Dimwitted (Media) Speculation

[Gwilliams]

It's not surprising that people who have been waiting...begging.....pleading.....dreaming for a new 4-runner that would not be 5 years behind everyone else's off road offerings in tech/power/features would want to believe earlier dates for what keeps them awake at night. Also, I'd imagine those making $ off car videos, rumors etc. get a lot more views/$ if every few months they tease something that's been highly anticipated for years as opposed to telling people it won't be out for 3 more years.

Honestly after seeing the new Sequoia TRD Pro, I'm almost scared to see the 4r now. The massive loss of cargo space for the hybrid/ tundra rear end and non-removable 3rd row seats is a strait up deal breaker. It's literally losing probably 25% of cargo space in a giant SUV.....the one thing people buy a giant SUV for. It would be like a 3/4 ton pickup that only has 5000 lbs of towing capacity. Also the continuing the trend of not putting features on the TRD Pro trim that other cheaper trims get (1990's sunroof instead of the pano roof, no HUD, no ventilated seats, etc.) seems like Toyota completely lost touch with what a large SUV is. I don't know why internet rumor seems to be that the Sequia was going away so they shoved as much Tundra stuff as they could in it and hoped for the best.

It's almost like Toyota uses the 4r as a social experiment to see how much they can convince people to sacrifice compared to other options but still charge $55k for. Just look at all the features left out of the 4r TRD Pro compared to the Limited trim, yet the TRD pro is $5k more than the limited trim. Heck you can get a ton more features/tech on the Rav 4 for less than $40k (360 cameras, smartkey, digital rear view mirror, heated steering wheel, rain sense de-icing wipers, panoroof, the list goes on).

Why not just get the Lexus if you are looking for a luxury suv? And I wouldn’t want to consistently be using a roof rack with a giant moonroof underneath it.

 

[AWD OWNZ U]

I always appreciate the insight but not how long Toyota takes to bring a new platform out. Even if they just unveiled it early and took pre-orders like Ford did with the Bronco.

 

[Todd308]

Why not just get the Lexus if you are looking for a luxury suv? And I wouldn’t want to consistently be using a roof rack with a giant moonroof underneath it.

I looked at the Lexus, specifically the black edition, but it seems like it would take a ton of $ to modify it to be as capable off road with clearances etc. as the 4-runner. I'd prefer a locker to the full time 4wd and I had a vehicle with the swing out rear door and hated it. Not to mention no where near the aftermarket support. It's a better car for sure, not a better off-roader.

I can appreciate simplicity for the sake of reliability, but the lack of features etc. has to be reflected in the price. The 4-runner is the opposite, the TRD Pro is priced almost where Jeep/Bronco's are but with a significantly lower feature set. Jeep and Ford have clearly figured out that people want off-road capability and features in the same vehicle. Heck a $40k Rav4 has more features.

I can see the liability in having a sunroof or pano-roof if you run a roof rack. I've known more than one person to break a sunroof dropping mountain bike forks on it trying to get it on/off the roof. That said, give people the option. Tons of roof racks extend over the baby sunroof as well, so the liability is there either way. Give people the option, no sunroof, or panoroof. The baby sunroof doesn't really fix the issue if someone runs a bigger roof rack. Also many roof racks now run a solid "floor" which would seem like a good option for any roof rack (I've seen a lot of dents put in roofs with bike forks too). It defeats the purpose of then having the pano-roof but it eliminates the fear of breakage for those using big roof racks.

 

[nimby]

Your insight is always appreciated [MENTION=166416]Carmaker1[/MENTION].

I've been trying to spread the word (based off your info) on another forum.

Please continue to keep us posted when you can.

 

[Endlessblockades]

Very interesting reading the last few pages. My wife expressed interest in a current 4Runner, but I'm not feeling it yet. Hopefully things get sorted or I can talk her into an earlier gen.....