Handeling on 2011

[RECDOG]

im very close to getting a 2011 sr5 w/leather.. i test drove it and it felt good but wasnt able to realy "test drive it"

How is the over all handeling on the truck im coming from audi Q5 i know it wont be anything like that but i want a truck not a soccer mom car.

ive seen some reviews were ppl say its reay alot of body lean and bounce when stoping ..like nose dive..

i love the looks but if its the titanic on wheels i may be unhappy..just lloking for some thoughts on that..thanks

oh also is the TRD supercharger ever coming out for these? that would be awesome

 

[M1911]

Consider getting either a Limited (which will have XREAS) or get a Trail Edition with KDSS. Both will have less roll than the SR5.

They will still have a fair bit of nose dive on braking. It is a body-on-frame, solid rear axle truck, and it rides and handles like one as a result.

 

[RECDOG]

Consider getting either a Limited (which will have XREAS) or get a Trail Edition with KDSS. Both will have less roll than the SR5.

They will still have a fair bit of nose dive on braking. It is a body-on-frame, solid rear axle truck, and it rides and handles like one as a result.

Fair enough i know there will be some..
i like sr5 the best the limited a lil out of price range for me.


on a side note how is at highway speeds? like 80 or so is it smooth with good acceleration??

 

[crunch]

I have the 2011 SR5 with leather. I can tell you what my experience has been so far re: handling.

It definitely handles more like a truck but I've been mildly surprised at how well it corners, or how flat it feels on turns (e.g. taking a highway offramp). Steering is very light compared to other cars/trucks I've owned, but I actually kind of like it (maybe I'm lazy). But feels very good to me. The one thing that seems odd is that if I don't pay 100% attention, the truck will wander more so than anything else I've driven. Maybe it's due to the light steering?

As for nose dive, I noticed it right away when I got it. Now, after 2 months, 1600 miles, not so much.

Going 80, it feels very solid and smooth. I'm amazed at how quiet and smooth it drives at speed. The hood does not move or ripple which some others have mentioned. Even my wife who has a 2010 Volvo XC60 (which has a more powerful engine, more european style handling, and feels really solid), really likes my 4runner and wants to acquire it somehow.

Other impressions:
- Leather is nice - I'm usually a cloth guy (being cheap) but I'm glad I got the leather.
- 3rd row seat is small but useful - just put 2 kids in their booster seats back there and they both loved it.
- Gas mileage is worse than expected - I'm getting low 17s but I don't do a lot of highway driving. When I am on highway a lot, it's up around 18 or 19.
- V6 is decent and smooth, but sometimes wish it had a little more oomph, especially when from a stop. My 1999 V8 Grand Cherokee was a lot smoother and felt more powerful, even though I think it had 230 hp and 295 ft-lb torque. The torque really makes a difference, and overall the engine seemed smoother. My Tacoma had a serious "ticking" sound since I got it. This engine seems quieter.
- Lots of room in the engine bay compared to other cars. I may add a 2nd battery at some point for my ham radio.
- Doors are tinny but I seemed to have gotten used to them. My 2005 Tacoma was similar but if I recall, they didn't seem this thin. But the 4runner has a lot less noise from the outside vs. my Tacoma.
- Doors locking automatically are a pain. If you don't like this have the dealer disable before you pick it up. Dealer would not turn off seat belt chime however.
- Husky floor liners fit great.
- 4wd is good - worked great on the snow we've had in MA. But it would be nice to have some kind of AWD or full time 4wd.
- I had the dealer swap out the stock Dunlops with Michelin LTX MS/2 tires - I don't know how the OEM tires rode, but I love MS/2 tires. It was not that expensive either. However, other dealers I talked to would not do this.
- Hated the window controls being so high, but now I'm used to them.
- Ergonomics are good - but I'm also used to the Toyota layout (I've had 4 Toyotas so far).
- Rear windshield gets dirty fast as others have noted.
- Glad I got the 110v option, and nice that it has a 12v in the rear.

Probably more than you wanted, but as someone who went through this myself, I would have liked to have known these things before buying. I still would have bought (I was comparing to a 2011 Honda Pilot) but at least I would have been more confident going in.

Fair enough i know there will be some..
i like sr5 the best the limited a lil out of price range for me.


on a side note how is at highway speeds? like 80 or so is it smooth with good acceleration??

 

[RECDOG]

I have the 2011 SR5 with leather. I can tell you what my experience has been so far re: handling.

