5th gen vs 6th gen and why

That’s actually untrue. Read the user agreement on built in nav of vehicles. They log your location, speed, and vehicle data which the manufacturer then collects the data.

 

Yes, a lot of recent connected cars do that. However, you can opt out by contacting manufacturer. In some jurisdictions, manufacturer even required by law to get you to consent, typically via app sign-up. Last but not least, if you disable car's cell modem it won't be able to upload that data.

It is much more difficult to do the same thing with a smartphone. For example, while there exist de-Google Android builds, telling a layperson to use that is non-starter. While practical and doable suggestions, such as don't use car play, don't use Google Maps, leave your phone at home are very doable.

Thing is, you don't NEED your privacy until suddenly and catastrophically you do. However, if you never took any steps toward that, then for the first time in history your phone is off, then it will get flagged during investigation and may even be used as evidence against you. If you do that periodically or regularly, then there is no way to attribute any given instance of doing that to Event X.

Here is a theoretical mental exercise to help assess your privacy and opsec. You have a dead body in your living room. You need to drive to dispose of it in the desert/mountains/woods. How would you do that without creating digital footprints?

 

As long as the person calls in to disconnect the DCM they’ll be fine in terms of data transmission out of the vehicle.

There are a number of mapping options with Android Auto/CarPlay as well that can be mothership independent like HERE Maps.

If someone really wanted, they could have a phone with offline maps downloaded (common today versus 10 years ago) and no cellular connection as the GPS will still work.

 

Talk about being butt hurt. Yes, you cracked the code, you figured about my devious plan, I purposefully omitted "often" when I quoted you about how you feel about technology being overrated. Now it is all ruined, everything that I work for has been exposed. oh my.

 

Yep. A lot of people don't know you can download Google map files for any city in the world for offline access. I use this when traveling overseas.

 

I knew it

 

I have a solution for this...

 

GX550 and LC250 are better than the 6th gen.

 

Our colleges are a scam. Street wisdom for the win.

 

6th gens look nice though.

 

I think the 6th Gen 4runner looks great and I like the idea of the hybrid powertrain and turbo 4cyl.

I'm not in the market for a new 4runner, mine is 20 years old this year and I have no plans on selling it. So nothing i say really matters. The only thing my 2004 Limited v8 4runner doesn't have that i wish it did, is ventilated seats. If i did not own a car, and was looking to spend $50-60k on one, I would consider the 6th gen though.

Also, Is this a completely new 4cyl or the one that Lexus has been using for quite some time now? I know they have been using turbo 4's in their NX's for a while.

 

If there is one consistent issue with Toyota trucks it is first year engine issues (it used to be gaskets, I will never buy year 1 and prefer to wait for mid-cycle refresh). I don't really have an issue with turbos since the 2 vehicles I've owed never had a problem, but I didn't slam the accelerator all the time.

It's too early to tell on ADD issue. I seem to recall that very specific type of situation increasing chances of ADD death.

My biggest known issue is the cargo area. It is quite clear nobody camped out of the 6th gen or nobody listened to anyone that did. The Trailhunter is tragic with the inward facing air and power. I really don't want to unload the cargo area airing up. The molded storage is also a big lost opportunity, they could have implemented a heavy-duty mounting system to allow swapping cupholders on 3rd rows to storage/molle options for 2 row models, probably saved money, and opened a market for innovation.

 

I think the first year is the best. Because then they start adding stuff to it. Like more emission regs, more eletrical stuff for mice to chew. And cutting manufacturing costs.

 

Here’s the thing whether you use the car nav or your phone. Your phone is still actively pinging off towers as you drive unless you turn your phone off which I doubt you do. So you’re being tracked regardless. And that data is recorded and stored for a long time.

 

A. One company is better than just letting it go to multiple companies at once. You can also switch carriers if it becomes a differentiating factor in the future.

B. Cellular-only positioning is an estimate and not as accurate as GPS. Speed, acceleration, location data, braking won’t be nearly as precise nor as useful.

C. For more accurate GPS data on the phone, that depends on your phone/navigation choice. Google Maps on a stock Android phone will typically hoover up much more than Apple Maps on an iPhone for example. (yes I know Apple is a corporation too, blah blah but currently they’re taking pains to keep specific location data on the phone and anonymize metrics sent to the mothership unlike Google.)

 

I am not tracked regardless, because I know what I am doing. However, this thread is about cars used to track you and not phones tracking you. Leaving your phone on a kitchen table while going for a drive is a low-effort option available to anyone. However, if you don't want absolutely anyone to be able to get your location for $50, then don't use AndroidAuto or Google Maps.

