Convince me I need a 5th gen 4Runner

Hello all. I have a 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road. I like the truck, but find myself wishing I had more room in the cab (more often than I'm putting something in the bed).





I'm debating trading in my pickup for a 5th gen 4runner. Probably a TRD Off Road, TRD Off Road Premium, or Pro.

On my Tacoma, I really enjoy the Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control, and Rear Locker off road features. I know how to use them, and I use them often. The 4Runner has the added benefits of A-Trac and a manual transfer case.

Why do you love your 4Runner and why should I upgrade to a 4Runner?

 

I like turtles

 

You need more room in the cab.

 

More cab room. Shorter wheel base. No strange transmission shifting decision issues. Looks cooler. Seats are more comfortable. Better seating position. More switch blanks. The list goes on.

 

I’ve owned a 2019 Tacoma OR and now I have a 2020 4Runner ORP. Advantages of the 4Runner:

1. Much better engine/transmission
2. More backseat room
3. Manual transfer case (as you said!)
4. Much more comfortable seating position (for a 6’1” fellow)
5. 4Runners are built in Japan. Tacos are built in Mexico. I’ll let you deduce from that what you will

 

I can't stand riding in my brother's 2016 Taco. My 5th gen was so much more comfortable, even his wife preferred to ride in my T4R over his truck lol. Even my current 4th gen T4R isn't as bad as the new Taco.

 

Thanks, this is really helpful. I did not realize 4Runners were still built in Japan. Also, I'm 6'2" and I'm not crazy about the seating position in the Tacoma. I also am getting some weird noises from the Tacoma diff/CVs? High-pitched humming/whining. Anybody familiar with this issue?

My only hesitation is that I do occasionally need the pickup to haul stuff.

Any suggestions/observations on the OR, ORP, or Pro?

Also, I know they went from the "Trail" series to the "TRD Off Road" from 2016 to 2017. Any significant changes between model years?

 

I have the TRD ORP and I decided this over the Pro based on a few things:
1. I can make it look like a Pro without the 10k cost
2. When I do tires and suspension I can pick what I want
3. Wanted certain comforts that the ORP had over the base models
4. Has all the crawl modes

So far this has been one of my favorite vehicles I have owned. Thing works great in Snow, get tons of looks, and I feel very comfortable driving it everywhere. I can see having this for a very long time and now I have an adventure vehicle for my sons and I to explore in comfort. My wife has a Tahoe and I hate that thing.

 

Nice Taco, will van! I had a Taco before going to my current ORP. A 4 Runner is a luxury vehicle compared to a Taco. A big thing, is the 4L engine. 8 air bags! Quieter, more insulation. Even the hood has struts to hold it up, haha. Power passenger seat. Great heavy duty vinyl upholstery that you can easily clean. Lots of room for people and gear. Want to haul a load of lumber or Portland cement? Load it into a trailer and haul it.
But, hey, they’re both great vehicles. They hold their value so well, an advantage is that jumping from one to the other can be done pretty painlessly. I sold my Taco that was 3 years old, with 55,000km on it for $5000 less than I paid for it.

 

4Runner: Manual transfer case, more comfortable, better seating position. More useable cargo space, I think.

 

If you don't need the bed, and you want a 4runner, go for it! Life's too short to drive a vehicle you don't like.

 

x2 on all of this!

 

KDSS.
Transfer Case lever.
Comfort and room.
4.0 motor
Change is good

Like your Taco, BTW. Having both can't be beat!

 

Well, I for one really like all the windows down especially the rear window and the sun roof. Just enough airflow to keep one comfortable up into the 80s. Yep, dust comes in but not a big deal. It's as close as you'll get to a convertible with a hardtop.... until the bronco comes out anyway

 

Do you like awesome stuff? If so, go with the awesome stuff.

You probably already know, but the rear seats fold in the 4Runner. So you can still have some bedlike space. Just a heads up on the flip up bottom portion of the folding because it does cost a bit of room, but you can remove the flip up bottom portions pretty easily. As long as you don't absolutely need to have all of the seats available when hauling something big and don't usually dump messes in your pickup's bed, it's not a bad tradeoff.

 

I can only speak on the trim levels as this is my first T4R.
I would say ORP over Pro unless you desire a color.
I am 6'4 & can ride comfortable with the seat back a bit. Amazing ride & look of the truck. It is a timeless design (even to Toyota! Lol).
Our 2019 ORP after tires, tint, & vynil wrap.

