I kind of hate my 5th gen 4Runner. It's the return of Gramma Ray!

Yep, Florida man....with a V8 too.

https://youtu.be/o79jc31JQW4?si=YADGiRyehEvWznj1

 

The problem really is all the damn parking spots today are too small. They think everyone drives a Prius or Civic while the F150 is the best seller.

So we are forced to park on spots where people ding your damn ride and there is little space to back out. Then you have to worry about 50lb purses hitting your ride also.

So me I park way in back and walk or just drive the Accord is more like it

 

Exactly! I would describe the 4Runner as the vehicular equivalent of a Swiss army knife. You can use it for a lot of things, but it doesn't excel at any one thing. There are specialized tools (vehicles) that will better accomplish each singular task, but it can be impractical or unaffordable to own that many specialized vehicles.

 

Backing in helps. Much easier than backing out.

And, I generally park way in the back of the lot, also.

 

It's basically the same length as my late 90s XV20 Camry and only a few inches wider.

If 4Runner is such an issue size wise for you, perhaps the wise thing for you do to is indeed trading it in for Corolla.

 

Probably has more to do with building codes about how many spots required than the assumption everyone drives a small car. Just make the spots smaller to get more per given lot size.

I do the same as you though, I either grab an end spot and park all the way over, or park in no man's land. My GF always complains, but I point out that my 10 year old 4R has no door dings, while her 3 y/o Elantra does.

Rock sliders help with this too, recently I was parked waiting for a food order and a guy pulled in next to me a little too close. He threw his door open and BANG, right into the slider.

 

It fits fine, turning radius is great. I guess it's a matter of perspective. I came from a crew cab F150 and could fit that wherever I wanted, the 4runner is shorter and more narrow...and turns way tighter and fits in way more places...

My daughter, at 16, drove my truck better than her car and she had no problems parking it either.

I think it's more of a you problem than a 4runner problem...

 

Yep, perspective - what you where previously used to. I drove a 2010 Tacoma TRD Sport double cab for ~13 years before I got the 4Runner. I think the Tacoma double cab is ~ a foot longer than the 4Runner. Doesn't seem like a lot on paper - but man is the 4Runner easier to navigate through and park in parking lots - and it fits in my garage a whole lot better. I almost always have a Kuat bike rack on the back of the 4Runner - and I can park it in my garage such that I can still fully walk around the vehicle with the garage door closed. With the Tacoma double cab I had to really make sure I pulled in far enough so that the garage door wouldn't hit the bike rack - and only had 4-6" of clearance to the garage door. Based on what I was used to - the 4Runner seems small.

 

General Grievous in his earlier days, before things went south.

Or perhaps this is the Toyota 1Runner...?

 

Still better than the airlines.

 

Well, this does have all wheel drive... I wonder if Nitto makes a Ridge Grappler in the size of this wheel?

 

The concept has been around a long time. I would love to drive one of these thongs. I’ve seen video of them driving smoothly down stairs and cornering gracefully.

 

Lack of skid plates is concerning for rock climbing. Need a larger sidewall on that tire too.

 

Yeah but you can’t beat the approach and departure angles.

 

This is great, my post makes #138. Keep 'em going gang!

 

It is a feature up of this board, gratefully, that contentious threads eventually tend to go off the rails in a way that makes them more benign.

 

I'm driving a thong right now!

 

Gonna start off by saying this is 10000% a joke....

Wonder what the oil change interval is on that cat?

Probably a two stroke..

 

Oooh, on the two stroke: do you follow the manufacturer's 40:1 (or whatever) ratio, or do you put a little more oil in to be safe?

Saw that on a chainsaw forum, also people buying brand name premix. Imagine the price of Toyota gasoline, lol.

 

That was a great episode - I was probably in middle school or early high school when it came out. And my parents seemed more concerned about the Simpsons, doubt they had ever heard of South park.

There was a short animated GIF of someone "fully operating" one and driving off but was afraid admins would delete it. That pic may not last

 

Daily drive a 3/4 ton crew cab long bed pickup in an urban area for a year and a half because you lost your regular cab Tacoma in a wreck and can't find another one in decent shape at less than highway robbery pricing, and you'll find that a new 4Runner is wonderfully compact and nimble.

 

So what did you decide @Gamma Ray? Are you going to buy a smart car or keep bitching and moaning about how awesome the 4runner actually is?

 

I'm going to give the 4Runner a shot for a while longer. I spent more time than I'd like in my dad's Jeep Grand Cherokee in the past week. I'm not looking forward to things being so carish anymore.

I do wish the 4Runner was a bit smaller and had a bit better turning radius, though.

 

My wife still drives the JGC I had before switching to the 4runner - you don't want that.

I'm curious you find the 4runner so large - dimensions of JGC are almost identical. I do feel like the jeep can turn its wheel way sharper, which probably means better turning radius.

That doesn't mean anything though - with that sharper turning radius my wife scraped another vehicle turning into a parking space less than a week into driving it (not turning too sharply, didnt turn sharp enough). I find it takes me a good 6 months to get comfortable in a vehicle and learn the spacial awareness. But I used to drive 20k miles a year. Would probably take me a lot longer now that I probably only drive 10k

 

It wasn't so much the dimensions as it was the car style feel. I don't like it. I was never considering a Chrysler product anyway. I already spent way too much money keeping Chrysler products running.

 

The only other vehicles I can think of that really compare to the 4Runner are the Bronco and Wrangler, and I know you wouldn't be into either one of those judging by what you've said here. Looks like you're going to have to go to a slightly smaller crossover to get something that you're happy with.

Honda came out with the new Pilot last year, which seems very nice. If dimensions are a concern, I would expect that a new Passport should be releasing fairly soon, so that could be an option for you.

Hyundai and Kia seem to keep upping their game, maybe they have something that you would like.

Some of the new Mazdas also look nice, but I don't really know too much about Mazda.

 

@Gamma Ray I have a 1967 FJ40 Land Cruiser you might like!