Limited climate control on a Trail Premium?

[bimrunner]

The whole reason dual climate control came about was because people can't figure out (or are too lazy) to reach up and use the vents to control the amount of air reaching them. If you think about it, having dual climate in as small a space as a vehicle is silly. Like the air from one side won't reach the other side? Really? Also it's not like one will want the heat on full blast while the other one wants sub zero air! It's usually one wants 68 degrees while the other wants 71 degrees. Moving the vent deflector will accomplish that.

I have a force-field in mine to keep each side independent. Sheesh. I just haven't gotten to the write up.

 

[Jetboy]

Amen brother. It's in the same category (IMO) as auto headlights, keyless ignition, memory seats, etc. /whining/ Oh man! Do I really have to turn on my headlights manually?

Although, dual climate control (again IMO) is simply a pacifier to make the wife think it's warmer/colder on her side.

I can make the same argument about electronic starters for those people too lazy to get out and hand crank the engine. Electric seats. Power door locks. Power windows. You name it, it's all the same argument. I like rolling down the rear window while I'm driving. I like unlocking my car with a remote. I like a screen that dims when it gets dark out. I've never owned a car, nor have I ever seen or heard of any model of any car other than the 4runner that has a navigation screen that doesn't auto dim. I'm surprised NHTSA allows it.

Auto headlights are standard on Toyota's cheapest car. No reason they can't put them on their more expensive models. It's really not as much the lights - it's the damned navigation screen dim function that's missing. Go back and forth with any other toyota Model - I'm pretty sure the 4runner is the only one that doesn't have auto lights - and you'll see why it's so much better. It's a $1 component to install at the manufacturing stage.

I don't need dual climate control (heated seats provide that function much better than dual air systems), but I do want thermostatic control. Do you have a thermostat or a heat on/off switch in your house? Same thing here. It's $1 worth of electronics. I set a temp i like - it keeps the interior at that temperature. Why not?

 

[Jetboy]

The whole reason dual climate control came about was because people can't figure out (or are too lazy) to reach up and use the vents to control the amount of air reaching them. If you think about it, having dual climate in as small a space as a vehicle is silly. Like the air from one side won't reach the other side? Really? Also it's not like one will want the heat on full blast while the other one wants sub zero air! It's usually one wants 68 degrees while the other wants 71 degrees. Moving the vent deflector will accomplish that.

Next time I'm driving in our Lexus I'll measure it with my phone thermometer. We'll see how much difference it can make side to side and front to rear. My guess is you can easily achieve 5 degrees difference front to rear. My 1996 4runner had independent rear climate control settings. Shit, my 1974 FJ40 has an independent rear heater. Anyway I'll find out. I'd bet it's 5* or more side to side as well. The heated and cooled seats are what does the better job there, but it will be interesting to find out.

 

[-JD-]

Seems like a lot of you are assuming the inside of the vehicle maintains air tight constant conditions. There are lots of situations where dual zone is a nice feature. In the winter, when the heater is constantly fighting off the cold seeping in through the cracks and conducting through the other surfaces. I dont really want hot air blowing on me constantly, i tend to feel warm when driving, but a passenger who is stationary might feel cooler and like warmer air blowing on them.

On a highway drive where the sun is only coming in through one side of the vehicle its nice if that person can have cooler air blowing on them that the person on the shaded side may not want.

More than dual zone though, what is really useful is the auto controls. Constantly adjusting the controls is an annoyance. Is it neccesary? Of course not. But that doesn't mean it isn't a convenient feature. The proliferation of it throughout most vehicles these days would suggest I'm not the only one who thinks so.

 

[1engineer]

I've been wondering if it's possible to buy the climate controls from the Limited edition and install it in the Trail? Would this work? On long road trips I'm constantly having to turn on or off the AC and it would be great to have dual zones... I'm assuming this is a standalone control unit and not integrated with the ECU or is it? Thoughts?

Toyota really should include a few basics- climate control, auto headlights, and smart key. The first two I can build a system to add on my own with a few hours of work and less than $100 in electronics. The smart key system is beyond my skill.

If climate control meant just converting the existing temperature dial to a thermostat and the fan dial to a "max fan speed" setting so that the temperature setting would then set the nominal temperature goal, the measured temp would use a simple algorithm to choose the fan speed from zero to the max the dial was set at based on the difference between actual temp and goal temp, would that work for most people?

I have a force-field in mine to keep each side independent. Sheesh. I just haven't gotten to the write up.

