If you were offered good money for your 5th gen, would you sell?

I believe you can. I looked at a thread I created, and above the first post, on the right, is Thread Tools, and one of the options is Add a poll.

 

Don't we already have a pretty good idea of what the results of the poll would be?

 

I have 9500 miles on my 24 Limited. It does everything I bought it to do beyond my expectations. It is paid for and at 76, I have little doubt that it will easily make it for my use cases until I can no longer drive, for whatever reason. And considering that I have not found anything I would rather have (I sold my C6 Corvette when I bought the 4R to free up the garage space), my answer would be "no".

 

Yes!

 

Probably obvious by now what the majority would say but I added a poll, so do check it out and cast your vote.

 

Not a chance. I deliberately paid more for it than a new 6th gen because it makes for a better work + fun all-round vehicle.

 

Congrats on the 4R and retirement. Are you getting a few nice trips in hopefully with the new ride?

 

THIS

I had this happen to my 4R in a backroad. It was wide and no one else close, I hit an icy spot and a bump very slowly though I was doing about 15 MPH, but because it sits high and its got a solid rear axle, it fishtailed a little but I have experience in snow/ice so I was able to stabilize right away. Needless to say it scared me enough to lower my AT4W's pressure to about 28 PSI if I absolutely need to drive in those types of conditions with my 4R.

But my Outback is better because it's independent and sits lower, definitely more stable and haven't fishtailed in similar conditions.

 

Yeah, we have been on trips all through Arizona and Colorado so far after getting it in 12/24. Plans for next summer will take us up through Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

 

Congratulations that’s awesome! Years ago I did a tour of Arizona and stayed for a few weeks from GC down to Tuscon. It was excellent and saw your area in Sedona. What a beautiful area. Maybe someday I can look into being a AZ snowbird. These Michigan winters are getting old.

 

For sure, in rear wheel drive, the 4runner will wipe out and lose control much, much easier than any other AWD or front wheel drive car. Period. That’s how it is when the rear tires are driven. Losing traction means instant oversteer.

If you’re concerned about safety for any drivers in your family because of this fact, don’t wait to get a good offer. Just sell it. It’s really hard for a seller to get a bad price on a 4runner.

That said, the stability control system on my 2021 does a pretty good job preventing oversteer when I lose traction on the rear tires in 2wd.

Were you in rear wheel drive or 4wheel drive?

The fact it sits high and has a solid rear axle isn’t the reason the rear end stepped out. Subaru’s have better traction because they’re all-wheel drive all the time, and probably are front drive biased in most situations.

 

A lot of 4R owners should really just switch to Subarus, period. They don't need the positives of the 4Rs over Subarus, and Toyota can't electronic nanny their way out of buyers' lack of experience driving RWD BOF vehicles with live rear axle but expecting unibody IRS AWD level of stability, ride quality and fuel economy. They only bought Toyotas based on the "tOyOtA rElIaBiLitY" social media algorithms and don't understand how a vehicle like the 4R can't change fundamental physics just because it came out of Tahara.

It would also alleviate the upward pressure of 4R prices.

I encourage everyone to trade their 4Rs in for Subarus. Papa needs a project 5th gen.

 

Not gonna lie, before I bought my 4Runner I was shopping around for mini vans. I don't need a huge people mover, but I wanted cargo space, good mpg's and something very realiable. so I was directed by people to buy a Toyota Sienna. Specifically the hybrid version.

I came very close to buying one. They are incredibly practical. Low load floor, lots of seating/space for the occupants, cargo/luggage capacity. Even towing... But when I was looking the Sienna was in seriously high demand and people were putting $5 - 10k markups on them. As much as I wanted one, I couldn't justify paying a markup.

....so I settled, for the 4Runner that I have now.

 

Toyota knows that and intentionally throttles the production like how they do with TRD Pro anything or the GX.

 

Haha. Settled.

I had a friend in your situation. He ended up with an AWD Sienna with a modest lift and Falken A/T Trails. It was pretty badass for a minivan.

 

Like this?

 

It’s kind of hard to settle for a 4runner in place of a minivan. Sure, the 4R has better than average utility compared to other vehicles, but it just doesn’t hold a candle to a minivan.

Me too. If they were more plentiful,a rolled 4runner with a totalled body would sell for scrap value. Perfect donor for swapping a minivan body onto the frame!

 

I meant that sarcastically. Sorry, sometimes it's hard to read that via text.

 

I know you can’t admit to your pain out in the open, but it’s ok. Nobody walks away from a minivan without feeling the loss of what could have been. Your soul-cry is heard.

 

This could've been me bro....

 

You know there is hope for you. She is out there....you just need to sober up and not be Borracho anymore! The loco is probably ok!

 

This thread might be on to sumthang...

