I really want a new 4runner but the MPG

Shoulda kept the GTI and just bought a 5K beater XJ for off-road use. More capability for a fraction of the cost.

 

At least your analysis was consistent with your stated assumptions and easily scalable to the appropriate answer.

Although I mostly stuck to my Outback for commuting (a little over 2 hours/day), I like the greater visibility from my perch in the 4R and didn't mind the extra fuel now and then. Fortunately, my commuting days were over a few months later.

 

You will never get 20mpg AVERAGE on a 4Runner. The RAV4 gets 29-30 mpg average according to “fuelly.com”.
4Runner 12k/year = 750 gal
RAV4 12k/year = 400 gal
That’s almost double. And this is commuting which is never fun. No matter what kind of car you have, 2.5 hours commuting per day is not fun. In my opinion if it’s not fun, let’s try to make it as economical as possible.
OP drives 90 miles per day. That’s around 21,600 miles per year for work only.

 

Do you have off-road trails during your commute? OP has a 4Runner in the family so he can use it for camping. He wants to change the outdated commuter car for something modern. So you’re not in the same boat. BTW 1.5 hours is unit of time and not distance. Distance units in the US are usually miles/yard/feet. I can drive 5 miles in LA or NYC which takes 1.5 hours or 90 miles in rural AZ.

 

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.

 

If my commute was 95% highway I would definitely pick a sedan so I can keep comfortable 80mph travel speed while getting 28-30 mpg. On 90 miles commute you save 16-17 min just driving 80mph vs 65 mph. That’s more than 1 hour per week.

 

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:

 

We’re getting into a who has the bigger penis competition. Under normal conditions and driving habits the average is not 20-21 mph on the 4Runner. Sure my gen4 had 20 mpg in FL, 2WD, fully flat everywhere and no traffic. But in city/suburb traffic it’s 16mpg.
I won’t drive any of my vehicles like a Prius driver. 0-45 mph under 55 seconds then getting under a semi to save additional fuel. I can get 20-21 mpg occasionally on a back road but it’s not realistic and it’s not most people’s everyday commute.

 

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

 

Paragraph comprehension. Please read OP’s initial post and you’ll understand. If not, please read it again or ask for assistance.

 

Try to put that $5,000/year into a S&P500 index fund. In 10 years that’s $108,000 with 10% rate of return. I take that over the cools dude feeling and some compliments from random people at the gas station.

 

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.

 

Sure. Am I in the club now? Found a back road, flat and 35 mph speed limit. But this is not an average commute for most people!! Once you hit traffic lights, minor traffic, it’s 17 mpg.