upcoming redesign

[DonnyB]

Will Toyota unvail and post features, options, and pictures of the 4Runner redesign during a period where I could still place a special order for the last year model of the current 4Runner design?
I've been wondering this since I'm stuck between jumping on the current design and my itchin' to see what the new one will be like since it's not very long away.
I've actually thought about picking up a cheaper car, such as a Heep Liberty or base Impreza, for in the meantime. I'm going to look at and do some test driving of some suv's and Subaru's all day tomorrow.

 

[05SportV8]

I think you will have to wait quite a bit for the redesign.
The current design is expected to last at least for the 2010 model year (that is released in fall 2009).

I am as curious as you are about the new model. You can be certain that the next model is already in the works at Toyota. Company's policy is however, to have the info very close to its chest. The current model spy shots did not air until 2002, just one year before it actually entered the market. So, do not expect to see details or spy shots of the new model until 2 years from now.

I am particularly interested in what the new powerplant options will be. I think there is a very high chance that the new 4runner will have the 5.7 liter, as it is becoming mainstream to share powerplants among models of the same company.

I also think that another possibility is a hybrid type engine, part gas part electric as MPG are becoming more than a simple characteristic. It is also possible, and I am hoping this comes true, that a diesel is finally brought to the line-up.

Late improvements in diesel technology allows these engines to finally cope with smog standards.

So, we will have to wait. If someone has or gets some inside info... please shoot it this way. I am really hoping to see the 5.7 in a 4runner, or I just will have to get me the new Sequoia.

I also have a prediction that we will see the FJ cruiser and the Tacoma with the 4.7 V8 in 2 years.

Ok... let's go back to the future.

F.

 

[jtateny]

upcoming T4R

Given the competitive nature of the SUV field I would not be suprised if Toyota introduced the 5th gen T4R in Fall, 2008 or Spring, 2009. In that case spy photos might start appearing in the next few months. I would also not be surprised if the current 4.7 were made the base engine and the 5.7 liter were included as an upgrade option. This would maintain the present fan base and leave the greener fields to the RAV4, Highlander, etc.. As the T4R is not a crossover and continues to be built on a truck chassis, I would be VERY surprised if any plans were in the works to introduce a hybrid package. These may be great for the environment but, in my humble opinion, it would take away from all the attributes that the T4R is known and loved for. In any event, the 4.7 has a pretty good emission rating and gets very decent gas mileage on regular fuel. Why mess with near perfection?

 

[JungleJim]

Re: upcoming T4R

Given the competitive nature of the SUV field I would not be suprised if Toyota introduced the 5th gen T4R in Fall, 2008 or Spring, 2009.

Not going to happen. There won't be a 5th gen for sale until Fall 2009.
With the transition to building them in Texas, the wait might even be longer.

I would also not be surprised if the current 4.7 were made the base engine and the 5.7 liter were included as an upgrade option.

The 4Runner is known for it's off-road abilities. It doesn't need a 5.7 for off-roading. A diesel with a lot of torque would be nice.

 

[jtateny]

Re: Re: upcoming T4R

Not going to happen. There won't be a 5th gen for sale until Fall 2009. With the transition to building them in Texas, the wait might even be longer.

Well...I guess we'll just have to see who is right on that point. I do hope that they do fix the infamous drivetrain "thump" in the next version.

The 4Runner is known for it's off-road abilities. It doesn't need a 5.7 for off-roading. A diesel with a lot of torque would be nice.

I agree with you that the t4r does not "need" the 5.7 for off roading, or any other purpose. Since when does "need" drive the auto industry? I bought my t4r with the 4.7 after test driving the 4.0 and finding the 4.7 to be noticably quieter and smoother. People would go for a 5.7 option just because they could. Just look at all the performance parts that owners of the t4r love to stuff into their vehicles. For these reasons and more I believe that a 5.7 option will appear sooner or later in the 5th gen t4r.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

The next gen 4Runner's main focus will be even less on off roading and may include the bigger V8 for the street crowd.

My friend works for ToyotaUSA and he says Toyota is trying to push for an early summer '09 release of the next 4Runner but he says that might be a stretch.

 

[jtateny]

upcoming T4R

The next gen 4Runner's main focus will be even less on off roading and may include the bigger V8 for the street crowd.

My friend works for ToyotaUSA and he says Toyota is trying to push for an early summer '09 release of the next 4Runner but he says that might be a stretch.

Did your friend also give you the info regarding the 5.7 as an option? If so, then I told you so.....

 

[RonMAIDEN]

He claims Toyota is considering it but the option might be limited depending on gas prices and driving trends and sales of midsize SUVs are over the next year or so.

 

[jtateny]

Hey, Ron...what will the price of gas ever have to do with anything in this country? An expanded 5.7 option would be for Toyota what the hemi is for Chrysler. You could never say it was "needed" but boy would a certain number of Toyo fans check it off on the order form. If it were the standard engine on the Land Cruiser it might even help (and I emphasize the word might) justify the insane price for that vehicle. For me, I would never need or even want anythng more than the 4.7 which is a really sweet "little" engine. :zoom:

 

[mikeync]

Anything new

Anything new on the 4runner 09? I pretty much have to buy a new car by end of the summer and if I can get a 09 4runner I will - if not I will go with something else.

 

[Even Steven]

Re: upcoming T4R

I would also not be surprised if the current 4.7 were made the base engine and the 5.7 liter were included as an upgrade option.

There's no way Toyota would abandon the V6 engine, considering its sales success and the uncertain future of gas prices.

As for the V8 option, I'm sure that's here to stay as well, but who knows which V8 will be offered is anyone's guess.

 

[Falls]

I think it would be really fricken stupid to put an unneeded 5.7L in the 4R.

I would think the current 6 & 8 would be here to say or enhanced .

As far as off road ability and all the stuff I mentioned , we all continually speculate and know nothing than we did before , hell it might even be a better off roader for all we know.

Being a 3rd gen lover , many dissed the 4th gen when it came out as not being off road capable and that (even in stock form) has proved wrong , maybe its not as high , but still a solid performer on and off road and still a little tank IMO.

 

[jtateny]

Re: Re: upcoming T4R

There's no way Toyota would abandon the V6 engine, considering its sales success and the uncertain future of gas prices.

I agree that all of us are just speculating on the future options to be contained in the T4R but isn't that part of the fun???

In regard to the V6 option, it may remain unless Toyota does decide to put in the option of the 5.7L. After all, the gas mileage for the V8 is not all that much less than the V6. I really think that the V6 remains for price considerations for those who simply don't want to spend any more than they have to. Before purchasing my V8 I drove both the V6 and the V8. The V8 was so much smoother that there was no choice for me, especially given that the V8 was designed to take regular grade gas. Thank you Toyota for that gift. I believe that T4R fans would opt for a 5.7L option in droves, just because they could.

Don't forget, if the 5.7L were offered as an option it would likely come with the same 6 speed auto tranny that is getting quite respectable gas mileage on the new Land Cruiser, which is a far heavier vehicle. In regards to the "uncertain future of gas prices", can anyone who purchased a T4R really state with a straight face that gas mileage was a paramount consideration, even in purchasing the V6??? I thought not......

 

[Neil]

can anyone who purchased a T4R really state with a straight face that gas mileage was a paramount consideration, even in purchasing the V6??? I thought not......

I know for me, gas milage was the 3rd most important thing after reliability and rebates/financing. I didn't bother testing the v8 because I didn't want to pay more then I needed to for gas. When i'm driving 22-25K per year, the gas prices really do concern me. It is also the same reason I haven't upsized my tire size from the stock.

 

[Even Steven]

Re: Re: Re: upcoming T4R

I agree that all of us are just speculating on the future options to be contained in the T4R but isn't that part of the fun???

In regard to the V6 option, it may remain unless Toyota does decide to put in the option of the 5.7L. After all, the gas mileage for the V8 is not all that much less than the V6. I really think that the V6 remains for price considerations for those who simply don't want to spend any more than they have to. Before purchasing my V8 I drove both the V6 and the V8. The V8 was so much smoother that there was no choice for me, especially given that the V8 was designed to take regular grade gas. Thank you Toyota for that gift. I believe that T4R fans would opt for a 5.7L option in droves, just because they could.

Don't forget, if the 5.7L were offered as an option it would likely come with the same 6 speed auto tranny that is getting quite respectable gas mileage on the new Land Cruiser, which is a far heavier vehicle. In regards to the "uncertain future of gas prices", can anyone who purchased a T4R really state with a straight face that gas mileage was a paramount consideration, even in purchasing the V6??? I thought not......

Yes, gas mileage is a factor for many people. If it weren't, not many people would opt for the V6. When I purchased my 4Runner, I chose the V6 for three main reasons:

(1) Ability to run in 2wd
(2) V6 had more HP than V8 that year (3) V6 got better fuel economy

Besides, offering two different V8s is just plain stupid on a midsized SUV. I'm sure Toyota will continue to offer both the V6 and V8 choices in the next generation. Doing anything else will probably result in less sales.

