GX470 or stick with the Runner?

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Daneshavis

New member
I have been lurking on this site since 2010 when I began looking for my next rig. I have a history with a 3rd Gen and of stealing my step father's LC 70-Series to impress when I was in school. This factored into the purchase of my 2011 Salsa Red TE w/KDSS and no/NAV at a good price.

Here are the questions I desperately need help with:

Has anyone here gone from a GX470, LC100, LX470, 4th Gen, or anything with the 4.7l V8 and doesn't miss it?

Every time I drive the 4Runner I feel slight disappointment at the lack of low end torque which forces me to "Push your foot into it" to drop gears and then "jerk" we are outta here.

Also, are there any weaknesses to the 4.7l (other than 90k timing belt and WP) that would give you hesitation in picking that engine?

I am specifically looking at the GX470 (sorry, but not a huge fan of the 4th Gen) as it seems to be a good compromise between the LC and the 4Runner so any specific feedback would be welcomed.

This is not to bash the 5th Gen as I love 90%, but that remaining 10% is really giving me a hang up.

I appreciate the feedback.
 
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What do you do with your 4Runner? All street with some dirt roads or do you take it off road?

My buddy has a GX460 he bought after riding in my 5th Gen. He needed the V8 to tow a boat and the more luxury features for his wife but still wanted something similar to the 5th gen (he traded in his 4th Gen for it). Whenever I ride in his truck it feels like I'm in my 4Runner only with a different interior - kind of like walking into a house with the same floorplan as yours only hardwood floor instead of carpet and different colour paint on the walls.
 
I recently had a kid and the off road has turned into fire roads and moderate trails at worst. The main use now seems to be road trips with the occasional camping trip and the 4Runner is definitely not being pushed anywhere near the limit. Definitely stuff the GX could handle.

It might be a couple years before the boy is ready for the fun stuff and that has factored into the potential swap.
 
Traded a GX470 for my T4R, and I don't really miss the V8. I drove a LC a few months about and while it was nice also, it made me realize how nice my T4R really is for the $$.
 
Can't help you with the V8 but I come from two 80 series LCs. Plenty of low end tq which I like compared to my 5 gen 4 runner. The 4 Runners have plenty of power for the street, even faster then the LC, I think. But, when the going gets a little tough, I rather have my old LC. We did M
mainly rough trails, streams, and a few small boulders. I miss the interior room the most in my LC.
 
Part of me misses some of the luxuries of my previous vehicle, we got a bare bones SR5 4x4 and on one hand the GX460 would tick all those boxes, but as stated it's hard when the basic architecture is the same. You start to get into the pros and cons of upgrading to essentially the same vehicle with some different options. I don't think I could do it for the current gen GX, maybe if the next gen differentiates itself more?

I do dream of 200 series Land Cruisers...
 
Jayhawk5G said:
Part of me misses some of the luxuries of my previous vehicle, we got a bare bones SR5 4x4 and on one hand the GX460 would tick all those boxes, but as stated it's hard when the basic architecture is the same. You start to get into the pros and cons of upgrading to essentially the same vehicle with some different options. I don't think I could do it for the current gen GX, maybe if the next gen differentiates itself more?

I do dream of 200 series Land Cruisers...
Click to expand...

I feel like a "bare bones" 2013 4runner doesnt really exist.
 
The struggle I am having is the GX 470 is about $5k less than the runner and yet has a clear advantage in features. If the options were reversed it would be the Runner all day but I am struggling to understand that I am paying more for less (than what I need).

I am not saying I need all the fancy stuff but I don't want to pay more and get less. I do appreciate the warranty/new vs. used argument though.

So stuck on this one.
 
JohnsD90 said:
I feel like a "bare bones" 2013 4runner doesnt really exist.
Click to expand...

I have power lock and windows, I have a CD player and Bluetooth, but beyond that cloth seats that are manual, no leather, no heated seats, no sunroof, no keyless start, no third row, etc.
 
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Daneshavis said:
The struggle I am having is the GX 470 is about $5k less than the runner and yet has a clear advantage in features
Click to expand...
Comparing new vs. used prices is a waste of time.

You can get a used BMW 750 for about the same price as a new Honda Civic, but have very different maintenance costs.
 
Jeremy556 said:
Comparing new vs. used prices is a waste of time.

You can get a used BMW 750 for about the same price as a new Honda Civic, but have very different maintenance costs.
Click to expand...

So true. I wanted a Ferrari 308 instead of the Prius my wife bought because they were the same price. Probably would have been a mistake but we are not talking a 10 year and 100k mile difference. The GX's I am looking at have about 40-60k and are 2009. Other than the WP & Timing Belt change the maintenance costs difference is not huge.
 
If it were me, I would go with the Lexus. Sure, a truck with less miles is great, but if the Lexus has been taken care of it will last just as long as the 4Runner. As someone else already pointed out, the components of both trucks are largely the same.

I spend a lot of time in my truck, and interior has always been important to me. So, if I go to buy another truck in the near future it will likely be the Lexus or a Land Cruiser.
 
Canazes9 said:
This?

Why SprintBooster Works

$289.99 to make the throttle open 25% faster?

Not for me...

David
Click to expand...

It fixes what many of the people on this board say is a "lack of power down low"

$289 is alot cheaper than buying a new car. And if it makes your car twice as fun to drive.... it's probably worth it. I too thought it was snake-oil when it came out.

SPRINT BOOSTER and Potential GB!! - Page 2 - TundraTalk.net - Toyota Tundra Discussion Forum

Sprint Booster - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

And URD sells them... Gadget only sells quality products that work...

I absolutely despise the throttle lag in drive-by-wire cars nowadays. This may be my first mod in my next vehicle.
 
Greg_Canada said:
It fixes what many of the people on this board say is a "lack of power down low"

$289 is alot cheaper than buying a new car. And if it makes your car twice as fun to drive.... it's probably worth it. I too thought it was snake-oil when it came out.

SPRINT BOOSTER and Potential GB!! - Page 2 - TundraTalk.net - Toyota Tundra Discussion Forum

Sprint Booster - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum

And URD sells them... Gadget only sells quality products that work...

I absolutely despise the throttle lag in drive-by-wire cars nowadays. This may be my first mod in my next vehicle.
Click to expand...

I've got a '12 Tacoma and a '13 T4R. I don't notice any lag in throttle response. On both, you do have to move the pedal a lot to get a response - I believe that to be highly desirable in a 4wd Offroad vehicle. I have no doubt the device does exactly what it claims - make the throttle open 25% faster. I can see how some people will be fooled into the perception that their vehicle feels more powerful. I have never been afraid of the skinny pedal and mash as required. As previously stated, not for me....

The linked posts of the newb drag racers shaving 0.2 sec off their 1/4 mile times over a grand total of about 10 track runs on two different nights attributing that to this device is high comedy! They say the runs got faster later in the evening? Last run was the fastest? Of course the last run was using the device. Wouldn't want to turn it off and make another pass...

David
 
Canazes9 said:
I've got a '12 Tacoma and a '13 T4R. I don't notice any lag in throttle response. On both, you do have to move the pedal a lot to get a response - I believe that to be highly desirable in a 4wd Offroad vehicle. I have no doubt the device does exactly what it claims - make the throttle open 25% faster. I can see how some people will be fooled into the perception that their vehicle feels more powerful. I have never been afraid of the skinny pedal and mash as required. As previously stated, not for me....

The linked posts of the newb drag racers shaving 0.2 sec off their 1/4 mile times over a grand total of about 10 track runs on two different nights attributing that to this device is high comedy! They say the runs got faster later in the evening? Last run was the fastest? Of course the last run was using the device. Wouldn't want to turn it off and make another pass...

David
Click to expand...
Having bad throttle response is not desireable in any vehicle. Now, if toyota set that up so it only worked when in 4L, i would agree with you, that would be kinda cool.

The drag time difference does sound dumb, i agree. I never said it made the truck faster. Those guys did, but yea...

When was the last time you drove an old car with direct throttle?
 
The FJ Forums have some pretty good responses to the product. It might be the lag that is killing me so a $300 experiment for the SB might be worth it. I will let you know how it goes and thanks again for the advice.
 
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