Pros? Cons? Talk me in to or out of getting one.

Looking at TRD Premiums.

Pros:
As reliable as any vehicle on the road
Rugged
Body-on-frame capable of modest towing
Holds value as well (better probably) than any vehicle out there
Outstanding off-road capability
Drive nice but not great on road
Tons of aftermarket options
Great styling (in my opinion)

Cons:
Pathetic lack of bells and whistles for the price (but that goes wit the rugged and reliable theme and is by design)
Dated power train (again by design)
Mediocre fuel efficiency
Mediocre power
Pricey and in pretty high demand


All I can think of off top of my head

Have owned 4. All 4WD. Have driven 2 of them to 250k plus. Sold one off early to get a newer model. Not once have i ever turned the key on a 4runner and it not started and gotten me to point B. Sans of course self induced battery issues.
Only one was tricked out. No problems with it after the upgrades.

Have a gen 5 in the arsenal now

Pros: 1.reliable and durable (take this to the bank)
2. Will take you anywhere you want to go any time
3. 17.5 mpg overall. (Pro for me). Beats Other 4x4s
4. Small footprint. Fits under and between things off
Road

I buy them and will continue to do so for those top two reasons. I want to be able to head out into the desert for a long time and not think about my vehicle. I cannot say that about the chevys, fords, or dodges i haven owned. The latter 3 are good for daily driving and long city bound trips. The former is a bad mother ****er that wont stop no matter what u do to it.

Cons: 1.small interior (not roomy anywhere). Full size gobi
Roof rack fixes that. (Looks stupid though)
2. No luxury or current tech. Dont get a yota if this is
Important to you. Very basic but gets the job done
3. The floor and seat angles on the gen 5 are way off
Off imo. Kinda of weird but nothing stays on the
Seats with any amount of non-granny driving.
What ever is in the back cargo space will dump out
When you stop and open the back hatch. EVERY
SINGLE TIME.

Oh and don't buy it for resale value. Its not quite what folks say it is. Thats sort of a common not 100 accurate misconception. Its just better than most domestic resale values. Not all that great tho.

What others have posted. My 99 model is still in excellent shape. The engine, however, decided to start overheating and has not yet been solved through an engine rebuild and complete cooling system replacement. Next stop...LS swap!

This post had me searching 4runners on facebook marketplace. Now I want this one:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/611168876064496/

Thanks Broncos......

Just got out of my '11 for a 2000 LX470 with over twice the miles. Haven't missed it yet going on 3 months.

The 4Runners wheelhouse and capabilities are likely more than you'll ever need or use, same for 99% of the users out there. I would really recommend getting something that is more comfortable, powerful, efficient, and way better optioned for the same money. You won't get to post pics of your odometer rolling 300k, but there's plenty of other reliable enough options out there.

pros - re-sale value is great. can drive them forever. good off-road.
cons - interior is so outdated that it is on par with a horse and buggy and/or rickshaw. engine needs more power.

I guess we have low expectations for interior. I got my wife a used 2014 4x4 Tail Limited with 35k miles in 2016, saved about $10k versus new, and we love the interior. It has black leather with red stitching and overall an upscale look.

The negative would be the space, however we (wife/baby/45lb dog) go to Colorado every winter and a hitch cargo tray works perfect. If we have a second kid, we'll probably go for a roof rack as well.

I love taking the 4Runner into the snow! I've driven in some deep unpacked snow (halfway up wheels at points), and it drives great. I purposely look for opportunities in CO to see what this truck can handle.

Others in the thread have nailed it.

If you buy a 4runner you have to go in knowing that you're not going to have near the same interior experience as other mid size SUVs. This didn't bother me at all but I tend to like more simple, mechanical interfaces (i.e., switches/knobs instead of everything on a touch screen) and tend to buy very lightly optioned.

What did bother me immensely was the powertrain - way underpowered but still guzzled more gas than my 5.0 v8 Mustang. I couldn't ultimately get over that aspect - it bothered me every time I drove it. If you think you can, go for it - truck is very solidly built and will depreciate less than damn near anything on the road.

newhowdyag2004 said:

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I guess we have low expectations for interior. I got my wife a used 2014 4x4 Tail Limited with 35k miles in 2016, saved about $10k versus new, and we love the interior. It has black leather with red stitching and overall an upscale look.

The negative would be the space, however we (wife/baby/45lb dog) go to Colorado every winter and a hitch cargo tray works perfect. If we have a second kid, we'll probably go for a roof rack as well.

I love taking the 4Runner into the snow! I've driven in some deep unpacked snow (halfway up wheels at points), and it drives great. I purposely look for opportunities in CO to see what this truck can handle.

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Do you mean a Trail Premium or just a 4x4 Limited? How in the world were you able to get it for $10k less than a new model?

For comparison on the resale values, I bought my 2015 tacoma for $31k and got $26.5k (trade in) for it in 2017 with 40,000 miles.

Everyone has already hit the key points. If you like simple, rugged, and reliable as hell (this is me), it's the car for you. But if you like plushed out options and get hung up on gas mileage, probably not. I'm a simple man, don't don't care for a ton of complex options (especially when they make something simple more complicated to use), and have a short commute, so I love the thing. I've got a 2018 SR5 Premium (leather, pop up 3rd row) and think the interior is plenty nice.