It definitely handles more like a truck but I've been mildly surprised at how well it corners, or how flat it feels on turns (e.g. taking a highway offramp). Steering is very light compared to other cars/trucks I've owned, but I actually kind of like it (maybe I'm lazy). But feels very good to me. The one thing that seems odd is that if I don't pay 100% attention, the truck will wander more so than anything else I've driven. Maybe it's due to the light steering?

As for nose dive, I noticed it right away when I got it. Now, after 2 months, 1600 miles, not so much.

Going 80, it feels very solid and smooth. I'm amazed at how quiet and smooth it drives at speed. The hood does not move or ripple which some others have mentioned. Even my wife who has a 2010 Volvo XC60 (which has a more powerful engine, more european style handling, and feels really solid), really likes my 4runner and wants to acquire it somehow.

Other impressions:
- Leather is nice - I'm usually a cloth guy (being cheap) but I'm glad I got the leather.
- 3rd row seat is small but useful - just put 2 kids in their booster seats back there and they both loved it.
- Gas mileage is worse than expected - I'm getting low 17s but I don't do a lot of highway driving. When I am on highway a lot, it's up around 18 or 19.
- V6 is decent and smooth, but sometimes wish it had a little more oomph, especially when from a stop. My 1999 V8 Grand Cherokee was a lot smoother and felt more powerful, even though I think it had 230 hp and 295 ft-lb torque. The torque really makes a difference, and overall the engine seemed smoother. My Tacoma had a serious "ticking" sound since I got it. This engine seems quieter.
- Lots of room in the engine bay compared to other cars. I may add a 2nd battery at some point for my ham radio.
- Doors are tinny but I seemed to have gotten used to them. My 2005 Tacoma was similar but if I recall, they didn't seem this thin. But the 4runner has a lot less noise from the outside vs. my Tacoma.
- Doors locking automatically are a pain. If you don't like this have the dealer disable before you pick it up. Dealer would not turn off seat belt chime however.
- Husky floor liners fit great.
- 4wd is good - worked great on the snow we've had in MA. But it would be nice to have some kind of AWD or full time 4wd.
- I had the dealer swap out the stock Dunlops with Michelin LTX MS/2 tires - I don't know how the OEM tires rode, but I love MS/2 tires. It was not that expensive either. However, other dealers I talked to would not do this.
- Hated the window controls being so high, but now I'm used to them.
- Ergonomics are good - but I'm also used to the Toyota layout (I've had 4 Toyotas so far).
- Rear windshield gets dirty fast as others have noted.
- Glad I got the 110v option, and nice that it has a 12v in the rear.

Probably more than you wanted, but as someone who went through this myself, I would have liked to have known these things before buying. I still would have bought (I was comparing to a 2011 Honda Pilot) but at least I would have been more confident going in.

Hey man thanks ,,
realy awesome n good to know....i was kinda in the middle of getting a 2011 taco trd sport also realy hard to decide which i love better lol...i have a 5yr old daughter but im sure she could fit in the DC of a taco...

well i guess ill drive em again see which would suite me better...i know the 4runner would but the taco would be more fun i think cause i would get the trd sc and exhaust right from the dealer as soon as i get it....it helps when your friend owns the toyota dealership. i know i will get best price just wish i could make my damm mind up

 

[crunch]

I had both (as I mentioned). My daughter (also 5yrs old) was fine in the taco double cab. I had a tool box in the back but it was definitely a challenge to fit all my stuff into the Tacoma. I like the 4runner more because:
- I can keep things in a rubbermaid (25 gal) in the back - more protected, not as worried about the cold. I considered a snugtop, but never got it.
- Quieter and more refined than the 2005 tacoma (have not been in any of the current ones).
- Road noise very very prominent in the Tacoma. I could really heard the road below me. When I first got it, I thought there was something wrong with the truck! Every little pebble that bounced up underneath sounded very loud - I don't know if they had any sound insulation down there. The 4runner has very little road noise coming into the cabin.
- You can sleep in the back of the 4runner (well I guess you could in the Taco, but it might be less comfortable in colder weather).

I did miss the bed of my pickup though, so I ended up getting a cheap 1997 F150 with an 8 ft bed, so now I can haul lots of stuff without worrying about getting the nice new back of the 4runner dirty.

But I can't argue with the SC and TRD. Not as important to me, so it was a pretty easy decision.

Good luck with your decision, you probably can't go wrong with either.

