Tell me about your 5th gen

[chad_nm]

I'm still talking myself into a new Limited although I've been hesitant. I have driven an SR5 as a loaner once but wasn't really paying any attention to it. I have been reading reviews online and they all are good for the most part. I will be using it to haul two babies, jet ski, boat, 16' trailer for landscaping my new house... Things like that. But I also take a ton of road trips and one thing I read was that some times highway wind noise is so loud it is interruptive. Of course you can't believe everything you read......... So tell me for yourself; what do you do in your 4Runner and how do you feel it serves you?

Thanks guys, look forward to your input!

 

[Newf4R]

All I do is highway driving and I can't say road noise ever came to my mind. Any model 4Runner will tow all you named with ease. I would recommend you take a long test drive in the ltd and see if it suits your needs.

 

[ZJumper]

We have 2 T4Rs in the household I've got a 2010 SR5 and my wife has a 2004 Limited. Both vehicles are used for the below listed things. No issues with either gen.

1. Tow 20' ski boat (3500 lbs loaded)--no issues towing it.
2. Tow 8x10 trailer with Yamaha Rhino, Honda RC-51 sport bike or stuff from hardware store--no issues
3. Road trips with wife, baby and 2 Boston Terriers and all our stuff from CA to WA or anywhere else we might go--wish it had a bit more space at times, then again more space would just allow thw wife to bring more stuff.
4. Snow ski, skydiving, road bike or mountain bike trips on weekends with all our gear--It's a beast in the snow.
5. Commute back and forth to work everyday.

I don't think the wind noise is remarkable at all. Never bothered me.

WISHES
--V-8 at times just for a bit of extra grunt when towing (or a supercharger--c'mon Toyota) but power for 95% of the time is just fine with the V-6

 

[Avalanche]

I do primarily highway driving, and I have not noticed any wind noise. I do my driving in the plains where there's a ton of wind. No issues. And as the poster above me said, the 4Runner is great in the snow. Given you live in Farmington, NM that aspect will serve you well. I feel incredibly safe in this vehicle, and if I hauled 2 babies in anything I'd feel a lot safer about them being in the 4Runner than anything else ont the road except for maybe some sort of military tank.

 

[Bay33saw]

I have a 12 LTD and have no regrets what so ever, I will tell you what I did to avoid going through all the salesmanship at the dealership though.
I searched through my local carmax dealer (who I find much less hassle to deal with than Toyota dealerships) and test drove both the SR5 and the LTD, in fact I went back and test drove the LTD 3 times before I pulled the trigger.
Go with the LTD if you can afford it, you can't get better IMHO

 

[mdogg]

Regarding wind noise, keep in mind that the T4R is a mid-size SUV - not a car-like, slanted windshield, CUV. It looks like a brick and has the aerodynamics of one. That being said, wind noise isn't an issue really for me - the insulation seems to be quite good, at least on the Limited.

My wife has a '12 Highlander. If you look at the windshield angle and shape in general of the Highlander, it's quite a bit more slippery at higher speeds. So her vehicle is definitely quieter than mine with respect to wind noise, but I wouldn't say mine is interruptive or distracting during conversation at all. I definitely do notice the noise more and more as speeds increase to 70 or 80 on the open highway in the T4R.

I think it's really something subjective that you need to try on your own and make your own judgment. Get an overnight loaner at get it up to 75 (or perhaps 85 since you're in NM and I think some speed limits are 75 or 80 over there). Make your own call.

 

[cbielat]

It's siiiick! Look in signature for details.

 

[cincline72]

invalid key circulation

I have a 2004 4runner that was taken into an auto body shop and they ran the computer and it came back as invalid key circulation. Any ideas. engine light is on and the vsc trac and vsc off lights are also on. Help?

 

[GreyhoundGuy]

We bought our 2010 Limited (4WD) in November of 2012. It's the model with the slide out tray instead of 3rd row seats. Since we bought it, we've put about 11,000 miles on it.

After test driving the 4Runner, Pilot, Pathfinder, and several others, we felt that the 4Runner would do best to haul our family on many adventures. Right now, our family is myself, my wife, and our two "fur-kids" (two greyhounds, 55 pounds and 75 pounds). We think it'll still work great when we add a "skin-kid" to the mix.

