Not happy ....

So we (me and family) drove to Sedona Az from Phoenix area last Sunday. I had to use "S" mode in the mountains expecially when accelerating and passing slower trafiic. On "D" mode, Runner runs like a turtle. My wife also tried driving in "D" mode and she's NOT happy.

My observtion is it upshifts quickly... can this be changed?

Now when I drive my wife's Rav4, I really appreciate it, which is even draggier than my Kia minivan.. I really enjoy driving the minivan now in traffic...

So how does everybody drive on the mountains ?

 

Usually a regear will do the trick; or on the more extreme side is adding a supercharger. Not sure if there are tuning options out there that have been successful in setting more aggressive shift points? I know there was the OV Tune for the 3rd gen Taco, just not sure what's out there for 4Runners.

 

I've been leaving mine in S4 since I went with bigger tires, depending on cruising speed.

How fast are you cruising?

 

usually 80mph (I'm older now, no longer the king of the road LOL) , but can go faster while going with the flow

 

Ha! I usually go slower unless I'm in a hurry. At 80 im usually in S5 or OD.

 

It's programmed into the trans shift strategy for MPG. Huge difference between my '20 and my '08 so I know what you mean.

 

The 4runner is underpowered when it comes to passing on steep inclines in the mountains. Just stay in the right lane while climbing and you’ll be fine

 

You bought a 4runner not a sports car, did you not notice that?

 

Shaped like a brick, powered by a V6 and weighs 5000lbs (not to mentioned added weight of people and cargo). You're comparing it to lighter vehicles with better power to weight ratios. These aren't designed to go fast. All that said, these are severely underpowered. But I knew that going into it and verified it on the test drive

 

I wouldn't call it underpowered. It's all relative to what you're used to.

Even with 33's and well over 500# of constant weight, I can still pass people.

I'm not saying I would mind more power. But, it's obvious that some people here have never driven anything from the 80's or 90's.

 

So why not just drive in "S" mode when you go up a mountain?

You don't need OD in that situation, so just lock it out.

 

Agreed!! In fact, there are damn few cars on the freeway that I don't pass. In the mountains. Uphill. Loaded. With 33s.

Knock that bitch to S4 or S3 as needed, and put some ass behind your foot. It moves just fine.

I think the truck has more than adequate power and delivery. Understanding the shift points and knowing when to go into manual mode to keep the transmission from trying to economize is pretty important.

 

All OPs judgement questioned

He owns a Kia

 

I just drove from MT. To So. CA. a couple of days ago. 1,180 miles, while dragging a lightly loaded 6x10 enclosed trailer. Even being a V-nose and 2’ taller than the 4-Runner, most of the drive was in S4 with some S3 to maintain at least 60mph.
In the flat and level portions and even the down hill parts, while in D or S5, it just hunted for S4. So S4 it is.
I agree that it’s not a sport truck but, sacrificing torque for fuel economy is not a good combination of engineering.
And the loaded drive back will be all up hill.

Oh and gas mileage be damned!!

 

This. I pop it in "D" and drive. More power would be nice, but it's not lacking anything even here on the high passes of Colorado. Know your truck and drive it according to how it's built. If you want to see lacking in power, try driving my FJ-40 three speed over Vail pass...bicycles will be passing you!

 

I have to say after getting the Highlander and spending most of our time in that lately, you really forget how crude and sluggish the 5th gen 4Runner really feels.

I do believe it is some combination of overgeared and underpowered, when your trying to go up steeper grades while maintaining highway speeds at 9,000-10,000 feet it’s unpleasant. You got up over 11-12K and it’s hardly drivable. 14K, it’s basically a paper weight.

General rule of thumb for a typical internal combustion gasoline engine, is that it will loss 3-4% of its power per 1000 feet of elevation gain over sea level. There have been times where I have had the throttle pinned to the floor, engine screaming at 5K rpm and I’m losing speed up a mountain.

But then again only 2% of the worlds population lives at 9,000 feet or higher so that is very much the exception and not the rule.

That electric car torque though!

 

If you bought a 4Runner for its highway performance, you bought the wrong vehicle. That being said, throw a SC on it!

 

Trust me I want to but if you've got a 20 +, the tunes aren't ready.

 

Everyone can say what they want. My 4Runner was barely adequate with the stock tires. With my 305/50R20's, the barely has been diluted seriously. Tire height is the same, but with a larger contact patch, friction has increased.

The millisecond my warranty has expired, this bitch is getting a previously-available-from-Toyota supercharger installed so fast, it'll make minds dizzy.

 

It’s definitely underpowered. Even my old Tacoma with the awful 3.5 power train pulled better. Didn’t shift very well, but had good power relative to the car. I’m sitting on 33.5” tires and it can still pass people, but coming at least another 30hp from factory would make it run WAY better.

 

Not exactly, but I'd bet the extra weight is what you're feeling more than the extra .5".

 

It's weird then how many guys switch from 3.5 Tacos to the 4runner and say the 4runner is better.

Of course more power is better, but go drive ANY SUV from the 90's and the 4runner feels like a rocket.

Even the car magazine reviews I've read have said the power is adequate. Put it in S mode and drive it.

 

I’ve driven plenty of older cars, 4runner is great not arguing against that. Saying it’s underpowered lol. The 4runner is definitely better, shifts better and is more drivable. My 2017 long bed double cab Tacoma had way more punch, when you floored it, it took off. The 4runner was decent stock, but definitely needs more power once mods start coming in. It’s an old work horse.

 

Take that back Thatbassguy, dammit!

Yeah, I know I've gained a few pounds. But I'm working out now, will dump those extra 30 lbs damn quick.....

 

You guys don’t know what underpowered is! Try pulling a big tent trailer in the Sierras with a loaded down 1st gen pumping out a whopping 100hp! You know the 4th gen guys with V-8s are laughing their asses off!

 

I get what you're saying. They're not fast, I won't argue that. I just feel like the power is "OK".

If you drive in the hills a lot, you're going to be searching for gears and that's definitely annoying. I've been leaving mine in S4 a lot and the fuel economy hasn't really been affected. This is at or below 70 MPH though.

 

You don't know under powered. Imagine having the 3rz 4 cylinder engine in an SUV going up steep hills with the back loaded. Sometimes I had to drop to 4th gear to overtake semi-trucks. Do the 5th gens have paddle shifters? If so try using them.

 

The solution: get a 4th gen with the V8. Might be just as slow as my 5th gen was but it sounds cooler at least.

 

They have S mode and you can shift with the console shifter. I do this quite a bit.

I get where you're coming from. My '94 SR5 was SLOW! But, I managed to get all over Wisconsin with it, towing a boat, camping gear, and dogs.

The '03 V8 felt like a race car by comparison.

 

I have a lift, 285s, skids and sliders. I’ve never noticed anything out of the ordinary while driving up inclines. It’s an suv and performs like an suv to me.