Why Consumer Reports Hates 5th Gen T4R?

I stopped reading at "The publication didn’t like how high the climb was to enter the vehicle right from the start."

 

They value shiny new toys, without placing any value on cost to the consumer long term and reliability of things that haven’t been tested long term yet.

I just sold my 1997 Isuzu trooper and I was the second owner. It was an amazing simple rig with a V6, real 4x4, and 4 speed auto. I had the window sticker from the original owner for $33k. We did a 5 week 4500 mile baja trip in it this winter drove home and sold it on the forums to a new home.

I pick up my new SR5 for $44k in a few weeks. Basically the same platform with the right amount of new technology and a better more reliable drive train. I’ll definitely be driving it in 25 years unless it’s totaled or stolen.

I highly doubt the cars ahead of it on their rankings will not be in junk yards by then.

 

How about "bitch"?

 

I think that all that saltiness, is not about not getting a good review. I think it is about the wrong comparison.

 

It's a 20 year-old design. There isn't anything left to review.

 

I know this is an old thread but I just saw it. The CR review is a complete joke, comparing apples and oranges. I recently started out wanting a midsize SUV. I considered everything. My choice of 4Runner was very deliberate and some of the reasons I bought it were "negatives" mentioned by CR. And so far I love it.

 

Remember, this is the same Consumer Reports who had it out for Suzuki, ruined their reputation and killed the Samurai in the US market by purposely rolling one......just because they wanted to and not because the vehicle was actually prone to rolling over like they said.

 

I bought the 4runner due to its reputation as being a very reliable vehicle, and after owning another Toyota, a corolla that was tough too.
But, my DMV calls it a station wagon, weird. Insurance isnt cheap, and it is a vehicle that has slowed me down as a driver, as it is not a Sporty SUV like my wifes GLK 350, for example.

 

I parked next to a Tesla yesterday and was surprised when I was leaving, not that it detected my presence and started recording, but at the screen in the car (which lit up), which was ginormous. Not sure the CR review specifically mentioned the 8" monitor in my Gen 5, but frankly I think it is just perfect, inset in the dash, perfectly large enough for anything I need to do. The Tesla monitor is just ludicrous - how could this not be a major distraction from concentrating on your driving???

 

Yep and something happens to that screen and you are SOL! I am sure it’s cost efficient to replace too.

As much as I am not a fan of the tech overkill at least in a new 4R. I can control the heat and ac with switches and see how fast I am going without the darn thing.

 

I recently drove a 2014 (I think)sienna last night with with auto climate control. While it’s a far cry from that Tesla home entertaintment theatre ipad thing, my 20 min drive really shows the value of of standardizing some aspects of human interface. I drove in the cold because I gave up trying. I wasnt feeling like devoting 5 min to figure out the hvac. Honestly, it’s a car, not a freakin airliner. And even then, airliners don’t use a screen that’s a foot away inside another display to show you what your button presses are doing. Toyota sucks at UI, other than simple switches. My 18 Highlander with climate control also sucks.

I blame silicon valley. They don’t even call this area of design “user interface” anymore. Now it’s “user experience”. I don’t need a freakin experience, I just want to be able to use basic car functions without having to look away from the road.

 

There have been so many comments that I agree with. First, I learned along time ago that CR uses such crazy criteria that most of the time I like what they hate. I wanted a body on frame, bullet proof engine (it may be under powered but the flip side it’s never really tasked hard with turbos, etc..), the AC/ Heating is old and simple there’s not much in the way of diagnostics. I wanted something that could survive the Zombie Apocalypse and as long as I have access to fuel , I’m mobile. And as far as the Zombies - that’s what the skid plate is for.

 

Good post. I remember a few years back at Wendy’s restaurant watching an elderly woman try to get some Coke for her lunch with the new touch screen dispenser and all sorts of choices for flavors.

I joked with her and said Mam do you have a smartphone? She said I just reluctantly got one. I said you need to download the Coca Cola app to your phone, sync it to this machine, then it will dispense your soda. The look on her face was priceless. All this for a drink she said screw them.

Of course it was a joke but do we have put tech into everything crazy.

 

That’s funny, I’m not knocking tech either…. I’m befuddled that both my 2022 Lexus and my 2023 4Runner have such low resolution cameras systems that I find them useless. My 2017 Audi was so sharp and clear I used it religiously…. But I think Elon Musk put it best when it comes to design of the rocket engine. Every point of failure you can remove from the system is just another step towards 100% reliability.

 

Consumer Reports lost my vote after I found out they tried to sandbag the Suzuki Samurai in the 80's (and succeeded). I've put them on mute since then.

 

They did the same thing on the Isuzu Trooper. Isuzu sued them and won but by then the damage was done

 

Speaking of Elon. The guy is a multi-layered Genius. An engineer, businessman, and a showman. Looking at spacex, he can get shit done at an incredible pace, alarming actually. Being a an aerospace engineering fanboy, I haven’t been able to process how aggressively he’s developed these rockets. I don’t think people in general have that much awareness of what he’s accomplished with regard to aerospace. It’s utterly amazing.

