boondoggle
Member
After having my 4Runner (2004 V8 Sport) for only a few weeks, the wife and I packed up our 2 year old boy and our 11 year old dog and headed for a family reunion down in the Missouri Ozarks.
Not much to report, really, but here are some highlights. After all, talking about Toyota's is fun, right? :cheers:
• If you have a dog (especially a little white one) get leather(ish) seat covers. We've got a Westie and got hairs all over the place. The synthetic materials Toyota used are just so static prone.
• 4Runner is a super, great, amazing long distance traveler when it comes to comfort and power. We cruised 80-85mph most of the way to Kansas City.
• Mileage gets pretty bad around 80-85mph. From Denver to KC I was averaging around 16 MPG. There were pretty strong crosswinds of between 15-30mph both ways. I usually average around 17-18mpg here at home. Was hoping for better than that on a long highway drive. A bit of a disappointment in that regard.
• Once we were in MO and the speed limit dropped to 70/75 Mph, MPG went up to between 17-20MPG on the highway. Slower is better. Sweet spot seems to be between 65-70MPH for MPG.
• X-REAS was awesome on the curvy county roads and highways of southern MO. Fun to drive.
• When I got to KC I checked my oil and it was still clear, like new. Not bad for a T4R with 104k miles on it. Full synthetic every 6k miles since brand new.
• Wind noise wasn't too bad at 80-85mph. Having the sunroof 'cover' closed helps.
• The AC blower motor started whistling at me when on Hi and '3rd level'. Seems like it does it less when not using the recirculate air feature. Blew cold the whole time though. Will check the cabin filter, but I'm afraid it's coming from the fan.
• Internal storage space was ample. We packed a 6 person tent, sleeping bags, clothes etc.
I do wish I'd changed the spark plugs before the trip. I don't believe they've been replaced and I'm curious as to whether they would have helped the MPG.
Overall we put over 2000 miles on it in the course of 5 days. It was a little tough on my 2 year old boy but he was a trooper.
Even after all that, the 'new car' feeling still isn't gone. I still look forward to driving it. :bravo:
Not much to report, really, but here are some highlights. After all, talking about Toyota's is fun, right? :cheers:
• If you have a dog (especially a little white one) get leather(ish) seat covers. We've got a Westie and got hairs all over the place. The synthetic materials Toyota used are just so static prone.
• 4Runner is a super, great, amazing long distance traveler when it comes to comfort and power. We cruised 80-85mph most of the way to Kansas City.
• Mileage gets pretty bad around 80-85mph. From Denver to KC I was averaging around 16 MPG. There were pretty strong crosswinds of between 15-30mph both ways. I usually average around 17-18mpg here at home. Was hoping for better than that on a long highway drive. A bit of a disappointment in that regard.
• Once we were in MO and the speed limit dropped to 70/75 Mph, MPG went up to between 17-20MPG on the highway. Slower is better. Sweet spot seems to be between 65-70MPH for MPG.
• X-REAS was awesome on the curvy county roads and highways of southern MO. Fun to drive.
• When I got to KC I checked my oil and it was still clear, like new. Not bad for a T4R with 104k miles on it. Full synthetic every 6k miles since brand new.
• Wind noise wasn't too bad at 80-85mph. Having the sunroof 'cover' closed helps.
• The AC blower motor started whistling at me when on Hi and '3rd level'. Seems like it does it less when not using the recirculate air feature. Blew cold the whole time though. Will check the cabin filter, but I'm afraid it's coming from the fan.
• Internal storage space was ample. We packed a 6 person tent, sleeping bags, clothes etc.
I do wish I'd changed the spark plugs before the trip. I don't believe they've been replaced and I'm curious as to whether they would have helped the MPG.
Overall we put over 2000 miles on it in the course of 5 days. It was a little tough on my 2 year old boy but he was a trooper.
Even after all that, the 'new car' feeling still isn't gone. I still look forward to driving it. :bravo:
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