6th gen Speculation Thread

No one's forcing you to buy a hybrid 4runner.

 

Agreed. Power down low is the way to go on these vehicles.

Better for larger tires too.

Lack of low end power is one of the reason so many people are jumping ship from the 3.5L Tacoma and moving to the 4Runner.

 

LOL. From the guy that lives in a state that is literally forcing it's citizens to buy nothing but new zero emission vehicles starting in 2035. Amazing.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/california-mandates-electric-cars-for-2035.html

And don't forget that the mandate also includes ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes.

I welcome that Toyota is offering the choice of a hybrid. Choices are good. But, those of us in rural areas with extreme climates simply can't live with all electric vehicles.

I spend $130 a month on fuel to go to work and back and run to town. Roughly 640 miles a month. Going to a vehicle that gets double the mileage would save me $65 a month. That's the cost of one meal out with my girlfriend with drinks. Hardly worth the hassle and extra cost of a hybrid.

If others want to switch their carbon footprint from fossil fuels to increased mining of natural resources and increased ground pollution due to batteries, then that's their choice.

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/41155/2022-toyota-tundra-trd-pro-revealed-in-leaked-dealer-shots

I really like the front end but don't like the stamped TRD Pro tail gate.....

 

Could be the camera angle but that grill looks ridiculously huge. Not wild about the huge lettering either, but all the truck manufacturers have been going stupidly huge with their lettering the last 5 years or so. So dumb.

 

Grills are huge on lots of vehicles now to squeeze every bit of mileage they can to satisfy fleet requirements. I think they're horrible.

 

Can you expand on the fleet requirement -> grill size thing?

 

It’s about that particular vehicle getting the best MPGs overall. For fleet, I believe it’s about a brands vehicles averaged together.

 

My understanding of the federal requirements is that a car manufacturer has to attain a certain average MPG in their fleet. That average number climbs every year (and began some years ago). Thus, for a manufacturer like Ford who produces pickups of all sizes, they balance the MPG requirement by producing so many smaller vehicles with 3 bangers in them. By using these huge grills, among other tactics which increases their MPG, a manufacturer can stay within the required average for a given year.

 

Yeah but what’s a large grille got to do with better fuel economy?
Better aerodynamics?
Less weight?
Cooler radiator?
‘Splain it to me.

 

I think it has to do with how they use active grill blocks.

 

Your article is sensationalized. It's not a mandate. It's a goal. Here's the language from the actual Executive Order:

It shall be a goal of the State that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks will be zero-emission by 2035. It shall be a further goal of the State that 100 percent of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the State be zero-emission by 2045 for all operations where feasible and by 2035 for drayage trucks. It shall be further a goal of the State to transition to 100 percent zero-emission off-road vehicles and equipment by 2035 where feasible.

I didn't see the word mandate in there at all, did you?

So who's forcing you to buy a hybrid?

 

Apps belong on phones. And to reiterate what’s been said by a few already, vehicle controls that are integrated into a touch screen, when it goes out what then? That’s like having your car not start because a brake light went out.

You’re stuck buying a $1000 unit instead of a $30 switch. Absolutely not. I see long term parts availability for a knob or switch being far more likely as opposed to stocking $1000 control units.

These things also don’t age well. In 5 years it’ll look like you’re running Windows 3.11. (Millennials will have to Google that.)

Car play is OK and just barely.

But I hate the idea of the Toyota app maintenance reminders and all this connective bull shit.

$2000 tech package for navigation? Nope my $150 Garmin looks and works better. Especially off road.

I wish they had radio options that included just a plain radio. And still let you get the nice interior and creature comforts. Separate the tech options from the interior and drivetrain..

Remember when buying a manual trans saved you $3000?

I’m out…

 

I really like my new 21' TRD/ORP. But I sorely miss the simple controls and dvd player from my 10' FJ Cruiser.
Some may view it as high technology versus appropriate technology (?)

Rick

 

Never heard of those. What are they?

 

What I really want is some thing that you can have decent Bluetooth integration so I can play my cell phone’s massive 200GB music library.

