It was shiny for about 30 seconds

Thanks! Im still discovering neat little things about the truck. Take for example, just realizing that I have a redline below 6000 rpm. To me that’s pretty badass lol, being used to cars with higher redlines.

The other thing was realizing this thing doesnt have homelink for garage doors. What? at this pricepoint? really? But after this initial surprise, I took a good hard look at the “Overhead Control Panel for Off-Road Operations” (hence to forth known as the OCoPORO cluster) and realized this truck is so badass, it has more important priorities in life than to make space for silly little homelink buttons. It also speaks to the humility of the truck because it does not assume it will be sleeping inside....

Unless they hid the homelink buttons somewhere else.

Still smitten

 

I'm thinking the same. I'm getting a little ice rub when turning but it's just from build up under the fenders.

 

There's no doubt that Toyota makes a lot of dough on these trucks due to their price-to-content ratio and the fact that they've been manufacturing the same major components for more than a decade already. They long ago recouped their R&D and tooling costs for the 4Runner, so the margins have got to be big.

The fact that so many people keep buying them at these prices is a testament to what a great job Toyota did in engineering them so many years ago. Today, the value comes not from features but from an unmatched combination of durability, reliability and utility. You just can't find anything else that matches the Runner on all three counts without also being way more expensive. (Example: The Land Cruiser).

Personally, I got the Limited. Which means I got the kind of features one expects these days in your average $25K Korean car. Things like Homelink, power seat memory, dual zone climate control, keyless entry and start, etc. I'm glad to have them, but they're not why anyone should buy the thing.

Like you, I find that a lot of the truck's charm is in how basic it is. It feels so mechanical. I can't stand how most new cars these days feel more like a video game than the giant machines they really are. On most new cars the steering is numb. And the engine's sound and character are overly muted (or worse, manufactured and piped in through the stereo). I had a 2016 BMW M235i. The thing was an absolute marvel of engineering. Incredible performance. Incredibly competent. But it felt soulless. Driving it, I felt like I had little idea of what was actually happening mechanically beneath my ass. It was like every part was coated in velvet and operated by a computer instead of a mechanical device.

When shopping for my Runner, I almost got a 2019 instead of a 20 because I would have preferred the simplicity of no active safety systems such as automated emergency braking. In the end, I got the 20 because it had three rows. And I do appreciate the much bigger infotainment screen and especially its inclusion of CarPlay. But I might have gone the other way if the 19 near me had three rows.

You are fortunate to have gotten a 2021, because that year fixed the only thing that was a glaring and inexcusable weakness on prior models: crappy headlights. The new LED headlights seem to perform very well. The old halogens are really a travesty and require upgrades to make decent. So I'm happy for anyone who got a 21!

 

Nice, putting it to good use right away. I took my '16 around the White Rim Road in Canyonlands when it was only a week old. Hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

 

Excellent observations all around. The biggie for me is the mechanical feeling and look. I cant recall the last new car with such a clear view to the engine block. It has a freakin clutched radiator fan, that’s even before my time. Aluminum valve covers! The stupid emmisions control thing that squirts air into the exhaust when you shut off the engine is even old school. The five speed, even though it’s auto lets a gear do it’s job for more than a split second! Also, that lets you hear the engine move through more of the rpm range with each gear. It’s like I bought a big bucket of nostalgia in a modern looking shell lol

Edit: the LED lights are a little blue, but are pretty nice, not going to lie. The fogs really throw light off to the side as well.

 

Thanks man, Im in the midwest but need to get out west. I need to research some mild trails out there and plan a trip. Canyonlands definitely on the top of the list.

 

I drove on my noisy needle bearing for 11,000 miles IIRC. FWIW warmer (above 30°F) make it almost unnoticeable.

The cold weather makes the metal shrink just enough to increase the slop in the fit between the CV and the bearing...thus making the groan.

 

I do wish the 4Runner had a 6 speed.. feel free to disagree heh. I also think Toyota is cheap for not including a garage door link, or seat memory.. but then again, they need a way to sell the Limited. I just wish they would have educated the population more.. because I think the Limited's different drive-train is what should sell it. It's the perfect drive train for many 4Runner owners.. and most people couldn't tell you the difference at all. With the price point and marketing of the Venture model.. they really could have put some of the "creature comforts" on it, too, IMO. Frankly, all 4Runners cost enough to have the most basic of features. Anyway...

Just so ya know, @McSpazatron , that little device on the exhaust side (SAI valve/pump- secondary air injection) actually pumps fresh air into the exhaust when the vehicle is warming up after a cold start for a few seconds.. not after you shut her down. Mixing fresh air in with the exhaust stream pre-cat helps greatly with respect to emissions and catalytic converter efficiency.

