Edmund's says 3rd gen under powered

Wow

I didn't think this question would get 2 pages of answers in the few hours it was posted. As I said in my new member introduction I don't have a 4runner yet, but I am looking and studying. If I understand you all correctly, the 3rd gen is better with a V8 and a 5 speed? Help me out with what I should be looking for. I won't do much 4 wheeling, but I want a vehicle that can tow up to 3500 lbs and drive nicely on trips. I don't do much more than 65. What is gas milage like?
Thanks for all the help. And I think you all were saying Edmunds, "kiss off"
.
Terry
 
02SE said:
Aren't you running 33's on your 4Runner? Turning those larger diameter, more aggressive tread and much heavier than stock tires will make it noticeably slower than it otherwise would be with stock tires.

The issue which I still have a copy of at home, also tested V6 and V8 Explorer's. They were both slower than the 4wd V6 manual trans 4Runner, equipped with the optional P265/70R16 tires.

At the time when all the vehicles were stock, not lifted and running bigger heavier tires, and loaded down with camping, recovery, and/or off-road oriented gear, the 4Runner was more than competitive.
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Can you scan that article? It would be pretty cool. All of the old car magazines I had were thrown out years ago.

He brings up a point. I think the Explorer's largest available tires were 235/70/15's. That is a fairly big difference.
 
Terry

So, the 3rd gen doesn't come stock with a v-8. You can find a 5-speed but they are few and far between. Most 3rd gen's have the v-6 which is the 3.4 liter, and a automatic trans. Look on CL find some at a local used car lot and give them a good test drive, put it through the ringer see if it's something you could be comfortable driving. If you go 4th gen you can find a v-8 I believe but no chance at a 5-speed, they are all automatic.

As far as gas goes, I think you find a range of 15-20 mpg, 15 coming from the more deck out rigs with big tires and lifts. Personally, I get 18-20. I would say I drive like a grandma but after just visiting my grandma in San Diego I can't say that. She drives like a bat out of hell, I never before tried pulling a Fred flinstone before in my life but did with her, there are permanent marks in the floorboard where I tried stopping the car with my feet.

At driving 65 our trucks get the best gas mileage within that range, when you push it to 70+ it really starts to taper off and mileage takes a nosedive.
 
I can only speak from a 2 W/D point of view,but here is what i see.I have a 02 Sport 3.4 auto,117,000 miles,2" lift,265/70/16 Grabber AT tires.On the freeway i cruise at 70 mph. averaged out city & freeway i get right at 18 mpg.As far as power,I honestly think it does fine,i have not experienced any problem. :biggrin2:
 

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T4R2014 said:
Can you scan that article? It would be pretty cool. All of the old car magazines I had were thrown out years ago.

He brings up a point. I think the Explorer's largest available tires were 235/70/15's. That is a fairly big difference.
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I haven't had a scanner for about 8 years. Beyond that, I won't be home until early June.

FWIW, I'm not saying the 3rd gen 4Runner has ever been fast. I'm just saying that when they were new, they competed very well with what was available from other manufacturers.
 
The 2.7 in the 3rd gen has a decent amount of power for a 4 cyl, definitely opens up nicely. This motor needs a manual behind it, my truck used to be auto and it was dreadful with 4 speeds. The 3rd gen 4 cyl makes the same power as the V6 from the prior gens.

Life isn't completely terrible with less power. My 230,000 mile 2.7 is supercharged, intake and full 2.5" exhaust. It's not a rocket, but it can hang with stock V6's even with the extra weight. It still gets better MPG than the V6, I have managed 24MPG on road trips, with 33"s, armor, and a lift.

If you try to drive like SoCal traffic, you'll get 14 MPG with my setup. The V6 would probably do better with the stop and go, floor it between lights, "I want to be first" mentality, since you'd have your foot planted a lot in the 4 cyl. In Prescott AZ, I got average 19MPG city due to the difference in driving habits, even at altitude.

It's towed 3 cars, a 1989 Ford Probe GT (2500lbs), a 1987 4Runner turbo, and a 1988 Toyota pickup X-tra cab 4x4. It manages well enough to hold speed at 55mph and get 18mpg, truck routes are a plus.
 
They are under powered. Edmunds called a spade a spade. Nothing wrong with that. But they're also super reliable and have an almost timeless look. How many automatic SUV's do you see where the trans last 300K + miles? They're built well and that "under powered" very well may be part of the reason why they last.
 
I dunno, buddy at work has a 98 Grand with the 5.9, which was the fastest SUV on the market at the time.

I can blow by him like he is standing still, mind you his is stock, and I am on 35's

Granted I have an S/C, but that was a dealership option :eyebrows:
 
Totally agree with KidVermicious, T4R2014, ChildrenOfBodom, paddlenbike etc. A buddy of mine at work has a 96 2.7L 5 spd and it is really fun to drive! I wish I had a 5 spd and I think most of us 4r's owners would! I've had a ton of cars and trucks over the years and from my experiences, this is one of the best all-around vehicles I've owned. As far as trucks are concerned, if you compare the 4r to its contemporaries, a far chunk of them are in the wrecking yards or are worthless beaters. When I unloaded my 99 Chevy Suburban 2 yrs ago, even though I babied it, it was pretty tired. The shell was great and the guy that bought it was planning on dropping a tranny he had, in it, but it was totally nickelling me to death---- not only that, the mileage was stupid!! I tow a sportboat with it, just fine. It's very reliable and mod-able and my fellow 4r owners are loyal for a reason! Best truck I've owned. This forum and others dedicated to Toyota trucks have thread and post numbers, I've never seen on any other vehicle. That says something!
 
