got rid of 5th gen - came back to 4th gen

[neowig]

The pros and cons of each generations have been discussed to death so i will make it short.

I have 2006 T4R that's been on permanent loan to my parents since 2008, and I also have 2012 T4R so I'm familiar with both gen.

Few days ago, I sold 2012 T4R and made 2006 my daily vehicle.

To me, the biggest factor in favor of 2006 T4R was the center differential that enables it to become a permanent AWD in winter months. I drove 2012 T4R in few winter months. Often times, the road condition was not slippery enough to engage in the part-time 4WD (unless I risk drivetrain damage). Yet more than a few occasions, especially at a traffic light on the road with slight inclination, the rear wheel would slip rather embarrassingly even with a gentle throttle. On those occasions, I could just power it forward with wheel slippage (and the possible loss of vehicle control) OR I could stop the vehicle, engage in 4WD, and then move forward. Needless to say, both are less than desirable options, especially for a vehicle like T4R that's supposed to handle off-road and cold weather well.

2006 T4R, on the other hand, one can have permanent AWD all winter months with no worries...


Admittedly, if I had 2012 T4R Limited, I might have kept 2012 instead.


Hopefully, Toyota brings back the selectable permanent AWD capablity in the next gen T4R cuz my 2006 is not getting any younger (although it drives just like the day I bought it)

 

[grimmjeeper]

The one thing I miss about my old Jeep Cherokee was the transfer case that had both part time and full time 4 hi. I could do full time on the road and enjoy the benefits of AWD in winter conditions but then when I needed it on the trail, the part time gave me the much better traction.

My truck has a part time only transfer case and no limited slip or traction control so it's terrible in patchy ice because a truck in 2WD with little weight over the rear tires can't get much traction. My Wrangler with limited slip and traction control but still with a part time only transfer case is only marginally better.

I don't blame you for going with the AWD over part time 4WD. It's far more practical on the roads.

 

[buchaja]

You don't need to stop a 5th gen to engage 4wd.

 

[cbielat]

You don't need to stop a 5th gen to engage 4wd.

You're right, but only safely under a certain speed(under 50 mph or so and in 4H).

OP- You must not have had the Limited. Even with the 4th Gen, like the 5th Gen Limited, isn't it full time 4 wheel drive and not all wheel drive?

 

[Martinjmpr]

You're right, but only safely under a certain speed(under 50 mph or so and in 4H).

OP- You must not have had the Limited. Even with the 4th Gen, like the 5th Gen Limited, isn't it full time 4 wheel drive and not all wheel drive?

On the 4th gen it's not the trim package that determines the 4wd system, it's the engine. V6's get multi-mode and V8's get full time.

As far as full-time-4wd vs. AWD, the terms are often used interchangeably even though they use a different method to get to the same place (full time 4wd uses a separate transfer case behind the transmission like on our 4runners, whereas most AWD cars like the Audi or Subaru have the power to the rear axles coming right off the front transaxle. At least I think this is true of Audi, I know it is true of Subaru.)

 

[Martinjmpr]

To the OP I doubt we'll ever see a true multi mode 4runner again. Toyota would rather sell you a much more expensive Land Cruiser or Lexus GX460.

However, as CAFE standards get tighter it's reasonable to think that the next generation of 4runner might be a unibody crossover with a transverse mounted engine and AWD.

Think about all the other "classic" SUVs that have gone down that path: The Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder and Jeep Cherokee.

Sad, but that seems to be the way things are trending with SUVs.

 

[buchaja]

On the 4th gen it's not the trim package that determines the 4wd system, it's the engine. V6's get multi-mode and V8's get full time.

As far as full-time-4wd vs. AWD, the terms are often used interchangeably even though they use a different method to get to the same place (full time 4wd uses a separate transfer case behind the transmission like on our 4runners, whereas most AWD cars like the Audi or Subaru have the power to the rear axles coming right off the front transaxle. At least I think this is true of Audi, I know it is true of Subaru.)

See my sig

 

[Martinjmpr]

See my sig

Yeah, it's an interesting article but it points out that while its easy to define the different types of 4wd systems, there is no rhyme or reason with regard to the naming conventions used by automakers because they will name it whatever they think they have to name it in order to project the kind of image they want to project.

"AWD" sounds very "high performance" and is likely to be applied to car, while "4wd" sounds more rugged and off-roady. So even though the RAV-4 and the various Lexus AWD models have the exact same type of drive system (transverse engine with no transfer case), Toyota calls the Rav-4 a "4wd" because they want it to sound like an "off road" vehicle (even though it's not, it's a car-based unibody crossover.)

I would also quibble with his explanation of the term "4x4." He seems to think it was invented some time in the 80's, but that's not true. The term 4x4 is a military term that pre-dates WWII and it simply means "number of wheels by number of wheels driven." So a military truck with only the rear wheels driven would be a 4 x 2 or maybe a 4 x 6, and one with all wheels driven were 4 x 4 and 6 x 6. There were even 8 x 8 armored cars.

Final note: My first vehicle, purchased in 1979, was a 1957 International Harvester Travelall 4x4. The badge on the front fender read "ALL WHEEL DRIVE"