 

The loss of rear seat room is absolutely baffling to me. It's already pretty tight in there for a family of 4, there's no way I could own a 6th gen with that now being considerable smaller. It seems really unnecessary to do, and I think they've put a lot of people like myself with a family of four in a position where I couldn't purchase a 6th gen even if I like the rest if it. There's a reason people with growing families move from Tacoma to 4runner all the time.

 

I sold my Tacoma las year when I could get what I paid for it new. My plan was to purchase a 2024 Hybrid Limited Taco. After seeing the price increase I decided to look at the Frontier. It's quieter and rides better than the Tacoma, but no power slider, no telescoping steering and only the drivers window is auto up/down. After dealing with a few different Nissan dealers I now understand why nobody buys frontiers, they are all shady. I ended up in a 2023 4Runner TRD Pro, it is my 8th 4Runner and probably my last. I can only imagine the price increase for the new models after seeing the price hike on the Tacoma and I know the 5th gen is very reliable. Plus all of the engine and transmission problems on the new trucks scares me.

 

Well, if you were not too scared to buy a Nissan, you shouldn't be too scared to buy any generation of any Toyota model. Nissan does not make a reliable vehicle.

 

I had a momentary lapse in judgement. They make a nice truck, but you're right, not nearly as reliable as the older Toyotas .

 

There is no obligation to be rational in your car purchases. Some of my favorite cars have absolutely shit reliability. For some of them, random spontaneous disassembly and unexpected external self-lubrication is the point and part of the challenge/fun. Just don't lie to yourself about what it is, because it will rob you of joy when it crashes into reality.

If anyone wants to buy 6th Gen - more power to you, but don't do it because you think it will be as reliable as 5th gen, because there is simply no way for this wishful thinking to become true.

 

This is so true. People seem to lie to themselves to rationalize getting the things they want. I say, have fun and buy what you want. That's literally why we work. Obviously, living within your means is a thing.

 

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

 

Go forth and do noble work. People that understand human/machine interface, as it relates to the purpose of the machine, are few and far between. Good to know we got a man on the inside .

I’m sure that human/machine interface is understood, it’s just that respect for the customer/driver/individual seems to be at all time low. Respect for user and their purposes usually doesn’t result in extracting every last piece of meat off the “profit” bone.

This isn’t NOT directed at you obviously, just general observations. This same stuff happens in non-profit and public service too, in the name of efficiencies.

You may have seen this in your industry as well, but in my line of work, it seems a lot of people talk about “tech” as if it were the 90s, where the term is equated to “progress.” Usually, the people that use conflate the two terms are the ones selling the tech or the ones responsible for implementing or getting workers to “buy-in”, and they are the ones most likely to accuse others of being afraid of tech, or lf being tech-luddites.

I don’t think people are “afraid” of tech. It’s more like people are annoyed at tech, and resentful for how it’s “sold” to them as progress. Users get particularly annoyed at being cornered and pushed into adopting tech designed for other people’s purposes…not to serve their own or to make their own jobs easier. They’re annoyed at having their workflows overturned and destroyed to make some data-cruncher’s job easier on my time. They’re annoyed at the disrespect of having their constructive input disregarded, and dismissively accused of being “afraid” of progress. I understand any piece of software has to meet multiple purposes in complex systems, but it’s possible to go too far, and end up with the user/operator serving the needs of the tech, instead of the other way around.

Back to the automotive world…my extended family and I have had 4 “late” model toyotas. 2018 Highlander XLE, 2021 4runner Off-Road (base), 2022 Highlander XLE, and 2024 Highlander XLE.

Only my 4runner and the 2018 Highlander XLE have the functionality of off-line maps/navigation. The newer highlanders don’t even have a built in compass. They have built in GPS, but it’s not usable to the person who bought the vehicle. The newer Highlanders have the look of tech facing the user, but none of the native functionality. The tech is there purely for other people’s purposes. That shit makes me angry and resentful, not “scared.”

Instead of a huge navigation display that does nothing of the sort, Toyota should just save a few bucks and make a slot in the dash where the customer could securely mount their phones within view. That would be progress for the customer, as long as Toyota is not willing to use the displays for native functionality.

 

An oldie this reminded me of:

 

Always wanted a 4Runner since seeing a couple dogs out the back window back in high school. Hated the 5th Gen. when it first came out but now at 50 yrs old I have a 2020 ORP. With a dog. Love it. That said I welcome seeing the 6th out in the wild.

 

I am not a "tech" person but I know my way around linux servers, and usually work with SQL DBs and Python codes when I am not babysitting adults.

My personal forever car is a 9th gen Corolla CE with manual windows and transmission.

 

You do know that the animal is choking on exhaust fume?

the image may have been romanticized, but doesn’t change the law of aerodynamics

 

Wouldn’t that only be if all other windows are closed?