Hey man thanks ,,
realy awesome n good to know....i was kinda in the middle of getting a 2011 taco trd sport also realy hard to decide which i love better lol...i have a 5yr old daughter but im sure she could fit in the DC of a taco...

well i guess ill drive em again see which would suite me better...i know the 4runner would but the taco would be more fun i think cause i would get the trd sc and exhaust right from the dealer as soon as i get it....it helps when your friend owns the toyota dealership. i know i will get best price just wish i could make my damm mind up

 

[RECDOG]

I had both (as I mentioned). My daughter (also 5yrs old) was fine in the taco double cab. I had a tool box in the back but it was definitely a challenge to fit all my stuff into the Tacoma. I like the 4runner more because:
- I can keep things in a rubbermaid (25 gal) in the back - more protected, not as worried about the cold. I considered a snugtop, but never got it.
- Quieter and more refined than the 2005 tacoma (have not been in any of the current ones).
- Road noise very very prominent in the Tacoma. I could really heard the road below me. When I first got it, I thought there was something wrong with the truck! Every little pebble that bounced up underneath sounded very loud - I don't know if they had any sound insulation down there. The 4runner has very little road noise coming into the cabin.
- You can sleep in the back of the 4runner (well I guess you could in the Taco, but it might be less comfortable in colder weather).

I did miss the bed of my pickup though, so I ended up getting a cheap 1997 F150 with an 8 ft bed, so now I can haul lots of stuff without worrying about getting the nice new back of the 4runner dirty.

But I can't argue with the SC and TRD. Not as important to me, so it was a pretty easy decision.

Good luck with your decision, you probably can't go wrong with either.

lol yea ,, wife is just like choose one already...honetly itll prob be the 4runner...in time if its really to mushy i could always thorugh some bilsteins in and thicker sway bars. i realy love the look of the 4runner to it looks mean.and looks like it could handle Afgahnastan terrain..which i like.

kinda hoping also that TRD will put out a Sc for this 5th gen 4runner which im sure they will...maybe?

 

[JasonCz]

Hey man thanks ,,
realy awesome n good to know....i was kinda in the middle of getting a 2011 taco trd sport also realy hard to decide which i love better lol...i have a 5yr old daughter but im sure she could fit in the DC of a taco...

well i guess ill drive em again see which would suite me better...i know the 4runner would but the taco would be more fun i think cause i would get the trd sc and exhaust right from the dealer as soon as i get it....it helps when your friend owns the toyota dealership. i know i will get best price just wish i could make my damm mind up

I originally was in the market for the Tacoma, but decided on the 4R because of the new body style (it won't look old in a year, like the Tacoma will after the probable MY2012 full redesign). Also, it has the newer dual VVTi engine, and got slightly better fuel economy.

If your heart is set on the Tacoma, thats fine, it's a great truck, but I would wait at least until we know a bit more about the 2012 models.

 

[RECDOG]

I originally was in the market for the Tacoma, but decided on the 4R because of the new body style (it won't look old in a year, like the Tacoma will after the probable MY2012 full redesign). Also, it has the newer dual VVTi engine, and got slightly better fuel economy.

If your heart is set on the Tacoma, thats fine, it's a great truck, but I would wait at least until we know a bit more about the 2012 models.

Very good point....also just seemed a lil chinsy on the inside of the taco....im sure its an amazing truck but..the nissan frontier offered alot more in the inside....sunroof/leather heated/rockford fosgate.

and honestlty i will use the bed for nothing it was just the fun factor of the SC exhaust n stuff..ehhh decisions lol

thanks guys for ur feed back

 

[Falls]

I know this sounds stupid but when I was seriously considering back in an 06 buying a Jeep Grand Cherokee . I rented one for 5 days just to drive around , and doing "real test drives" on/off road . i didn't take it on a trip because most of my driving local. But it really helped my decision. Having an 11 TE 4Runner now i would highly recommend doing this before you buy one.

 

[RECDOG]

I know this sounds stupid but when I was seriously considering back in an 06 buying a Jeep Grand Cherokee . I rented one for 5 days just to drive around , and doing "real test drives" on/off road . i didn't take it on a trip because most of my driving local. But it really helped my decision. Having an 11 TE 4Runner now i would highly recommend doing this before you buy one.

Not a bad idea at all

but u didnt say if u love your 11 4runner now???

 

[scanny]

Well, as other people said here 4R has body lean and nose diving and strong winds affect is more than smaller vehicles. Personally I can say that after 5 months owning my SR5 I got used to driving dynamics and after 5000 miles I have no complains about comfort or handling. The only thing I miss is full time 4x4, comes handy on highway driving in the winter. But it's me, I guess you should give it a long test drive and see if you like it.

