So if the next gen 4Runner…

…ends up being an SUV version of the 2024 Tacoma and produced in the same factory in Mexico, would you consider it as an eventual replacement for your current 4R, or would you go with the upcoming Land Cruiser (250/Prado)?

In a way, moving to an SUV version of the Tacoma would be in the spirit of the heritage of the 4Runner, and would make sense given that the Land Cruiser nameplate is being used for what would have been the 4Runner.

 

Is the LC gonna be made in Japan?

 

^The LC250 is already being built in Japan on the same line as the GX550 and the current-gen 2024 4Runner, according to that factory tour video.

 

Unless this one gets wrecked in the next 10 years, it's likely to be my last vehicle of this kind.

 

I’m not fully understanding this:

“In a way, moving to an SUV version of the Tacoma would be in the spirit of the heritage of the 4Runner, and would make sense given that the Land Cruiser nameplate is being used for what would have been the 4Runner.”

 

I bought my 4R used, to be an all-weather commuter vehicle. When it gets wrecked on the highway or becomes uneconomical to repair, I'll pick up either another used 5th gen 4R or 3rd gen Tacoma, depending on market conditions at the time. The 5th gen powertrain is exceptionally reliable among Toyotas, because it's an enhanced/debugged 4th gen.

 

So the 4Runner came about because a Toyota dealer in Wisconsin had Winnebago modify a bunch of Toyota pickups. Toyota took notice and decided to make it a proper vehicle - and with that, they introduced the 4Runner.

Exactly. It should have been the new 4Runner, but since they aren’t going to sell the “real” Land Cruiser here as a Land Cruiser, and people would totally buy a Land Cruiser, it made sense to use that name for the 250.

Which leaves 4Runner out in the cold.

While they could pull a Jeep Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer, the pricing for the Land Cruiser doesn’t leave much room for that - especially if you try to build it in Japan.

The Fortuner is a bit too old to simply bring over as a 4Runner replacement and sell it as a new model.

Meanwhile, you have a fresh new Tacoma, and all you really need to do is shorten up that rear overhang a bit and put a new body on it. Build it in Mexico and you can even hit the right price point a lot easier.

 

I don't care where it's made. I'm getting a new 4Runner.

What else is out there that compares? New LC but that's out of my preferred price range a bit.

 

After shopping for a new 4Runner I don’t want to deal with a dealer especially since the price of whatever coming down the pipeline won’t be offset by how efficient it may or may not be.

The new LC looks really cool and ticks a lot of my boxes but the deal-breakers so far are cost (not including dealer shenanigans), non-flat folding seats (although the tumbling is a cool throwback) and I don’t want those extra two inches of width over a current 4Runner which is already 1.3” wider than my last car which had my ideal LxW dimensions.

Not sure what the new Tacoma’s width is.

I’m figuring I’ll know if I still have the off-road itch by the time I have to shop again and can evaluate options, whatever those may be or sail off into Prius-land where MPGs grows on trees.

 

As of now for me. If nothing happens to my 23 Pro I won’t be moving up to anything new. My 23 is paid for and I’m retiring end of January. No reason to buy another unless I get bored with it.

 

4th gen Tacoma's width is already published. Doors are said to be the same width as 3rd gen, but fenders are wider depending on trim: https://pressroom.toyota.com/vehicle/2024-toyota-tacoma/

 

Track width on Tacoma is unchanged. The PRO gets a wider track due to spacers.

 

Except the new LC is really the next gen of what we call the 4Runner today.

 

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you guys there. You're suggesting that Toyota was going to make the 4Runner bigger than ever, and then last minute decided to bring the Landcruiser Prado nameplate to the US market, and start over from scratch? I don't think so.

 

It's bigger than any 4Runner has ever been. It's also about the same size as the Landcruiser was a few generations ago.

 

One theory I've had was that the 6th gen would be made a tad smaller, as alluded to in the OP. And, bringing in the Prado at a price point very close to the higher trim 4Runners could be a way to satisfy the potential buyers who would be put off by a smaller 4Runner.

Just a thought.

 

Except they aren’t using the Prado bit.

In countries where they don’t sell the full size Land Cruiser (the 300, which is similar to the new Lexus LX), the 250 will be called the Lane Cruiser.

In Australia and European countries where you can get the full size Land Cruiser, they are calling it the Prado.

If we received the Land Cruiser 300, this would be the 4Runner, perhaps with a few small tweaks.

Heck, Lexus basically has the lineup as it would exist: real Land Cruiser 300 (technically a 310) in the LX, and the Prado/250 as the GX.

Now, instead of 4Runner and GX being cousins, it’s “Land Cruiser” and GX being cousins. This means that the 4Runner nameplate either gets killed off or you need another vehicle to fill its place.

There’s no way Toyota is going to undercut or cannibalize the new Lane Cruiser with a vehicle that offers its same value proposition with a lower price and equal or better functionality. They will not slot a 4Runner above it.

That leaves below.

And that’s where repurposing the Tacoma development work comes in. It’s a new model on a new platform - and given how many people think the 4Runner is an SUV version of the Tacoma anyways, might as well take things back to how they once were in terms of the 4Runner being based off a pickup.

