First long trip on my new 4Runner.

[cmachado]

Well, I finally took her out for a long trip this weekend. My girlfriend and I took Friday off and went on a rollercoaster tour. Yup, we are amusement park fanatics and this year, especially now that we have a reliable set of wheels, we have decided to visit a few parks in the North East. We even bought season passes to Six Flags park, nationwide.

Anyway, we made it down to Baltimore, MD from New York City on Friday. At the end of the day, we decided not to roll the dice with the weather and drove further down south to North Carolina to visit my future in-laws. Sunday, we took the drive back to New York City — all 12 hours of it.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how great the ride was. Power was plentifull from the V6. The Sports suspension was great on some curvy roads in NC. And at an average 70-75mph, the car never felt overworked or stressed and still had enough pep to accelerate to 90mph during lane changes.

Also, my average range was about 400 miles per tank as per the computer read out. I think the reading is a little conservative though, because I clocked 212 miles on the trip odomoter when the needle hit half a tank. And yet, I only needed just over 10 gallons to fill up again. Not bad at all considering that at the speed I was driving, I decreased my fuel efficiency.

Anyway, I'm off to wash the truck. Got lots of bugs to clean off the bumper.

 

[rhlitt]

I posted the same a few days ago ...I have been driving my wife's '03 Acura MDX on all of our long trips, and yes, it drives nicely, kinda like a minivan, which is a nice ride. But, I finally took my '04 4runner on a long trip last week, and oh my, the V6 drove great on the highway, and it handled nimbly. It was a lot more fun to drive on the highway than the MDX. So, that makes two of us who enjoyed the ride!

 

[krosno3]

:worthless
Sounds like a great trip and a lot of fun. I'm going to Seattle in 2 weeks ( from Chicago) and just wonder how it feels to drive 4Runner at 80-90 MPH for some time. I havn't had any chance do that since most of my driving is in the city that is why I can't wait to drive there. I had 98 Grand Cherokee and after driving few hours at 80 MPH I was very tired. That car was all over road and it was very hard to keep it in line. And driving 90 was kind of over limit because of the noise and it was just scary. How did You feel driving at that speed your 4Runner?

 

[haro]

I went to BOSTON, MA from NEW YORK.. And the ride was great.......

and the navy work great.....but one problem that I didn't get the address for the SAMUELS ADAM BREWER....

 

[bryancos]

Took a trip from Colorado to Idaho and while the seats weren't as comfortable as those in my 02 Envoy, the ride was smooth and we averaged 23-25mph on the highway w/ the V6. I'm certainly much happier with the 4Runner and I still average 19-20mpg around town.

rhlitt, perhaps the reason the ride in your wife's MDX was like that of a minivan is because the Acura MDX was built on the Honda Odyssey Minivan frame. I suspect it would be a similar ride in a Honda Pilot too.

 

[cmachado]

:worthless
That car was all over road and it was very hard to keep it in line. And driving 90 was kind of over limit because of the noise and it was just scary. How did You feel driving at that speed your 4Runner?

Well, I only hit 90mph a couple of times to change lanes while on I-95. But the power was there. On I-85, I drove on cruise control for about half an hour doing 80mph and the car was smooth. I kept it at 70-75mph to try and conserve gas. But you know, in hindsight you should just plan to spend a little extra on gas when driving long interstate distances and not worry too much about fuel consumption. After all, you know the mileage will be better when you resume normal commuting.

Anyway, there was no veering to the sides or any heavy vibration of any kind. Wind noise was surprisingly minimal.

As for comfort, I'm sure there are more comfortable vehicles out there, but I adjusted the lumbar support a couple of times and really did not feel beaten up at all at the end of the trip. Especially with the interstate being a fairly smooth roadway. Really easy to drive and pleasant with the radio on or off. Love this truck everytime I get in it. And to make things ever better, i am dropping off at service department on Friday to take care of the annoying rattle from the healiner/sunroof. It only gets better!

 

[flownosaj]

the seats weren't as comfortable as those...

I just did a trip up to Colorado Springs looking for houses and the 4Runner was great, but my only complaint is the seats. After a few hours they start to get a little uncomfortable. Seems like the seats don't support where it's needed most on a long drive.
I can drive my wife's Passat for hours at a time and the seats are perfect and supportive in all the right areas. Too bad I can't switch seats

 

[bryancos]

flownosaj , I just sent you a PM. I live in Colorado Springs... ping me the next time you're up this way, and I'll buy you a beer. BTW, have you considered aftermarket seats for the 4R?

 

[PhxRunner]

My wife and I got lucky and were able to take my 4runner across the country and back.

Starting from Springfield, VA across to San Diego, up to Seattle, through the Rockies and back. All told about 2 1/2 months and not a single problem with the truck.

I've got plenty of pics but only a couple with the truck. I'll scan them and put them up.

 

[rhlitt]

Yeah, I understand now why the MDX rides like a minivan. I definitely like the feel and the ride of the 4runner better. I hate to say it, but the 4runner handles much more like my old Jeep Grand Cherokee (which broke down regularly!), and I prefer that ride to the MDX's for long trips. The good news is that my wife likes her MDX, but the bad news is that when I was out of town she took the runner for a spin and told me she liked driving it (I need to tell her to stay away from it!).