1engineer
Moderator
in 2011, all SR5's had lever actuated 4WD.
most comfortable 4Runner trim (suspension on road)?
- Thread starter PNTRDPROO
- Start date
in 2011, all SR5's had lever actuated 4WD.
cjacob316
New member
oh ok, did not know that, I had not really noticed it on earlier 5th gens, guess I wasn't looking hard enough
I went back to the dealer and test drove the white SR5... This test drive was done mostly on the street with also about a mile of highway. Below I have typed up my impressions of the 4Runner, and how it compares in each category to my 2012 Nissan Rogue. I know these two vehicles are in different classes, but considering I currently own the Rogue and I live with it day to day and I know what it does for me and my driving style, it only makes sense that I use the Rogue as the basis from which to judge the 4Runner in those same ways.
My impressions:
COMFORT:
It was very smooth overall. I attribute that to the body on frame construction which I feel really isolates the cabin and prevents bumps and ruts from finding their way in. There were a few nasty patches of road that I intentionally hit and if you weren't looking at the road prior to driving over those spots, you wouldn't even know it because the suspension did such a good job of ironing them out, and with no real audible intrusion either. However at speed, hitting some really rutted and pothole filled section of road spanning about 35 feet long and stretching across 2 lanes, the suspension did soak up the bumps, but it also got pretty unsettled... At least for my tastes. It felt a little jumpy over that particular patch of road. In that time, the steering became a little less confidence inspiring. Other than that, I found myself very comfortable with the overall smoothness. There is more isolation from bumps in the 4Runner than in my 2012 Nissan Rogue. Also, the Rogue makes more noise over bumps.
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION:
It is pretty slow. You can tell that it has a powerful engine, but I feel it is held back heavily by the 5-speed auto. I found myself having to floor the gas pedal a couple of times to make it downshift just to be able to accelerate the way that I wanted. That is something I'd really have to get used to. There is something to be said about a good CVT (which I've got in my Nissan). Many people dislike CVTs, but I love this transmission in the Rogue. In the Rogue with the CVT I can pretty much push the pedal and go. It is an incredibly smooth journey from 0mph-120mph (and anywhere in between) in the Rogue. Really... It is a great tranny... No real hesitation and no having to floor it and wait for it to aggressively kick down a gear and send the revs soaring just to pass a car on the road. I cannot say that for the 4Runner, and I can't help but think that if it at least had 6 or 7 gears it would be much more responsive to throttle inputs.
HANDLING:
I didn't have much of a chance to really test the handling the way I wanted to without scaring the shit out of the salesman, so I took it pretty easy on my test drive. However, the steering while devoid of feel, was pretty direct. I pointed it and it went. From what little I experienced of the vehicle, I'd hardly call the steering sporty (which is my forte). I'd call the steering "comfortable" just like the suspension. I didn't really test the body roll too much. I will say though that when I hit that patch of nasty road that unsettled the suspension somewhat, also made the steering feel like if I turned it in that moment, it would have a hard time going in that direction. A disconnect of sorts... My Nissan Rogue's handling is very very buttoned down. The steering is very direct and has decent feel for an electric system. I have done things in this Rogue that NOBODY else who owns one would attempt. I'm pretty sure of that. And the Rogue handles it with exceptional composure for an SUV (Anything taller than a sports sedan). Also, the Rogue has almost zero body lean, even when going much faster than the speed limit. It really is underrated as far as handling is concerned. It is very confidence inspiring. The 4Runner, not so much.
CONCLUSION:
I like the comfort that the 4Runner SR5 offers. I am not very fond of the powertrain because this truck is not quick by any means, and I feel that there will be a lot of downshifting, a lot, on my daily commute. I will miss the CVT. The suspension feels relaxed and not sporty by any means. I feel that if I get this vehicle I will have to adjust my driving style to accommodate it. However, I did not have an extremely extensive test drive.
I plan on renting an SR5 to drive for a couple days to really get a feel for the vehicle and whether it is a move I am ready to make. I am going to call Enterprise tomorrow morning. I'll post back with an update letting you guys know if I am able to rent one tomorrow or not.
My impressions:
COMFORT:
It was very smooth overall. I attribute that to the body on frame construction which I feel really isolates the cabin and prevents bumps and ruts from finding their way in. There were a few nasty patches of road that I intentionally hit and if you weren't looking at the road prior to driving over those spots, you wouldn't even know it because the suspension did such a good job of ironing them out, and with no real audible intrusion either. However at speed, hitting some really rutted and pothole filled section of road spanning about 35 feet long and stretching across 2 lanes, the suspension did soak up the bumps, but it also got pretty unsettled... At least for my tastes. It felt a little jumpy over that particular patch of road. In that time, the steering became a little less confidence inspiring. Other than that, I found myself very comfortable with the overall smoothness. There is more isolation from bumps in the 4Runner than in my 2012 Nissan Rogue. Also, the Rogue makes more noise over bumps.
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION:
It is pretty slow. You can tell that it has a powerful engine, but I feel it is held back heavily by the 5-speed auto. I found myself having to floor the gas pedal a couple of times to make it downshift just to be able to accelerate the way that I wanted. That is something I'd really have to get used to. There is something to be said about a good CVT (which I've got in my Nissan). Many people dislike CVTs, but I love this transmission in the Rogue. In the Rogue with the CVT I can pretty much push the pedal and go. It is an incredibly smooth journey from 0mph-120mph (and anywhere in between) in the Rogue. Really... It is a great tranny... No real hesitation and no having to floor it and wait for it to aggressively kick down a gear and send the revs soaring just to pass a car on the road. I cannot say that for the 4Runner, and I can't help but think that if it at least had 6 or 7 gears it would be much more responsive to throttle inputs.
HANDLING:
I didn't have much of a chance to really test the handling the way I wanted to without scaring the shit out of the salesman, so I took it pretty easy on my test drive. However, the steering while devoid of feel, was pretty direct. I pointed it and it went. From what little I experienced of the vehicle, I'd hardly call the steering sporty (which is my forte). I'd call the steering "comfortable" just like the suspension. I didn't really test the body roll too much. I will say though that when I hit that patch of nasty road that unsettled the suspension somewhat, also made the steering feel like if I turned it in that moment, it would have a hard time going in that direction. A disconnect of sorts... My Nissan Rogue's handling is very very buttoned down. The steering is very direct and has decent feel for an electric system. I have done things in this Rogue that NOBODY else who owns one would attempt. I'm pretty sure of that. And the Rogue handles it with exceptional composure for an SUV (Anything taller than a sports sedan). Also, the Rogue has almost zero body lean, even when going much faster than the speed limit. It really is underrated as far as handling is concerned. It is very confidence inspiring. The 4Runner, not so much.
CONCLUSION:
I like the comfort that the 4Runner SR5 offers. I am not very fond of the powertrain because this truck is not quick by any means, and I feel that there will be a lot of downshifting, a lot, on my daily commute. I will miss the CVT. The suspension feels relaxed and not sporty by any means. I feel that if I get this vehicle I will have to adjust my driving style to accommodate it. However, I did not have an extremely extensive test drive.
I plan on renting an SR5 to drive for a couple days to really get a feel for the vehicle and whether it is a move I am ready to make. I am going to call Enterprise tomorrow morning. I'll post back with an update letting you guys know if I am able to rent one tomorrow or not.
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Newbie...in love with my SR5
Me and my wife are total newbies to the offroad etc. etc. lifestyle.
We bought our 2015 just yesterday here in California. 39950 OTD
Have had it only 2 days but am loving it. Realize that on the freeway it won't compare to our older lexus rs but looking forward to getting to know it better.
Glad I found this sight!!!
Me and my wife are total newbies to the offroad etc. etc. lifestyle.
We bought our 2015 just yesterday here in California. 39950 OTD
Have had it only 2 days but am loving it. Realize that on the freeway it won't compare to our older lexus rs but looking forward to getting to know it better.
Glad I found this sight!!!
1engineer
Moderator
Two words: Sport Mode.
That's not really relevant to this thread.... But good for you
I'm afraid I'm going to need a few more words than that... What do you mean "sport mode"?
3wbdriver
New member
You coming from a sportier car background and you have never heard of Sport Mode? It's where you put the shifter into a different slot and up/downshift manually. On the 4Runner it is called S mode, but some of us prefer to refer to it as Sport, because no one really knows what it means.
That's a "sport mode"? lol
I'm used to sport mode being an actual button you press. In the Rogue, "SPORT" is a button down by the cupholder that changes the acceleration characteristics and holds the revs up a little higher.
And in some vehicles "sport mode" actually changes the steering response and suspension characteristics...
Manual shifting is just that.... Manual shifting... In my old intrepid it was called "Autostick", and in other vehicles I've heard it referred to as "tip-tronic".
I didn't know you guys referred to it as "sport mode".
Even so, I don't want to be shifting the transmission all day either. Although it is a neat function for the occasional "romp".
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3wbdriver
New member
Like I said, Toyota calls it S mode. Probably because some lawyer told them to drop the Sport part.
As for manually shifting I find it very helpful when off roading, but don't use it much except for slowing down in traffic on road.
I just don't consider manually shifting the vehicle a "mode". No characteristic of the vehicle is fundamentally changed by "activating" any mode. You are just manually shifting the transmission. So to me, even though Toyota calls it that (which I did not know until just now), I would have never guessed the 4Runner had something referred to as "S mode" or "sport mode".
So when 1engineer posted what he did, I had no clue what he was referring to.
