RIP 4Runner

If anyone on this forum can read and believes it, Please raise your hand, or press 1, or leave some sort of telepathic sign ...

 

The EPA isn't the only one who wants better fuel economy. If you believe that your head is in the sand.

Look at how many people on here complain about mpg's and tell me Toyota didn't consider it from that standpoint as well.

 

If people complained about 4runner gas mileage, then the 4runner would not have remained the same for the past decade. Gas prices range from 2 dollars to 7 dollars as the business cycle turns and it always riles up the crowd from time to time. Change only comes in most cases by force. Necessity is the mother of all invention. My head has never really been stuck in the sand. I just actually head a mental image of that. Yikes...

 

Sorry for that.

But, I stand by the rest of what I said. It always matters. Sometimes a lot, and sometimes very little.

I bought the 4Runner because I wanted a 4Runner. I accepted the expected fuel economy. But, given the choice, I'll take better fuel economy, if all else is equal. If I'm not in a hurry, I take back-roads and get 17-20 mpg. If I'm in a rush, I deal with whatever I get. (12-15 at 80 mph, usually)

Right now we're looking at a new 4Runner with more power and potentially better fuel economy. The only potential downside is reliability issues. But, that's unknown for now.

So, we currently have a bunch of people complaining about (potentially) a better drivetrain. It's just getting old.

 

False. It remained the same for a multitude of reasons. One of them being that early 5th gen sales were poor. Toyota was getting ready to axe the 4Runner after 2016, but there was a resurgence in sales in 2015 and 2016 and they hastily came out with the 2017. That is when they started their 6th gen redesign. That redesign was interrupted multiple times by a pandemic, a chip shortage, ect.....

True

False. Change can come from anyone that wants change as well.

I'm finding this harder and harder to believe with each one of your posts.....so I'm going to go false on this one.

 

People complained but bought them anyway.

There have been numerous fuel economy related threads around here.

I will say that buying a vehicle known for poor fuel economy and then complaining about it is silly.

But, if we can get better fuel economy and more power, I'm all for it. That is, assuming we don't have a bunch of issues with the new motor. I expect them to have a few bugs to work out, but hopefully it's minimal.

 

You also have to factor in cost. If the higher mpg vehicle costs more than you’ll ever save in fuel costs then it doesn’t make sense. Such as the RAV4 prime. If it’s anything like the new Tacoma then I’m sure there will be a big increase in price with the 6th gen. Will the couple mpg be worth it? Same with paying a few thousand more for the hybrid model. Then you also have to include the potential increased cost of maintenance with a more complex drivetrain.

 

I get you. The thing about the 4R is that there's not a comparison. AND, just about every similar vehicle that's not a 4R gets better MPGs. So the trade-off is that I buy a 4R cuz I want one, and the fuel economy is what it is. It's part of the package.

As for the new one, I can only assume that Toyota desperately wants it to be just as reliable as the Gen5, which has been called the most reliable vehicle you can buy in more than one publication. Personally, I would opt for a NA version if it was offered. But then, I don't think turbos are the failure turds they once were. And I believe the main components in the 4R are not new but are already in other production vehicles.

I think Toyota nailed it with the Gen6.

 

You have proved most of my points here maybe without realizing it. Study the logic of zero sum outcomes...

 

My wrangler was fun but also had lots of issues (mine was a 97, so awhile back). We rented one in hawaii recently and it was a blast. Made me want one again, to bad all i hear are horror stories of quality and repairs

 

You must have missed this:

 

Well, that’s just impossible.

 

Agreed. And, part of the equation is that there really isn't much actual competition for the 4Runner. The Wrangler and Bronco both have better off-roading capabilities, but neither match it's reliability and comfort. So, it's almost in a league of its own.

I agree that they probably did everything they could to make the new drivetrain reliable. I won't be shocked if there are some bugs to work out, but I think it will end up being solid.

I'll also admit that I'm being very optimistic here. I'll be ready to eat some crow if/when I get proven wrong.

 

Is it?

Jeep currently offers the Wrangler with the 2.0T or the 3.6 pentastar for the same price. What if Toyota kept the 4.0 around for people who aren't into turbos, and don't care about power or fuel economy so much?

 

I think Toyota knows this very well. Some on here are disappointed that the Gen6 didn't chase those two vehicles. But in order to do that, they'd have to abandon the niche that they have so successfully locked up. And let's face it - the current 4R, if you read stories on here, is only a little less capable off road than those two.

 

Agreed! Honestly, as much fun as a 2-door Wrangler sounds, the 4Runner can already do things that scare me. But, my ultimate goal isn't really hardcore off-roading. If it were, I'd probably be on a Jeep forum.

 

You fellas are off on the wrong tangent with this debate about mileage and whether or not all things can be equal. What we should be sniping at each other about is whether the 6th Gen has Auto Stop/Start, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, and will a Carista update allow us to defeat it.

The lack of Auto Stop/Start is in the top three reasons why I chose a 4Runner over a Wrangler.

 

I assume it will have auto start/stop. I don't care for it, personally. I hope it can be defeated like in my Chevy work truck.

 

It will have it on the 4cyl turbo models (not the hybrid as that's already an inherent feature of the system).

You will be able to turn it off by pressing a button.

 

Fuel economy matters less to me than other considerations, to the point that I can truthfully state it does not matte. For example, today I was fueling up and put in more expensive Premium instead of Regular because Premium was ethanol-free.

More so, if you are concerned about fuel economy 4Runner of any generation is the wrong vehicle for you. It is not aerodynamic and it is not that efficient even with the new hybrid power train.

 

I’m a hard no thank you to a 2.0 SUV engine.
If Toyota kept the 4.0 I would go with that option and take the mpg hit because I know it’s going to cost next to nothing to maintain to high mileage.

 

Here's another one of those "if I had a nickel" statements.

There's a big difference between accepting reality and not caring. Buy, apparently a lot of people can't see that difference.

 

Fuel economy doesn't matter to me either.

I often participate in gasoline fights at my local station:

 

Fair enough.

I'm not sure what the maintenance costs on the 2.4 are going to end up being, so it's tough to make the call. If they do end up being problematic, I'll be right there with you driving the 4.0 into the ground.

 

A turbo charged engine may be like the guy on steroids. More power but a much quicker burnout. For power freaks that flip cars every 100k then their addiction is fulfilled. There really is no right or wrong but only personal preference. The question here becomes will the 4runner now be one of those 100k mile throw away cars opposed to the 400k miles keep it until the hair turns gray. These are all really fun debates to have. Fact is we will never have a hive mentality like bees or ants, so the only real outcome will be personal for you and not a global macro change of any kind...carry on now brothers and keep the discussion lively. I was golfing the other day and saw a golf cart with a 4runner emblem. Really freaked me out...

 

apple maps, google maps, onxoff road, and plenty of others let you download offline maps whether it is for on or off road while you re using carplay so im not really worried about that

 

When exploring the world in your ride do you really want a map. I mean, nothing good happens until you get lost somewhere right. Maps simply crack me up.