I can make the same argument about electronic starters for those people too lazy to get out and hand crank the engine. Electric seats. Power door locks. Power windows. You name it, it's all the same argument. I like rolling down the rear window while I'm driving. I like unlocking my car with a remote. I like a screen that dims when it gets dark out. I've never owned a car, nor have I ever seen or heard of any model of any car other than the 4runner that has a navigation screen that doesn't auto dim. I'm surprised NHTSA allows it.

Auto headlights are standard on Toyota's cheapest car. No reason they can't put them on their more expensive models. It's really not as much the lights - it's the damned navigation screen dim function that's missing. Go back and forth with any other toyota Model - I'm pretty sure the 4runner is the only one that doesn't have auto lights - and you'll see why it's so much better. It's a $1 component to install at the manufacturing stage.

I don't need dual climate control (heated seats provide that function much better than dual air systems), but I do want thermostatic control. Do you have a thermostat or a heat on/off switch in your house? Same thing here. It's $1 worth of electronics. I set a temp i like - it keeps the interior at that temperature. Why not?

Next time I'm driving in our Lexus I'll measure it with my phone thermometer. We'll see how much difference it can make side to side and front to rear. My guess is you can easily achieve 5 degrees difference front to rear. My 1996 4runner had independent rear climate control settings. Shit, my 1974 FJ40 has an independent rear heater. Anyway I'll find out. I'd bet it's 5* or more side to side as well. The heated and cooled seats are what does the better job there, but it will be interesting to find out.

Seems like a lot of you are assuming the inside of the vehicle maintains air tight constant conditions. There are lots of situations where dual zone is a nice feature. In the winter, when the heater is constantly fighting off the cold seeping in through the cracks and conducting through the other surfaces. I dont really want hot air blowing on me constantly, i tend to feel warm when driving, but a passenger who is stationary might feel cooler and like warmer air blowing on them.

On a highway drive where the sun is only coming in through one side of the vehicle its nice if that person can have cooler air blowing on them that the person on the shaded side may not want.

More than dual zone though, what is really useful is the auto controls. Constantly adjusting the controls is an annoyance. Is it neccesary? Of course not. But that doesn't mean it isn't a convenient feature. The proliferation of it throughout most vehicles these days would suggest I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Didn't any of you guys test drive?

Understood lol. There are levels of convenience like power door locks and there are levels of convenience like an umbrella holder and a champagne chiller. Got it.

 

[enkrypt3d]

Didn't any of you guys test drive?

Understood lol. There are levels of convenience like power door locks and there are levels of convenience like an umbrella holder and a champagne chiller. Got it.

I don't like the limited. Way too blingy for me. And again for the price these features should be included. It's creature comforts. Sure it's 1st world problems but again if you drop this kind of $, it's expected. For it to be missing is just a huge oversight.

 

[Jetboy]

Didn't any of you guys test drive?

Understood lol. There are levels of convenience like power door locks and there are levels of convenience like an umbrella holder and a champagne chiller. Got it.

Yep. Missed the auto headlights. I just assumed it had them like every other car made in the last decade. I figured my last car that doesn't drive its self would probably at least turn on its own headlights...

 

[jpachard]

My motto is if it isn't there, it can't break. I bought my trail for the crawl control, e locker etc. not for interior foo foo.
If Toyota needs to do anything it's put decent tires on the Trail Premium from the factory, the Dungflops mine came with are like slippery stones, they don't do anything well except go in a straight line on pavement...


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[-JD-]

Didn't any of you guys test drive?

Understood lol. There are levels of convenience like power door locks and there are levels of convenience like an umbrella holder and a champagne chiller. Got it.

Of course I test drove. Problem for me and, I think, a lot of others is the way Toyota packages options. I didnt' particularly like the looks of the limited, but wanted the extra features.

As for conveniences, the difference for me is that, unlike a champagne chiller or an umbrella holder, the auto CC is something that is used EVERY DAY. For something that is going to have to be adjusted every day, or several times a day, an auto features is pretty convenient.

 

[Jhalko]

Of course I test drove. Problem for me and, I think, a lot of others is the way Toyota packages options. I didnt' particularly like the looks of the limited, but wanted the extra features.

As for conveniences, the difference for me is that, unlike a champagne chiller or an umbrella holder, the auto CC is something that is used EVERY DAY. For something that is going to have to be adjusted every day, or several times a day, an auto features is pretty convenient.

Really guys, trust me, it's not that good, this is a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence.

 

[-JD-]

Really guys, trust me, it's not that good, this is a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence.

As someone who has owned both a trail edition and now a Limited I would disagree. Barely have to touch the system in the limited other than occasionally turning it up or down a degree or two. The manual controls in the trail needed to be adjusted all the time.

Of course, this could depend on where you live. If you don't live in a climate that sees wide shifts in temperature it might not be as big of a deal. We can go from sledding to the beach on the same day around here.

