New '07 T4R V8-Sport Owner....WOW !

[Markr]

Hi All,
Just wanted to introduce myself.
My name is Mark and I bought a new '07 T4R V8-Sport yesterday.
I traded in my Trailblazer SS and I am VERY glad I did.
WOW.....the 4R is not only a great offroad vehicle, but with the 4.7 and 5 spd auto it is also a well engineered, refined, and comfortable road vehicle.

I made a BIG mistake buying the Trailblazer SS.
I am an old gearhead from way back, and am finishing a three year restoration of a '69 Camaro SS. I am an old Chevy fan and looked forward to owning an American made V8 truck. The cargo and towing capacities of the TBSS were great, and the motor ? say no more, Corvette LS2 395HP, 400 lbs/torque. It was a blast to drive while your foot was in it. But drive it "normally" and it was a pain. The 4 sp 4L70E electronically controlled auto is freakin possessed. Every time I'd get behind the wheel it would behave differently. And I found two flawed pieces of trim before I even got it off the lot. When the tranny started getting really bad after only three weeks the dealer said "Oh...they all do that". Bad answer. Trailblazer out...4Runner in.
Bottom line is I have been spoiled by Toyotas. I have owned a couple Camrys, an ES300, and a Celica over the years and none of them has ever let me down.

So...on to the 4Runner....

Man, this vehicle is like a Swiss watch.
I am SO glad I held out for a V8 model. The dealer gave me a new V6 4WD to drive for two days while they got my vehicle in, and what a difference ! As good as the V6 model is, the V8 takes it to a much higher level. It's almost like it's a different vehicle.

So here are my 2 cents:

Highs:
Toyota Quality
4.7L V8
5 sp Auto
Full Time AWD
Real Offroad Capability
Refinement


Lows:
Price - a bit high
Warranty - could be better (but Toyota quality doesn't require it)
Features - while offroad features are good, creature comforts could be better.
Styling - a bit bland and very Japanese looking.


I look forward to my first offroad test soon !

Thanks,
Mark

 

[lawwailok]

congrat!

 

[G.I.G.]

I too made the jump from a US made SUV (Jeep GC Limited with the 4.7L V8) to an '07 4R SE with the V8 and I had the same reaction...wow! Much more refined, smooth, responsive ride than my old GC.

I also agree with you on the highs and lows but overall I couldn't be more happy!

Enjoy the new ride!

 

[outgolfn]

I also went from a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 High Output V8 to a 2006 4runner XSP V6 4WD. The shifting is soooo much smoother, workmanship is top notch, and to my surpise I am getting 19mpg in the 4runner versus only 15mpg in the jeep!

 

[Koz]

Welcome to the 4Runner Family! You are going to LOVE the V8 4Runner more every day you drive it.

Koz

 

[Markr]

.....I also agree with you on the highs and lows but overall I couldn't be more happy!

To be honest, I had to dig to come up with some lows :biggrin2:

Like you, I am very happy with my 4Runner.


OK....Now Where's the Mud ?

 

[Uneek]

Congrats and welcome to T4R.org. A coworker has a Trailblazer SS. He's got a 2WD and it was about the same price as my 4R. I liked the Trailblazer since its debut. Chevy has some good looking SUVs.

With that said, :worthless

 

[Markr]

Yeah....you're right.
Pics to come this weekend.


BTW....anybody know the part# for the envelope type Cargo Net ?

I'm not crazy about the hold down type that comes with the double decker system.

 

[peter78]

the dealer said "Oh...they all do that".

I have a 2006 Trailblazer at my work. We got it in Oct. of 2005. I actually thought it was doing OK, it had the inline 6 and I liked the ride. This year however has been a different story. We keep having problems. The last thing was the air conditioner. They fixed it, they put more AC fluid in it. I said if it leaked out, did you fix the leak. The answer was no. I also get "oh they all do that" when we have problems. The last one was the rear wiper goes on by itself.

Anyway, congrats on your new rig......

 

[Markr]

Re: Re: New '07 T4R V8-Sport Owner....WOW !

I have a 2006 Trailblazer at my work. We got it in Oct. of 2005. I actually thought it was doing OK, it had the inline 6 and I liked the ride. This year however has been a different story. We keep having problems. The last thing was the air conditioner. They fixed it, they put more AC fluid in it. I said if it leaked out, did you fix the leak. The answer was no. I also get "oh they all do that" when we have problems. The last one was the rear wiper goes on by itself.

Anyway, congrats on your new rig......

Thanks Peter, It's a great rig.


Ya know it may sound corny to some people but I was feeling good about buying an American made vehicle. I am a big believer in "You're part of the problem or part of the solution" and I wanted to do my part. I know it's a mirky situation with a number of Japanese vehicles being built in the U.S. now so I don't want to start that whole discussion again, but I felt good buying a Chevy. Until I owned it. I even knew of the problems many owners were having with their Trailblazer SS but rationalized by telling myself "Hey...it's under warranty...if things break it's Chevy's problem not mine. But a warranty can't redesign a vehicle, and when the dealer tells you "They all do that" that's a shame and to me reveals just how far GM still has to go. Too bad, that Trailblazer SS was a blast in a lot of ways.

 

[adventureman73]

Welcome to the club! Enjoy your new rig, you're in good company here.