As far as power goes, I drive fast, but I'm not someone that jack rabbits around. So I've had no complaints about its power, but I could see how some may see the power as a negative.

saltydog13 said:

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newhowdyag2004 said:

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I guess we have low expectations for interior. I got my wife a used 2014 4x4 Tail Limited with 35k miles in 2016, saved about $10k versus new, and we love the interior. It has black leather with red stitching and overall an upscale look.

The negative would be the space, however we (wife/baby/45lb dog) go to Colorado every winter and a hitch cargo tray works perfect. If we have a second kid, we'll probably go for a roof rack as well.

I love taking the 4Runner into the snow! I've driven in some deep unpacked snow (halfway up wheels at points), and it drives great. I purposely look for opportunities in CO to see what this truck can handle.

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Do you mean a Trail Premium or just a 4x4 Limited? How in the world were you able to get it for less than $10k new?

For comparison on the resale values, I bought my 2015 tacoma for $31k and got $26.5k (trade in) for it in 2017 with 40,000 miles.

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I take it ask $10k less than new.

Yeah I worded my question weird, but that's a heck of a deal to get on a 4runner that's only 2 years old and under warranty still

I've owned a TRD Offroad Premium for about 15 months. The biggest complaint would be the transmission shift points while on cruise control going up a steady incline. It takes too long to downshift before it loses speed, then it downshifts and accelerates past your set cruising speed, and takes too long to upshift. At this point the person next to you thinks you are trying to race them. This happens every time on Highway 6 between Hempstead and College Station.

If you do get one I will answer the first questions you will have:
-Yes it does lean to the drivers side
-Yes you will hear a slight hiss sound when hitting the brake pedal
-Yes sometimes you will feel a slight vibration in the steering wheel at about 60 mph

Pros:

- Reliable
- Exterior styling
- I have confidence that the vehicle can do anything I require it to do

Cons:

- Road noise is pretty bad
- Gas mileage for the power you get...I have no problem with the mileage if it had a little more giddy up, and similarly no problem with the power if the mileage was better
- Dated interior but honestly it isn't that bad...but there are some things they could have added to the less than Limited options that wouldn't add significant "risk" in terms of breaking down. But people buy them constantly so I understand why Toyota hasn't done crap to them
- tk had a good point - the cruise control set points are effing dumb on this vehicle going uphill/into a strong headwind

I bought a '16 Trail Premium (rebranded to some version of TRD-something now) and while I love it for what it is, I'll probably buy something else in a couple of years. I'd like to keep it and use it as a substitute for a truck if I can, but as a daily driver or road trip/non-off road vehicle, it's meh for me.

That said, it's a great vehicle and I don't completely regret my purchase (got a great deal at the time since I bought in 2017), just sometimes I wish I had something different. I realize my post makes it sound like I hate this SUV, but I really don't. I love the look of it and the driving experience is pleasant...I just want something more than pleasant for my vehicles (and I don't need fancy for that...my V6 Accord was a joy to drive save for the road noise).

The interior I think is completely fine, I just wish they would put dual zone climate control in more trim levels than the Limited for example. The seats and the materials used, personally, don't feel cheap or anything. I like them quite a bit. I just want dual zone climate control and my headlights to turn on automatically, which I think are incredibly basic asks that nearly 100% of vehicles have now, especially those hovering around the $40k mark.

saltydog13 said:

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Yeah I worded my question weird, but that's a heck of a deal to get on a 4runner that's only 2 years old and under warranty still

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Yes sounds like a good deal. I just bought a '16 sr5 premium 4wd with 24k mikes for $8k less than true car's new price. And I honestly think the True Car price was slightly under what I could have gotten a new one for. I shopped new and used independently and I had a few dealerships say they couldn't get to the True Car price.

I agree for the most part on previous comments.

For me the 4Runner was the compromise between the mid size unibody SUV and a Wrangler. I needed something I could park in the garages, something with good ground clearance and a strong 4WD; all the while being nice enough to take clients around while not riding around inside a tent.

Personally, I like simplicity so the interior does not bother me. I hate the digital push button HVAC systems; this one has nobs. Big ones.

The infotainment system on the TRD is something out of the stone age. The Nav is terrible and extremely difficult to program; I just use my phone with a mount.

Crawl control is interesting; haven't quite figured out how to utilize it to its fullest extent. However, the factory rear locker and A-trac are awesome.

To me, it is the last of the truck based SUVs. Not quite as capable as a JK/JL, but certainly not a glorified minivan.

Yes, it's a Trail Premium.

When I was pricing out a new 4Runner 4x4, it was coming in around $31k. One with leather and nav/etc like the Trail Premium was mid 40's. We drove off at $34k after TT&L with ~34k miles. They wanted to add the certified which I said forget it, and save I think a couple grand.

Thanks for all the input.

