Potential newbie - have spent hours reading forum & still some Q's

[SNORunner01]

Thank you. I am not looking for sporty, just decent handling. I spend much time in my partners Jeep Grand Cherokee so am familiar with a non-comfort-oriented SUV on a daily basis.

I would put the Jeep Grand Cherokee squarely in the more comfortable and more plush interior than the 4runner. Even the LE is below a fully decked out grand Cherokee. I would ask yourself a few need vs. want questions.

1. Other than tackling large potholes, will you be traveling off road? Do any overlanding? Going anywhere that requires traversing dirt trails?

2. Will you need to carry clients?

3. Do you consider the Grand Cherokee a sub par DD?


I think you will be very happy with the LE. Just don’t expect it to be more comfortable than grand Cherokee or more luxurious than an XC90. You have to remember that last time the 4runner line had a refresh or update was 2010. This was also the year the iPhone 4 was released. If creature comforts and technology is important to you look elsewhere.


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[e60ral]

[MENTION=137142]Muzzle of Bees[/MENTION] they were great through the late 90's then terrible until recently, that's what i meant by 15 years ago

 

[DougR]

Rent and Drive

Can you rent one or more of the vehicles you're considering and test drive under the conditions you'll encounter?

My wife bought a new 2011 Trail with KDSS and it's a "pavement princess". She loves the ruggedness, which surprised me. She used to drive a Nissan Maxima GLE. She misses the faster acceleration of a Nissan sedan a little bit, but still would choose the 4Runner by a wide margin.

 

[philsey]

4R as DD? I love mine (sig), that's all it does for me. Get the LE for your use. And Leave It Alone.

You really should drive a Highlander. Jeep-no, Subi-no. GM-no. Volvo? They are gorgeous, and modern, and cool and all, but if you've read a lot about them like me, you'll stay away.

I'd look/drive a GX too.

 

[Angelo]

Strictly speaking, the independent front suspension on the 4R responsible for a lot of the feel of your alignment is essentially just a beefed up version of the same front suspension that you'd find on a highlander or pilot. Does that beef translate to less money and time spent on alignments? I don't think so but I don't know, and I'd suspect it's different for everyone based on how and where you drive, as you mentioned.

I wouldn't say the 4R is "great" on handling (BOF, body roll, comparatively heavy, mushy brake feel) though every other BOF vehicle I've ever driven or ridden in was rougher than mine. I also wouldn't say it's on anyone's list of top DD's due to the mpg. I WOULD say that there aren't many other vehicles that have the 4Rs capabilities or pedigree. Once you throw in the price / value for those capabilities and the reliability factor, the pros far outweigh the cons.

I would say that if you can handle the mpg hit from the traditional unibody (and if you haven't test driven a highlander, you should) and you test drive a 4R and like it, then you're golden.

 

[Toffees]

I'm referring to their poor current reliability rating with significant software issues controlling many of car/nav/radio functions. Their current resale is also not great.

Buy one used, so the depreciation hit has already been taken by the original owner

 

[TwoMile]

I would put the Jeep Grand Cherokee squarely in the more comfortable and more plush interior than the 4runner. Even the LE is below a fully decked out grand Cherokee. I would ask yourself a few need vs. want questions.

1. Other than tackling large potholes, will you be traveling off road? Do any overlanding? Going anywhere that requires traversing dirt trails?

2. Will you need to carry clients?

3. Do you consider the Grand Cherokee a sub par DD?


I think you will be very happy with the LE. Just don’t expect it to be more comfortable than grand Cherokee or more luxurious than an XC90. You have to remember that last time the 4runner line had a refresh or update was 2010. This was also the year the iPhone 4 was released. If creature comforts and technology is important to you look elsewhere.


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I would agree. We drove a 4R and GC back to back and it had a better ride and a nicer interior in our opinion. We still got the 4R because it was a little more "basic" with manual gear shift, BOF, and reliability. Wife wanted more of a "truck" after her Rav4 and I wanted something more offroad capable.
My 2 cents...

 

[Watchdogg]

Which?

Take your pick. My dodge with its hemi gets better mileage than my 2015 runner.

 

[Toffees]

Take your pick. My dodge with its hemi gets better mileage than my 2015 runner.

I guess it's worth asking if your dodge truck has steel bumpers, oversized tires, and a lift. YMMV, yano. Anyway, fuel data clearly shows the 4runner fleet gets better mileage than the Ram 1500 fleet.

 

[wfo9]

Do you need/want 4wd? Most don't...

 

[Diced Zombies]

OK guys - here are answers to your questions in no particular order:

Clients will not be in my vehicle;

JGC is fine as daily driver with my partner and I. I think the 4R is much better looking;

Did not care for the excessively high center console in the Highlander as it made me feel closed in;

Rugged interior is OK by me;

I don't currently go off road in my car, but and sure I would start if I got a 4R;

I really like the look and differentiation with the 4R. If I got a Pilot or such, I think I'd keep comparing it to a car and be disappointed. If I got a 4R, I know it's such a completely different animal I would appreciate it for that. I once owned a MINI Cooper S. It was noisy, punishingly rough riding, had no space, and a terrible commuter car with the sport suspension and run flats. BUT, I absolutely LOVED that car for the how unique it was and that it had personality even though there were many other cars that would have been a "better" car for me.

