Forenaftrunner said:I agree 100% that the 4runner is by no stretch a fast car in today's world. I'm a recovering speed freak. My previous car was a Subaru Legacy GT. I've had a 911 C2 and a Formula Ford race car (SCCA). In fact, the T4r is the first automatic transmission car I've had in 22 years of driving. The change going to the 4Runner was shocking. These are NOT fast vehicles. On the other hand, I slowed myself down considerably, which is a good thing. The half hour highway ride to and from work used to be like a time trial. I'd regularly hit 100+ mph. Not so smart. Now I just cruise in the middle lane at a steady 70-75 and feel much more relaxed.
My original post was written only because I feel like my wife's GX470 is faster than my V8 4runner (and this shouldn't be the case). I still plan to drag race her and I'll post results here when I do.
I'm also a former (and current) fast car guy. I think some of the guys who think the 4Runner is fast (or even quick) probably were in a slow vehicle before getting into their 4Runner. It's all relative.
But I still say that the average car on the road will pretty much smoke a 4th gen 4Runner and crush any earlier gen 4Runner. Think about it-- the average 4-door sedan with a simple 6 cylinder engine will easily out-accelerate a 4Runner (V6 or V8). Any Hemi-powered truck or SUV (think Grand Cherokee, Commander, Durango, etc..) will also smoke us. The only place we're considered fast at all is against some other SUVs/trucks or some economy cars. But that's okay in my book because my 4Runner is fast enough to get out of it's own way on the road and I'm not too concerned with drag racing someone that I encounter on the road!