David From AutomotivePress Speaks Anew

Everyone is speculating, once they start showing it to dealers that's when the real leaks happen. Currently your better off following the Tacoma teasers/leaks since that is getting leaks and teaser images from Toyota. Whatever trends in styling and technology make it on that will make it's way onto the next 4runner, especially the mechanicals.

 

The complexity of new Tundra design is what convinced me to buy a 5th gen.

 

@Spare Parts is correct

ORP = Off-Road Premium

PRO = PRO

 

Probably gain 6" by removing the second row seat bottoms, plus move the passenger seat forward. My sleep pad is 73" and it fits fine. I am 5' 11" and slept comfortably well in the 4R for 17 days on a 20 day trip.

 

Yep. I'm 6'-1". Removing 2nd row seat bottoms and sleeping diagonally would be the only solution for me to sleep back there.

 

IIRC, it's 75" from the hatch to the center console. If you move the driver's or passenger's seat forward a bit, you can probably get almost 80"

 

Will not have to sleep diagonally at 6' 1". Way more than 73" with the bottom seat removed and front seat moved forward.

It only takes a couple of minutes to remove the rear seat bottoms. I completely removed both rear seats.

 

Well, I rented a Bronco this past Sunday and boy am I glad I did. Handling is far, far better than a Wrangler but man, the road noise is horrific. If you thought a Wrangler soft top is noisy you ain't seen nothing till you drive a Bronco soft top. Worst of all, over at Bronco6g there are a number of threads that say the hard top is not better than a soft top, which is really surprising. There is no way I am buying a Bronco with this level of road noise, it is pretty much useless for any travel over 100 miles. So... it is back to waiting for a 4runner 6g of just going for a Subaru Outback Wilderness or a baby Bronco Badlands. I don't need it for anything more than medium difficulty trails and the two may be capable of handling 95% of my needs. Willing to sacrifice those last 5% for something that has some street grace.

 

This is why I say the 4runner has no competition. Every time I say I like something about the older 4runners (2door/manual/boxy/compact) someone always chimes in that I should "just get a Wrangler or Bronco". That's like saying a boat is comparable to a submarine because they both go in the water.

The only thing the Bronco fixes is the poor steering feel at the expense of off road reliability like the 4runner did. I wonder if solid front axles would be more popular if they didn't all use recirculating ball steering. Feel like they could totally find a better solution than that. Don't even think there's been a solid axle fixed roof SUV sold in the USA since the Jeep XJ died in 2001.

 

The WJ Grand Cherokee was solid front axle through 2004, for model year 2005 the WK1 came out and was IFS.

I drove both a ZJ and WJ when they were still fairly new, and they actually drove pretty nice. Once parts start wearing out though, there's a lot of places where slop can develop. Budget lift kits do them no favors either. I learned the hard way on my ZJ.

I think a fixed steel roof Bronco would be amazing, same with the Wrangler.

 

Does he ever produce new content? I'd judge ~10% of his videos have new content, rest is same rehashing of old talking points.

 

The rear is not good along with the roof rack, perhaps the Sequoia roof rack or something even better...