The next 4Runner...my rant

[WaterMan]

I would like to start a discussion on what we would like to see in the next Gen 4Runner.
My reason is...after a trip to the dealer today...and a look at the newer models...I saw some things that got my attention.
Number 1: the stereos. I guess Toyota has decided to screw convention and start building non-standard size proprietary units in their vehicles. Now...this may be all and good for the old school AM radio listeners out there...but I didn't buy my 4Runner to stand outside and ogle it. (Okay, maybe after I have washed and waxed it, but not it's sole purpose). I bought it to drive it. And a key feature to my driving enjoyment is music. Now, it's 2007...not 1957 and I expect at this point in time to see some basic features:
- MP3 (finally, this is standard)
- bluetooth (hmmm, should be basic, as many places make talking on the phone illegal, especially military bases)
- USB and/or one of the zillion memory card formats
- an AUX jack (duh.)
- RCA outputs for an amplifier
- a hard drive (most of us own more than 6 cds now)
- a display that actually displays more than 10 characters
Now I'll let those who want or need navigation make their pitch, but for me I just need a friggin compass.
(But one thing I haven't figured out is why there isn't a display for the damn OBD. Even GM figured out that part.)
I really don't care to hear any more BS excuses from automakers why a simple AM/FM radio costs $250. If it's that hard, then just leave the hole there and let us put in something. I have done that on two previous new cars and should have done it on the 4Runner. Now, it won't be an option for me.
I shouldn't have to buy a Scion stereo to get the basics.
And if I have to spend $2000 for a crappy JBL, forget it.

Number 2: Hybrid. Fuel cell.

Whatever.

I saw the Hybrid Limited Camrys and Limited Highlanders on the lot...no Plain Jane Hybrids. After doing the math, I would have to own the car for at least 7 years (at current gas prices) to break even. If gas goes to $5 (probably by next summer if things keep going the way they are), then it would be almost 5 years to break even.
Sorry, not worth it. If Toyota doesn't come out with the fuel cell or a hybrid at a better price, then what really is the point. I should feel good about it when I buy it, not 5 years later.

Number 3: Crossovers.

WTF? You mean grocery carts.

I drive my 4runner offroad and get it damned dirty. If I wanted a creampuff I would have bought an X5. If Toyota dumps the fully boxed frame...I am outta here.

The point of all of this is I really love our Toyotas and I would like to continue to buy them. But if the price of being #1 is being brain dead...then it may be time to look elsewhere. Hopefully enough folks will put in their 2cents and we'll have enough capital to make a difference. I would like to see what others want in the new 4Runner. Before it's too late.

 

[dingo]

Well since we're ranting on what we want, I'll just repost this from an old ass post I posted a while back in '05. Some seem silly now that I read it again:

- Onboard/built in tire air compressor with on the fly tire pressure changes. No more having to wait at the gas station, getting outside the truck, or no need to fire up the compressor in my garage. Ability to air up or air down while still sitting in the driver's seat for off/on-road. One less thing for me to carry.

- Better tire pressure monitoring system integrated with the NAV or console. It'd be nice to see all 5 tires in a small graphic or diagram and have their respective pressures displayed. Be sweet to change / regulate pressure individually via prementioned onboard compressor (see above).

- Adjustable X-REAS that will accomodate lifts.

- More ground clearance.

- Built in spare tire lock. Release via within the cabin with key.

- Beefier/thicker skid plates that cover more area.

- Keyless entry remote and immobilizer chip integrated into the body of the actual key (I think Japanese Surfs have this). No need to have a separate key and separate remote fob. Kinda like Mercedes or BMW keys.

- More side bolster support/adjustment on front seats.

- Thicker paint (I've only had my runner for 3 months and I have chips on my front end already. Oh well such is life.)

- Speaking of paint...bring back Thunder Cloud Metallic color. Just the right shade of gray. Just in between Titanium and Galactic.

- REVO's as stock set instead of the H/T's.

- Built-in tool set (at the risk of getting too BMW-ish).

- TRD stickers instead of those stupid white stickers on the driver's window that read "This vehicle contains chemicals and substances that are known to cause all sorts of diseases, dumbening, etc."

- 40/50 MPG and a second fuel tank that switches to lemon juice. (Hey it's a wish list)

- Top mounted oil filter for the V8 (I don't have the V8 but people keep saying they have to remove the skid to get to their filter).