 

Buy the 4 Runner and get a utility trailer for when you need to "haul stuff" or...get a camper shell and keep the Tacoma. Sorry couldn't resist.

 

Just do it bro. I had a 17 taco and traded it in and I have no ragerts. I traded because of interior space. Gonna buy a utility trailer soon, as I need a bed sometimes and don’t wanna ruin the interior.

 

The 4Runner has two more windows

 

4 more actually.

 

ooooh yeah there's also the little triangle ones. Now it's no contest, he's got to buy the 4R.

 

6 Rear disk brakes
7 Power seats
8 Shorter wheel base
9 Lockable storage in the back
10 Rear coil springs not leaf springs
11 More head room when entering and exiting - for some reason I alway bump my head on the Taco but not the Runner

 

Obviously you're not hurting for money so just get one and be done with it already.

And when the 2023 new gen comes out in late 2022, you can upgrade again.

 

Well, if you haven't been convinced yet, I just switched from a '18 Pro Taco to a '17 Pro 4Runner. Probably the best decision I've made.
1. Much more room for hauling things. With a dog (or kids) the back seat can be occupied and you still have rear cargo room for non-waterproof items. Especially helpful during the holidays (presents, food, etc.)
2. I weirdly get better gas mileage in the 4Runner (it's only like 1/2 an MPG but still)
3. Better sightlines - even without BSM in the 4Runner, I'm not worried about merging into someone. Rear side windows are great
4. The drop down rear window is fun and gives a nice breeze (or clear line of sight to give someone the bird behind you)
5. Off-road performance is similar, if not better in the 4Runner
6. No diff whine! This is a well-known condition in the Tacoma
7. Better throttle response (still not great - if it bothers you, get a pedal commander)
8. People check my 4Runner out way more than my Tacoma, even though it's older and a less flashy color.

The only con I've found is hauling dirty stuff, ie: yard waste, rain soaked camping gear, etc. Easily solve-able with a hitch carrier, utility trailer, or a roof rack in some cases.

PS: not all Tacos are made in Mexico.
Check your VIN. If it starts with a 1,4,or 5 it was made in the USA (TX). If it starts with a 3, it was made in Mexico (starting with 2020, there are two different MEX facilities that produce Tacomas).

 

Well, I'm convinced! Now it's just a question of color. I have narrowed it down to these options...

VooDoo Blue Pro?


Barcelona Red?


or plain old silver?

 

IMO the blue looks cool but is too flashy. The red is also kinda flashy and this particular shade of red strikes me as more of a lady's color than a guy's color (lipstick?). I'm generally a fan of silver for cars, but think it tends to age worse than a lot of other colors and it's hard to escape an econo-car vibe with silver.

Some colors do work better for some vehicles, based on the lines of the bodywork and proportions. Sometimes the color is helpful to smooth over rough styling or add visual balance. Or to accentuate certain particularly good styling flourishes. I recently had a car where the body tended to look bloated in proportion to the wheels. In this particular car the best impression came from a white body color and black wheels.

In the case of the 4R, IMO, black is the most complimentary color. But that's not so great in hot climates. So I leaned toward grey on mine, and think that works well -- if a bit on the boring side. IMO white is definitely the worst color on the 4R, especially in combination with the chrome trim and the wheels on the Limited. It looks like a whale. A gaudy whale. (Apologies to anyone out there with a white Limited -- it's just IMO! )

 

I vote for gray, but I'm biased. My last three 4Runners have all been a variant of gray.

 

Silver Sky Metallic...Doesn't show dirt or scratches and Classic colors never go out of style. I am biased. Tundra and 4 Runner in my driveway are both Silver.

 

Silver would have been a close second choice for me had I settled on the TRD OR instead of Limited. Though I think a particularly sweet combo on that car is grey with the TRD wheels. And black, but as I noted I was worried about it being too hot.

Silver in the Limited would have been a no go — doesn’t go well with all that Chrome IMO.

 

Agreed - Voodoo Blue is probably too flashy. And Black is too hot for Texas.And I already have a silver pickup.

Every time I would pass a Barcelona Red Tacoma, I would tell myself “I should have bought a red truck.” I agree that it can look feminine (cough *Limited* cough), but with the right set of tires it looks badass.

I’m 99% sure I’ll get a red T4R. The advantage to the other Pro colors is that they are now available on the regular OR and ORP. A few small changes to the grill and valence and you probably couldn’t tell the difference between a modified OR and a Pro.