I still could use more power. Even when stomping on it to get onto the freeway, I feel it can't get out of it's own way sometimes. Of course once again, coming from driving the wife's Outback which was really quick for that kind of car and had good torque, it's going to feel slow. You are correct about the MPG strong tuning on these things. My FJ feels like cold molasses driving around town most of the time. When I do stomp on it, it will down shift (eventually) and scoot pretty good for a big fat truck. It sucks on hills when I it runs out of power, but we can always slap in down into 4th or 3rd and it crawls OK.
Is there anything we can do to bumb the performance on the 4.0?
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I still could use more power. Even when stomping on it to get onto the freeway, I feel it can't get out of it's own way sometimes. Of course once again, coming from driving the wife's Outback which was really quick for that kind of car and had good torque, it's going to feel slow. You are correct about the MPG strong tuning on these things. My FJ feels like cold molasses driving around town most of the time. When I do stomp on it, it will down shift (eventually) and scoot pretty good for a big fat truck. It sucks on hills when I it runs out of power, but we can always slap in down into 4th or 3rd and it crawls OK.
TheWraith
New member
I have to agree with this sad statement... it's sad but I've seen it. Toyota doesn't seem to care about putting out a product that has aftermarket support. All they care about is pumping out reliable vehicles.
And pls don't bring the FRS up cuz I own one and its 98%subaru... only toyota on that thing is the direct injection ecu, trans, and rear end.... everything else is stamped subaru.
And honestly ... you want a sport car from Toyota ??? The IS-F was close to being a M3 killer on the track. But the LFA is the only true sport car. And even that's the perfect example. A large percentage of IS-F and LFA owners leave their vehicles stock from Toyota. Which is what toyota wants.
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For the record, I appreciate Toyota setting up the throttle input the way they did....it makes it so much easier to crawl over rough terrain.
That being said, in this digital age, I don't see why Toyota couldn't have put a button in the center console that would allow throttle input to be toggled between different modes depending on the driving conditions....
In my opinion I didn't buy my 4Runner with any intentions for more power. Suspense, protection, family vehicle is what it's used for. Hauling things too. If you want more power I think your in the wrong vehicle. For what it's worth/does the 4Runner has enough power to get me out of the way or in front of idiots. I wouldn't have paid 40k then said hey how do I get this thing boosted. I did my research narrowed down what I really cared about safety for the two infants and wife, protection support and suspension companies who know what they're doing and a reliable vehicle years down the road. If I wanted to play around with turbos and SC again I would have bought a WRX station wagon.
And on another note... I didn't have to buy a LFA or whatever to be stomping down on corvettes or mustangs who thought they were boss with their crate engines. My ptuning turbo tc ( Garrett turbo 3076r) full exhaust with stock internals tuned at 10 psi was plenty quick and turned plenty of heads on the track and on the street. Anyone can afford that, put about 10 k into the scion and you can have all the power you need. Just saying not trying to thread jack but there are plenty of toyotas/scion that have everything you could want from a yota just not the family size vehicle or off road capabilities.
And on another note... I didn't have to buy a LFA or whatever to be stomping down on corvettes or mustangs who thought they were boss with their crate engines. My ptuning turbo tc ( Garrett turbo 3076r) full exhaust with stock internals tuned at 10 psi was plenty quick and turned plenty of heads on the track and on the street. Anyone can afford that, put about 10 k into the scion and you can have all the power you need. Just saying not trying to thread jack but there are plenty of toyotas/scion that have everything you could want from a yota just not the family size vehicle or off road capabilities.
1engineer
Moderator
The article I linked had hard data interspersed with opinion, that's why.
In reality, the vehicles manufactured in Japan by Toyota and sold in the US is a small percentage of their total vehicle sales globally. Most vehicles manufactured by Toyota for sale in the US are made in North America.
Bottom line is Toyota makes a bunch more per new vehicle sale than anyone else. They do it without the high parts and service margins that the other US guys depend on.
Stock prices for Toyota have almost doubled in five years. The others are flat.
You can believe what you want but the Toyota business model of making money up front instead of on the back end works. Reliability and durability (real or perceived) sells better than flash, speed and fancy options.
According to Toyota's own published figures, about 31% of all vehicles sold here in the US (in 2012) were imported from Japan...that's not even including vehicles that were made elsewhere and then imported into the US.
Back in 2008, that import number from Japan was as high as 46%.
From:
Toyota Global Site | Figures
I wouldn't consider either of those numbers small.
There are other factors (mentioned previously) which go into determining earnings per vehicle, which you seem keen on discounting.
