Slow slow acceleration!
- Thread starter Cox
- Start date
2014 Warthog
New member
Well, there's no denying that the throttle response is low, that's for sure. 
Sadly it makes for a disspointing test drive (I was dissapointed, it DID feel way unterpowered to me). My 04 Tacoma was way punchier. Lighter car but smaller engine too.
BUT, it really is JUST the throttle curve. 3 weeks into owning one my foot was completely retrained to push on the "Skinny Pedal" to achieve the same type of punchy behavior I was used to driving before. I even chirp sometimes when jetting into traffic from a stop!
My only complaint at all might be that "It would be nice to have another gear at 70+mph" for a tad more fuel efficiency when at full speed on the highway but that's all.
I mean what do people expect? It's not a dunebuggy or a race car! ANd as the comparison above shows, for similar vehicles it's as good or bests most of them. As soon as your foot retrains itself it's perfectly fine. (Unless you are towing a 4000lb boat maybe
)
Sadly it makes for a disspointing test drive (I was dissapointed, it DID feel way unterpowered to me). My 04 Tacoma was way punchier. Lighter car but smaller engine too.BUT, it really is JUST the throttle curve. 3 weeks into owning one my foot was completely retrained to push on the "Skinny Pedal" to achieve the same type of punchy behavior I was used to driving before. I even chirp sometimes when jetting into traffic from a stop!
My only complaint at all might be that "It would be nice to have another gear at 70+mph" for a tad more fuel efficiency when at full speed on the highway but that's all.
I mean what do people expect? It's not a dunebuggy or a race car! ANd as the comparison above shows, for similar vehicles it's as good or bests most of them. As soon as your foot retrains itself it's perfectly fine. (Unless you are towing a 4000lb boat maybe
)
FrontRange4Runner
New member
Um...Can someone tell me how the Tundra has a braking distance that is 22 FEET LONGER than the 4Runner. WTF is going on there, was it towing the Shuttle again during the test? 2 feet can make all the difference in the world, but 22 feet will make you the guy on the news who somehow hit 4 cars and still managed to end up on the 3rd floor of an apartment building with nothing but the ass end of the vehicle sticking out.
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dclark2171
Member
My new 13 Limited gets up and goes quite well, especially for a larger SUV. I did notice a lot more pep when I added proper tire pressure.Coming from the dealer, the cold pressure was at 24-25 psi. I have it now at 33 (sticker says put at 32).
phillyd2
Senior Member
I too came from a 4th Gen V8 and the 5th Gen does 'feel' underpowered on the low end in comparison. While it may sound silly to say one needs to learn how to drive it, it's actually true.
Maybe a better way of putting it is that it's different and once you figure it out it will be just fine.
Maybe a better way of putting it is that it's different and once you figure it out it will be just fine.
The extra 600lbs, different tires? I don't remember which version they tested (TRD, no TRD, double cab, crewmax?). Does it have that "brake priming" feature that the 4Runner has? To be honest, that is one reason I've always been more comfortable in cars. You have a little less energy to dissipate which usually means more margin for error.
Hadelson
New member
Just an observation.........
If you want fast and great handling, buy a Corvette. About the best value for your money out there. 0-60 time, 3.7 Seconds and 200+MPH. ( Yup, for those anally inclined looking for data....first hand experience). However, in the snow, it goes nyet..... and my T4R does quite well. For taking my family on trip, T4R does it all. For me and the wife during fair weather, the Corvette is the way to go (At 75MPH, 29MPG with mild throttle). If I need to scoot, drop 2 gears and launch........
Any vehicle is a compromise and there is no vehicle made that satisfies all.
If you want fast and great handling, buy a Corvette. About the best value for your money out there. 0-60 time, 3.7 Seconds and 200+MPH. ( Yup, for those anally inclined looking for data....first hand experience). However, in the snow, it goes nyet..... and my T4R does quite well. For taking my family on trip, T4R does it all. For me and the wife during fair weather, the Corvette is the way to go (At 75MPH, 29MPG with mild throttle). If I need to scoot, drop 2 gears and launch........
Any vehicle is a compromise and there is no vehicle made that satisfies all.
philsey
New member
yeah .... well .... except for 4th gen V-8s.
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Hillbilly Mac
New member
Just passed the 60mi mark & the truck is definitely learning me. Throttle response was punchy as hell compared to off the lot when I was out today. I LOVE THIS TRUCK!
Antman
Elite Member
Compared to your Mustang GT I'm sure it feels that way.
Wait..is this Deja Vu??
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/126864-2013-4runner.html#post1199927
1engineer
Moderator
"I’ve owned my 2013 4R for only a couple of weeks but it’s enough time to form some initial impressions. There are three things about my SR5 that really could be improved.