- Beefier 4WD control knob. For a nicely, well built vehicle, everytime I shift from 2H to 4H or 4L it feels like I'm turning on a toaster oven with that cheap plastic knob. At least make it out of anodized aluminum or something sturdier/cooler looking. I'm engaging my 4WD not baking pop tarts.

- Hitch ball standard (come on Toyota).

- Auto hatch closer for ALL the doors and hood, not just the rear hatch. I cringe evertime the mechanics just slam my hood down after an oil change.

- Valor exhaust tips standard. Too damn nice not to have on your rear pipe.

- Negatively charged clear coat so that dirt just repels off (except for mud, mud always looks good on a runner).

- Anti-theft wheel caps (don't know how, just wish they were)

- sliding "hold" switch on key transmitter. I've had countless times where my keys are in my pocket, I sit the wrong way and the buttons are accidently pressed by the adjacent keys. I'm then like, "Did I just hear my 4runner beep/unlock? Crap." (have to get up, walk back and check).

- maybe throw in some hybrid technology for highway driving.

- Persicope.

 

[Paul2660]

Aux Jack

I believe on all 2007's you have the AUX jack now. It's not in a very good location, buried down in the very bottom of the center console. Not sure why they thought that was a good idea. Makes much more sense IMO to put it on the front of the radio unit.

Paul C

 

[dingo]

Re: Aux Jack

I believe on all 2007's you have the AUX jack now. It's not in a very good location, buried down in the very bottom of the center console. Not sure why they thought that was a good idea. Makes much more sense IMO to put it on the front of the radio unit.

Paul C

I have to disagree. My '07 has the AUX mini-plug in the center console and I think that is the better location. I prefer having a clean dash and hooking up my ipod with a wire sticking out from the HU looks clumsy. I usually have my ipod connected through the AUX and the mini-plug wire neatly stowed out of sight in the center console. The ipod either sits in the small open compartment under the folding burger tray or is out of sight entirely in the center console.

 

[4x4Runner09]

Are all 07's standard with the aux jack. I still have not found it on my dads 07 Sport. Do they come standard on both stero systems?

 

[dingo]

Are all 07's standard with the aux jack. I still have not found it on my dads 07 Sport. Do they come standard on both stero systems?

The AUX jack is standard on all trim levels regardless of what stock HU is installed (at least for US regions). If you open the large center console, look deep below the coin holder. The jack is covered with a protective rubber or plastic cover (similar to what you find on digital cameras that cover the data cable ports).

This pic isn't of my own setup, but credit goes to Scrappy125.

 

[SciRunner]

2006 4Runner's also have AUX input.

My wishlist:
1. Hybrid - 2 buttons. one for city/stop and go efficiency and the other button for quick off the line acceleration.

2. Keep the power rear sliding window! I see a lot of SUV/CUV owners looking at my Runner and wonder why their rear windows dont slide up and down.

3. The LR2 has dials you select for dirt, snow, gravel, etc. Although ATRAC will take care of the above w/o moving any buttons.

4. Side mirror turn signals standard. Not the cheesy "<" ">" ones but something similar to the new Forester.

5. Storage under the rear seat (see the rear seats under the 2008 xB).

6. HIDS nuff said

7. Keep the mechanical 4WD. We dont want electronic AWD. Keep that for the Highlander/Rav4 crowd.

8. V8 engine with a timing chain not timing belt. The ISF 5L engine should suffice. The LC/LX can keep the 5.7L.

9. Electronic power steering

 

[Jeff Kleb]

Diesel Power!!

Make it available for both the Tacoma and the 4Runner. Toyota has diesels for sale in foreign markets, so I know they could do it here if they really wanted to. A V6 diesel displacing about 4.5 liters could fit the bill......or even a straight six (if one would not be too long to fit under the hood) might work.

I think the time has come and American drivers are going to become more receptive to diesel engines.....especially if the price of unleaded continues to be higher in most areas.

Add a price differential to a 25 to 30 percent in fuel economy (miles per gallon) and the new breed of compression-ignition engines available, and it is almost a no-brainer.

Imagine driving a 4Runner and getting the mileage of a Camry. I think a lot of drivers would love to have a larger vehicle that uses the same amount of fuel as one that is much, much smaller.

Ford sells a heck of a lot of diesel-powered full-size trucks because they are so much more economical than the gas-burning ones. A PowerStroke (diesel) F-250 getting 17 to 18 mpg versus a Triton V8 that rates 12 or 13 mpg is a huge difference on a percentage level, especially when diesel is less expensive than unleaded regular.

 

[Northof49]

I would also like said mystical 4Runner with piles more features, more power, better fuel economy, more of everything with no compromises, etc, etc, etc.....oh and don't forget Toyota, keep it the same price or else we'll go ballistic. Prefferably less.

Sorry to be the reality buzzkill

 

[RonMAIDEN]

There's no guarantee that diesel will always be cheaper than gas and in the cold weather areas diesel still has issues but that's only in a few areas and only part of the year.

 

[Uneek]

Stereo:
-Bluetooth, you will probably see this on the upgraded JBL radio on the next gen. The '07 Camry and Tundra has Bluetooth options without the requirement of nav as with the current 4Runner setup.
-Hard drive, probably won't see that until the 6th gen 4Runner. Currently only the Lexus LS has a HD setup, I would expect it to trickle down to entire Lexus lineup before it would be offered on a Toyota. Look at the memory seats, the 4Runner is seat only, no mirrors and Lexus has memory seats for the passenger side (pointless IMO).
-More importantly, I rather see DVD-video playback capability as with the Mark Levinson systems on Lexus models plus the ability to play DVD+/-Rs MP3 discs, so I can have a bigger music library than with CD-Rs.

Hybrid:
-It'll probably be electronic AWD, doubt 4WD. But who knows with what they're able to pull off in the LS600h L.
-The next gen Prius is suppose to offer an all electric mode for city driving.

Crossovers:
-They already got those covered with the Highlander and RAV4. The 4Runner will probably be dropped before it goes uni-body. But then again, the 4Runner can be a starting platform for the next Tacoma.

Engine:
-They won't put the IS-F 5.0 V8 in the 4Runner. It's a car application engine, if anything they're going to retune it for more torque. But it would just be a whole lot easier for them to stuff the 5.7 in there instead.

Interior:
-Fold flat front passenger seat as with non-TRD package Tacomas and '07 Tundras.
-A little more headroom.

Exterior:
-HID and make it like the Sienna and Solara with the manual height adjustment.
-Height adjustable suspension system.

 

[ProMed]

As others have mentioned, my 06 has the aux input in the center storage box, it also has bluetooth with the navigation. I agree that a harddrive for music and usb input would be cool as well.

 

[Falls]

Hybrid .... by a fricken , Camry , Highlander , Rav , ect......... its a fricken truck !! The may just make one since enough suckers are buying them up in other models .

A dial to select which terrain your on ........... good lord help us .

The diesel option mentioned in the f250/350 is a 5000.00 option and will take over 100k miles to break even , not to mention maint. costs are much higher. You should only buy a diesel if you need it tow to some heavy duty stuff , if you buying for fuel milage , you will be in the same boat as the Hybrid suckers. A small diesel in a truck like a 4R or Tacoma , but still hard to be cost effective unless its a cheap option.

If Toyota reads some of the powder puff options some are asking for this will be the "King" of Mall queens"

1st - 4th gens are all pretty tough trucks , but 1&2 gens were tough as nails , just rusted apart , 3 gens were a huge improvement and great off roaders , 4th gens went a more civilized route but still held to the tuff truck heritage.

maybe the 5th generation they will make a "Mary Kay" package 4R with all the little cream puff items for folks who cant figure out how to use 4wd so they can drive fast in any road conditions and a Hybrid so you can put powerlessly along ....lol.

Only time will tell , I'm waiting for the real info to come out , its its a wuss truck , I'll go to a taco , Fj or whatever they offer.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Good post Falls;people rarely look at how much the cost of the savings vs the premium they paid.


My mom was looking at a hybrid to commute in and park her '99 Runner but I suggested a slightly used Civic which get over 30 easily on the highway and spend under a 1/3 less than the cost of a new Prius.

 

[Jeff Kleb]

Diesels

The diesel option mentioned in the f250/350 is a 5000.00 option and will take over 100k miles to break even , not to mention maint. costs are much higher. You should only buy a diesel if you need it tow to some heavy duty stuff , if you buying for fuel milage , you will be in the same boat as the Hybrid suckers.

The diesel option in the Ford Super Duty truck has that huge cost premium because they source them from International/Navistar. Ditto for the outsourced Cummins 5.9L in the Dodge and the GM Duramax that is purchased from Isuzu.

