Not happy ....

I've been more of a sportscar guy than a truck guy. My last main ride was a WRX. Before that I had a BMW M235i, before that a GTI and before that a 3 Series BMW. One of my favorite of all the cars to come through my house was a BRZ. I like speed, and even more than speed I like great handling (see BRZ).

With my automotive experience and expectations anchored that way, one might think I'd find the 4Runner to be a dog. But I have no complaints in this regard, because I don't expect it to be fast or to brake or turn on a dime. What I expect, and what I get, is that it will power through.

On another thread on this forum I recently described a 1850 mile road trip from earlier this month. It involved very long stretches of 70-80 MPH, and one long stretch at about 85 MPH. Also many, many hills including in the mountains of western PA and the hills of northern Michigan. At no point did my Limited feel like it was straining to handle any of that.

The cruise control is over aggressive in forcing down shifts when ascending hills, so it downshifted to 4th gear many times. When I was operating the gas myself it seldom needed to, though sometimes I threw the trans into "sport" to do it on purpose so it wouldn't bounce back and forth between 4th and 5th on rolling hills. But either way, it never felt like it had a hard time maintaining high speeds, including on steep grades. And through all that, plus an epic traffic jam, I got 20 mpg overall.

So to reiterate: It ain't fast. But it does power through. And it's tough as nails. And that, it seems to me, is what you want in a truck.

 

My work bonus pays out in March, this is what I'm doing.

 

I agree that these trucks are at best adequately powered. I've driven worse and I've driven better. My first SUV was an '86 Jeep Cherokee with a 2.8 ltr. V6 that had 120 HP. Wanna talk under powered? I still towed a pop up camper with it that weighed around 3,000 lbs. I did it for years and I just had to adapt to it. My '93 Grand Cherokee with the .4.0 straight 6 was a vast improvement. That thing was a torque monster. Fast? No but had really good pulling power. My last Jeep was an '05 Grand Cherokee with the 4.7 V8. It pulled the trailer like it wasn't there. Plenty of power. Now I have the '19 4Runner. I haven't towed the camper with it (yes I still have the '89 Coleman pop up!) but I did tow a car trailer that was close to 5,000 lbs. for 630 miles. The Runner struggled with it on hills but I kept it in S4 and it was OK. I have an after market air filter and a Borla muffler. Do they help? Maybe, but if so it isn't a lot. What really brings these trucks alive is a Sprint Booster. I installed one last week and while it does not increase power, it changes the mapping of the accelerator and transmission shift points. It makes it feel as though it has more power and when you accelerate it actually responds. Yes, we shouldn't have to spend a couple of hundred dollars on new vehicles to make them perform like they should to begin with but if you want to make your 4Runner nicer to drive, this is one avenue to explore.

 

Everyone who has these loves them. That said, it cannot change your transmission shift points. The shift points will be the same without it by giving it more gas.

 

Hmmm it seems to shift differently especially downshifting when passing. I guess that's because the throttle responds more quickly. Either way, it feels so much peppier.

 

I think it's because of the amplified throttle input. I think the transmission shifts based on throttle input among other factors. So, I guess it would affect shift points. But, it's not like reprogramming the transmission computer. It just hold gears longer as if you were giving it more throttle.

Unless I'm wrong.. Wouldn't be the first time, I guess.

 

I think that makes you a ricer guy.

 

Three German cars in that list.

Don't buy much American cause, well, American mostly sucks. Sad but true. Wish it wasn't, but wishing don't make it so.

 

Just having fun man. Nice car list.

 

I think you are correct. Unless I'm wrong...then we are both in the same boat! LOL!

 

Don’t be afraid of S-modes. In town under 45mph I’m always in S4. On the highway, S4 when in hill country for sure. Regular D mode when on flat highways.

 

S-mode in the mountains for sure. Lock that Overdrive out. Bump it down to S3 when you need to. Those lock outs are there for a reason.

 

Living in AZ I have driven all the routes many times from Phoenix to Sedona/ Prescott/ Flagstaff.
If you want to cruise up the hill doing 80, fine....buy a Vette.
The 4Runner does fine in Drive. Those tacos will still be hot when you get there.
You don't have to be the first one there. If it's snowing you'll be king of the mountain. And it does snow. One one cross country trip I made in Feb. the worst part of the trip was from Flag to Prescott. Lots of fools spinning off the road....but they were not in a 4Runner.

 

Almost every vehicle is affected in the mountains.

 

Lots of good comments on here about the 5th gens power. All of which I agree with. I had a 2015 Tacoma previous to my 2018 ORP, and I used it to pull an aluminum 2 horse trailer. Ok, I don't live in the mountains, but it was slow when we were loaded up. You need to be a good driver to drive a slow vehicle in this day and age.
My 4 Runner doesn't pull anything, except its own weight, so by comparison its pretty responsive. But it is a slow vehicle, which keeps my speeding tickets down as well.
If you think its slow stock, imagine what its like with big tires without a regear. That's the reason I stick with stock tires. Any higher gearing than stock, must make you feel like getting out and giving it a push to get underway from red lights.
I digress - just develop a heavy foot, if you like speed, and be prepared to pay for the extra gas cost. You won't hurt that 4 litre engine a bit. Keep the RPM high, that's why they have a tach.