 

Looks better than the current Tundra.

 

This paper calls them shutters but it’s the same thing.

https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2020-01-0945/

 

Agreed. I’ve been ranting for awhile on other threads about the connectivity stuff. That makes me crazy from a privacy and hacking perspective, while the touchscreen replacing actual buttons makes me crazy from a user-friendliness perspective. And then there’s the cost of repair issues. (Though, tbh, think of your smartphone. All my iPhones have lasted for many years with infinitely more use than my car touchscreen would ever get. So this may not be as big an issue as it seems. In any case, it’s almost a non issue if the important controls are also in the form of physical buttons).

I think there can be a very beneficial balance of digital tech and old school analog. And in fact I think the current 4Runners strike that balance well — once you disable their internet connectivity.

We get analog gauges and almost all the important functions can be controlled by physical buttons. The only important thing I can think of that you have to do by touchscreen is input your radio station presets and, if you want, adjust fader and balance. Then you can select your favorite stations from a physical button on the steering wheel. Hopefully you’re not using the touchscreen to pair your phone via Bluetooth, and instead use CarPlay, cause that’s not great from a privacy perspective.

To me, the best solution is one where you’ve got a nice big screen, but the only thing it’s really needed for is CarPlay. If it has OEM nav too, fine.

2020-2021 4Runners are pretty close to that — again, if you defeat the internet connection (or don’t care).

 

You have a phone with 200 GB storage, dam.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...aising-smart-thermostat-temps-why/7754658002/

I agree with the current tech balance of the 4runner, sans the tracking. But this article sums up my fears of The IOT’s (Google it.)

Power companies are now reaching into your home and adjusting your internet connected thermostat because they can’t supply the power you pay for? Jesus Christ…. Stop connecting everything to the net. If this isn’t an eye opener…

edit: they signed up for the “service”, but seriously, they probably didn’t know. Either way… they can adjust your smart thermostat.

 

Glad I turned down the free Nest when I signed up for energy services. I'm currently running my ac at 68*. Suck it ERCOT.

 

For several years in California PG&E has had a voluntary program like this where they installed an external SmartAC control box on your air conditioner unit. It too would be controlled remotely to throttle back your AC just when you need it the most. But hey, you got a one time $50 check.

I don’t know if this program makes much of a difference. We still get brownouts and shutdowns in severe heat waves.

 

Yeah... As a likely future Tundra owner, I was a bit shocked at the front end.



I see NO aftermarket heavy-duty winch bumper option without heavy cutting and modification, and a ridiculously large TOYOTA logo that is offensive. Wheelwells also look tall, but narrow, which could be problematic for fitting bigger tires. Might just have to try and find a 2021 Tundra next year when things cool off.

 

Interesting splatter pattern on the wheel well guards and front bumper.

 

Some of these edits are looking real nice, hope to see them become reality. Truck looks like it has potential.

 

Ever since Dodge did the tractor trailer front end on their trucks in the 90’s, some of the manufactures have really blown up their front ends. I don’t like the barn door look myself. Unless it’s functional, and it may be, for a big ass radiator. But there may be better options for styling than that.

 

It's true. Dodge started all this bullshit and it's still here 30 years later.

It needs to die already.

 

Saw this mentioned on another site

"I got feedback from a designer in a major truck design studio and he said the primary reason for the big grilles is cooling. The latest trucks have remarkable challenges to properly cool the engines, especially critical for consistent economy and emissions targets. That they are so "styled" is a result of the designers having a massive canvas to work with, to create product identity while retaining key functional characteristics."

 

I read something similar. When you think about it, it makes sense. Today's half tons are rated to tow more than most of the one tons of 20 years ago where.

I agree though, when people say that they probably could have done a better job with the styling. This in your face aggressiveness trend lately has got to stop sometime, because there are some really unappealing looking trucks out there now. Somebody blamed RAM for starting it, but I think Ram is the best-looking truck out there right now.

I think this Toyota will probably grow on me once I see one in person, but in my opinion it's taken the crown of ugliest trucks away from the Silverado HD.