 

This question really got me thinking. I didn't get my 2020 Limited for serious off roading, but rather for its outstanding combination of utility and dependability. Lots of cargo and/or passenger room in a vehicle that's not too big on the outside. Excellent bad weather ability, with more than 9 inches of ground clearance, locking center diff and ALTRAC if you're really in the soup. Low gear too, if needed for the rare gnarly off road situation. All with great outward visibility, comfortable seats and ride, adequate acceleration, and even a bit of towing capability. Combine all that with relatively simple mechanicals and proven-exceptional reliability and durability -- well, that's incredibly hard to match. Which at first blush makes me a "Hell no."

Buuuut... I do wonder about the potential of EV SUVs. At some point, I could see being wiling to sell if it was enough to make a good EV SUV affordable.

Let's look at the Lucid Gravity as just one case in point: The Gravity has more passenger interior volume, 106 cu ft to 97, and up to 120 cu ft of cargo capacity, compared to 90. 6,000 pounds towing, compared to 5,000. Ground clearance (adjustable) of up to 9.3 inches compared to 9.6. Very close. And it's got the inherent advantages of electric propulsion when it comes to AWD, since it means instant torque distribution. And of course it has much, much better acceleration, cornering and on-road demeanor generally. Very similar things could also be said for the Rivian SUV.

There are good reasons one might not want either of these vehicles, price being a big one. Also the current state of EV charging infrastructure. But they seem to be proving the point. Even range is becoming less of a differentiator. Per AI, the realistic max range for the Gravity Grand Touring is 400 miles, compared to a realistic max of 450 for the 4Runner.

So, if you're prioritizing overall utility, an EV could be better. Especially if you can fuel it at home. And, at least in principle, an EV could also be better off road, given its advantages in instantly delivering the amount of power you want to each wheel. And the low center of gravity created by the battery pack. And the ability to have a completely flat and armored underbody, with no exhaust, trans, driveshaft or gas tank hanging down. If you're spending days in the wilderness, yeah, an ICE is more capable because you can bring extra fuel with you. But what about the usual use cases for people like me (and most others)?

And how about dependability? Here the jury may still be out to some degree, even though we've now seen that modern battery packs actually last a long time. But it's undeniable that we're talking about less mechanical complexity in an EV. So, could an EV actually be more dependable than a 5th Gen 4Runner? We see how it could have an edge in utility. If it also had an edge in reliability and durability, would we not finally have an alternative that beats the 4R?

To be clear, I'm not quite there yet. But it feels close. Which means I may be a "hell no" now, but may not be in a few years if EVs keep getting better. And, really, we can't say the same thing about future ICE SUVs. The trends there are almost all bad. As we've seen with the 6th Gen 4Runner.

Thoughts?

 

Once this comes out, I'm going to take a hard look at it and give it serious consideration:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUl_0087dyM

 

A gasser runs out and it takes 5 minutes to pump gas a ev goes dead and it takes how long to charge?

 

For good EVs like the Lucid and Rivian, high speed chargers deliver 200 miles of range in about 15 min, and full charges in about 30-40 min. That’s hardly a deal breaker for me. Few of us are refueling more than once or twice a week anyway. I sometimes go weeks.

I do get it though for long road trips. You’d definitely notice if you’re trying to cover hundreds of miles a day. You’d probably also notice charger availability issues.

 

Thats 10 more mins that I don't want to wait, and don't have to with a gas car. Nothing against you if you get an EV. You do you. But I'm a gas guy.

 

Like you say, to each his own, but I have trouble seeing how 10-30 min more fueling time would prevent someone from getting a truck that is both more useful and dependable than the 5th Gen. A truck that does more and is more capable off road while also requiring less maintenance and lasting just as long. I’m not saying that all that is true (yet) but I am saying that we seem to be close. Which is why my answer to this poll question could change before long. Price aside, the Lucid has me almost there already. Folks should look it up. It’s really impressive, even if just as a proof of concept.

 

Oh yes it is! I'll admit, I like the Lucid. And the Rivian too. If I was to get an EV (not likely though), I'd look at Rivians and Lucids

 

Remember that it's a completely different fueling experience for both types!

For a battery-electric, it's intended to be plugged in and charging at home while you're sleeping or whatever you're up to so every day you're waking up with a full (or whatever limit you set) tank.

You're not going to be squeezing every electron out of the battery often either - same way you aren't filling up daily so charging times from dead aren't as relevant to daily use.

Effectively you're trading all the time spent at a gas station for longer stops on longer road-trips.

Of course neither fuel is going to be a "one size fits all", obviously electricity won't be suitable for a hotshot delivery driver, some people commute long-distance, having a big battery enables some resilience at home, etc. - same way a Corolla and F-250 are very different but both are perfectly valid options.

Anyways, I'm not too crazy about current options at their prices since the 4Runner cargo holds is so useful and I still plan to hit the trail a little beyond the bZ/Solterra's X-Mode capabilities, etc. but I still dream.