But the guy is the prototype the silicon valley I despise. Smart people who have never quite understood that other people can be smart too. I really do think, deep down, he sincerely believes he’s better than everyone else.

A million times he’s stated that people are the biggest danger in driving. Which is why he’s pushed so hard towards “self-driving” cars. And why he’s willing to continually deceive everyone that his cars can self-drive in an open system. He’s the type of guy that will sacrifice anything, or anyone, to get what he thinks is right. Commendable, I guess, except I’d rather not be sacrificed for his vision.

His logic falls short. Saying that people are the leading cause of vehicular accidents is like saying that walking is the biggest predictor of falls. Should we all use wheelchairs to move about? If we disagree with mandated wheelchair use, is it just because we want to selfishly retain our bipedal “lifestyle”, even if our inevitable trip/fall injuries cause a burden to society?

He should focus on making his cars safe for people to drive, not making cars that are safe from people driving them.

He and his silicon valley view their customers as the problem. Their design philosophy is to take away the customer’s agency, the customer’s ability to control, wherever possible. And supposedly for our own good…because they think they know better.

And because like people like fancy shit, we let them dictate to us, and just call ourselves early adopters or whatever makes us feel better.

 

My kids (18 + 21) still ask occasionally if zombies are for real. I just ordered this to install in one of the blank switch spots so I can tell them I'm ready if we do encounter zombies.

$10 Blue Led Zombie Lights Push Button Switch for Toyota Vehicle Toyota FJ Cruiser Prado Landcruiser RVA4 Highlander 3Amp 12V Led Illuminated ON-Off SPST Switch with Wiring Connector

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NR89J1C?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSmile=1

 

Agree with everything here. All the reasons I read that the 4runner sucked years ago from the "reviews" (dinosaur drive train and tech, high entry point (hard to get into), BOF design, solid rear axle (I'd also settle for SFA), knobs for HVAC) is exactly the reason I bought it.

CDC put out something before the pandemic (when people still liked them) that said that if you want to be prepared, prepare for a zombie apocalypse. I don't think you can get any better than the 4runner.

I don't really consider cameras "tech" for a vehicle - i think backup cameras were mandated for new vehicles around 2016 (somebody fact check me)?

I do agree that the resolution could be much better because the cameras exist. I consider "tech" to be the shitty UI where I have to go into one (or nested) panels to get to the place where I need to change a simple parameter, like what fan speed my HVAC is set or whether I want my seat warmer on or off.

 

https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/join-larry-chen-as-he-watches-lexus-build-the-first-gx-550/

I didn't see any posts about this video on here. Tahara Plant, its about the new GX550 but there are 4runners everywhere you look being built. Great to see. Consumer Reports Said Toyota 4Runner #1 Most Reliable 2023. I can't believe they gave it #1 again. They hate this truck. All reviewers hate it, hate writing about it, they can't stand it. Life is good.

 

As of Nov 23, Toyota is ranked second and runner first in Toyota for reliability.

 

Very impressive and I’m very glad I chose one.

 

Doesn't say much for the Tundra, though...

 

Also does not bode well for 6th gen 4Runner if the Tundra post 2021 has had such a spectacular fall from grace, at one point the 21 and older Tundra with the 5.7 Iforce V8 was the textbook definition of reliability even by Toytota standards.

 

Toyota dropped the ball on the new platform. And the new turbo 4cyl hybrid is just as garbage. Check the RX forums if you want a good laugh. I was going to put down a deposit on the gx550 until I did more research on the turbo v6. Then I decided to wait for the LC with the hybrid 4, and now I am just going to pass all together.

 

garbage as in engine or other major failures? or something else.

 

Failures. They are seeing turbo issues, battery issues, and accessories are getting chewed up. They were also physically cracking transmission housings or stripping gears due to torque, which was resolved with a software update to reduce power, but that is probably more specific to the RX drivetrain. I wouldn't necessarily expect it to carry over to the LC or tacoma

 

Where's the Taco? Somethings fishy. I never trusted CR anyway. They didn't like the Taco because of the seat position.

 

A lot of folks out there have commented on the negatives of the Tacoma's lower seat, me included.

Also note that the sample size is CR subscribers that responded and it could very well be that the Tacoma was underrepresented. You can find gaps here and there depending on their historical data. I was shopping the early-10's Xterra before and they didn't have reliability data while they have quite a bit for similar year 4Runners. (but not for 2009 which doesn't surprise me)

 

Again, The Toyota 4Runner is Consumer Reports #1 most reliable vehicle. A 4Runner is not a brand. Its a vehicle. It's also not a Lexus.
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/consumer-reports-lists-ten-most-reliable-cars/
https://www.carscoops.com/2023/12/l...aging-4runner-suv-is-the-most-reliable-model/