Love my 2013. But miss my 1999.

[gallopsu]

Just want to compare notes. And by that i mean ***** about my 2013.

Poor design on door gutters. If it is raining and you open a door you will get water on the seat every time. Do not remember my 99 doing that.

AC. Turns on automatically if you turn the hot cold dial too far. Or the defroster on. Thanks i understand humidity and ac i can decide when to turn it on. Result cycling the ac on and off after accidentally turning it on. Is there away to disable that behavior and just let me use the ac button

Which brings me to the ac controls in general. This is not specific to my 2013. Experienced the same in many new cars. With a slider you could adjust temp and airflow without taking your eyes off the road. The dials have no positional feel to them. And if you turn the damn thing too far you will accidentally turn on the ac.

Finally my 2013 is not in a garage. My first snow with it. Open the rear hatch only to hear a horrible crunching sound. Even after clearing off the snow. Then if you get a little melting and some cold temps again the horrible crunch comes back. Surely some clever design could prevent the ice grinding my paint off when i open the hatch.

Love my 2013 but miss my 1999. It had none of these issues and still got better mileage with 200k on it.

 

[SigSense]

I never owned a '99 T4R, but have owned older Tacomas and sedans. I HATE the new Toyota A/C controls. The nanny state has infected vehicle controls. If I want to have the A/C on while defrosting, then I'll choose to do so. Geesh.

 

[blizz86]

As someone with both, the 5th gens get a few more MPG than the 3rd gen consistently. Its your driving habit... plus its a damn truck.

Cant comment on the rain/snow since i live in socal and theres like two days of rain a year.

For the AC dial, just turn it to max and then one click back towards warmer. Its still maximum coolness - auto AC. The 3rd gen limited (at least mine) auto turns on the AC with the defroster as well, i guess it was trim specific back then. Also ive heard that using the front defroster uses the AC no matter if the button is lit up for not. I thought i figured out how to get free AC by turning the fan to windshield only in my 99 camry, which blew cold air without the AC button being illuminated. You can't fight nature, just clear the snow off as best you can. If you're concerned about your paint in critical areas, apply clearbra there? Thats my best suggestion.

 

[gallopsu]

Blizz. I drive my 13 the same way i drive my 99. Very gently. My 99 was an sr5. The 2013 is a trail. So that is part of it. But def 2 or 3 mpg less than 99.

So starting the compressor then immediately turning it off? That is good for it? And good for mileage?

I will check out clearbra thanks for the tip. But again. 99 hatch did not have that issue. 2013 does. I am probably a corner case. Not too many expensive trucks wo a garage.

 

[1engineer]

Blizz. I drive my 13 the same way i drive my 99. Very gently. My 99 was an sr5. The 2013 is a trail. So that is part of it. But def 2 or 3 mpg less than 99.

So starting the compressor then immediately turning it off? That is good for it? And good for mileage?

I will check out clearbra thanks for the tip. But again. 99 hatch did not have that issue. 2013 does. I am probably a corner case. Not too many expensive trucks wo a garage.

Absolutely it is good for it. The reason being is to keep compressor seals lubricated. Back in the day compressors failed in spring after being inactive for several months. Once some brilliant engineer figured out to keep the compressor running during winter months then compressor failures dropped dramatically. A new compressor is a lot more expensive than a tenth of a mpg.

 

[blizz86]

Blizz. I drive my 13 the same way i drive my 99. Very gently. My 99 was an sr5. The 2013 is a trail. So that is part of it. But def 2 or 3 mpg less than 99.

So starting the compressor then immediately turning it off? That is good for it? And good for mileage?

I will check out clearbra thanks for the tip. But again. 99 hatch did not have that issue. 2013 does. I am probably a corner case. Not too many expensive trucks wo a garage.

Hmm :/ I tend to keep my revs under 2000 in my 3rd gen, unless im going on the freeway..

Same story for the 5th gen, i find it keeps up with traffic just fine.. how high do you rev, and what numbers are you getting?

also keep it mind although it is 13 years newer, it does make another 90 hp while being a few hundred pounds heavier, with a greater drag coefficient.

 

[gallopsu]

Absolutely it is good for it. The reason being is to keep compressor seals lubricated. Back in the day compressors failed in spring after being inactive for several months. Once some brilliant engineer figured out to keep the compressor running during winter months then compressor failures dropped dramatically. A new compressor is a lot more expensive than a tenth of a mpg.

Glad i asked. Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the insight. I will crank those big dials around and not worry about the compressor. I stand by the levers and being able to adjust by feel and keep your eyes on the road.

How have you dealt with opening hatch with snow/ice?

 

[Jeremy556]

How have you dealt with opening hatch with snow/ice?

Ignore it? All of my doors get frozen shut. :noidea:

 

[gallopsu]

Hmm :/ I tend to keep my revs under 2000 in my 3rd gen, unless im going on the freeway..

