5th gen vs 6th gen and why

I had owned my 4Runner 3 years before I even tried to use the factory nav. I think I was somewhere and lost cell signal, and I was actually surprised that the factory 2013 nav was functioning and getting me to where I needed lol.

 

Right? He basically tossed a hand grenade and walked away, LOL.

 

I love that the 6th gen exists, and I’m glad we still get to have some sort of “real” truck. I’m also willing to look past the 4 cylinder because they offer a non hybrid, which I significantly prefer. But… what I can’t get past, and this is just a slap in all 4Runner owners face by Toyota is…

The absolutely stupid rear seat configuration on then 6th gen. Thank you Toyota for soccermomming that.

 

Yes, but these "superior" options also have zero privacy. Traditional GPS does not transmit out any data and does not know who you are.

While today this loss of privacy rarely blows up in your face, because it is still too difficult to bulk analyze and aggregate this data, in a few years with AI automation this would be a solved problem. So fully expect your health insurance premium go up because you visited McD drive-through 2 times this week and 3 times last week.

Do you know what marketing is trying to get going today based on all the data? Personalized prices. Yes, they want everyone to pay absolute max without pricing anyone out or losing clients to competition. This is type of hell "nothing to hide" people are inviting in by disregarding privacy. Thing is, you can't get your privacy back retroactively, but you can stop digging the hole deeper anytime.

 

Not difficult at all. They do it wonderfully.

 

This. I bought my 2024 back in March because I value reliability over all else, and I knew the Gen5 4Runner provides that. I like the looks of it, and got the Limited so it has some of the goodies (like ventilated seats and auto-climate control) that are standard on the 6th gen. I'm not a big tech guy, so the upgrades in technology offered by the Gen6 don't mean much to me. And I'm a big believer that you should never buy version 1.0 of anything. I'm old and, at this point, I intend for this 2024 to be my last vehicle. That doesn't mean that I can't change my mind in a few years if the Gen6 turns out to be as reliable as the Gen5.

I will say that I wasn't all that impressed with the looks of the Gen6 when I first saw it, but it's growing on me a little. Who knows, I might even wind up liking it. But I don't like the apparent loss of of rear seat legroom, or the way the rear seats fold, or the loss of cargo capacity on the hybrid versions. Some people may not care about those things (just like I don't care much about the tech stuff), but that doesn't mean they are not legitimate concerns for others such as myself.

If the Gen6 winds up being stone cold reliable like the Gen5, it's not like I can't decide to buy one a few years down the road. But, I might buy the LC instead. If I had to buy a Gen6 4Runner or a new LC today, I'd pick the mid-level trim LC.

 

It's hilarious how people get so butthurt about somebody else criticizing their vehicle choice. I mean, who tf cares? 6th gen, 5th gen, it's a truck. It's your money.

 

That’s actually untrue. Read the user agreement on built in nav of vehicles. They log your location, speed, and vehicle data which the manufacturer then collects the data.

 

Yes, a lot of recent connected cars do that. However, you can opt out by contacting manufacturer. In some jurisdictions, manufacturer even required by law to get you to consent, typically via app sign-up. Last but not least, if you disable car's cell modem it won't be able to upload that data.

It is much more difficult to do the same thing with a smartphone. For example, while there exist de-Google Android builds, telling a layperson to use that is non-starter. While practical and doable suggestions, such as don't use car play, don't use Google Maps, leave your phone at home are very doable.

Thing is, you don't NEED your privacy until suddenly and catastrophically you do. However, if you never took any steps toward that, then for the first time in history your phone is off, then it will get flagged during investigation and may even be used as evidence against you. If you do that periodically or regularly, then there is no way to attribute any given instance of doing that to Event X.

Here is a theoretical mental exercise to help assess your privacy and opsec. You have a dead body in your living room. You need to drive to dispose of it in the desert/mountains/woods. How would you do that without creating digital footprints?

 

As long as the person calls in to disconnect the DCM they’ll be fine in terms of data transmission out of the vehicle.

There are a number of mapping options with Android Auto/CarPlay as well that can be mothership independent like HERE Maps.

If someone really wanted, they could have a phone with offline maps downloaded (common today versus 10 years ago) and no cellular connection as the GPS will still work.

 

Talk about being butt hurt. Yes, you cracked the code, you figured about my devious plan, I purposefully omitted "often" when I quoted you about how you feel about technology being overrated. Now it is all ruined, everything that I work for has been exposed. oh my.

 

Yep. A lot of people don't know you can download Google map files for any city in the world for offline access. I use this when traveling overseas.

 

I knew it

 

I have a solution for this...

 

GX550 and LC250 are better than the 6th gen.