 

Everything is getting bigger.

Even the Honda Civic is a beast compared to what it used to be.

 

It doesn't matter whether they call it a Prado or not. The point is that it's the perfect size vehicle to appeal to potential 4Runner buyers who don't want a smaller 4runner.

Or, maybe that was the idea all along.

I never once agreed with anyone suggesting the 4Runner would be killed off. That idea has never made sense, given the huge gap between the 4Runner's starting price and the 250's starting price.

 

Yes, I know that. I've been pointing it out for years.

What hasn't been in the US for years is a smaller, more affordable Landcruiser.

The last 2 generations have been the same basic footprint. The 5th gen is just more boxy.

 

I think the 4runner being made in Mexico isn't just a possibility, but extremely likely. Consider that this model is only made for the US and Canada, it would save a lot of money to be made on the doorstep to America. The old 4runners use to be sold overseas too, but that was stopped with the 5th generation.

The new Land Cruiser isn't a worthy successor, its geometry doesn't even beat out the current 4runner. The approach, break over, and departure angles are all worse. It looks good, probably better than the current and future 4runner, but it's all show and no go.

I wont buy the next 4runner because I'm a broke college student. But even I wasn't, I still wouldn't. I hate the testosterone angular look of the new Tacoma, it is too much. They need to return to basics when SUVs weren't styled after crumpled up balls of paper. My long standing opinion of the newer 4runners is they're too big and bloated to me, the 3rd gen was the perfect size. The extra size is why we have to put turbos in, and why fuel economy hasn't improved in 21 years.

 

To the original point of this thread -

Yes, I would. I know plenty of guys driving Mexican made Tacomas, and none of them have any issues with them.

As far as the decision between the new 4Runner, or upgrading to the Landcruiser, I couldn't say until we get some real information about the new 4Runner.

The new Land cruiser does look very appealing. But, I'd like to see what the actual build potential is, as far as fitting tires, suspension options, skids ,armor, etc.

The practical part of my brain is telling me to keep this one forever, put on front and rear steel bumpers, and eventually have it be my dedicated camping/offroading rig.

 

Can you imagine the mess that would have caused with your recent incident?

 

I'm guessing that the 4Runner would have been better off, but the deer might have been worse off. I can definitely see why full bumpers are popular in rural areas. That, and the advantages off-road are making them much more appealing to me as I push the 4Runner harder and harder.

 

Got a 23 4R in March and I love it. I would have liked to wait until around now when there are some sub-msrp deals to be had, but I did ok on my trade-in. Since the LC dropped, I've wished I could've waited a year and copped a 2nd year LC but I'm still happy. This will hopefully be my ride for the next 10 years or so, at which time I'll be looking to get back into a midsize truck.

 

I would have no hesitation buying a 6th gen made in Mexico.

I think it makes a lot of sense for Toyota to build it next to the Tacoma but that doesn't mean it will shrink in size. All new Toyota BOF's share the same frame anyways, just cut to fit each vehicles length and width specs.

My opinion is the 6th gen will retain a similar size to what it is now, but probably look like it's related to the Tacoma.

 

Agree. And I was going to mention, it's going to be built on the TNGA platform, so technically yes it will be based on the same platform as the Tacoma.

I believe the quality comes from the design and processes, not necessarily location of manufacture.

I'm not going to buy one, that will just be way more money than I'd want to spend on a vehicle. Money no object, I'd have to see the 4Runner first, but I really DO like the LC 250, I think I would have a hard time choosing the 4R over that.

I Don't believe the 250 was designed to be the next 4Runner, between the fact that it's a little bigger, and the styling definitely looks like Land Cruisers of the past. I would say that this is more of a "real" Land Cruiser than the 100 or 200s were. If I were to take my pic of LC's though, I would want one of the new '70s Series that were just released elsewhere in the world.

I really am curious as to what they're going to do with the 4R, I really don't believe there's a lot of room in price between its current price and the 250. They're going to have to be very careful with price point to make it worth buying.

I'm at the point though I really don't see the point of spending 40, 50k on a new SUV. My next vehicle is going to be some sort of efficient hybrid that will be my daily driver, and I'll have an older 4x4 as my off-road/ adventure vehicle.

If they figured out how to make these vehicles get 30 MPG it might be worth it, but the fact that they're getting V8 fuel economy does not really make a case for them.

 

All of the BOF vehicles use the same platform now. I think the whole idea (or part of it) was that it's easy to change wheelbase and width. So, they're not locked in to share any dimensions with anything.

It would make sense for them to share suspension and drivetrain parts, though. I could see them sharing suspension and drivetrain with the Tacomas with a shorter wheelbase, maybe similar to the current wheelbase.

Maybe they will share the footprint with the LC/GX, but with the 250 being offered in the US it just doesn't make sense to me.

Edit: I'd also love to see a manual option come back on the 6th gen!

 

I was just thinking… “What if they make a butch version of the RAV4 and call it a 4Runner?”


I mean, Jeep ruined the Cherokee so why not?

 

I don't think it does.

There's no reason they can't use the same parts with a different wheelbase. Changing the track width would be more likely to necessitate different control arms, etc.