Potentially stupid question about design decisions

[Krayziekid]

So this might be a dumb question, but I have been curious. I currently have an 03 Limited, and my old man has an 11 Limited. I did the 03->06 headlight and tail light swap because I needed new headlights and tail lights, and I wanted the LED/projectors.

Why did Toyota decide to do 03-05 as reflectors, with DRLs/turn signals below, and then switch to projectors/LED 06-09 with the DRLs/turn signals in the assemblies themselves, and then do it again for the 10-13 and 14-15? Cause my dad's 11 has reflector bowls with the DRLs low on the bumper like my 03, but my buddies 14 has the projectors with DRLs up top. Is it to cut costs or something? I'm genuinely curious as to why they went back and forth.

 

[wadle5]

Just throwing this out there. . .but our your dads and friends 5th gens both same trim model?

 

[Krayziekid]

Just throwing this out there. . .but our your dads and friends 5th gens both same trim model?

No, one is Limited the other is Trail, but I was just looking at pictures and the changes still carry through across all the models. I don't even know if there is a definitive answer. I was just curious lol.

 

[1engineer]

So this might be a dumb question, but I have been curious. I currently have an 03 Limited, and my old man has an 11 Limited. I did the 03->06 headlight and tail light swap because I needed new headlights and tail lights, and I wanted the LED/projectors.

Why did Toyota decide to do 03-05 as reflectors, with DRLs/turn signals below, and then switch to projectors/LED 06-09 with the DRLs/turn signals in the assemblies themselves, and then do it again for the 10-13 and 14-15? Cause my dad's 11 has reflector bowls with the DRLs low on the bumper like my 03, but my buddies 14 has the projectors with DRLs up top. Is it to cut costs or something? I'm genuinely curious as to why they went back and forth.

A few reasons:
1. Marketing. Toyota (or any large OEM that produces essentially functionally unchanged models year after year) does this: Introduce a new generation of vehicle (or refrigerator or something)and change some things (body, interior) but de-content the rest of the vehicle. This way they can "add" these things back throughout the generation cycle as "upgrades." The last year of a generation will always have the most desirable standard options. This is with every manufacturer. The first year of a new generation will always have the least amount of standard features.
2. Technical. I have had vehicles with sealed beam, halogen, projector and LED lighting. Guess what... I can see at night with all of them. You can only make headlights so bright and you can only aim them so far ahead to keep from blinding oncoming drivers. LED's are nice because they last a long time but are very expensive to replace. Back to the discussion - Toyota just changes it up for the reasons above, not for any improved lighting. Now que all the headlight fanboys lol. It's true though. You can see with pretty much any offered headlight just fine at posted speeds.

When I say "functionally unchanged" above that means a 4Runner is still a BOF wagon design that is designed to transport people and cargo from A to B. Essentially the 4Runner in this respect is unchanged from 1984 til now. It still is BOF and still designed to accomplish the same tasks.

 

[m85476585]

The first year of a new generation will always have the least amount of standard features.

Sometimes the put extra features in the first model year of a new generation for reviewers, then take them out hoping no one will notice. For example, the 2006 Honda Civic (LX) had a carpeted trunk lid liner, plastic trunk hinge covers, a driver's foot area insulated cover (sound absorbing), and rubber liners for the console trays. It might have had hood insulation, too, for even more sound absorption. In 2007 they took most of that out in the lower trim levels to save weight and cost (though i think the rubber tray liners stuck around through 2007, and the more expensive EX trim kept most of those features). Almost no one noticed, or course, but if reviewers had done in-depth reviews as if it was a new model year, they might have though it was "less refined".

A similar example would be switching from projector fog lights on 2003-2005 4th gens to reflector fog lights on 2006-2009 4th gens. Projector lights are probably more expensive than reflector ones, so they might have made that change to offset the cost of other changes in the refresh, or maybe they had a large stockpile of them sitting around from another vehicle that was being changed.

Yes, you can see at night with any lights, but better (usually more expensive) lights let the designers put more light on the road without aiming more at oncoming drivers. It wouldn't be accurate to say that all headlights work equally well. Maybe they are good enough for you, but why settle for good enough if they can be improved? Different types of headlights can certainly improve visibility at night and in bad conditions. Projector lights have a sharp cutoff, so there is less wasted light shining up in the air, and they can make the lights brighter without blinding oncoming traffic (most of the time). If it's raining or snowing, lights with a sharp cutoff will light up the rain/snow less, improving visibility. HID lights are even brighter, but they might require things like auto leveling or cleaning jets (in Europe) so they don't cause too much glare. That puts more light on the road, but it adds cost (auto leveling and cleaning) which is why they are not standard on all cars.

 

[jicko]

Just like EVERY OTHER products out there, unless you are within the design teams, you are likely never, ever gonna find out why..... LOL

Cost, schedule, design reuse, marketing, technical, product differentiation, supply-chain, team dynamics, personal agenda, personnel ego, leadership directives, etc... ALL can be part of the reasons....

LOL

:grouphug:

 

[philsey]

You can see with pretty much any offered headlight just fine at posted speeds.
.

Uh huh. And you "can" ride the trails with pretty much any offered MB too, but I'll bet some are better than others.

 

[Krayziekid]

Thanks for all of the replies and insight. I figured it was a sort of "planned obsolescence" type thing in that they pull some features in the beginning only to reintroduce them later. Either way, I guess we will never know! Thanks again!