 

[JosephD05]

Re: Re: Re: Re: upcoming T4R

Yes, gas mileage is a factor for many people. If it weren't, not many people would opt for the V6. When I purchased my 4Runner, I chose the V6 for three main reasons:

(1) Ability to run in 2wd
(2) V6 had more HP than V8 that year (3) V6 got better fuel economy

Besides, offering two different V8s is just plain stupid on a midsized SUV. I'm sure Toyota will continue to offer both the V6 and V8 choices in the next generation. Doing anything else will probably result in less sales.

HP means very little in a truck, it's all about the torque. I have driven both, and although the v6 is a nice engine, the low end torque produced by the V8 is on another level. I love having the V8, even if gas were 5 bucks a gallon. V8 doesn't have to work as hard. I can say that if I want, my RPMs can always stay under 3K.

 

[Even Steven]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: upcoming T4R

HP means very little in a truck, it's all about the torque. I have driven both, and although the v6 is a nice engine, the low end torque produced by the V8 is on another level. I love having the V8, even if gas were 5 bucks a gallon. V8 doesn't have to work as hard. I can say that if I want, my RPMs can always stay under 3K.

The '03 and '04 V6 models ran neck and neck with the V8 models of the same years. The acceleration numbers were virtually the same. IMO, the only reason to go with the V8 those two years was to get the extra towing capacity (which, by the way, had more to do with the weight distributing hitch that came on the V8, as opposed to the engine itself)

I can always keep the RPMs on my V6 below 3K too.

BTW, torque is great for getting off the line, but it is horsepower that gives you the top end power. Any gearhead knows that!

 

[05SportV8]

I would have to disagree, at least partially with Even Steven. I would agree that is HP that gives you the edge in mid or long distances; If you can maintain the RPM in the max HP output.

However under normal or even aggresive driving patterns, it is the integrated output of an engine over the rpm that dictates how fast it moves. Torque is a better estimate of the integrated output than the HP. Notice I said better, the best estimate continues to be the integration of either HP or torque over the driveable rpm band.

I do have a modified RSX-s with close to 260 HP. In theory, both 4runner and RSX have almost identically HP. They accelerate quite different.

I wish the RSX had 40 less hp and 40 more lbft torque.

The V8 engine has a relatively high torque at low rpms, that means the integration over RPM is quite higher. Put a load of 4 people and some cargo in the 4 runner V6 and V8, try to go uphill, they are different beasts.

0.02 on the dollar.

 

[ALt4r]

Re: Re: Re: Re: upcoming T4R

(2) V6 had more HP than V8 that year

In what year did the v6 put out more horses than the v8 (not being sarcastic)?

Edit:got it, you posted at the same time

 

[Even Steven]

I would have to disagree, at least partially with Even Steven. I would agree that is HP that gives you the edge in mid or long distances; If you can maintain the RPM in the max HP output.

However under normal or even aggresive driving patterns, it is the integrated output of an engine over the rpm that dictates how fast it moves. Torque is a better estimate of the integrated output than the HP. Notice I said better, the best estimate continues to be the integration of either HP or torque over the driveable rpm band.

I do have a modified RSX-s with close to 260 HP. In theory, both 4runner and RSX have almost identically HP. They accelerate quite different.

I wish the RSX had 40 less hp and 40 more lbft torque.

The V8 engine has a relatively high torque at low rpms, that means the integration over RPM is quite higher. Put a load of 4 people and some cargo in the 4 runner V6 and V8, try to go uphill, they are different beasts.

0.02 on the dollar.

Interesting thoughts, but comparing an RSX to a 4Runner in terms of acceleration is just about as apples and oranges as you can get. If you could trade off 40 HP for 40 lb. ft. of torque on your RSX, you would most likely lose acceleration time in an all-out race. That's because the lower torque would be make it harder for a light weight front drive vehicle to maintain traction. You would probably see quite a bit more in the way of torque steer. You would also lose the high end HP up top that would keep your RSX acclerating at higher RPMs. Think about it--one you get started, the low end torque means little compared to the higher end power in the upper rev range. Your RPMs remain high as you shift from gear to gear, which more than negates your lower end torque. In other words, once you start rolling, your RPM shouldn't fall low enough to be concerned about the low end power.

Now if you're talking about cruising, I can see more of a benefit. That's why drivers of cars with low end torque can loaf around while cruising and still have decent acceleration without winding out the engine. Drivers of smaller, high-RPM engines tend to keep the RPM in a higher range because they lack the low end torque, but usually have more useable HP in the upper RPM range. This applies more to manual trans cars than the slushbox 4Runner.

BTW, horsepower and torque meet at exatly 5252 RPMs on ANY engine, so I wouldn't say that either engine has an advantage in that respect.