My 02 4Runner 3.4 Auto beats my cousin's 01 Infinity QX4(Nissan Pathfinder) 3.5 Auto every time!) thats as much as I know!) don't believe everything you read on the internet or magazines! :d
 
You're not going to win any races in a 4Runner, but what are you doing racing in a 4Runner anyways?

It's perfect for taking your time in the dirt, enjoying not being around racers.
 
I dont know what you guys are talking about. My 99 limited has plenty of power even with 212xxx on it. Its done 2 1000 mile trips to big sur from san diego in the past month fully loaded with gear/water/4 adults an a baby pretty much nonstop both ways. I LOVE MY 4RUNNER!!!!
 
nick117201 said:
I didn't think this question would get 2 pages of answers in the few hours it was posted. As I said in my new member introduction I don't have a 4runner yet, but I am looking and studying. If I understand you all correctly, the 3rd gen is better with a V8 and a 5 speed? Help me out with what I should be looking for. I won't do much 4 wheeling, but I want a vehicle that can tow up to 3500 lbs and drive nicely on trips. I don't do much more than 65. What is gas milage like?
Thanks for all the help. And I think you all were saying Edmunds, "kiss off"
.
Terry
Click to expand...
This truck comes in a 2.7L 4 cyl. with a tow limit of 3500lbs, or a 3.4L V6 with a tow limit of 5000lbs. Yes, towing with the auto V6 isn't great or fast but it will do it. The 5 spd will make a huge difference but they're hard to find and the optional 5 spd was dropped after 00'. If you want a V8, you'll have to buy a 4th Gen.
When I DUMPED my Chevy, I sold my 24' trailer, but I needed a truck to tow my sportboat. After pouring fuel into my Chevy, I wanted the smallest truck rated to tow 5000lbs, and was reliable, comfortable, economical, affordable and reasonably attractive. I was totally done with the big three. I looked at several options, however, the only one that fit the bill, that was still in consistently decent repair, was the 4Runner. I saw lots of Pathfinders, Isuzu's and a few Infinity's (couldn't find affordable Lexus') but most were in rough enough shape, as to not be something I wanted invest in. The Pathfinder was the most plentiful option, but all had some rust issues ie. tailgate, doors, a-pillars, quarter panels and suspension wells! Most were tired at 200-300K KM, but most of the 4Runners were actually in decent shape. The one I bought was in showroom condition with 160K KM. Everything worked great, tranny was tight, the suspension was good and tight. I really wanted a 5 spd but I couldn't find one. Yes, 2yrs later I'm doing an engine, however, in any other 1998 truck, I probably would have unloaded it, but this truck still has enough value and, to me, it has more life and places to go before it dies. It's just enough truck to tow my boat, and it moves the family in comfort with a decent payload. Good luck!
 
Coming from a 94 pathfinder (18.4 1/4 mile...) , the 4runner seemed slow when I got it (3.4 5 speed) but then I realized power comes on right around 3k on the tach. It's strong, not overwhelming but for 175k miles I'm pretty pleased. Plus lifted 3 inches with 500 lbs in the back I get around 18 all the time.
 
02SE said:
Aren't you running 33's on your 4Runner? Turning those larger diameter, more aggressive tread and much heavier than stock tires will make it noticeably slower than it otherwise would be with stock tires.

The issue which I still have a copy of at home, also tested V6 and V8 Explorer's. They were both slower than the 4wd V6 manual trans 4Runner, equipped with the optional P265/70R16 tires.

At the time when all the vehicles were stock, not lifted and running bigger heavier tires, and loaded down with camping, recovery, and/or off-road oriented gear, the 4Runner was more than competitive.
Click to expand...

265s on the '99, pretty close to the 31x15s I had on the Ex.

I don't know about the 4.0, but the 5.0 V8 was never available in the Explorer with a manual transmission, those were all AWD/automatics. If that's the truck they're comparing to a 5-speed 4Runner, maybe the difference in transmission type is playing into the results? Having gone from a 22RE/A340F to a 22RE/W56, I can vouch for the difference a manual trans makes, especially when it's the pathetic soulsucking lifestealing joyless A340 we're talking about.

But if that's not it, then I don't know how to explain the discrepancy. All I know is that the Explorer would rocket up Parleys with a full load of camping gear doing 75 the entire way if traffic allowed, and the cruise control had no problem holding 80 in a central Idaho headwind. My 3.4 4Runner has to wind out to do 65 up the same canyon, and cannot hold OD in a headwind to save it's life. Similiar tires, similiar transmission, and the 4Runner has the edge in diff gearing (4.30 vs. 3.73) and is a couple hundred pounds lighter to boot. :shrug:

I'll take the 4Runner over the Explorer any day, it's a much more capable and reliable vehicle. But I found the Explorer to have much more oomph at the pedal.
 
Its all a matter of perception too...

My 97 4Runner feels like a race car after I have been driving the wife's Prius lol.
 
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