 

Our colleges are a scam. Street wisdom for the win.

 

6th gens look nice though.

 

I think the 6th Gen 4runner looks great and I like the idea of the hybrid powertrain and turbo 4cyl.

I'm not in the market for a new 4runner, mine is 20 years old this year and I have no plans on selling it. So nothing i say really matters. The only thing my 2004 Limited v8 4runner doesn't have that i wish it did, is ventilated seats. If i did not own a car, and was looking to spend $50-60k on one, I would consider the 6th gen though.

Also, Is this a completely new 4cyl or the one that Lexus has been using for quite some time now? I know they have been using turbo 4's in their NX's for a while.

 

If there is one consistent issue with Toyota trucks it is first year engine issues (it used to be gaskets, I will never buy year 1 and prefer to wait for mid-cycle refresh). I don't really have an issue with turbos since the 2 vehicles I've owed never had a problem, but I didn't slam the accelerator all the time.

It's too early to tell on ADD issue. I seem to recall that very specific type of situation increasing chances of ADD death.

My biggest known issue is the cargo area. It is quite clear nobody camped out of the 6th gen or nobody listened to anyone that did. The Trailhunter is tragic with the inward facing air and power. I really don't want to unload the cargo area airing up. The molded storage is also a big lost opportunity, they could have implemented a heavy-duty mounting system to allow swapping cupholders on 3rd rows to storage/molle options for 2 row models, probably saved money, and opened a market for innovation.

 

I think the first year is the best. Because then they start adding stuff to it. Like more emission regs, more eletrical stuff for mice to chew. And cutting manufacturing costs.

 

Here’s the thing whether you use the car nav or your phone. Your phone is still actively pinging off towers as you drive unless you turn your phone off which I doubt you do. So you’re being tracked regardless. And that data is recorded and stored for a long time.

 

A. One company is better than just letting it go to multiple companies at once. You can also switch carriers if it becomes a differentiating factor in the future.

B. Cellular-only positioning is an estimate and not as accurate as GPS. Speed, acceleration, location data, braking won’t be nearly as precise nor as useful.

C. For more accurate GPS data on the phone, that depends on your phone/navigation choice. Google Maps on a stock Android phone will typically hoover up much more than Apple Maps on an iPhone for example. (yes I know Apple is a corporation too, blah blah but currently they’re taking pains to keep specific location data on the phone and anonymize metrics sent to the mothership unlike Google.)

 

I am not tracked regardless, because I know what I am doing. However, this thread is about cars used to track you and not phones tracking you. Leaving your phone on a kitchen table while going for a drive is a low-effort option available to anyone. However, if you don't want absolutely anyone to be able to get your location for $50, then don't use AndroidAuto or Google Maps.

 

The loss of rear seat room is absolutely baffling to me. It's already pretty tight in there for a family of 4, there's no way I could own a 6th gen with that now being considerable smaller. It seems really unnecessary to do, and I think they've put a lot of people like myself with a family of four in a position where I couldn't purchase a 6th gen even if I like the rest if it. There's a reason people with growing families move from Tacoma to 4runner all the time.

 

I sold my Tacoma las year when I could get what I paid for it new. My plan was to purchase a 2024 Hybrid Limited Taco. After seeing the price increase I decided to look at the Frontier. It's quieter and rides better than the Tacoma, but no power slider, no telescoping steering and only the drivers window is auto up/down. After dealing with a few different Nissan dealers I now understand why nobody buys frontiers, they are all shady. I ended up in a 2023 4Runner TRD Pro, it is my 8th 4Runner and probably my last. I can only imagine the price increase for the new models after seeing the price hike on the Tacoma and I know the 5th gen is very reliable. Plus all of the engine and transmission problems on the new trucks scares me.

 

Well, if you were not too scared to buy a Nissan, you shouldn't be too scared to buy any generation of any Toyota model. Nissan does not make a reliable vehicle.

 

I had a momentary lapse in judgement. They make a nice truck, but you're right, not nearly as reliable as the older Toyotas .

 

There is no obligation to be rational in your car purchases. Some of my favorite cars have absolutely shit reliability. For some of them, random spontaneous disassembly and unexpected external self-lubrication is the point and part of the challenge/fun. Just don't lie to yourself about what it is, because it will rob you of joy when it crashes into reality.

If anyone wants to buy 6th Gen - more power to you, but don't do it because you think it will be as reliable as 5th gen, because there is simply no way for this wishful thinking to become true.

 

This is so true. People seem to lie to themselves to rationalize getting the things they want. I say, have fun and buy what you want. That's literally why we work. Obviously, living within your means is a thing.