I really want a new 4runner but the MPG

I have, and still do. Often. It's not a hard thing to achieve actually. Sure, there are times when traffic is really bad or slow, I'm going uphill or have a head wind. When that happens, it dramatically impacts my MPG's and overall average MPG for the tank.

Well, maybe you're right. I bet if I own my 4Runner long enough I won't average 20MPG for the life of the vehicle. But I'm okay with that. I knew before I bought this truck that it got shitty mileage. I factored that in to my decision. Like it was said earlier, I get a lot more Smiles Per Gallon and tons of "Dude, that is a niiiiiiiiice looking truck!".

 

I average 19.2 ish with mixed rural driving. On the highway I can get 22 if I stay below 65 MPH. At 75 ish I get about 20.

 

Yes! I am exactly at 19.6 mpg over the last 3100 miles. And that's driving between 75-85 mph. If I brought it down to 70 mph, it would go much higher, over 21. These are mostly highway miles though.

 

Yeah, I know. Like I mentioned in my post, I regularly get over 20MPG for the tank. My commute to work (was) 34 miles one way, and it was 95% highway driving. I was averaging 20 - 21.5 MPG for the tank.

The trick is, I kept it at 65MPH the entire time I was on the highway. The faster you go, the worse the MPG's get.

 

Im getting 21.1mpg. Highway driving 65mph is 90% of time. Some in-town driving. This average is over last 10 fill-ups!

 

So I'm still thinking about this for some reason, and I was thinking about a Prius or Corolla hybrid for the sheer practicality of it, but maybe that's the wrong direction. Especially if your state incentivizes people to not buy hybrids...

OP, are you interested in a more fun commuter car? Or at least more modern? If this was me, and I already had a 4R and a Tundra, I'd be seriously considering something like a Miata or Civic SI (or even a standard Civic with a manual transmission). Economical, fun to drive and might spice up the commute, reliable, and can be found fairly inexpensive.

The Civic can get close to 40 mpg under these driving conditions, and you can find lightly used SI's under $20k (where I live). Or older, moderately used ones for much cheaper.

Although technically the most practical option is to not replace the Corolla, and just drove one of the trucks. Like everyone with math has already pointed out, buying a separate car for just commuting is rarely a cost-saving measure.

 

Not sure how, but our 2024 ORP in stock form and 5100 miles on it is getting an average of 21.5 - 22mpg, consistently, driving mainly out in the rural countryside. Our best tank was 23, and the worst was 18, driving across E. WA with a 20 mph headwind. So it is possible, if you are conservative and drive mainly in rural areas around 55-60 mph to get 22. We are living proof of it. But, when we modify it, the mileage will drop. Still, even at 18, you have to factor in overall cost to own, and the 4runner is a standout from a total cost to own over 5 years. You can compare against the competition using edmunds total cost to own calculator.

 

On rural roads staying between 45 and 60, I can easily get over 20, but once I hit the highway this magic hole opens up in my gas tank. If I’m on the highway, that means I’m trying to get somewhere relatively quick, and I’ll go a few over the limit, and mpgs expectations are gone

 

I dont understand what you mean by driving body on frame as a commuter? Do you know how many people in america do? And also why you’re apart of this forum? Best decision hands down. Ive had 3 tacomas and 3 4runners. Never been disappointed other than a little bit with the 3rd gen taco

 

My last few tanks are in the 21.5 range now that it's warmer and the summer gas is out.

My average over the last 25k or so miles is 19.7.

Really though, a few mpg either way doesn't make that much difference, it's more psychological than anything else. Personally I'm more concerned with range that the actual number, I like getting at least 400 miles to a tank.

 

The RAV4 will not satisfy your 4Runner desires, or nowhere near it. At that point, I’d get a Prius instead and enjoy what that brings to the table, and plenty of MPG.

 

Same here. I was able to hit over 25MPG a few months back while driving on back country roads. I would set the cruise at 40mph during these short commutes (11 miles) and would see MPG's in the 22 - 23 range. But one day, I saw this:

 

Well, the commute plus the small vehicle for lower fuel cost vs the 4runner would sorta open the dock. But if you’re offended by it, I’ll cater to your low self esteem and say ok, don’t want set off your Karen radar.