I am surrounded by soccer moms and dads in their typical mall SUV's and I don't know if I could handle being like them.

 

[e60ral]

The 4runner interior looks rugged but all the plastics are actually very soft and scratch easily

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[SNORunner01]

OK guys - here are answers to your questions in no particular order:



Clients will not be in my vehicle;



JGC is fine as daily driver with my partner and I. I think the 4R is much better looking;



Did not care for the excessively high center console in the Highlander as it made me feel closed in;



Rugged interior is OK by me;



I don't currently go off road in my car, but and sure I would start if I got a 4R;



I really like the look and differentiation with the 4R. If I got a Pilot or such, I think I'd keep comparing it to a car and be disappointed. If I got a 4R, I know it's such a completely different animal I would appreciate it for that. I once owned a MINI Cooper S. It was noisy, punishingly rough riding, had no space, and a terrible commuter car with the sport suspension and run flats. BUT, I absolutely LOVED that car for the how unique it was and that it had personality even though there were many other cars that would have been a "better" car for me.



I am surrounded by soccer moms and dads in their typical mall SUV's and I don't know if I could handle being like them.

Ok get a 4runner you will love it. As you can see below no soccer moms or mall crawlers where most of us exist. Welcome to the forum.

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[Raingler_Nets]

OK guys - here are answers to your questions in no particular order:

Clients will not be in my vehicle;

JGC is fine as daily driver with my partner and I. I think the 4R is much better looking;

Did not care for the excessively high center console in the Highlander as it made me feel closed in;

Rugged interior is OK by me;

I don't currently go off road in my car, but and sure I would start if I got a 4R;

I really like the look and differentiation with the 4R. If I got a Pilot or such, I think I'd keep comparing it to a car and be disappointed. If I got a 4R, I know it's such a completely different animal I would appreciate it for that. I once owned a MINI Cooper S. It was noisy, punishingly rough riding, had no space, and a terrible commuter car with the sport suspension and run flats. BUT, I absolutely LOVED that car for the how unique it was and that it had personality even though there were many other cars that would have been a "better" car for me.

I am surrounded by soccer moms and dads in their typical mall SUV's and I don't know if I could handle being like them.

Maintain and care for it well. I am assuming there will be no suspension etc done to it. Resale will be excellent when it's time. You may just decide to keep it for a decade or more. That's what finalized our recent purchase decision to select the T4R after owning Jeeps of all sorts for the last 20 years. 2nd choice was strongly considered being the diesel JGC. Ride height/visibility, resale and owner feedback helped to finalize the decision for us.

 

[Diced Zombies]

Maintain and care for it well. I am assuming there will be no suspension etc done to it. Resale will be excellent when it's time. You may just decide to keep it for a decade or more. That's what finalized our recent purchase decision to select the T4R after owning Jeeps of all sorts for the last 20 years. 2nd choice was strongly considered being the diesel JGC. Ride height/visibility, resale and owner feedback helped to finalize the decision for us.

My tentative plans are to get an ORP with KDSS in white; change to TRD wheels and add a roof rack that mounts to the rails already on the 4R. I plan to keep it stock other than that.

And I really, really hope I do end up keeping it for years to come!

 

[Raingler_Nets]

My tentative plans are to get an ORP with KDSS in white; change to TRD wheels and add a roof rack that mounts to the rails already on the 4R. I plan to keep it stock other than that.

And I really, really hope I do end up keeping it for years to come!

This one had these wheels already on it. Most had the silver ones instead.

 

[ADK Explorer]

(psst ... I think he/she is looking for an excuse to get a runner. Before you know it it'll be on Icon 7 & 35's)

Umm yeah get a runner. I think you'll like it. ;-)

 

[jron4]

Just dont get a jeep unless you like to blow money on repairs.

I mean a 4runner is not the most comfortable suv out there. Alignments are subjective there are so many variables that can come into play.

I made the switch from a grand cherokee to my first toyota (4runner) I am quite happy. My only real gripes have been the soft suspension and lackluster acceleration.

 

[Cymon]

My tentative plans are to get an ORP with KDSS in white; change to TRD wheels and add a roof rack that mounts to the rails already on the 4R. I plan to keep it stock other than that.

And I really, really hope I do end up keeping it for years to come!

As long as you know what the compromises are with this vehicle vs. on-road based unibody SUV's/CUV's (softer suspension, mid to upper teens gas mileage, somewhat utilitarian interior, non-flashy but bulletproof engine/drivetrain), as it sounds like you already do through your research, you will be extremely happy with the 4runner!

:welcome:

 

[renau001]

I didn’t read through the thread so may be repeating answers. Not sure about the alignment question. But what I will say is I believe that this setup is sensitive to tire imbalance issues. Many report tires that balance in spec but still have a vibration at highway speeds, including myself. The KDSS definitely reduces floatiness in my opinion based on my test drives. When you hit bumps with KDSS it is a little rougher but everything seems to dampen out much quicker. I have been a big fan of KDSS.