I currently own a GMC Sierra. I've wanted a 4Runner for a while because IMO they're the best looking mid-size SUV. I like the ruggedness and dependability associated with them. The lack of features inside doesn't really bother me because the ability to take it to the beach or through uncharted grounds makes up for it (while not used often it's nice to not worry about it). I like that it's essentially a truck in an SUV body.

I realized in the time I've owned my Sierra I've used the bed about 4 times. I could definitely use more interior room rather than an open bed.

The lack of change over the last 10 years doesn't bother me either. The minor upgrades/additions to the body stay up to date but keep the classic look.

If you're buying new, wait for the refresh/update in 2020. Nothing crazy, but better tech and improvements.

Have a 2017 TRD Off-road Premium and have been happy with it. It satisfied the need of having a capable vehicle to go places and haul the kids/dog/stuff.

Only complaint, that I've now gotten used to, is no automatic headlights on my trim level. I mean come on Toyota!

Naveronski said:

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If you're buying new, wait for the refresh/update in 2020. Nothing crazy, but better tech and improvements.

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I'm impatient and don't want to wait until October-ish.

Here is my 2013 Limited 4WD. Absolutely love it. I'm in no way a "need to have the latest tech" person. The only need I have I suppose is Bluetooth and it has it. Beyond that, I was looking for reliability, looks, and offroad ability in stock form + an overall safe ride.

Yes, it isn't the most powerful. My 5.7 Single cab Tundra is/was an absolute rocket ship compared to the 4Runner. But I'll say this, driving something less powerful is also enjoyable because I can just relax and drive. Some people loath the XREAS suspension but i find this 4Runner rides better than my Tundra did, better than my Fusion and frankly, better than my wife's Sienna when it comes to soaking up bumps and potholes. Def. not jarring in any way.

After being a Ford guy forever, last year i replaced my wifes 06 Expedition with 200K miles with a 14 4Runner Limited with 37K miles. Yes, the 4Runners hold their value, but we also saved about $10K over new. So far, it has been trouble free with the exception of the XREAS shocks that i replaced with KYB shocks

I bought the vehicle because it was low tech: solid axle, no turbos, only a 5 speed automatic instead of 8 or 10 speeds. Avoiding turbos was the main reason i didn't buy another Ford. I like to keep my cars 10 years and 200-250K, and low tech does that easier.

I agree the engine could have more power and wish there still was a V8 option, but i do like getting 20-21 MPG instead of the Expeditions 16-17 MPG. Overall we like the 4Runner and have used it comfortably on several long road trips.

Other than what was said above, i would add on more "con": the turning radius of the 4Runner is terrible. Not sure why, but it is.

Agreeing with the peanut gallery (I have a '19 TRD Off-Road). Most of the tech that you give up can be handled via a phone mount if that doesn't offend you, I haven't bothered. Navigation is standard, and it works well enough if not seamlessly with your phone, BT connection is reliable for audio, and I'm too much of a Luddite to care about anything else.

The lack of power is noticeable given how much power even mid-level vehicles are making these days, but it will cruise at 75 on the highway without straining to speed up and pass people. I might just be rationalizing it, but by mid-90's standards, it wouldn't feel slow at all. That and 95% of my driving involves Houston traffic such that being faster than the vehicles surrounding you is of little utility.

I traded a '16 F150 Lariat for mine because I was tired of dealing with the size and ride of a full-sized truck. The 4Runner is way more nimble and maneuverable, plus it stops and turns so much easier. I get 20 mpg, which isn't great, but not bad. You might get another 4-5 mpg out a more modern setup, but the added complexity just isn't worth it to me. I plan on passing this one down to my grade school age kids once they master the basics in some beater that they can bounce off of curbs.

Drove one home yesterday. I'll report back later with findings. As of now I absolutely love it.

A few initial findings.. it doesn't feel weak at all. It has plenty of go. The screen and interior tech aren't as bad as people are making it out to be.

I might be joining you guys soon... my 2008 Tundra is starting to hit my wallet hard with random service issues.

Did you drive it home as a loaner or buy it?

knoxtom said:

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ktownag08 said:

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Have a 2017 TRD Off-road Premium and have been happy with it. It satisfied the need of having a capable vehicle to go places and haul the kids/dog/stuff.

Only complaint, that I've now gotten used to, is no automatic headlights on my trim level. I mean come on Toyota!

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Just leave the headlights on when you turn off the car. They will auto turn off one minute later.and turn back on when you restart the car.

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I had a Tacoma rental last week. I don't recall the trim level but it had push button start, "auto" lock/unlock, radar cruise control, infotainment screen, and......manual headlights. When I got in the truck in the garage the previous driver had done the above and left the lights on. It was fine in the garage but after I got out on the road it took a while before I figured out why the infotainment screen wasn't visible in daylight......

I'm no kaizen samurai but it seems like it would more leaner to have one type of headlight control (automatic) than continuing to install two different types of headlight controls across a product line.

My grandmas basic 2012 Sienna has auto lights and blind spot monitoring. Mind boggling it's not standard on the 4Runner.

Bought it.

We loved our 2016 limited. Couldn't fit 3 car seats in the back, at least not easily so we had to let it go. Great for a family of 4 or less. Or wait until they don't need car seats. Did I mention car seats.