I feel frustrated as a lifelong Toyota fan. Anyone else?

[Speeder757]

I just bought a 2018 Midnight Black TRD Pro. Love the truck so far.
I have previously had many Mercedes, BMW, etc. To me the safety features like lane keeping assist, blind spot, laser cruise control, are more of an annoyance.
I always turned them off immediately.
The few (easy) things i wish Toyota would do to the 4Runner.
Update the lighting. (Tundra this year maybe 4Runner in 2019)
Updated/Better/Bigger NAV Screen with a better/higher end stereo.
Im fine with Toyota keeping the tried and true 4.0L (if need be) but it would be very simple for them to massage the motor to get an extra 30hp with some more torque. That would go a long way with this heavy truck.
Lastly it would be nice if the TRD pro rims were 7.5 or 8.0 inches wide

Forgot...... Better Gas Mileage

 

[Horsethief]

I have to admit that I have only read bits and pieces of this thread but the whole concept of this thread boggles my mind and is something I would expect to see on a Lexus forum. You bought a Toyota! It's not a Gwagon, Range Rover or any other luxury brand. You got what you paid for. Toyota built it's reputation on No frills, good reliable vehicles.

Yeah, but that's not necessarily what most consumers want these days. All that fancy stuff is available on the Camry, so why not the 4R? I'm sure the next gen will have it available, but still. Even the new Wrangler is going to have a lot of these features. You'd think you'd at least be able to get heated seats and/or automatic start as stand alone options w/out stepping up to the LTD or the Premium pkg.

My GF just bought an '18 Hyundai Elantra, and even that comes with backup cam, rear cross traffic monitoring, heated seats, sunroof, pushbutton start, smart key to open doors and trunk, and a good sized touchscreen that easily syncs with her Android phone. Being as I drive a 10 year old car with none of this stuff, I was amzed when she showed me her google maps from her phone was on the screen in the car, and then I sent her a text and the car read it to her. That's pretty damn cool. (Maybe the system in the 5th gen 4R does this? I have no idea, haven't driven one yet).

I'm kind of old school, I like that my car doesn't have touch screen anything, and I definitely want god damn KNOBS for the radio and climate control, but that is some pretty cool tech. And all that on a car that cost slightly under 21k brand new.

So anyway, hopefully there's a base package that one can get w/out most of the tech, but it would nice to be able to get some of it in different packages without going full Premium or LTD. I would love heated seats and remote start, but don't necessarily want "leather" or the sunroof. I've been looking at Wranglers a lot too, and Jeep is pretty good about doing it like that.

It be nice of a rear locker was a stand alone option without having to opt for the full TRD OR package too. If I were to get a TRD, it would be only because of the locker.

 

[flea1983]

Yeah, but that's not necessarily what most consumers want these days. All that fancy stuff is available on the Camry, so why not the 4R? I'm sure the next gen will have it available, but still. Even the new Wrangler is going to have a lot of these features. You'd think you'd at least be able to get heated seats and/or automatic start as stand alone options w/out stepping up to the LTD or the Premium pkg.

My GF just bought an '18 Hyundai Elantra, and even that comes with backup cam, rear cross traffic monitoring, heated seats, sunroof, pushbutton start, smart key to open doors and trunk, and a good sized touchscreen that easily syncs with her Android phone. Being as I drive a 10 year old car with none of this stuff, I was amzed when she showed me her google maps from her phone was on the screen in the car, and then I sent her a text and the car read it to her. That's pretty damn cool. (Maybe the system in the 5th gen 4R does this? I have no idea, haven't driven one yet).

I'm kind of old school, I like that my car doesn't have touch screen anything, and I definitely want god damn KNOBS for the radio and climate control, but that is some pretty cool tech. And all that on a car that cost slightly under 21k brand new.

So anyway, hopefully there's a base package that one can get w/out most of the tech, but it would nice to be able to get some of it in different packages without going full Premium or LTD. I would love heated seats and remote start, but don't necessarily want "leather" or the sunroof. I've been looking at Wranglers a lot too, and Jeep is pretty good about doing it like that.

It be nice of a rear locker was a stand alone option without having to opt for the full TRD OR package too. If I were to get a TRD, it would be only because of the locker.

FWIW the 4runner will read your texts to you. I agree that push button start and heated seats should be standard across the board. I bought a limited, and the only things I wish I could have are the rear locker and bumper covers that don't hang down as far.

 

[Horsethief]

FWIW the 4runner will read your texts to you. I agree that push button start and heated seats should be standard across the board. I bought a limited, and the only things I wish I could have are the rear locker and bumper covers that don't hang down as far.