I'm on my second 4Runner myself, just got the second one a couple weeks back. Worth every penny of it, then and now!

 

[Falls]

Congrats on the new 4R , gotta love the V8 !!!


As far as the dealer telling you "its normal" you will hear that with any brand and almost all dealers. I just heard it today when I picked my 4R up from the dealer.

Anyway you will love the truck/suv . I never liked all wheel drive vehicles , but I didn't mind trying a full time 4WD now I I love it !! It handles so well in all types of conditions , very secure feeling when driving. Still don't like AWD , but its ok for cars I guess.

 

[Markr]

Congrats on the new 4R , gotta love the V8 !!!


As far as the dealer telling you "its normal" you will hear that with any brand and almost all dealers. I just heard it today when I picked my 4R up from the dealer.

Anyway you will love the truck/suv . I never liked all wheel drive vehicles , but I didn't mind trying a full time 4WD now I I love it !! It handles so well in all types of conditions , very secure feeling when driving. Still don't like AWD , but its ok for cars I guess.

Hi Falls,
Question for you....I'm a huge gearhead and have been building cars since I was 15 but I'm new to 4WD. What's the difference between Full Time 4WD and AWD ? Ours are set at 40/60 F/R if I remember right, is AWD variable ?

 

[vando45]

Hi Falls,
Question for you....I'm a huge gearhead and have been building cars since I was 15 but I'm new to 4WD. What's the difference between Full Time 4WD and AWD ? Ours are set at 40/60 F/R if I remember right, is AWD variable ?

My understanding of how it works:
Part-time, which is what my Tundra and I believe the V6 4Runners have, you have to push a button or shift a lever to engage the front axle.
AWD, which is what my wife's old Expedition had, power to the rear axle only unless the transfer case senses a wheel slipping, then it automatically sends power to the front axle.
Full Time 4WD, which is what the V8 4Runners have, power is always sent to the front axle.

 

[adventureman73]

My understanding of how it works:
Part-time, which is what my Tundra and I believe the V6 4Runners have, you have to push a button or shift a lever to engage the front axle.
AWD, which is what my wife's old Expedition had, power to the rear axle only unless the transfer case senses a wheel slipping, then it automatically sends power to the front axle.
Full Time 4WD, which is what the V8 4Runners have, power is always sent to the front axle.

Correct on the V6 4Runner; there's a switch on the dashboard that you rotate over to 4H at up to 55mph on a straightaway (though I usually do it from a stop and reverse a bit...old habit) and then to go to 4L you have to be in neutral, switch over and then be on your way.

 

[LS1JAY]

I traded my Snailblazer... er, I mean Trailgazer in on my 4Runner. Best car related decision I ever made! The Smellblazer was a total POS compared to the 4Runner in every way! Before that I had a whole string of F-Bodys. My '99 Camaro SS ran 12.40's@110+ on radials, but had too many little problems to list! I just simply got tired of all of the little bugs that my GM's had! I bought the 4R new and it's never been back to the dealer!

 

[Mark86]

Congrats and welcome to the board! You made an extremely smart decision switching over to Toyota. How does the power of the 4Runner compare to the SS?

 

[Falls]

AWD do not have a transfer case. (like the 4R has 4Lo). Although in todays world everything is starting to be classified as a "4x4" ( such as the new Rav4 ) which is actually a AWD , but the marketing people like to do that . Same goes as trucks ..... did you every see Honda's TV commercial where they have 5 vehicles out there and say "this is the Honda truck line up " Unfortunately the word "truck" has followed the same suit as the the "4x4" term. Its used way to loosely , but makes people feel like there really getting something for their money....lol

I don't remember what are exact split is between front and rear when the diff. is not locked , but it can vary to closer split numbers on its own when it senses to do so , when the center diff. is locked then its just a 50/50 split.

 

[808BMW]

My understanding of how it works:
Part-time, which is what my Tundra and I believe the V6 4Runners have, you have to push a button or shift a lever to engage the front axle.
AWD, which is what my wife's old Expedition had, power to the rear axle only unless the transfer case senses a wheel slipping, then it automatically sends power to the front axle.
Full Time 4WD, which is what the V8 4Runners have, power is always sent to the front axle.

I've always thought of AWD and fulltime 4wd as backwards

Most cars with AWD will send most if not all power to the front, and send it back as it detects slippage.

4runners send it to the back, and the torsen diff sends power forward when needed.

Info for the our runners:
When open runs 40/60, but can transfer up to 70% to the rear or up to 53% to the front.
When locked runs 50/50

 

[Markr]

I traded my Snailblazer... er, I mean Trailgazer in on my 4Runner. Best car related decision I ever made! The Smellblazer was a total POS compared to the 4Runner in every way! Before that I had a whole string of F-Bodys. My '99 Camaro SS ran 12.40's@110+ on radials, but had too many little problems to list! I just simply got tired of all of the little bugs that my GM's had! I bought the 4R new and it's never been back to the dealer!

yeah, I'm happier by the day that I made the decision to move to the 4Runner.

I'm an old Chevy fan too, especially old Camaros.
Here's a pic of my '69 Camaro SS 350 I'm finishing up a three year restoration on....

http://home.cfl.rr.com/mark1/69Camaro001.jpg