 

[enkrypt3d]

As someone who has owned both a trail edition and now a Limited I would disagree. Barely have to touch the system in the limited other than occasionally turning it up or down a degree or two. The manual controls in the trail needed to be adjusted all the time.

Of course, this could depend on where you live. If you don't live in a climate that sees wide shifts in temperature it might not be as big of a deal. We can go from sledding to the beach on the same day around here.

exactly. I'm constantly fiddling (diddling?) the AC controls.... :dance: maybe I'm going through manopause.

 

[1engineer]

Being serious for a minute: Winter or summer I turn the (heat or ac, depending) and fan on high until it heats up or cools and then turn the fan to low and the temp to somewhere near "the middle" whatever that temperature is. No fiddling even on 10 hour trips.

 

[enkrypt3d]

Being serious for a minute: Winter or summer I turn the (heat or ac, depending) and fan on high until it heats up or cools and then turn the fan to low and the temp to somewhere near "the middle" whatever that temperature is. No fiddling even on 10 hour trips.

yea and in the summer months (as you know living in the south (In ATL currently) it gets humid which requires constant on and off with the AC...

 

[1engineer]

yea and in the summer months (as you know living in the south (In ATL currently) it gets humid which requires constant on and off with the AC...

It's funny, my wife has a new CR-V Touring edition with auto climate (along with a host of other stuff) and she likes the ease and simplicity of the 4Runner's climate control. Two knobs. Pretty easy. I have only drove her CR-V once so I really can't compare.

 

[enkrypt3d]

It's funny, my wife has a new CR-V Touring edition with auto climate (along with a host of other stuff) and she likes the ease and simplicity of the 4Runner's climate control. Two knobs. Pretty easy. I have only drove her CR-V once so I really can't compare.

yea of course the controls are so easy a 5 year old can figure it out... almost too simple IMO.

 

[Danimal]

Threads like this are a testament to Toyota reliability. Go visit any non-Toyota forum where their threads are all about significant failures and reliability issues. I find it funny that this is what we get to talk about around here.

I road trip my 4Runner a lot, and at this point, I'd pay about $500 for auto climate control. Give me another year and it may be $1,000. I find that the resolution is insufficient on the temperature control, as the adjustment between detents is not consistent across the range. It's not really a surprise, but it often has my wife or I adjusting the temp knob back and forth between two different notches a half of a dozen times per hour. It sure can get annoying on a 1,000+ mile road trip.

Dan

 

[Jhalko]

As someone who has owned both a trail edition and now a Limited I would disagree. Barely have to touch the system in the limited other than occasionally turning it up or down a degree or two. The manual controls in the trail needed to be adjusted all the time.

Of course, this could depend on where you live. If you don't live in a climate that sees wide shifts in temperature it might not be as big of a deal. We can go from sledding to the beach on the same day around here.

Good point on location, if I lived in a humid climate I'd probably put more value on it. I don't run it much in the summer, when it's hot I prefer windows down. In the winter when I drive for any length of time it doesn't hold the temperature very well in my opinion so I'm adjusting it here and there anyway. Not to mention I notice a small hit to gas mileage when I just leave it on all the time.

It does keep the wife happy and that is worth something for sure.

 

[bimrunner]

Didn't any of you guys test drive?

Understood lol. There are levels of convenience like power door locks and there are levels of convenience like an umbrella holder and a champagne chiller. Got it.

Wait, there is an umbrella holder option?!

I don't like the limited. Way too blingy for me. And again for the price these features should be included. It's creature comforts. Sure it's 1st world problems but again if you drop this kind of $, it's expected. For it to be missing is just a huge oversight.

Limited are for girly-men

Of course I test drove. Problem for me and, I think, a lot of others is the way Toyota packages options. I didnt' particularly like the looks of the limited, but wanted the extra features.

As for conveniences, the difference for me is that, unlike a champagne chiller or an umbrella holder, the auto CC is something that is used EVERY DAY. For something that is going to have to be adjusted every day, or several times a day, an auto features is pretty convenient.

CC on auto= no messing around. A normal day here temps vary 30 degrees or more from morning to afternoon. Plus, it doesn't blow cold air on me in the am as the heater is getting warm. I like that. I'd still go for the champagne cooler though. And a masseuse.

 

[Jhalko]

Wait, there is an umbrella holder option?!

Limited are for girly-men

CC on auto= no messing around. A normal day here temps vary 30 degrees or more from morning to afternoon. Plus, it doesn't blow cold air on me in the am as the heater is getting warm. I like that. I'd still go for the champagne cooler though. And a masseuse.

Bet you'd trade it for a supercharger. ound: