HOJeepster
New member
4th Gen with the V8; best 4runner made.
Had my '18 Limited 10 days ... not enough power for me...
- Thread starter rzgkane
- Start date
4th Gen with the V8; best 4runner made.
03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
I agree with the op. As much as I like the 4runner around town it leaves a lot to be desired in the Arizona mountains. Going up a long grade with a head wind is very annoying. I also like more snap from a dead stop. I had my 03 V8 4runner for 11 years and miss the low end power every day. I am not sure this one will make it 11 years. It just does not put a smile on my face most of the time.
What I wanted it to do was pull moderate grades without sounding over-stressed and shifting up and down. I gave it the chance and it didn't do the job FOR ME.
But I understand how it might appear that I'm shitting on the truck. I get it.
Nobody likes to hear people gripe about something they own. Especially when it's an expensive item that they are satisfied with. Just putting information out there.
Senorlechero
New member
um..... this is a 4runner forum..... :doh:
I think most of us are here because we LIKE the truck the forum was designed for.
Wasn't looking for the extra bulk that the Sequoia would bring. My initial goal was to replace a 2010 Accord V6 and a 2004 Tahoe Z71 with one vehicle that could do double-duty. Not too big. Decent gas mileage. But had to get out of its own way without massive effort. The Tahoe and Accord both did.
Admittedly, I did not do my homework. I understand that. I picked a truck that did not suit my particular needs and tastes. That's on me. No argument there.
I suggest that anyone looking for a vehicle who has the same priorities and me look for more grunt. Being stuck in a $50K vehicle that doesn't push YOUR buttons is not a pleasant place to be. Thankfully the dealer allowed me to exit gracefully.
nb rob
New member
Glad it worked out well, exit-wise.
your position is legitimate. I had one hell of a time finding a 4runner to test drive before I purchased.
Too bad you're going to miss out on this band of misfits though.
There's always the GX :banana:
4Rager
New member
And knowing the power is up top, the most egregious offense to towing is the transmission. I live at 5000ft elevation so any climbing will be above and beyond that. I used my 4Runner to tow many times and on flat highway it's fine, but the gearing is terrible. 2nd gear basically goes all the way from 30-60, so if you're at the lower end of that range you're in the doldrums for power.
One time I was towing a 16ft aluminum fishing boat (full console and windshield and everything) which is probably 2500-3000lbs inc trailer up Janesville Grade off of 395 to get to Antelope Lake. It's pretty steep and windy so you're mostly going 30-35mph. Redline in 1st gear is about 28-30mph, so any time you went around a turn and lost some speed 2nd could no longer handle it would downshift to like 5000rpms in first gear, which was frustrating to say the least. And we're not talking towing anything near max capacity.
Every vehicle has its strengths and weakness. I don't think it's entirely fair to blame people like the OP for "not doing research and getting the wrong car" because the 4R is rated to tow 5,000lbs. Since you obviously can't hook up your trailer on a test drive, one would assume it can handle the job. Well it CAN handle the job, but towing is certainly a major one of the trucks weaknesses, and it's surprising when you buy a brand new vehicle in 2018 and it struggles like that.
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MrJux
Member
First time driving a 4R or Tacoma? They've always sounded fairly breathless. Meanwhile some people here are pulling travel trailers with them.
No problem that it wasn't for you, but you're all over the place with why and admittedly did no homwork, which is why it seems like you're just ragging on it for the sake of it.
Nothing wrong with a dash of objectivity.
Some folks who don't already own the subject vehicles visit these forums in order to read about what other people like and dislike so they can use that information in their decision-making process. I did, and most of what I read indicated that the 4Runner had plenty of umpfh, although there were certainly a few posts that didn't look favorably on the T4R hp.
What use is an auto discussion board where nobody does anything but heap praise?
believe me i like my 4runner as well.. but it's a terrible vehicle to tow trailers, boats, etc etc
So what did you replace it with?
In all fairness, I think I've been pretty focused with respect to the "why" question. The reasons are fairly succinct.
Look, very few vehicles check every box. We should all come to grips with that. I just came out of a 2014 C63 that had tons of the available power I crave and require, but go to a Mercedes forum and you'll see plenty of discussion about how the transmission sucked, how the interior was low dij, blah blah blah. It's the nature of the forums. But I didn't get butt hurt about it. Yeah, the trans was lacking. It did look like a C250 inside. But the car did so much well that its shortcomings didn't matter to me. It checked my boxes.
It was time for me to recognize my errors and cut my losses. Life goes on. Hopefully someone else can benefit from my mistake.
'18 limited
I wish i had your problems..i looked at the 2018 limited 4wd at the dealer..i thought it was awesome..i liked the adjustable rear seats, leather interior..
the sticker was 46k..and that didnt even include their additional dealer fee.
Sorry it doesnt have the juice to pull your stuff, but i really like your truck.
I wish i had your problems..i looked at the 2018 limited 4wd at the dealer..i thought it was awesome..i liked the adjustable rear seats, leather interior..
the sticker was 46k..and that didnt even include their additional dealer fee.
Sorry it doesnt have the juice to pull your stuff, but i really like your truck.
TacoRunn0517
New member
Lesson to be learned (again): do your research upfront. Go fig.
I bought a Camry XSE V6 and I'm keeping the Tahoe Z71. My kids can beat on the Tahoe when they go camping and skiing. That was another concern of mine. I couldn't see selling the Tahoe and having to let them take such a nice 4Runner out to get beat on and damaged. I love my cars too much for that!
Yeah, well not many dealers will let you log a few hundred miles pulling their vehicles up and down hills and through the paces. Maybe I could have rented one. I'm sure you did that.
Absolutely. Me too. Sound system was good. Ride was tight. Quiet. Seats were comfortable. Interior trim was very nice, far better than a new Tahoe. I loved many, many things about it. Again, if it had 340hp it'd still be in my driveway. Probably alongside my Z71 that I would have likely kept because the 4Runner was just too nice!
Maybe it fell on the hood that the insurance company would replace with one with the air inlet some folks seem to clamor for? lol. Silver lining?
TacoRunn0517
New member
If I were in a situation that I KNEW I would do some hauling, I would've rented one. Once again, doing research would've given you this suggestion time and time again. For me, I did my preliminary research for months. I knew what I NEEDED. The 4Runner addressed it better than any other vehicle. That doesn't make the 4Runner perfect. What I do is separate NEED and WANT. Easier to do than people make it out to seem. And if this Millennial can do it, anyone can.
