OP, OK thanks for your insight. Bye Bye now.
I read this thread and yes pros and cons, but why would you drive at 80 miles in the mountains ? And with a trailer also or even fully loaded !!
L2 Sport Mode in the city first lol, you look like you need practice or a hug !
I have this this since 2012, drove it everywhere from pavement to lumber roads to mud to deep woods to crazy snow. Yes it is lazy sometimes but I learned how to drive with it.
Sorry you don't like how it rides :/
Like I said since I got it, waiting on the real new model and if it gets a new engine hoooray, if not it's RAPTOR time !
But I am keeping this beast, either as off road/hunting/fishing truck or give it to my oldest girl when she gets her licence
I'll make this my last post on the topic because the discussion has gotten sideways and my opinion and experience has even hurt some people's feelings. Rather than read the responses near the end of this thread that attribute words and positions to me that I did not say or take, read my first 3 posts and take them for what they are worth to you. This thread was not created with malice or to demean anyone and/or their choices or opinions. But I want to be clear on a few things.
For the record:
I did not say the 4 Runner is "horribly underpowered" as a post a few above seems to intimate. Read my first three posts to know what I actually did say.
Nor did I say I intended to drive mountain roads while hauling people, booze and a double jet ski trailer at "80mph" as a post a few above seems to intimate. Read my first three posts to know what I actually did say.
Nor did I say I bought the vehicle to "be a tow vehicle" to "be a hauler." Read my first three posts to know what I actually did say.
I did not say I bought the 4Runner to chase down bad guys through treacherous mountain passes or to go 140mph through the desert.
I did not say I bought the 4Runner to compete at the drag strip.
One of my first posts pretty much spelled it out and I will quote it below so there's no inaccurate paraphrasing. A lot of folks like to respond by pretending a prior post said something it did not because they feel that by doing so it makes their arguments appear just that much more compelling.
"One other point of note... I didn't buy the 4Runner to be a "tow vehicle" or "hauler." I planned on using it for those purposes probably only 7-8 times a year.
My beef was with how hard the engine seemed to have to work just to keep up to 75-80mph on a fairly innocuous grade with just me inside. I was entering into kickdown far too frequently for my tastes. Over and over actually. Now, granted, I could kick it down manually and keep it in 4th gear so it didn't shift back and forth all the time. But then the engine noise was just too much for me. It bothered me to hear it working so hard. And this is a situation I would find myself in many, many times a month given where I drive. I can only imagine what it would be like during the 7-8 times a year I did tow/haul.
I prefer to pay for effortless, available power that I only sparingly need/use over a single instance of wanting power and it not being available. Again, it's just personal preference. I'm not shitting on the truck. But I am posting here so that other prospective buyers with the same priorities as me could have as much information as possible when making their vehicle purchasing decisions. Had I read a thread like this prior to buying, I probably would have gone in a different direction and not had to go through what I did. This is the internet, folks. It's where information gets exchanged. Take it for what it's worth."
I also said I admittedly did not do as much homework or research as I should have done, which would have probably avoided the entire situation. That's on me. And I paid a price. So what. Life goes on.
Anyhow, I will go back to the 3rd Gen 4Runner thread now (I own a 2000 Limited) and the 1st Gen Tacoma thread (I own a 2000 PreRunner) and the 8th Gen Camry forum (yep, a 2018 XSE V6)and leave you guys to debate the power of the 5th Gen 4Runner and how it either makes you giddy, leaves you breathless, pisses you off, or hurts your feelings. I've said my peace. Some have agreed and some have disagreed. Some have gotten their panties in a wad, some have insulted, and some have emphasized, sympathized and some have even tried to be objective and hold an adult conversation. Thank you all. :hippie:
