a huge part for certain manufacturers. Ford dropped the Ranger and is pushing the ecoboost engines HARD. Just about every 2013+ F150 that comes into my shop is an Ecoboost. All our company shop trucks are Ecoboosts. It's all about meeting that average corporate fuel economy. Ford mostly gets by selling trucks, so they had to drop an entire line of trucks in order to comply with the standards.


Toyota, otoh, is already the U.S.'s most fuel efficient car manufacturer. With the lineup of Scion, Prius, and the Yaris/Corolla/Camry, they've got more 4 cylinder vehicles in their fleet than any other manufacturer, so they don't have to worry as much about their truck sales bringing down the average. The Tundra isn't even trying to compete on Fuel Economy, while you've got Dodge pushing it's 3.x litre HFE engine that gets 21+ in a regular cab truck.

 

[blackpearl2007]

So I just recently rented a car for business travel and they gave me an Xterra to drive. I have no idea the specs, etc but I was pleasantly surprised with the pep in the engine. I certainly could feel more power in it versus my 4Runner. Overall, thought it drove well. I am not going to go out and buy one but was impressed with the truck.

 

[Hulka]

Wish I want's color blind nd i could really see the difference in that graph....

 

[dnguyen7078]

Maybe Toyota can bring in the Fortuner. it's a BoF that are been sold in other part of the world. It's base on the Hilux frame and not the Tacoma frame.

 

[T4R2014]

Maybe Toyota can bring in the Fortuner. it's a BoF that are been sold in other part of the world. It's base on the Hilux frame and not the Tacoma frame.

The 5th gen has no more similarities with the Tacoma frame than the Fortuner does. And it looks a hell of a lot better.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

The 5th gen has no more similarities with the Tacoma frame than the Fortuner does. And it looks a hell of a lot better.

Well it depends on what you mean by similarities. The Tacoma frame is a stretched/modified Prado 120/150 frame, while the rear section is unique to the Tacoma; much of the substructure that the underpins the cabin, suspension, and other things is very much a J120/J150 platform (which seems to have carried over to the 3rd gen Tacomas at first glance.)

 

[T4R2014]

Well it depends on what you mean by similarities. The Tacoma frame is a stretched/modified Prado 120/150 frame, while the rear section is unique to the Tacoma; much of the substructure that the underpins the cabin, suspension, and other things is very much a J120/J150 platform (which seems to have carried over to the 3rd gen Tacomas at first glance.)

I'm aware that all these vehicles come from the 120/150 frame "family". He made it seem as if they base the 4Runner off of the weak Tacoma frame while the Fortuner gets the boxed Hilux frame. The 4Runner is more than likely a slightly lengthened version of the Fortuner frame.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I'm aware that all these vehicles come from the 120/150 frame "family". He made it seem as if they base the 4Runner off of the weak Tacoma frame while the Fortuner gets the boxed Hilux frame. The 4Runner is more than likely a slightly lengthened version of the Fortuner frame.

Hmm that's an interesting question... I do wonder how similar the Prado frame is to the Hilux frame?

 

[T4R2014]

Hmm that's an interesting question... I do wonder how similar the Prado frame is to the Hilux frame?

The front suspension on the 05+ Hilux appears to be the same:

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