Oh great, good to know. Thanks!

 

[OldRigNewParts]

Sure it's frustrating to see your favorite brand become numb. Most people buying new cars just see them as appliances to get them from point A to B, keep them and their kids safe, and sip gas. Toyota makes a killing selling those cars, so why would they care about developing their own in house sports cars to compete with the GTR or Corvette? The thing that really makes me sad is that trends will be pushing out true 4x4 SUVs in America and Toyota seems like the company to follow. They've already scrapped the Fj Cruiser, most people who buy 4runners never actually use them off-road (for anything more than a crossover can't handle) so don't be surprised if the next generation is a crossover, and I have no idea why they even bother selling the Land Cruiser in America. I love the land cruiser, but people who have $80k to spend end up buying from a luxury brand. For every one LC, I see 10X Range Rovers or Mercedes G-class.

 

[mscot]

Lane departure and proximity warnings are extremely annoying when driving on trail or in a ton of snow.

 

[Speeder757]

Lane departure and proximity warnings are extremely annoying when driving on trail or in a ton of snow.

Agree

 

[Horsethief]

Sure it's frustrating to see your favorite brand become numb. Most people buying new cars just see them as appliances to get them from point A to B, keep them and their kids safe, and sip gas. Toyota makes a killing selling those cars, so why would they care about developing their own in house sports cars to compete with the GTR or Corvette? The thing that really makes me sad is that trends will be pushing out true 4x4 SUVs in America and Toyota seems like the company to follow. They've already scrapped the Fj Cruiser, most people who buy 4runners never actually use them off-road (for anything more than a crossover can't handle) so don't be surprised if the next generation is a crossover, and I have no idea why they even bother selling the Land Cruiser in America. I love the land cruiser, but people who have $80k to spend end up buying from a luxury brand. For every one LC, I see 10X Range Rovers or Mercedes G-class.

It's true, my local dealer has like 5 LC's sitting out front, every time I drive by I think to myself "good luck moving THOSE things". I actually live in a pretty affluent area too (I wish I fit into that crowd, lol), but they're the type to buy the Rover or a Benz. I see way more G-Wagens around than newer LC's. There's a few pretty cool vintage LC's running around though.

And I'm considering buying a current gen T4R for the reasons you listed. I'm afraid the next gen will go the way of the Pathfinder. Then the only choice in this pricepoint will be a Wrangler. Not that that's a BAD thing, but it's nice to have choice. And with nothing to cross shop, the Wrangler resale will probably go up even higher than it already is.

 

[jordanrb81]

It's true, my local dealer has like 5 LC's sitting out front, every time I drive by I think to myself "good luck moving THOSE things". I actually live in a pretty affluent area too (I wish I fit into that crowd, lol), but they're the type to buy the Rover or a Benz. I see way more G-Wagens around than newer LC's. There's a few pretty cool vintage LC's running around though.

And I'm considering buying a current gen T4R for the reasons you listed. I'm afraid the next gen will go the way of the Pathfinder. Then the only choice in this pricepoint will be a Wrangler. Not that that's a BAD thing, but it's nice to have choice. And with nothing to cross shop, the Wrangler resale will probably go up even higher than it already is.

"pretty affluent" don't Stallone, The Terminator and Taylor Swift all have houses in Newport? Driving a Mercedes around Newport is like driving around in a Chevy in the rest of the country!!

 

[TacoRunn0517]

Sure it's frustrating to see your favorite brand become numb. Most people buying new cars just see them as appliances to get them from point A to B, keep them and their kids safe, and sip gas. Toyota makes a killing selling those cars, so why would they care about developing their own in house sports cars to compete with the GTR or Corvette? The thing that really makes me sad is that trends will be pushing out true 4x4 SUVs in America and Toyota seems like the company to follow. They've already scrapped the Fj Cruiser, most people who buy 4runners never actually use them off-road (for anything more than a crossover can't handle) so don't be surprised if the next generation is a crossover, and I have no idea why they even bother selling the Land Cruiser in America. I love the land cruiser, but people who have $80k to spend end up buying from a luxury brand. For every one LC, I see 10X Range Rovers or Mercedes G-class.

Toyota doesn't have to changing anything when it comes to the LC because that's not their bread and butter. RR offers smaller CUV/SUV options. The G-class is also smaller than the LC. The LC is the luxury item for Toyota. Let's not forget what luxury exactly means. They price the LC at the point where they are going to make money off of them and don't have to be under pressure to compete with every CUV/SUV that has a similar/higher price point.