Would you consider the V8 4runner the best ever

[28.]

Not trying to start a V6 Vs. V8 debate here because I know it's been brought up alot. But me and the wife plan on trading her WRX in on a 2013 4Runner and we've already tried a few but neither of us have actually been overwhelmed about the improvements made compared to the 4th Gen V8. The 5th Gen is a great truck but the "ride" just doesn't feel the same. Can't explain it. On my way home from work yesterday I looked down at my mileage and thought to myself "I'm fixin to hit 180 thousand already.. What the hell am I gonna replace you with?"... Began lookin around for other 4th Gens. on the road:tsk:... Don't get me wrong I love how the 5th gens look, just don't like how they "drive".. Is that confusing or just me being weird? I know everyone thinks that what they drive is the best generation but I've tried them all.. And eventhough I think the 3rd Gens are still the best looking, I still think the 4th Gen V8 4WD is overall just hard to beat..

 

[rebelbowtie]

I wouldnt say the best ever, but it is the best compromise. It does everything I want/need and fuel economy isnt any worse than a v6 either.

The 4Runner in general is the best mid size SUV though regardless of generation.

 

[JohnnyT]

Absolutely. They've proven to be extremely tough, powerful, capable, and reliable. Important part is "proven" consistently thousands of times over. Not many vehicles can say that.

If my life depended on driving from the east coast to the west coast non-stop otherwise a hoard of zombies would eat me, this is the vehicle I'd want.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I know I'm a bit biased but I think the 4Runner peaked with a combination of utility,off road prowess and quality with the 3rd gens. The 4th gens lost some of that but gained a big power bump but not enough to make me need a V8.

 

[Nathana92]

I don't know. Third gens have way better ground clearance and the option of a factory e-locker. Then there's always the 85 with straight axles front and rear with EFI. I think the best over all would be a SAC'd S/C'd third gen tbh.

 

[WXman]

I've owned a LOT of 4x4 midsize SUVs. Grand Cherokee, Wranglers, Libertys, etc. and my parents had a 3rd gen 4R and a Ford Explorer. Based upon my experience over the last 15 years I would say that the 4th gen V8 4R is the best overall mid-size SUV for the money today. The only close competitor would be the 05-10 Grand Cherokee Hemi but even those have a terrible interior that men over 6' literally can't drive and front suspension issues that are common. So yes, I would say the 4th gen V8 4R is the best ever for the money especially today in the used market.

However, having said that these are not perfect and do have their fair share of problems.

 

[KingPrat]

The best ever? Unsure. I will say that I love my 4Runner, but cost of repairs (and maintenance) is definitely a concern.

Every vehicle has their issues. 93-98 Grand Cherokees had transfer-case issues. 99-04 were plagued with electrical gremlins and front suspensions that were soft. I owned both a 97 and an 01. The 4.0L was absolutely bulletproof.

My father has an 06 Grand, and he's been unimpressed. It's cramped inside, the leather was cracking at 60k miles, and his gas milage with the 4.7 is horrific.

I have no experience outside of the Jeep/4Runner world, but in terms of what I test drove, I think the V8 4Runner was the best of its time. I test drove dozens of cars, trucks, etc., (my first choice was a Tacoma, but DAMN they're expensive...) and I thought the V8 felt the most solid on the road. I was impressed with the power, and compared to the V6 runners I drove, this was far superior in terms of straight-up drivability.

Is it an impressive vehicle? Absolutely. 4wd ability and resale value are some of the best on the market. BUT, it has its share of issues as well (I've already replaced the 4WD actuator) and will cost some good money to maintain.

To each his own. I'm happy with my purchase, and will hopefully own my 4R past 200k miles.

 

[zopperman]

TLR

answer is yes.

 

[TRDCal]

I don't know. Third gens have way better ground clearance and the option of a factory e-locker. Then there's always the 85 with straight axles front and rear with EFI. I think the best over all would be a SAC'd S/C'd third gen tbh.

^^THIS...As far as best 4runner ever made, 85 forsure...basically a mini Land Cruiser. If I had a hoard of zombies after me tho, I'd be in a 3rd gen. Personally I think the peak of Toyota quality was in the mid to late 90's, I've had great experiences with Toyota's of those years.