 

I know this is pretty much heresy here to even bring it up, but if you drive that much, an EV with enough range to cover your daily drive would save you a lot of gas $ and make a lot of sense if you can charge it at home and/or work. Prices have come down a lot in the last year or so. There are some lease deals now in the $300-500/month range, same as what you'd spend just on gas in a 4Runner. And EV's typically have a lot more power than a similar ICE vehicle. If you need a truck or SUV with 4WD check out Rivian's lease deals. They just updated their lineup and there are some good deals on the older versions.

Or you could buy a used Tesla or whatever for 20-30K. Or a hybrid that gets 40-50 mpg.

 

So you're considering a 4runner which will cost you $400+/month (roughly $5000/year!) in gas, and you're worried about $124/year or about $10/month HUF fee on a vehicle that would save you at least $200/month or more on gas? I don't really follow that logic.
The 4% annual tax could be a big hit on a newer vehicle though.

 

Do you have room for a 3rd vehicle? The 4Runner doesn't need to be the only vehicle, and if it doesn't need to be the daily you can do a lot more to it that's not friendly for daily driving but better doing stuff the 4R is good at

 

But the Land Cruiser requires 91 octane

 

Had a RAV4 Adventure, traded my Tundra in on it in 2020. While it was nice, the mpg was not as advertised. Still only got 27-28 Only time I saw 30+ was a 4 hour drive under 65mph. At interstate speeds (75-80) I was lucky to see over 25mph. Do yourself a favor and get the 4Runner. If you’re worried about putting miles on it, get a cheap daily or keep the Corolla. But buy the 4Runner.

 

Doubt anyone buys a 4r for compliment? It’s a dime a dozen car… no one is impressed enough to compliment a rando’s 4r

 

Premium fuel is a deal breaker for me. That cost negates any mpg gains.

 

Care ownership cost is interesting. If you can drive it X more miles and spend less on repairs than the alternative, this sometimes swamps costs such as purchase price or fuel mileage. For example, I concluded it was cheaper to drive a 4R than a Dodge Caravan (for a family vehicle), even though the 4R is a much more expensive vehicle -- primarily because the repair costs are lower and it should last a lot longer. Spreadsheet if anyone is interested:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HxHU-EK1Ed6VQ9up03iOuHIMH5_oUOGQSaD6PauFeJM/edit?usp=sharing

This tradeoff is probably less pronounced between two Toyota vehicles.

 

Bruh

 

Why are we cherry picking mpgs under optimal conditions?

 

I can probably get 60 mpg if I coast down a mountain in neutral. Of course I would get 8 mpg climbing up the mountain first.

 

Actually, someone (correctly) pointed out that no one is averaging 20 mpg in their 4Runner.

And I say "correctly", because every response has been a long running average below 20, or cherry-picked single trips with results above 20. So as someone else pointed out, it's turned into a dick measuring contest that honestly fails to dispel the claim that no one is averaging 20 or better.

Although OP is potentially in a good spot for mpg (I got the best mpg when I drove 30 miles of back roads one way to work), he has also stated that he gets 18 mpg when he drives the 4Runner he already owns (wife's car). So we don't even need to speculate on gas mileage for comparison, he's told us.

 

You're in!

 

If I had a long commute, I’d keep my current cars (4Runner included) for pleasure and just buy a well used like Toyota Avalon or Lexus ES couch on wheels for commuting. Pack a ton of miles on it and dump it for another used one every few years.

Putting a ton of boring work commute miles on a pricey newer car doesn’t make alot of sense imo, good gas mileage or not. But I buy and keep vehicles I really enjoy for many many years and would just opt to abuse some disposable cheap commutermobile for work duties instead.

Wow…..and here I can’t even get into the 15mpg club

 

An old Corolla, and a new 4Runner are a perfect match!! A cheap gas sipper for mileage, the 4Runner as the fun part time vehicle. I don’t think insurance is that much different with the multi-car discount, and just having minimum liability insurance on the Corolla. If you get anything newer and nice, you’ll cringe to not carry full coverage on it. But your old Corolla is perfect for just having liability. If you insist on just one vehicle, and good mileage, get the RAV4 Prime lol!! 302 hp, so bad ass!

 

We love our Rav4 Prime, I have to remind myself, ITS NOT a high speed go cart, or is it.

 

Was this a typo? Based on that, someone with a newer 4Runner would be paying close to $2K per year. That seems ridiculous to me.