Same story for the 5th gen, i find it keeps up with traffic just fine.. how high do you rev, and what numbers are you getting?

also keep it mind although it is 13 years newer, it does make another 90 hp while being a few hundred pounds heavier, with a greater drag coefficient.

My 1999 got close to 20 mpg in my normal mix of driving. About 50/50. I struggle to keep the Trail at 18. And people consistently leave me behind pulling away from a traffic light. Not that i am racing. But i have turned into one of those people...I used to mock...hit the gas pedal or get a smaller vehicle. That is me now slowing everyone else down.

The 2013 is bigger and heavier with more power. But it is not more efficient.

Secretly wishing the RAV 4 was a little bit bigger.

 

[gallopsu]

Ignore it? All of my doors get frozen shut. :noidea:

I can ignore the sound of opening a stuck door. But the grinding sound of opening the hatch? Maybe paint is a lot tougher than i give it credit for?

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

A/C automatically turns on when defrost is engaged because without it, it won't/ will take a lot longer to defrost. If you don't like the 2013 then sell it, buy another 3rd gen and quit your whining. This is why you rent a car before buying it.

 

[gallopsu]

A/C automatically turns on when defrost is engaged because without it, it won't/ will take a lot longer to defrost. If you don't like the 2013 then sell it, buy another 3rd gen and quit your whining. This is why you rent a car before buying it.

Sorry people with 2wd are not qualified to comment on defrost issues. Sometimes on a trip you want the right combination of air that is not so dry and just the right temp bit still keeps the windows clear.

Renting would have been a great idea. Wish i had thought of that. I am def not a savvy car buyer.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

Just want to compare notes. And by that i mean ***** about my 2013.


AC. Turns on automatically if you turn the hot cold dial too far. Or the defroster on. Thanks i understand humidity and ac i can decide when to turn it on. Result cycling the ac on and off after accidentally turning it on. Is there away to disable that behavior and just let me use the ac button

The AC runs because the air coming out of the vents is less humid. If you're just trying to heat up the windshield, then you don't need this, however if you're fogged up it's a huge benefit. I'm surprised that your 3rd gen didn't do this, as my 95 Subaru did this (even at a huge sacrifice in power lol). Most people cant figure out how the 4WD works, so manufactures can't be expected to make things more complicated than absolutely necessary. I think your snow crunching comes form the spoiler that lifts with the hatch. Funny enough i was wondering if it would do that as I was clearing snow off mine today. Guess I know the answer!

 

[jrandom]

Yep, exactly a 99 SR5 to a 2013 Trail and it lives outside.

I agree with the climate controls on/off ect. Although my '99 the compressor engaged when I used the defroster in that too. I don't mind it spinning I just don't want it running all-day if I am driving a distance in a storm, all that dry air just kills me.

That infamous crunch of ice, my 99 did that too and snow would just build up forward of the rear window air deflector. It doesn't bother me as long as it doesn't bend sheet metal or tweak the hinges/parts. In my experience more damage is done to paint by trying to remove ice with the various implements that people choice to beat it off the truck with.

Gas mileage is six's for me. The 99's v6 was getting a little tired, heavy foot for hills around here.

All and all I loved them both but the '13 has definitely surpassed the '99 by leaps and bounds for me.

 

[Jeremy556]

I can ignore the sound of opening a stuck door. But the grinding sound of opening the hatch? Maybe paint is a lot tougher than i give it credit for?

Mine crunches every winter, so far I have not noticed any ill effects.

 

[gallopsu]

Yep, exactly a 99 SR5 to a 2013 Trail and it lives outside.

I agree with the climate controls on/off ect. Although my '99 the compressor engaged when I used the defroster in that too. I don't mind it spinning I just don't want it running all-day if I am driving a distance in a storm, all that dry air just kills me.

That infamous crunch of ice, my 99 did that too and snow would just build up forward of the rear window air deflector. It doesn't bother me as long as it doesn't bend sheet metal or tweak the hinges/parts. In my experience more damage is done to paint by trying to remove ice with the various implements that people choice to beat it off the truck with.

Gas mileage is six's for me. The 99's v6 was getting a little tired, heavy foot for hills around here.

All and all I loved them both but the '13 has definitely surpassed the '99 by leaps and bounds for me.

Maybe mine came on too? And i compensated by never pushing the lever all the way to defrost? Left it split floor and defrost?

The hatch ice crunch? Def did not remember that on my 1999. Or maybe i used the remote rear window button instead? Damn that is the last straw! Seriously the ice crunch is new for me.

The 13 trail is great no doubt. Love it.

 

[jrandom]

Damn that is the last straw! Seriously the ice crunch is new for me.

I/We may just be one of those lucky ones... their is a saying around these here parts (LOL always wanted to type that, hell if I know if it holds true everywhere) "Warm before the storm" I seriously does get warm and then it pounds snow and gets bitter cold after. So snow falls a little bit wet for the first part of the storm, creates a small ice crust layer, the temp drops, the snow gets cold and light. Almost every time, that was what would make my '99 hatch crunchy and it does it to this one too.