I love my 4th gen and they are the most well equipped generation, but as with any car today its too electonically controlled. I mean what the hell am I suppose to do when it goes into limp mode because the drive-by-wire system goes for sh*t and all the Toyota parts managers have already been turned into zombies...I'm fooked!

 

[KidVermicious]

You're going to get a pretty biased set of answers, putting this in the 4th gen forum, but I'm curious why you feel the need to replace what you've got? If you like it and it's not costing you more in repair bills than you'd pay in financing a new truck, who cares what the odometer says?

Best stock 4Runner has to be either a 3rd gen with locker, or a '85 (last year of the solid axle, first year of the fuel injection). I have both , and I like my '85 better for trails or hooning around town, but the '99 is much nicer on road trips.

 

[28.]

You're going to get a pretty biased set of answers, putting this in the 4th gen forum, but I'm curious why you feel the need to replace what you've got? If you like it and it's not costing you more in repair bills than you'd pay in financing a new truck, who cares what the odometer says?

Best stock 4Runner has to be either a 3rd gen with locker, or a '85 (last year of the solid axle, first year of the fuel injection). I have both , and I like my '85 better for trails or hooning around town, but the '99 is much nicer on road trips.

Oh no not replacing it anytime soon hopefully, but replacing the wifes' WRX.. And I know what you mean about being biased. I figured the usual 85 answers were gonna get brought in.:yo:

 

[TRDCal]

Oh no not replacing it anytime soon hopefully, but replacing the wifes' WRX..

Why not replace with another WRX? OR ramp it up and get the STI...

 

[Nathana92]

That being said I feel pretty confident that my V8 4th gen with a full exhaust sounds better than any other 4R's...

 

[BlackWorksInc]

As the best midsized V8 4WD modern, reasonably priced SUV? Yes I think the 4th gen is close to or at least up there.

As the best mid-sized SUV? I'm a little more unsure on that.

But compared to all the other v8 4WD mid-sized SUVs, I found the 4Runner to be the best offering.

 

[delucat2]

Beats the hell out of Ford

I had a 1998 Ranger 4x4 3.0L v-6 and a 2001 Sport Trac 4x2 4.0L v-6, and my 2003 4runner 4x4 v-8 blows both of them away. Neither of them got better mileage than the 4runner - giving away 1.7 and .7L of displacement. The 4runner with 175,000 miles just got 18 mpg doing 75-80 mph for 920 miles LAX-Phoenix in 95 degree heat this weekend with 2 kids and a 105 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback and all our crap. The Fords were lucky to get 16-17, and were painfully underpowered compared to this engine on the highway. Around town, they got the same 15 mpg as this one. Towing the v-8 drops to 13 mpg, but it makes you forget the trailer is back there, even on 5000foot passes and 8% grades.

The Fords were cheap by comparison, ($23,000 or so), but the even today I'd have a hard time finding a better truck than this one. Everything out there is turning into a car with 20s. The 4runner (up until the 2014 update - yuck) was still a truck.

 

[28.]

You're going to get a pretty biased set of answers, putting this in the 4th gen forum, but I'm curious why you feel the need to replace what you've got? If you like it and it's not costing you more in repair bills than you'd pay in financing a new truck, who cares what the odometer says?

Best stock 4Runner has to be either a 3rd gen with locker, or a '85 (last year of the solid axle, first year of the fuel injection). I have both , and I like my '85 better for trails or hooning around town, but the '99 is much nicer on road trips.

I know everyone always mentions the 3rd gen with locker which is a great feature and ground clearance as well. But those are things that can be had for a reasonably price on the 4th gen.. How about the room, comfort, and towing capacity the 4th gen v8 offers.. No one ever remembers to mention that.. Things that the 85 and 3rd Gens fall behind on in leaps and bounds. Solid axle is nessesary only for extreme wheeling IMHO. What percentage here have a solid axle on their 3rd or 4th gen? How many and cant say they've done some hard wheeling on theirs? Rock crawling maybe, but wheeling is very doable w/o the SAC. SAC is overrated unless you plan on doing some serious crawling..

As far as quality goes, I've had at least 1 Toyota since I was old enough to buy a vehicle and to say quality is not where it was is just not really an issue. Maybe I'm not seeing something others are. My truck has 180k miles w/o a hiccup.. Thats pretty dam good last time I checked..

