whiplashtx
New member
I guess I'll start with a little back ground info. I've always been the outdoors type and my trips and vacations have reflected that fact. My daily driver is a Subaru Crosstrek and also gets used at the property (4wd required) when I don't need a truck. Usually for vacations I take the Dodge diesel with a 28' travel trailer. I also have a heavily modified jeep that is no longer street legal or pavement friendly. A couple of years ago I bought a teardrop camper to tow tandem behind the trailer I haul the jeep on for a place to sleep on jeep outings.
Well last year I made last minute plans to go to Wyoming and Colorado but all the places that I normally stayed at were booked that would fit my truck and trailer. They did have smaller spots available so I took the Subaru and teardrop on their first long trip together. Wow, I've been doing it wrong all these years. I could make or break camp in 5-10 min and the trailer was no longer an obstacle. I got numerous shots of wildlife and scenery because the setup could easily be pulled off the road or parked anywhere. I also loved the fact that the much narrower Subaru fit places my truck never would. I have since taken several trips with this combo but want to correct a few shortcoming. While the Subaru has done great and I love the AWD it starts choking at high altitudes and the lack of 4lo has been limiting. I also may be swapping the teardrop for a 12' cargo trailer conversion and there's no way that will be a happy combo towing.
I am now looking for a new daily driver that is mid sized, has 4lo, a live rear axle, able to tow the fore mentioned cargo trailer, and a suv. There aren't too many choices out there which leads me to the 4runner. The problem is I can't decide which one even after doing a bunch of research and test drives. Do I go with a 4th gen with the V8 or the more refined 5th gen? The Lexus GX has all the features I could want but it's top heavy and weighs a lot more. Which would you choose or is there a better vehicle I have overlooked?
Well last year I made last minute plans to go to Wyoming and Colorado but all the places that I normally stayed at were booked that would fit my truck and trailer. They did have smaller spots available so I took the Subaru and teardrop on their first long trip together. Wow, I've been doing it wrong all these years. I could make or break camp in 5-10 min and the trailer was no longer an obstacle. I got numerous shots of wildlife and scenery because the setup could easily be pulled off the road or parked anywhere. I also loved the fact that the much narrower Subaru fit places my truck never would. I have since taken several trips with this combo but want to correct a few shortcoming. While the Subaru has done great and I love the AWD it starts choking at high altitudes and the lack of 4lo has been limiting. I also may be swapping the teardrop for a 12' cargo trailer conversion and there's no way that will be a happy combo towing.
I am now looking for a new daily driver that is mid sized, has 4lo, a live rear axle, able to tow the fore mentioned cargo trailer, and a suv. There aren't too many choices out there which leads me to the 4runner. The problem is I can't decide which one even after doing a bunch of research and test drives. Do I go with a 4th gen with the V8 or the more refined 5th gen? The Lexus GX has all the features I could want but it's top heavy and weighs a lot more. Which would you choose or is there a better vehicle I have overlooked?
