Thinking of buying a V8 4runner

[bombo]

I'm on my 3rd 4Runner. The first 2 were both V6's and this one is the V8. I just got this one 3 weeks ago. '08 Limited with 29K. I love it. There's been a lot of snow up in the mountains, but not much around here in Denver and I can't wait to get it into more than just 3-4 inches of partly cloudy that we occasionally have!. I agree, the V8 is awesome!

 

[jmmilton]

Just got my second 4runner a month ago. This one is an 06 and V8, got it to tow a pop-up and I love it. My 2001 V6 would tow the camper OK, but it struggled a little when I tried to keep up with interstate speeds through the Ozarks. The 4th gen is quite an improvement over the previous and is a little bigger. I looked quite a while to find a V8, but the wait is worth it. The salesmen who want you to settle for a V6 will tell you the 6 has "almost" as much HP as the 8, but they always seem to forget the numbers when you ask about Torque.

 

[CAFROG]

I enjoy my V8 too. It can cruise at low rpm well but even with an easy foot (mostly lol) and 250 highway miles....306 miles total on a tank. I put 19 gallons in. Thats 16.1mpg but 4runner data said 17.9mpg. Now a V6 would get 3-4 mpgs more.....maybe more than that. So I figure the mpg's is the big obstacle (next to timing belt maintenance) when comparing against the V8

And the torque difference is the best part. But I thought I would be the devil's advocate a little. Its an adjustment for me. I had a DD that whooped stock Mustang GT's (14.37 1/4 mile times) and got 34mpg (or more) on the highway. Mid-high 20's in the city with a heavy foot and rev'ing to 8K+ multiple times per day. Now I take it easy and get 16mpg lmao. But I now can let my old DD become a track car (no more CA stupid smog laws to worry about) and I have a very nice vehicle (go Toyota) that I can tow it with!

In terms of 4th gen 4Runners.....I love mine. Little things like the dome lights coming on when you unlock it.....staying on until you turn the key to the on position....self locking rear cargo door....and back seats that fold all the way flat. These are little things that pulled me in after I looked at my first 4Runner (I looked at a few before buying one)

Now mine is 2WD SR5 so other models have more amenities. In hind sight....I would have tried to find a 06-08 4Runner Sport V8 with matching bumper color. I like the Sport hood and the overall looks of a 06-08 4Runner. But I looked at 8 different 4Runners and (based on my wants and monthly payment constraints) it was hard to find what I liked.