First
real trip in the books, 380+ miles from Denver into Wyoming & back. I chose to use I-25 for the first trip instead of I-70 just because if anything went wrong I didn't want to have to deal with mountain traffic & steep inclines.
I was able to maintain 70-80mph, dropping down to 3rd on the up-hill sections. 5th was pretty much useless so I stayed in 4 most of the way. Definitely don't rely on the "intelligent" transmission, pop that sucker into "Sport" mode and take a more active part in the drive if you want better performance. All in all we got about 11-12 mpg, which is fine for the fat trailer we had to have.
The trailer itself was designed well, the fresh tank is up front and the gray/black are fairly evenly placed in the middle so the weight distribution didn't change too much from start to finish. It's surprisingly well insulated from the sun and we weren't crying for A/C during the day like we thought we would be. That said, a generator
will be the next purchase lol
Overall: The 4Runner probably isn't the
best tow-vehicle, but it doesn't suck either. I'm pleasantly surprised that it gets the job done, just not as well as a pickup would. From what I read on here and saw in videos, I thought I'd be rushing out to buy a new pickup and trading the 4Runner just to use the trailer, but I actually think I'm good for a year or two.
In my opinion, the 4Runner's towing limitation is NOT the suspension or brakes, it's the lack of power and gears. Even without a WDH or swaybar (I'm cheap and like to live on the wild-side), it didn't feel squirrely or loose in the hi-wind areas of WY, which is what really had me worried. I just wanted a bit more "oomf" to get around.
And this was a new experience, the long-lines at dump-stations.
I'm going to get a robe & fur hat with a cigar & just stand there saying "shitter's full" next time. :lol:
