Why did you pick the 4Runner?

Hey guys and gals,

Long time Toyota enthusiast here. First vehicle was a 2000 4Runner and have owned nothing but 4r’s and Tundras ever since.

My significant other is in the market for a new SUV after totaling her GMC Terrain.

I would love for her to get the 2020 4Runner and she has shown interest in it among others (VW Atlas, GMC Acadia).

My question for you all is what made you choose the 4Runner vs other similar SUVS? Obviously Toyota reliability and resale value are two big factors, but what else did it for you?

Also, has Toyota done anything new for the 2020 4Runner that the 19 didn’t have?

Trying to gather enough ammo to convince her we need a 4Runner to match my Tundra in the driveway.

 

Above sums it up.

 

why did I pick a 4runner? I just replaced my 1999 T4R with a 2020 TRD Pro. I considered no other 4x4 for the following reasons: reliability and long replacement cycle which positively impacts cost of ownership. My 1999 T4R is still running well and I actually did not need to replace it, and what 4x4Runner said

 

Had a Taco, no longer needed a bed. Bought 4Runner. If they still made the FJ, I might have bought one of those instead for the manual transmission.

 

Toyota reliability, a true 4 x 4 built on a truck frame. Pretty rugged. It can get around in pretty much anything Kansas weather can throw at it. The Beast makes us feel secure when driving it.

 

Anyone wanna hear me rant about the land cruiser 70 series again???

 

I mean.... Come on!!!
The 4runner is the closest I can get to this in the states

 

Our mailman does his deliveries in whatever year version of that can now be imported into the US. I am so envious.

 

the latest you can get here is now a '95. I'd do anything to get a new one smuggled in

 

My reasons are no different than anyone elses...
Just before my first 4Runner, I had a BMW X that spent two of the six months I had it in the shop, having everything up to the entire flippin' engine replaced before they declared it "fixed". So I wanted something reliable first and foremost. I came to love the relative simplicity of the 4Runner, the fact that (compared to the luxury brands I'd had more recently) I still feel like I have to DRIVE It, not just sit behind the wheel and point it.

 

What are similar SUVs? I didn't know much about the 4R before I began shopping, but over the years I've learned it's a pretty unique vehicle, and very few offer what it offers. Depending on the type of driver you are, the nearest competitors are: Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Highlander, Tacoma, LR Defender/Discovery, and Outback. Most of these vehicles aren't very much like each other (except maybe the JGC and LR options).

For me, since you asked: I had a 5-seatbelt truck and needed a long term solution with 6+ seatbelts. There were a lot of factors, but this was the biggest. If I only needed 5 seatbelts I'd probably be in a Tacoma, Outback, or V90 (or still in my 2008 Ridgeline) but from my experience the 4R is a better option than all of these (although I don't tow, so the Taco would have been ok for me.)

 

All of the above plus the looks. It's just a great looking vehicle to me. It looks like it has an attitude.

 

From my build thread


Where it all began:
I've always been a car guy. I've never liked trucks, never wanted a truck, never had any interest in a truck. In fact, after buying the 4Runner a bunch of my friends gave me crap about it because I always said trucks were for hillbillies. Living in the Midwest (Chicago) that was totally true, everything was flat, the worst you came across was a dirt road if you drove hours to get to it and you may have to park in a field during an event of some kind. but people bought trucks and lifted them and gave them the off road look for nothing. I never once even considered a truck living there even despite have an outdoors active lifestyle (hiking, biking, triathlons, skiing, ect.) That mindset changed when I moved to Colorado. I had a modified 4 door MK6 Volkswagen GTI and first time it was no longer practical. From dirt and gravel washboard roads and driving over cattle grates in route to trail heads for mountain biking, to driving a lowered front wheel drive car up mountain passes in the snow with 300 ft/lbs of torque to go skiing, it just wasn't practical for my lifestyle in a mountain environment.

This thing hated rough unpaved roads.

Fall through spring could be bike or ski season, this is all I could do to maximize space but it was always limited to 2 people plus gear.

Heading up to go skiing it was common to plow snow with the front while hoping the snow tires keep biting. It didn’t take much to really bury the car.

And stuff like this is no joke.


So, I started looking for a replacement. My first thought was a Subaru would be perfect. I was all for it, until I actually drove one. I really wanted to like them but it was bad. It felt like I was sitting on a folding chair with a cushion surrounded by an interior designed and built by Fisher Price. They just felt so cheap and crappy, I couldn't do it. I was working at a car dealership so I'd regularly take used cars home for a night to spend some time driving them and seeing what I liked and didn’t like. After literally a year of casual researching, looking at, and driving everything from small hatch backs to pick up trucks I had a pretty specific list of what I wanted in a replacement for my GTI.

This was my list of firm requirements:
- Real truck/SUV (body on frame, no crossovers)
- 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS
- 4 doors
- 2" hitch receiver
- A center differential inside a low range transfer case (full time 4WD that you don't have to mechanically lock any part of the drivetrain, I didn't want to have 2WD or locked 4WD be my options)
- I had to be able to adjust the driver’s seat to where I want to sit and then be able to get out and fit comfortably in the seat behind that one (I'm 6'2")
- It had to fit me laying down in the back with the seats folded flat for sleeping in it
- Reliability and long-term durability
- One touch auto up and down on ALL of the windows
- Split folding rear seats
- The ability to comfortably fit 4 adults with all of our ski equipment inside the vehicle.

On 8/27/14 after a long time the winner was a used 2011 Toyota 4Runner Limited – 4.0L V6, full time 4WD, automatic, silver exterior, black interior, smart key, heated full power leather seats, navigation, voice recognition, bluetooth phone and streaming audio, one touch up and down windows, dual zone climate control, 2" hitch, 5,000 lb tow rating, 4 and 7 pin trailer wiring, steering wheel controls, sunroof, homelink garage door buttons, 20" alloy wheels, 15 speaker JBL system, running boards, heated mirrors, roof rack cross bars, auto dimming rear view mirror, 6 disc changer, Aux jack, USB hookup, iPod hookup, backup camera, 4 wheel disc, front and rear 12v and 120v power outlets, XREAS sport suspension, side curtain airbags, knee airbags, front airbags, side airbags, etc. It had 29,000 miles, 1 owner car, clean carfax, all the maintenance records, and they even had the original $43,000+ window sticker. It was mechanically perfect but with a lot of minor cosmetic flaws up close. That was perfect for me, the price was lower, the value was better, and not being a mint perfect condition truck, I wouldn't be so stupidly over anal about it like I have been with every other vehicle I've owned.

New with the old

 

Because Toyota > *

 

Howdy, new here and thanks for all the great info. Proud new owner of a 2001 with 90K miles that's cherry.

Same as above and my Toyota history in brief; I bought a 1984 Toy Van new and put 384,000 trouble free miles on it. I've had a J40, a J70, and a J80 in years past, and I am not going to miss the crazy parts cost for the 1HD-T. Last year gave up my work 2016 Tacoma that left me itching for more more more. We hike, explore Vancouver Island, Yukon, and Alaska regularly on motorcycles, but this grandpa of 3 is ready to an affordable, capable, reliable vehicle that we can sleep in on the trail head.

The Escape doesn't cut the mustard

 

I like the fangs on lighter colors, they are not so noticeable on darker colors. They do look cool though.

 

I got the 4runner because I couldn't afford an H1 Alpha.

 

I fell in love with my Runner the first time I saw it. Then it went up for sale. Then I got a three year loan to build my credit. Then I’m just now realizing what I have 20 years later...

 

Because it has more interior space than the double cab Tacoma that I traded in. I didn't even consider any other SUV.

Didn't use the bed for "truck" things that often anyway.

I've only had to rent a small utility trailer twice in 3 years since owning the 4Runner.

 

One of the best things about the 4R is being able to look over the top of VWs and such.

 

My wife drives a 4 door MK6 GTI. She loves that car. I quite enjoy it myself...it is a very fun car.

I have a history with sporty cars...
2000 ITR
2002 WRX
2006 S2000

Driving her GTI manages to scratch my sporty car itch. I'm glad she plans to keep it forever.

 

Said this somewhere else on this forum but I daily drove an FJ62. Put a lot of money into it. Just a tank but parts were becoming hard to find and some of the work I couldn't do so it started to become a challenge to keep it on the road. It was time. Searched for an equivalent vehicle, as close as could be, and the 4 was it. It's the closest to the FJ I could find in this country that was not $85K.

 

i bought the 4runner because its a no nonsense reliable, durable built in Japan etc suv that will take me pretty much anywhere , with no bs issues oh also no bells and whistles..ie sensors ...i am hoping to keep this suv for a very long time before were all forced to buy these super charged golf carts (EV cars lol) cheers

 

I know how you feel. The wife refuses to drive it, but our Shelby GT500 definitely soothes the "sporty car" itch. 662 HP tends to take care of that itch rather quickly.

 

For me it was all about functionality for our camping lifestyle. It's a good comfortable 4wd with lots of interior space.
Not to mention it's reliability and resale value.

 

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

As of August 2019 I was driving a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with 26k miles & a 2013 Tacoma AC TRD OR 4x4 with 21k miles. Neither had room for more than 2 adults and our 2 small pups, plus neither was being used for it's intended purpose any longer. I wanted a 4x4 with more interior room for passengers and gear, and nothing else out there appealed to me. I figured if I wanted to get a $37k+ vehicle with no payments I'd need to sell the Jeep and the Tacoma while they had a reasonable selling price. The Rubicon sold for $19k, the Tacoma for $25k. By September, I had my 4R OR.

 

I didn't pick my 4Runner. My 4Runner picked me.

 

I was always a bmw guy never into trucks..I miss the speed I get from driving the M series... I purchase 2001 with 92000, Sr5...after some years driving it i put 436,000 on...that when I realized I wanted another 4runner. Went and got a 2019 Trd off road premium. I'm so loving this truck

My 2001 sr5