Under Power Concern

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kiloil

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I recently acquired a 2012 LE and I not happy with the performance of the vehicle, more so the lack of power between 2k and 4k. Is it me or is this Runner underpowered? Don't get me wrong there are some great attributes the vehicle brings, but HP and torque are not there.

I have been reading about S/C, but appears that no one has come out with one for the vehicle just of yet. Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
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You may not feel it, but it's plenty powerful. The TQ curve is extremely flat, but you do have to ring it out a bit for HP. The power is there, just use your foot more.

For the sake of gas mileage and a horrible drive-by-wire feel they gave up a bit of driving experience.

Being a Limited owner, you do give up some power 'feel' to drivetrain loss. Although I don't mind.

This is not and will never be anything resembling an M3.
 
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drive by wire, trans programming, make this thing feel like a slug. I'm able to get on it every so often, and it is pretty quick, just depends...

it always wants to find the highest gear, which pisses me off sometimes because ill press into the gas pedal and instead of accelerating, it'll shift into 5th. Then again, overridden by mo gas and sport mode!
 
Sport Mode is your friend when needing more power. I improved my gas mileage about 0.5 mpg by using Sport Mode on inclines where the engine seems to bog down during my commute. The engine just seems to come to life and provides plenty of power in the 2K to 4K range.
 
It has the engine displacement for greater things. I still have my 3rd generation 4 runner and I just accepted the fact that vehicle was never fast, but its been the most reliable. I just sits in my driveway, because I only drive it 10 miles or so a month now.

I test drove the vehicle for 1 hour on two separate occasions, but some how I missed the lack of muscle.

I would consider a S/C, and exhaust only if it would achieve 400HP at the crank. I wish I knew more information on the S/C and if the charged air is cooled via air/water or air/air.

I'll just learn to like the vehicle for what it is. It will be a vehicle that will tow my semi-track car next summer so I will see how it performs pulling 4k of weight.
 
kiloil said:
I recently acquired a 2012 LE and I not happy with the performance of the vehicle, more so the lack of power between 2k and 4k. Is it me or is this Runner underpowered? Don't get me wrong there are some great attributes the vehicle brings, but HP and torque are not there.

I have been reading about S/C, but appears that no one has come out with one for the vehicle just of yet. Please correct me if I am wrong.
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This does seem to be a common concern among 5th gen owners. Mine got better after a couple thousand miles:

1. I got used to it, and maybe don't notice as much. My last 2 trucks were V8s, so the V6 seemed slow in comparison.

2. The drivetrain will break in a bit, resulting in slightly less friction and better response

3. If Toyota is similar to other manufacturers, the computers that control the engine and transmission (ECU and TCU) are adaptive, and "learn" your driving style over time. If you tend to accelerate more aggressively, the computer will adjust the shift points and possibly other variables accordingly.

4. Its not just a T4R thing. I got a new Suburban 2500 for work this year and it was pretty much the same story. Despite a monster 6.0 V8, it was a slug at first. After a few thousand miles, it will now pin me into the seat and break the tires loose if I'm not careful!

And if all else fails, use the manual shift mode and wait for a supercharger to become available!
 
I took an LE out for a spin, it was a bit slow but not enough to bother me one bit. I am a bit concerned if I threw larger tires on it, but really no, not concerned. I currently drive a v8 explorer.

I think throwing some mods like a better air filter and exhaust should give it a boost, but not knowledgeable about the 4r engine to know if it would, some cars it is a waste of money, others it is like throwing in a whole new engine.
 
4FL said:
I took an LE out for a spin, it was a bit slow but not enough to bother me one bit. I am a bit concerned if I threw larger tires on it, but really no, not concerned. I currently drive a v8 explorer.
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It would take a lot of engine mods to get the performance to be comparable to a V8 Explorer! I had an 07' V8 Sport Trac and damn was it quick! The reliability of the T4R makes all the difference, though.
 
StRanger7032 said:
It would take a lot of engine mods to get the performance to be comparable to a V8 Explorer! I had an 07' V8 Sport Trac and damn was it quick! The reliability of the T4R makes all the difference, though.
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Not expecting it to be as fast as the explorer, but at least I know it will not be a money pit that mine has been (well would have if not for the extended warranty).

Really, if I wanted power in an SUV, I would get an older navigator or a diesel Excursion. The 4 runner may not be fast, but it is not slow either.

Who here has had a 2004 xterra (or same style)? Are the 4 runners faster than those things? I had one but could not tell and did not think mentally to compare on my test drive.
 
4FL said:
Not expecting it to be as fast as the explorer, but at least I know it will not be a money pit that mine has been (well would have if not for the extended warranty).

Really, if I wanted power in an SUV, I would get an older navigator or a diesel Excursion. The 4 runner may not be fast, but it is not slow either.

Who here has had a 2004 xterra (or same style)? Are the 4 runners faster than those things? I had one but could not tell and did not think mentally to compare on my test drive.
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The 4runner is considerably faster than an 04 Xterra. Toyota claims 7.1 0-60, Google says an 04 Xterra did 11.5, which checks out from my memory of driving one. I think they made a supercharged Xterra though, so that would have been faster... Nissan has pretty responsive throttle, unlike Toyota, so they feel faster than they are, and Toyota's tend to feel slower. (sidebar: cant wait to hear people claim that the Scion FR-S is slower than the Subaru BRZ)

The thing is that when people say it lacks power what they mean is 'it feels like it lacks power'.
 
As long as it is faster than the xterra (2004), I am satisfied. The xterra was aggravating slow, the type of slow that irritates someone (at least me).
 
Coming from an 07 Tundra with the 5.7 my 4runner felt like a pig at first, even compared to my wife's Venza which has comparable numbers it felt like a pig. I knew this buying it and two months & 3000 miles later it surprises me how quick it is when you want it to be or are just cruising around and get on it a little.
 
My 4R doesn't feel slow. I test drove a 5Th gen 4R and it didn't feel slow, but mine feels faster because it's a V8. I timed my 0-60 and it's 6.6 seconds on a flat surface with A/C off and only me in it. (03 SR5 V8 2WD)
 
All set aside, It's an SUV. The power of the 4runner wasn't our deciding factor when we bought them. I also do not feel that it is underpowered. I came from a 1999 Toyota Tacoma with the 2.4 in it, and that was underpowered! If you can work the throttle and time the shifts you can get on down the road with it. Is it going to compete with the camaro next to you at the red light? No. Now I'm not saying I won't end up with a supercharger at one point or another, because I most likely will. Who doesn't want more power? All in all, I don't think it is considerably underpowered like everyone that has pointed it out that It won't keep up with something built for speed purposes. Just enjoy it man. If your like me, you'll grow to love more and more each day.
 
offroadingatc said:
.... The thing is that when people say it lacks power what they mean is 'it feels like it lacks power'.
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Exactly this. It's programmed differently, for mileage. Tip-in is, ah, gradual, and the shift points are, ah, early. All of which make it "feel" sluggish, or unresponsive.

It IS powerful, and it WILL go, you just have to learn its style, and how to demand its power with your foot. Use the sport mode if you want control.
 
I tow regularly and I can tell you, this engine is no slug. It doesn't downshift frequently on hills, just motors on up without complaint. It's a truck, guys! It's designed for this stuff, now...

I'm sure Toyota could've tuned the throttle response, etc differently but then everyone would be complaining about poor fuel mileage. If you want it to go, put your foot in it and hold it there. You will be surprised-
 
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