 

ORP has Homelink (garage door link).

I do wish I had memory seat...wife doesn't drive it ever anyway...so no biggie.

 

You know, I agree with you regarding the all wheel drive of the limited. It took me a while to understand the differences between the 4wd and Awd offerings the 4runner has had over the years, and I was explicitly looking for the information! So as far as the average consumer, I get they would have no idea, nor care to know how all this works. In fact, I wonder how many wrecked 4wd systems show up looking for warranty work after somebody blows out a transfer case in the mall parking lot lol.

However, it didnt keep me from buying knowing that this had the old school tech. Maybe that’s due to factors of fanboyism, nostalgia, or feeling that there might be less to go wrong with a simpler system (ironic noting that Ill need a new bearing immediately after buying). Honestly, I’m such an easy sell, it could be down to just the fact OR package has a selection lever lol

Regarding the emmisions air pump thing, yeah you are right. What cued me in to the pump is that it makes quite the winding noise for a half second when you turn it off. Maybe it’s that is just so much more visible with all the space under the hood. The sight of it immediately threw me back to when they started adding junk like this to motorcycles back in the late 90’s lol

 

I dont think this will qualify me for my own build thread, but I found these transport/shipping bins at a store that was going out of business. 10 bucks a piece. They are used, but pretty strong, stackable, and I can technically fit 6 in the back. They are strong enough to hold more stuff on top of them.

The two I have here have all my kayak and fishing tackle. Thinking of buying a few more, to use for straps/winches/tools and general cargo. The best part about it is that I can move bins in or out depending on the day’s mission.


Took the 4runner out today for a nice long drive with no destination. Loved it. As for the noisy diff bearing, I think I might need to wait a bit longer to take it in. It’s not quite happening loud enough 100 percent of the time, and I dont feel like wasting my time with a service writer saying they dont hear anything lol.

 

I wasted no time either! Picked her up during nasty snow storm. I had to laugh when the sales guy told me they were washing it while we finished up the paperwork!

 

Yes you are correct and that was my dumb oversight! Obviously I don't have a garage, or I would have known. Looked up yesterday while driving and went "oops!". Also, hehe, very true! Now that mine has LT tires, I don't have to worry as much about the wifey driving it lol..

 

So I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and did my first ceremonial, totally unnecessary, first oil change on the 4runner. First off, I’ll just say that taking off the skid plate and plastic trim in front of it is a royal PITA. It wasnt hard, but it was just extra work. Enough work, Ive decided Ill be sticking to the toyota 10k oil replacement interval from now on thank you very much lol.

My big reasons for wanting to get in there and start some mild wrenching was 1. Man-vehicle bonding time. And 2. I wanted to look at the filter.

My 18 highlander had a fair amount of metal sparklies at the bottom of the oil filter housing, and in the filter media at my 800 mile first oil change. Probably pretty normal, and in fact, it hasnt made any significant amount of metal shavings since.

In comparison, the 4runner had 1200 miles at my first oil change, and I found no sparkles in the filter housing, and very few in the filter media

I was also very happy at the fine job toyota did machining the top half of the oil filter assembly (in comparison to the serviceable, but nasty looking threads on my Highlander)




While I was under the 4runner, I even decided to use my knowledge picked up on this fine forum, and use my new mini-grease gun to put a few squirts into the front and rear driveshaft zerks. Actually, more like 5 or 6 squirts in the u-joints before I saw grease starting to come out. I only did a few pumps in the front and rear slide-yokes so as not to overdo it.

All in all, I spent a nice 4 hours bonding with the 4runner (lots of looking and pondering included). I am starting to see tiny bits of rust at various welds coming through already, so I’m pretty eager for spring to arrive so I can hose it down real good, get the salt off, and spray everything down with a thick coating of Woolwax.

In the meantime my jeep buddy already found out about a place within a days drive called Drummond island in the U.P of
Michigan. They have a ton of off road trails! So this thing may be crawling around much sooner than I anticipated!!! It will probably have to be on stock tires for now though, so Im a little conflicted. Anybody here been to Drummond island? Is it easy to avoid the gnarly stuff?

 

Thanks for sharing this, and with good pics too. I haven't braved it myself yet -- had dealer do it at 5K miles. (Well, I assume they did it -- they had it a couple hours and the oil on the dipstick was clean when I got it back lol). But I'd often DIY changes on my other cars so like you should learn the ropes.

Pls keep us posted on what you do with those rust spots.

 

The rust spots are tiny and along the weld seams, mostly on lower control arms and other sections with lots of welds. I think they are pretty normal, but still... wanna get stuff coated.

Sometimes I wish I had a lift, but that might drive me over the OCD cliff lol