Maintenance costs for diesel engines are very reasonable - as there are no spark plugs, ignition coils, distributor caps, etc., etc.; although they are quite a bit more expensive to fix if something does go wrong. A problem with the Ford PowerStroke truck diesel is that most dealers don't like working on them because they're not really a Ford engine. I have heard that complaint quite often.

Toyota makes its own diesels (both in-house and through their large truck subsidiary, Hino) that are already sold in markets outside the USA. I suspect there would be a price increase for a diesel option in the 4Runner or Tacoma, but that it would be nowhere near five grand.

Maybe I am prejudiced because I drive diesels for a living, but I believe they could make a go of it if they really wanted to do so.


I suppose we are going to have to wait and see.

 

[Falls]

Like I said I think a smaller diesel in Taco , 4R , or even others would be a great idea if you need the power and the price is reasonable.

I was very recently looking at a diesel 250 with a friend who want better milage out of his truck so I know the sticker price option is $5k.

The Toyota diesel would prob. be cheaper since they mfg. their own.

 

[Mark86]

I would like to see a navigation system that can get traffic updates, auto-dimming side mirrors, and most importantly, the 5.7L engine from the Tundra! From what I have heard, the 2008 4Runners will be almost identical to the 2007 models.

 

[Obadiah]

I would like to start a discussion on what we would like to see in the next Gen 4Runner.
My reason is...after a trip to the dealer today...and a look at the newer models...I saw some things that got my attention.
Number 1: the stereos. I guess Toyota has decided to screw convention and start building non-standard size proprietary units in their vehicles. Now...this may be all and good for the old school AM radio listeners out there...but I didn't buy my 4Runner to stand outside and ogle it. (Okay, maybe after I have washed and waxed it, but not it's sole purpose). I bought it to drive it. And a key feature to my driving enjoyment is music. Now, it's 2007...not 1957 and I expect at this point in time to see some basic features:
- MP3 (finally, this is standard)
- bluetooth (hmmm, should be basic, as many places make talking on the phone illegal, especially military bases)
- USB and/or one of the zillion memory card formats
- an AUX jack (duh.)
- RCA outputs for an amplifier
- a hard drive (most of us own more than 6 cds now)
- a display that actually displays more than 10 characters
Now I'll let those who want or need navigation make their pitch, but for me I just need a friggin compass.
(But one thing I haven't figured out is why there isn't a display for the damn OBD. Even GM figured out that part.)
I really don't care to hear any more BS excuses from automakers why a simple AM/FM radio costs $250. If it's that hard, then just leave the hole there and let us put in something. I have done that on two previous new cars and should have done it on the 4Runner. Now, it won't be an option for me.
I shouldn't have to buy a Scion stereo to get the basics.
And if I have to spend $2000 for a crappy JBL, forget it.

Number 2: Hybrid. Fuel cell.

Whatever.

I saw the Hybrid Limited Camrys and Limited Highlanders on the lot...no Plain Jane Hybrids. After doing the math, I would have to own the car for at least 7 years (at current gas prices) to break even. If gas goes to $5 (probably by next summer if things keep going the way they are), then it would be almost 5 years to break even.
Sorry, not worth it. If Toyota doesn't come out with the fuel cell or a hybrid at a better price, then what really is the point. I should feel good about it when I buy it, not 5 years later.

Number 3: Crossovers.

WTF? You mean grocery carts.

I drive my 4runner offroad and get it damned dirty. If I wanted a creampuff I would have bought an X5. If Toyota dumps the fully boxed frame...I am outta here.

The point of all of this is I really love our Toyotas and I would like to continue to buy them. But if the price of being #1 is being brain dead...then it may be time to look elsewhere. Hopefully enough folks will put in their 2cents and we'll have enough capital to make a difference. I would like to see what others want in the new 4Runner. Before it's too late.

Nailed it! A man after my own heart. Great post.

 

[4dailyRunner]

Diesel, yes!!!!!!!!!
blue tooth , yes
mp3 , yes
hard drive, yes
AUX jack, yes
Second battery, yes
180 Amp Alternator, yes
Easy Access Oil Filter, yes
HID's, yes
Boxed Frame, yes
Standardized Radio enclosure, yes.
SIRIUS/XM yes

Hybrid... Needs some work:
Current Hybrid, NO FREAKIN WAY!!!
third row seats, NO FREAKING WAY!!!
ONSTAR-Like service, NO FREAKING WAY!!!
GPS, don't need it, NO

Hydrogen Fuel cell, yes!

 

[spud72]

Isn't the stereo right now a standard Double DIN?