And I assume he was suggesting I use the "sport mode" or rather, manually shift the 4Runner to overcome the sluggishness of the vehicle during my daily commute. In which case, that would get old. And would probably wear out the tranny sooner than if it were in Drive all of the time too.
I can see using it for the engine braking like you are referring to for slowing down in traffic every once in a while too. Or holding gear on a curvy road. But not for daily NYC driving.
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3wbdriver
New member
Well, You could do like I did. POOSH DA GAS briskly when you leave a stop and the computer will eventually relearn your driving habits and adjust for that. Mine is actually quite sporty now. But I do pay for that briskiness (new word) with lower gas mileage. The ECU in these things does "learn" your driving style when new and adjusts for it. Mine was sluggish when I bought it, but had pretty much reset to me within a couple hundred miles. But I am giving up almost 50 miles a tank in range from when I drove it off the lot.
And to answer your question above, yes. There are several members in here who use the S mode almost exclusively. Not saying you need to. Just saying it has been discussed. I myself would have paid extra for a good 5 speed stick if they had been available. I like being my own mixmaster. :guitar2:
That is an idea too...
I am looking forward to renting one for a couple of days and getting a better idea of how well it can serve me on the roads and routes I normally drive and in my normal daily activities.
cjacob316
New member
it's not just a manual shift, the s mode sets the maximum gear allowed, so you can set the highest gear at 4 or even 3 and it's supposed to wait to higher rpms to shift if I recall correctly. I read about it briefly when I had to tow a trailer earlier this month but I don't remember all the details.
1engineer
Moderator
You are so wrong lol.
Question: If you have two different ways to accomplish the same mechanical task but either way must be selected beforehand what do you call it? Solution 1 and 2? Mode 1 and 2? Regular and improved? "S" or "Sport" is simply a name for a way of doing something. In your mind "Sport" conjures up all these things that other vehicles do when in "Sport" mode. This is a Toyota 4Runner not anything else. It's definitely not a CVT Nissan.
You posted all your thoughts earlier and that was a good post. You spent some time talking about the sluggish acceleration though and that is why I said "Sport Mode." I use it a lot if I need to accelerate quickly, otherwise I leave it in "Auto" mode (see the deal here - you have to have a name for the modes.) No, it will not wear out the transmission. Try not to make this type of comment "...and would probably wear out the tranny sooner than if it were in Drive all of the time too" unless you know what you are talking about because somebody might actually think you do.
I have driven through NYC many many times. I even drove a 22 ft Class VI through Times Square once. Talk about sluggish acceleration! Again, lots of traffic but you need nothing special nor are the roads there worse or better than anywhere else.
Get a 4Runner - or not. Many here have tried to help you yet you want to argue without knowing much in the way of facts. Your little Rogue is a LOT different than the 4Runner in many ways. I like that you are taking that extra step of renting one. You are going to hate one aspect of the 4Runner though and that is fuel efficiency in stop and go traffic. Your Nissan will use about half the gas as the 4Runner. I had the occasion over the holiday to drive around 200 miles around town in stop and go traffic. I got a whopping 13 mpg.
Half of the shit you type is not even called for. And Im really not in the mood for your condescension either. I did nothing to you on this website nor have i been disrespectful to anyone to warrant this treatment, yet you have on several occassions, typed sarcastic and rude responses to my posts. If you dont like what Im typing, its simple, blow it out your ass. Quit shitting on my posts
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mace.
New member
Actually he is spot on. Not sure what you find rude or condescending. He is accurate and clearly states his points. If that post got you that upset maybe it's time you look at trading in for a Barbie Ferrari and a pacifier.
Edit: now that was rude.
Despite your very clever response and obvious wit, his post was riddled with condescension and i have noticed that to be his MO from the majority of threads Ive seen him post in. Its blatant and uncalled for. Period
1engineer
Moderator
This is me dude. If you were standing in front of me talking I would be the same way.
Holy cow, that escalated quickly.
PNTRDPROO - I commend you on the research you're expending in your car quest. However, I see nothing condescending from 1engineer. In fact, he's offered some sound advice in regards to your questions posed on the various threads you have started.
Based on all of your comments, concerns, and need to respond to emergencies quickly. I don't think any 4runner will satisfy all of your requirements. You have a lot of praise for your Rogue, maybe it would be best to stick w/ something like that for the city/daily driving and pick up another purpose built beach vehicle/off roader. You mentioned in an earlier thread that you had a jeep -- any thoughts on selling that and getting newer one? Maybe a used 4Runner.
Although its not as economical to own two cars, it may prove to be the only means to meet all of your requirements.
I've always liked the 4Runner SUV, it just took a long time for me to pull the trigger and actually purchase one. I conducted a shite-load of research before I signed the papers. I realized there were things this vehicle could do and things it can't -- I accepted that and I'm very pleased w/ my purchase.
Hope you find something that satisfies your needs.
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