Like I mentioned, we've put about 11k miles on it since we bought it. That included a 3,000 mile holiday journey from Texas to Minnesota and Wisconsin. During that trip, it performed AMAZINGLY! The trip was smooth and quiet. (Coming from 1998 Jeep Cherokee, I was blown away at how quiet it was inside the cabin. Even now, months later, I still feel it is a quiet cabin.) Over the course of that trip, I think we averaged between 19 and 22 mpg at most of our gas station stops. I know we had the wind at our back as we cruised through Iowa, and we hit 24.5 mpg.

Other than big trips, I use the 4R as my daily commuter. I drive 15 miles to work (30-35 minutes) with some stoplight roads and some highway. I've been packing 150 miles on every week since we bought it. In those driving conditions, I've still been getting 19.5 mpg pretty routinely.

I hope all this helps. Feel free to reply or send a PM if you want more info or if you have specific questions.

-Joel

 

[chad_nm]

Thank you guys so much!! The thing is I buy vehicles usually without test driving them. I've had 14new or hardly used vehicles in 4 years and wouldn't have been able to do that if I purchased in state. NM is a rip off for vehicles. So I get online and find the best deal possible, usually in California, Colorado or Arizona. That's why I came here to ask instead of drive.

I had a Kia Optima SX with horrible road noise. Drove me nuts. My wife had a '12 MDX Advance that I totaled on the res and that car I loved so much. I can't stop comparing it to everything I look at. What we replaced the MDX with and will be trading for a Limited 4Runner is a '13 Explorer Sport. I think it's the most uncomfortable ugly thing ever. My wife wanted it and she doesn't even like it now. The funny thing is, we did test drive it!

So I've found this http://www.mountainstatestoyota.com...enver-CO-508dc6d50a0a0002002da63a6cee3a62.htm
I am calling on it now and hopefully will be the new owner of it by this Tuesday

 

[Logan714]

I drive between California and Arizona about once a month and I have not had any complaints about wind noise. I'm also driving by myself and listen to my music at an unsafe level so that could also be why I don't notice any wind noise.

 

[chad_nm]

I drive between California and Arizona about once a month and I have not had any complaints about wind noise. I'm also driving by myself and listen to my music at an unsafe level so that could also be why I don't notice any wind noise.

Lol well... I might do the same but I always feel like I'm damaging my kiddo when I turn it up the slightest bit... Haha The thing with the wind noise is that I thought since the doors sound like a tin can, or thin that maybe Toyota cut corners in other areas too. But I'm convinced they didn't now, the responses have been great!

 

[JayceeP]

Lol, $41k for a brand new '13 Limited... And that's not even negotiating. What are sales taxes, 5%? Just on that basis alone you should do it. I paid about $43kCDN for a brand new leftover '12 back in March and that is a steal by most Canadian standards. THEN I had to pay 15% sales tax on top of that.

Anyway, in all seriousness, it's a great rig. I have 2850km/1770mi on it so far and I'm getting about 16.5-17mpg but my commute is only about 5 miles and there are a couple of lights. However, my average fuel economy quickly creeps up over 18mpg on any longer trip like the one we took today to get some fresh Fish n' Chips about 20mi/30km away. I'm also full-time 4x4 and have 3rd row, though I figure the 3rd row has a very small impact on mpg (weight).

I haven't experienced any wind noise and coming from a 4-dr Wrangler, this thing is is much smoother and quieter.

First long trip will be up to New Brunswick next weekend (a bit under 300mi). Will have more feedback then.

 

[chad_nm]

Lol, $41k for a brand new '13 Limited... And that's not even negotiating. What are sales taxes, 5%? Just on that basis alone you should do it. I paid about $43kCDN for a brand new leftover '12 back in March and that is a steal by most Canadian standards. THEN I had to pay 15% sales tax on top of that.

Anyway, in all seriousness, it's a great rig. I have 2850km/1770mi on it so far and I'm getting about 16.5-17mpg but my commute is only about 5 miles and there are a couple of lights. However, my average fuel economy quickly creeps up over 18mpg on any longer trip like the one we took today to get some fresh Fish n' Chips about 20mi/30km away. I'm also full-time 4x4 and have 3rd row, though I figure the 3rd row has a very small impact on mpg (weight).

I haven't experienced any wind noise and coming from a 4-dr Wrangler, this thing is is much smoother and quieter.

First long trip will be up to New Brunswick next weekend (a bit under 300mi). Will have more feedback then.

Sweet thanks! And sales tax in NM is about 3% thankfully. And I cannot believe how harsh prices are in Canada, you guys really get the shaft!

 

[scanny]

I just got over 36,000 miles on my SR5 and I still love it. Did a few long highway trips, some offroading and I can't ask for a better truck. Don't have anything to tow though.