Talk me into a 5th Gen. It probably wont take much effort. Ive been gone from the forum for a long long time. Life happened. I've got an 05 that I bought new in 2005 with 257,000 on the odometer. She still runs great but she's tired. I'm gonna be in the market this summer or fall so I have a bit of time. What are the things you don't like about your 5th gen? What do you love? Throw it all out here to help me make a decision.
OK, because you asked, and because probably not many folks here have actually had long term (or any?) experience with prior generations of 4Runner.
I had two prior generations, the last being a 3rd gen (2000 model year) Sport model. Bought in 2000 and sold in 2016 with with just over 100,000 on the clock, so not driven much compared to some here. It was bulletproof - over the entire ownership period I spent less than $2000 on ALL maintenance/repairs - that included consumables like brakes and tires. Remarkable! So when I sold the 2000 I just bought the current equivalent without wasting much thought on it - a 2011 Trail, used this time but low miles, maintenance history, etc. I've had the trail for 3 years/20,000 miles now.
The 5th gen is a more cheaply made vehicle, period. In my opinion Toyota is now building to a price point rather than a quality standard. That's not to say it's not still a great vehicle, it's just not as robust, nor built with as much attention to detail as the prior generations. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed here but that's certainly my reality. Here's my off the cuff list of why, some are big, some are small, all are annoying to someone who had a better prior experience:
• Glovebox light only turns on if headlights are on.
• Rear hatch window can no longer be controlled with the remote like on the 2000 4runner
• No more electric defoggers for rear side windows like on the 2000 4runner
• Rear heater no longer has separate heat exchanger like on the 2000 4runner (this makes a HUGE difference)
• Missing grab handles on door pillars like 2000 4runner
• Can’t use defrost with recirc like on every other car I’ve ever owned, and on the 2000 4Runner (HUGE difference if you live in very cold climate)
• Excessive nose dive when braking (50% solved with upgrade to bilstein 5100s all around, but result is still not as good as 2000 4Runner)
• Excessive body roll when cornering ((50% solved with upgrade to poly sway bar bushings all around, but result is still not as good as 2000 4Runner)
• Wiper on rear hatch doesn’t make a full arc - SO annoying for such a small thing (just got back from 3 days skiing and back window is solid gray - Holy F the wiper is still annoying)
• Door lock switches aren’t symmetrical right-to-left (were symmetrical on 200 4Runner, didn't need to thimk to use them no matter what side you were on)
• Window controls on top of door rather than down by door handle (uncomfortable to use, vulnerable to rain/snow, just super crappy ergonomics)
• Radio screen dims to illegibility if headlights are on during the day, and the radio is included in the dash brightness control knob circuit
• Windows regularly freeze shut during cold weather (I have to open my window every morning and this is maddening - I've tried EVERYTHING to no avail)
• Comparatively atrocious interior ergonomics (center console, cubbies in dash, etc - see lock switch & window controls above)
• Electronic dimmer on rear view mirror not nearly as effective as manual dimmer.
• Excessively large spoiler means you can’t open rear hatch when hauling stuff on roof
• As designed the slide out cargo tray is COMPLETELY useless except as a baby changing table - can’t actually use it to haul cargo as the name implies
• Cascading electronic failure modes (i.e. if the gas cap is loose causing the check engine light to come on, 4wd quits working until you clear the code)
• Roof rack cross bars don’t extend far enough forward so the rear hatch can’t open when using a rooftop box
(Also related to ginormous spoiler on rear hatch, and annoying “shark fin” antenna)
• No power antenna like on the 2000 4runner
• No locking gas cap like on 2000 4runner
• Why in god’s name does it have reclining rear seats??? Most people don’t even know they recline!
• No courtesy/dome light in rear cargo area
• Functionally challenged phone/ipod interface - it's well and truly bad, but maybe it's gotten better since 2011? Definitely can't be worse unless they made it a design objective...
• Excessive delay in throttle response
• Too much plastic in the rear cargo area: less plastic = more cargo, DUH!
PS if you take the plunge look up Antman's extra storage mod, it's very useful but a stupid thing to have to do to gain back a couple cubic feet of storage
• Almost no soundproofing
• Still very prone to frame rust (on new england salted roads) even when well cared for
• “Party Mode” stereo is the most unbelievably stupid “feature” I’ve seen in any vehicle ever. A sad triumph of marketing over engineering.
• Massive amounts of empty space in engine compartment - give me some tool storage bins there so I don’t need to hack something together.
• Oh, and my sunroof did indeed break - out of a string of 7 vehicles with sunroofs this is the only one where it’s been a problem.
• And last but not least - limited slip diff only available on Limited model. Really? Another depressing triumph of marketing over utility.
Some of these can be categorized, like ALL the electrical components are all just a tier or two lower quality - window motors, lock actuators, heater fan, etc (and sunroof in my case). Some have a real impact on utility like the removal of the separate rear heater core, or the lack of power antenna and locking gas cap. Some are small things that shouldn't have been allowed past even basic design reviews. Some _might_ be classified as preferences? Also, I didn't mention the size, but this is a WAY bigger vehicle and I'm not sure why. It also gets precisely the same gas mileage as my 2000 did, virtually no improvement over 11 development years.
Anyways, those are my thoughts. If I were to do it again I'd honestly probably go for the land cruiser, but it's just so freakin big and packed with electronics at this point that it's not all that attractive either. I guess I'd look at an early GX 470 as well. Tough call, though. I'm still hopeful on the reliability - but I also miss the lack of focus on the "utility" part of the sport utility equation.
Just my honest $.02. Good luck with your decision.
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