Love My Skinny SUV

[Maritimer]

I've been driving my 4Runner for about a week now, and I can't believe how much I'm enjoying the narrow body width.

Even compared to my CR-V, when I'm driving on secondary roads with gravel shoulders (which are notoriously narrow, especially when meeting an oncoming tractor trailer) I feel like I'm on a four lane highway.

Haha, that's stretching it, but for a vehicle with this heft and this family capacity, the narrow body width is definitely noticeable and appreciated.

 

[Jed]

I've been driving my 4Runner for about a week now, and I can't believe how much I'm enjoying the narrow body width.

Even compared to my CR-V, when I'm driving on secondary roads with gravel shoulders (which are notoriously narrow, especially when meeting an oncoming tractor trailer) I feel like I'm on a four lane highway.

Haha, that's stretching it, but for a vehicle with this heft and this family capacity, the narrow body width is definitely noticeable and appreciated.

The 3rd gen is less narrow than a CR-V? Really? Wow...

I know the 4th gen got considerably wider, but I didn't think the 3rd gen was that narrow. Or has the CR-V porked up recently? It still looks like a tall little car to me.

 

[Maritimer]

Just going by feel, it is narrower, and New & Used Cars for Sale, Auto Dealers, Car Reviews and Car Finance Advice gives side-by-side body widths (maximums, which is important since we drive a box not an egg). The 2001 4Runner is 66.5", the 2002 CR-V is 70.2", the 2010 CR-V is 71.6", the 2010 Santa Fe is 74.4", a 2010 F-150 is 78.9", and even a 2010 Ranger is 71.3".

Now of course, a 2007 or a 2010 4Runner is 75.2".

I know we're dealing with inches here, but inches matter in my driving perceptions. Probably the biggest thing is that the side window view is straighter down, and the view off the side of the engine is straighter down as well, giving me that slender feeling.