And I have yet to see you provide proof that the US manufacturers depend on parts and service to make a profit. It surely factors into their revenue stream, but it does for Toyota as well.
As I've already said before, stock prices are not, by themselves, indicative of corporate earnings/profits. In fact, many companies, like Toyota, engage in share buy-backs in order to inflate their own share prices:
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150616/OEM01/150619902/toyota-to-buy-back-up-to-$4.9-billion-in-stock
I have yet to see you provide any links proving this claim of yours. Toyota makes money off of parts replacement/maintenance the same way that most other car makers do. And the idea that Japanese cars are inherently more reliable and durable than American ones is an old perception that has refused to die out.
In JD Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2015, Toyota was ranked nearly the same as Buick (actually ranked higher than Toyota) and Cadillac and was closely followed by Lincoln, GMC and Chevrolet:
2015 Vehicle Dependability Study | J.D. Power
BLACK-FL4RUNNER
Member
This is solid advice! Just putting it in sport mode driving around town makes the trans more "responsive". That and pushing the skinny pedal when needed is all you need to do. :hatsoff:
BLACK-FL4RUNNER
Member
Dalko43 and 1engineer - Why don't you 2 take your pissing match to a PM. I feel as though neither one of you will back down trying to "clarify" your positions. Just my 2 cents about clogging threads with off topic posts...
:hello:
:hello:
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Jetboy
New member
Long-Term Quality Index <- It's not a perception. It's reality. The devil is in the details. Manufacturing tolerances. Metallurgy. Design nuances. It all adds up.
Whiplash Willy
New member
Yea...where is the ECT PWR Button?!?!!? The new Tacoma has it!
Swarty
New member
I was with you until...
So JD power just ranks problems per vehicle, but not the severity so to them 1 out of 100 vehicles "bursts into flames" gets the same weight as 1 out of 100 vehicles the "blue tooth doesn't work with my phone". It's actually not "reliability" the way people would think it means.
I don't consider a car with sketchy blue tooth to be unreliable but if the tranny fails I'm going to be upset. JD powers doesn't care which one happens and relies on dealer self reporting. It's a nearly useless metric.
So JD power just ranks problems per vehicle, but not the severity so to them 1 out of 100 vehicles "bursts into flames" gets the same weight as 1 out of 100 vehicles the "blue tooth doesn't work with my phone". It's actually not "reliability" the way people would think it means.
I don't consider a car with sketchy blue tooth to be unreliable but if the tranny fails I'm going to be upset. JD powers doesn't care which one happens and relies on dealer self reporting. It's a nearly useless metric.
1engineer
Moderator
Great link! Thanks!
LOL. I don't know how accurate this is, but it's hilarious. I suppose they have to have SOME kind of measurable matrix. They could assign some kind of arbitrary severity schedule I guess. However a strands me in the back country because the vehicle won't move now vs a window regulator went out are two completely different issues.
Swarty
New member
Read for yourself!
Completely true. They even mention Bluetooth issues in the report that was linked.
Completely true. They even mention Bluetooth issues in the report that was linked.
Jhalko
New member
I remember comparing the "complaints" on the few different vehicles when I was shopping for my 4Runner. You long time Toyota people have some pretty damn high expectations, people would give a 4Runner a 3 star rating and complain about some crazy minor thing while other companies would get a 3 star rating after having a major mechanical! I believe your post whole heartedly.
Makes sense. It's like sandblasting the insides to remove the gunk!
TheWraith
New member
I found this on the facebook, should help our engines.
I'd like to hear the excuses for the blown motor, destroyed fuel pump, etc at the warranty department...LOL
Calling the metric "useless" is quite rash. I would rather buy from a car company that was known for dependability/reliability (in any statistical form) than one that was not known for those qualities. In fact, that's exactly why a company like Toyota has so many loyal customers.
And I vehemently disagree with your assessment that a broken piece of electronics (like blue-tooth) is not an indication of reliability. Any malfunction of a vehicle (whether it be mechanical or electronic) is an indication of reliability.
I do agree there needs to be context applied to JD Power's rankings, but that pretty much goes without saying when discussing studies and statistics.
Also you can actually delve into a specific breakdown of a vehicle's reliability and dependability rankings by category to determine where a vehicle might have issues:
2012 Kia Sportage | J.D. Power Cars
Anyways, the original link was provided because someone on this forum made the claim that Toyota vehicles are inherently more reliable than American ones. I provided the JD Power link to show in fact that was not the case. If you have any studies/references that would prove or disprove that claim, feel free to provide it.
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