 

[RECDOG]

Well, as other people said here 4R has body lean and nose diving and strong winds affect is more than smaller vehicles. Personally I can say that after 5 months owning my SR5 I got used to driving dynamics and after 5000 miles I have no complains about comfort or handling. The only thing I miss is full time 4x4, comes handy on highway driving in the winter. But it's me, I guess you should give it a long test drive and see if you like it.

ok dumb question by me....if its snowing and ur on the highway can you not use ur 4wd ??...i have an AWD audi now so im not sure but cant u just throw it in 4WD and continue on highway

 

[scanny]

ok dumb question by me....if its snowing and ur on the highway can you not use ur 4wd ??...i have an AWD audi now so im not sure but cant u just throw it in 4WD and continue on highway

Normally in SR5 and TE you shouldn't use 4x4 on dry pavement. But when it's snowing pavement isn't dry. It either snow covered or wet. So I turn on 4x4 when snowing, even if I hit dry area I don't think it's a big deal. The only limitation is that you can turn on 4Hi on speed under 50 mph (80km/h). What can really bad for driveline is doing sharp turns on dry pavement. It doesn't kill it instantly, just wear it out faster. As least that what I understood from all discussions here. After all Toyota rep says driving in 4x4 mode on dry pavement is OK but not recommended, manual doesn't explicitlly say you can damage anything, and 4R has 5 years driveline warranty.
Also I found that RWD is quite good on 4Runner, all that electronics helps, but 4x4 is way better of course.

 

[RECDOG]

Normally in SR5 and TE you shouldn't use 4x4 on dry pavement. But when it's snowing pavement isn't dry. It either snow covered or wet. So I turn on 4x4 when snowing, even if I hit dry area I don't think it's a big deal. The only limitation is that you can turn on 4Hi on speed under 50 mph (80km/h). What can really bad for driveline is doing sharp turns on dry pavement. It doesn't kill it instantly, just wear it out faster. As least that what I understood from all discussions here. After all Toyota rep says driving in 4x4 mode on dry pavement is OK but not recommended, manual doesn't explicitlly say you can damage anything, and 4R has 5 years driveline warranty.
Also I found that RWD is quite good on 4Runner, all that electronics helps, but 4x4 is way better of course.

ok yea thats what i thoght..that in sloppy wet snowy crap u can always use 4wh regaurdless.

but u said u cant turn it on 4hi on speeds under 50mph?? is that right or did u mean u cant throw it in 4hi while over 50mph .

again srry if it dumb question just making sure n i never owned a toyota truck b4

 

[REXTOO]

ok yea thats what i thoght..that in sloppy wet snowy crap u can always use 4wh regaurdless.

but u said u cant turn it on 4hi on speeds under 50mph?? is that right or did u mean u cant throw it in 4hi while over 50mph .

again srry if it dumb question just making sure n i never owned a toyota truck b4

You have to slow down to under 50 mph to shift into 4hi but then you can increase your speed again.

 

[RECDOG]

You have to slow down to under 50 mph to shift into 4hi but then you can increase your speed again.

kool ...that what i figured
thanks

 

[scanny]

ok yea thats what i thoght..that in sloppy wet snowy crap u can always use 4wh regaurdless.

but u said u cant turn it on 4hi on speeds under 50mph?? is that right or did u mean u cant throw it in 4hi while over 50mph .

again srry if it dumb question just making sure n i never owned a toyota truck b4

Oops sorry I meant that you can turn 4Hi if your speed is less than 50mph. So if you're going faster than 50mph you gotta slow down to turn 4Hi. There is no speed limit for driving in 4hi by the way.

 

[M1911]

One of the advantages of the Limited is that it has a Torsen center diff. You can be in 4WD all the time, even on dry pavement. The SR5 and TE have part-time systems that should not be used in 4WD on dry pavement.

 

[fraggy]

2011 Limited Feedback

Per other posts if you are interested in the SR5, I would rent one since some rental companies have them so you can experience first hand. I own the 2011 Limited, and feel the handling is not near as good as the 4th gen primarily due to tracking issues in grooved payment. If you can afford it, the Lexus GX460 is far superior with the same frame and KDSS plus a v8 and 6spd transmission. Toyota did not put its best technology in the 5th gen, but did in the Lexus equivalent. This is my 6th new 4-Runner which is ok, but not near the offering pervious versions were at the time of their release.