New TE 4Runner

[rickwol]

Greetings, I've been poking around this site for about a week now and decided to come out of hiding and say hello and hopefully do a little posting without appearing too opinionated in the process. A little background. I bought a Salsa Red TE 2010 back in early November and since the old Ford Explorer had just been outfitted with new tires I decided to let the Ford take the brunt of the road salt up here in New York while the TE sat in heated storage all of this time. I plan on making the switch in 2 weeks. Previously I owned a 3rd generation 4-runner and believe it was one of the finest vehicles that I ever owned. Since being on the site I've already ordered my replacement horn and Infinity Kappa's to replace the stock items. Seems to be a great group of knowledgeable enthusiasts here !!

Rick

 

[Arc.]

Congrats Rick! I'm new around here too, and I haven't bought a TE but I'm using this board to conduct my research!

Got a question Rick - I too have a 3rd gen 4Runner (2002), and was wondering what your opinion is on overall power/on road behavior of the 2010 vs a 3rd gen? Is it completely different? I'm hoping to get out this weekend to test drive so I guess I will know shortly

 

[rickwol]

Hey Arc. Thanks. Keep in mind I only drove my 2010 on 4 occasions including the test drive before I stored it so initial impression would be: Although my 2001 was bullet proof with regard to engine and drivetrain there was a lack of civility to the ride. By this I mean that perhaps the center of gravity was a bit high and handling was not the best with it and travelling on snow covered highways in 4-wd sometimes felt a bit unstable. My tires were wide and I'm sure that was a contributing factor. I did, however love that vehicle for it's "brute" personality and it was always fun. The 2010 is wider and the ride is somewhat softer but seemed more stable and predictable in turns in spite of some leaning I experienced when pushing it a bit on a local curved road, but heck it's over 2 tons so no surprise and no disappoinments. My personal opinion is that this vehicle will be perfect for my needs. The 3rd gen being a bit less civilized and 4th gen being a bit less offroad capable for my tastes. Good luck with your test drive this weekend.