 

Funny thing is I got clocked at 98 MPH in Georgia this past winter.



I'm on 33's and hauling 600-700# of constant weight. Still no complaints. If I won the lottery, I guess I would supercharge it.

 

Yeah, I have to say I’ve thought of it too, with stock gearing. But an engine only has so many hours, you can take them all at once with a SC, or spread out without one. So far, I’m thinking about longevity, or at least until I decide it’s time to sell it. That’s usually dictated by the general state of rust here in Ontario.

 

It'll move as needed, for sure. Dead center of this image is my GPS max speed on a cross country trip, hauling a dirt bike on a hitch hauler both ways. You gotta hustle to get anywhere in Nevada and similarly large western states. Hell, my 650 cc motorcycle tops out at 107 GPS and it's power to weight ratio is probably 15 times better than a 4Runner.

 

Wow that’s fast, MeefZaw! I get worried for you just thinking about that. Unless you’re running racing tires and wearing a crash helmet with lap belts, that’s risky, don’t you think?

 

I do not, but I appreciate the concern! It's like a rock at 105. Obviously I didn't do that the entire trip, only when applicable given road and traffic.

 

I hear you, MeefZaw. Off road capability, and high speed driveability are strong attributes of 4 Runners for sure. The fastest I challenge the gods is 140 km/hr or about 85 mph in USA.

 

The numbers look good on paper, so I agree with saying that it's not underpowered. The problem is that the torque curve is all wrong, peak is way too high in the RPM range. Transmission wants to keep you at 2000 RPM, where these make less torque than a Chevy Sonic, but they don't start really making torque till closer to 4000.

I realized after driving mine for a while, you kind of have to drive it like you hate it. Be very heavy on the pedal, force it to downshift, and then you have some power. Its just very counterintuitive if you're not used to driving a car that requires that type of action. My other car is a 07 2.5 turbo Volvo, that has peak tq at 1900 RPM. It'll pull grades in 5th (top) gear in cruise control, while if I'm in my 4R I have to punch it to get it to kick down a few gears in order to maintain speed.

Supposedly something like a pedal Commander or sprint booster will help with the throttle feel at least, but I haven't invested the money in that yet.

 

Hmmm. Mine only goes above 2500 RPM's when I'm in a hurry. Are you at high elevation?

I'm pretty sure these things make a good percentage of their torque right from idle. You just have to be patient. Look at a diesel truck. A Cummins makes a shitload of torque at low RPM's. They're still not fast.

If you're pulling into traffic and need to get up to speed fast, you need to mash the pedal. I'm not sure why people are afraid of that. Otherwise, if you're not in a rush, it will get up to speed with minimal throttle needed. You just have to accept that it's going to take a few seconds longer than your Volvo.

Another thing to consider is that your Volvo is probably significantly lighter and more aerodynamic. And turbocharged.

 

278ft/lbs @ 4400 rpm

torque peaks later than it should for this type of vehicle.

 

Even the 5.7 in the Tundra doesn't make peak torque until 3600 RPM's.

I'm curious what percentage of torque is made at 2K. It seems fine to me.

 

I'm sure there are rare circumstances where 105 is not reckless for a 4R. A straight, flat and dry road with high visibility for long distances, and very little chance of vehicles or animals or whatever crossing your path. Maybe some desert roads are like that.

But I'd hate to see people get the wrong idea and think those kinds of speeds are ok for the 4R in anything but the exceptional kinds of conditions described above.

That you were pulling a trailer at those speeds freaks me out, TBH. Too many things could go wrong, causing a catastrophic accident that wouldn't have occurred at normal speeds. Imagine frying a wheel bearing on that trailer. That's just one example. Yikes.

105 is almost child's play for high performance cars in good condition -- cars with little rollover risk, sport suspensions and high performance brakes and tires. But not for a 4R. I don't want to be a scold, but really I feel like this story of 105 pulling a trailer requires a response.

 

He was not pulling a trailer. Bike was on a hitch hauler.

 

Whew that’s much better. Thanks for the correction.

 

Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

I'm not saying that's necessary safe, but I think it's better than hauling a trailer that fast.

I've probably had mine over 100 a few times, but not by much. It's usually when some ass-hat is camping in the left lane, then accelerates when I go to pass on the right.

 

Lol sorry for the misunderstanding, I was being completely sincere. Hitch hauler way better than trailer, so was a relief to realize I’d gotten that wrong. So was an honest thanks for the correction.