1) The vehicle is very much under powered and would benefit from a V8. This is very noticeable when I go from my 5.0 Mustang to the 4R. I have to adjust my driving style when in the 4R to prevent being killed by another vehicle...."
Your Mustang is very underpowered and sluggish through the curves compared to a Nissan GTR too right? Do you go post in that forum? Get real dude.
Let's all get one thing straight and out in the open:
"If you have or currently own a sports car, or own a 4th gen 4Runner (apparently the only perfect vehicle ever made) then the 4Runner is gonna feel slow and underpowered." There. Is that right?
OldSchool1959
New member
You are cordially invited to come test drive my '97 Sonoma 2WD pickup. It will make your wife's 4R seem peppy in comparison. Turn on the AC in the 'Noma and the guys in stretchy pants on Motobecanes will be pissed at you for taking up the right lane.
Whiplash Willy
New member
The 1GR-FE has plenty of power, and the Outdated 5-Speed A750F has enough gears to effortlessly propel our 5th Gens. The real problem is the Shift Points. It won't downshift unless you floor it, which defeats the while purpose of "Eco Friendly" shift points, as any time you want to get anywhere you have to floor it and dump a bunch of fuel, which wouldn't have been necessary if they programmed it to downshift sooner, and hold the gears longer.
What also sucks, is the Sport Mode doesn't make the shift points more aggressive, it just limits the high gear. If toyota was going to program such horrible shift points in "D", they should have least made the shift points in "S" better, but that costs more money...
I drive my 5th gen M-F, then my wife's GX470 on weekends. That thing has more power I could ever want, and will "throw you back in your seat" whenever you give it some throttle. It has the same, or close to the same 5-speed auto transmission. Yes it has a V8 with like 30 more torques, which helps, but what really makes the difference is that it's shift points are way more aggressive, and it holds its gears longer.
In the GX, I can be cruising at 40mph, and give it like 25% throttle, and it will instantly downshift twice (down to 3rd) and throw me back. Or just a 10% throttle application will give you a downshift, and hold it.
I can "Make" the 4runner do the same, but I have to give it more like 60%-80% throttle to get the same results. Yes you can "Learn" to drive the 5th gen better, by flooring it all of the time to try and invoke a down shift, but you shouldn't have to compensate that way just because the shift points are horrible.
All of this horrible, conservative ECU programming only nets my 5th gen 4runner 2mpg over my GX470, which also has Full Time 4wd, and a larger engine that account for that 2mpg loss over the 4runner. So a rough estimate, better shift points with in the 5th gen would only cost you about 1mpg...I would say that would be worth it!
What also sucks, is the Sport Mode doesn't make the shift points more aggressive, it just limits the high gear. If toyota was going to program such horrible shift points in "D", they should have least made the shift points in "S" better, but that costs more money...
I drive my 5th gen M-F, then my wife's GX470 on weekends. That thing has more power I could ever want, and will "throw you back in your seat" whenever you give it some throttle. It has the same, or close to the same 5-speed auto transmission. Yes it has a V8 with like 30 more torques, which helps, but what really makes the difference is that it's shift points are way more aggressive, and it holds its gears longer.
In the GX, I can be cruising at 40mph, and give it like 25% throttle, and it will instantly downshift twice (down to 3rd) and throw me back. Or just a 10% throttle application will give you a downshift, and hold it.
I can "Make" the 4runner do the same, but I have to give it more like 60%-80% throttle to get the same results. Yes you can "Learn" to drive the 5th gen better, by flooring it all of the time to try and invoke a down shift, but you shouldn't have to compensate that way just because the shift points are horrible.
All of this horrible, conservative ECU programming only nets my 5th gen 4runner 2mpg over my GX470, which also has Full Time 4wd, and a larger engine that account for that 2mpg loss over the 4runner. So a rough estimate, better shift points with in the 5th gen would only cost you about 1mpg...I would say that would be worth it!
nevada
Senior Member
correct.
but, its not perfect, it needs a manual transfer case SHIFTER. then it would be perfect.
diverscale
Member
"S" mode is for you then. I like the shiftpoints of the current 5th gen. My 2011 v6 tacoma had the "old" shiftpoints and, yes, "felt" faster, but really wasn't.
Monomaniac
New member
Truck definitely adapts to the driver. I've driven a few 5th gens and they all seem a bit different. I actually just returned a loaner, which felt very different, and when I got back into mine it felt peppier and more like "home" even with the larger tires. The stock 14 limited sure did drive smoother and handle better than my lifted 2010. You'll get used to it also. This was my complaint with the 5th gen runner also. Still feels slow but I've adapted and learned how to drive it. Have fun!