 

[KidVermicious]

I know everyone always mentions the 3rd gen with locker which is a great feature and ground clearance as well. But those are things that can be had for a reasonably price on the 4th gen.. How about the room, comfort, and towing capacity the 4th gen v8 offers.. No one ever remembers to mention that.. Things that the 85 and 3rd Gens fall behind on in leaps and bounds. Solid axle is nessesary only for extreme wheeling IMHO. What percentage here have a solid axle on their 3rd or 4th gen? How many and cant say they've done some hard wheeling on theirs? Rock crawling maybe, but wheeling is very doable w/o the SAC. SAC is overrated unless you plan on doing some serious crawling.

You can't bring in aftermarket mods like an SAS or ARB locker, or you've rendered the discussion meaningless. You add a locker to your 4th gen, I'll put dual cases on my '85. You swap to a solid axle, I'll spend the same money on a link suspension. We can play that game all day, and you'll never catch up. I get a lot more bang for my modding buck on the 1st gen than you'll ever see with your 4th.

But that's entirely beside the point. The fact is the 4th gen in stock form doesn't hold a candle to any of the earlier generations in terms of all-round utility - it's bigger, and it's heavier, and it's lower than anything that came before it. Is the 4th gen a great truck? Absolutely, and I'm not here to insult anybody's truck. But to claim that your V8 makes the 4th gen "the best 4Runner ever" is just silly. For what you guys paid for your 4th gen's, I'll buy a first gen, mod the hell out of it, and I'll have enough left over to buy a real tow rig and a trailer too.

If "room, comfort, and towing capacity" are how we're evaluating 4Runners these days, then the Tundra is the best 4Runner ever .

 

[rebelbowtie]

You can't bring in aftermarket mods like an SAS or ARB locker, or you've rendered the discussion meaningless. You add a locker to your 4th gen, I'll put dual cases on my '85. You swap to a solid axle, I'll spend the same money on a link suspension. We can play that game all day, and you'll never catch up. I get a lot more bang for my modding buck on the 1st gen than you'll ever see with your 4th.

But that's entirely beside the point. The fact is the 4th gen in stock form doesn't hold a candle to any of the earlier generations in terms of all-round utility - it's bigger, and it's heavier, and it's lower than anything that came before it. Is the 4th gen a great truck? Absolutely, and I'm not here to insult anybody's truck. But to claim that your V8 makes the 4th gen "the best 4Runner ever" is just silly. For what you guys paid for your 4th gen's, I'll buy a first gen, mod the hell out of it, and I'll have enough left over to buy a real tow rig and a trailer too.

If "room, comfort, and towing capacity" are how we're evaluating 4Runners these days, then the Tundra is the best 4Runner ever .

Why do you seem so upset? A stock 4th gen or 3rd gen or even a 5th gen will go anywhere a "superior" stock 1st gen will go except really narrow trails. Only difference if that the newer gens do it with a lot more comfort and driveability, almost all older "off road" vehicle are easier and cheaper to mod just because they've been around much longer. Also you can't say the 4th gen doesn't hold a candle to the older gens in terms of utility! What's utility to you? A 4th gen can haul more payload, tow a larger trailer, carry more passenger and traverse the same terrain a stock 4Runner of an earlier generation.

You can't compare a modded vehicle to a stock one anyways that is apples to guavas. You want to argue bang for your buck then my XJ beats your 1st gen, just sayin.

 

[TRDCal]

You can't bring in aftermarket mods like an SAS or ARB locker, or you've rendered the discussion meaningless. You add a locker to your 4th gen, I'll put dual cases on my '85. You swap to a solid axle, I'll spend the same money on a link suspension. We can play that game all day, and you'll never catch up.

I agree, I was talking stock for stock which is why I brought in the zombie apocalypse...no time for modding when your on the run

I get a lot more bang for my modding buck on the 1st gen than you'll ever see with your 4th.

Let's not kill everyones dreams shall we?

 

[KidVermicious]

You can't compare a modded vehicle to a stock one anyways that is apples to guavas.

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what I just said. You'd be a lot more fun to argue with if you knew how to read for comprehension.

And no, sorry, your stock 4th gen with an average driver won't hang 5 minutes with a stock 1st with an average driver on any real trail, solid axle or not. It's wider and it's lower, and when you're actually wheeling those things matter a lot. I'm sure it's different when you're just thrashing your Chevy around in a mud pit.