Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Toyota 4Runner

[opg210]

Bought a 2015 Limited and love it. Wife loves it too. We drove them all...this just seems like an honest rig, no nonsense, the others were trying to be cars and turned us off. Resale value a big plus. Stereo is worth half the price of admission if you ask me, I drive around just to listen to it. We wanted a minivan but they are now too big for our garage, 4 Runner is almost a foot shorter!

Biggest drawback is downward sloping floor in the back; things tend to slide backwards and jump out when you open the hatch. There isn't a proper net availabe from the dealer.

Mileage sucks of course so far. But love the vehicle.

Details?  Show n Shine?

Yes, pictures please.

Last year in one of my deep dive reaserch modes I was really hot on the Trail Edition. Just loved the idea of having one. In the end it was hard to justify having a minivan as the family car and the Trail Edition as the fund car / truck. I'd still like to have one someday.

Hmm only have one pic, of it stuffed into our garage. I'll have to get on that. In Calgary this winter a clean car lasts about 15 minutes, pearl white paint job so it's not often pretty.

Yes Trail would have met my needs for sure, as long as I could get that killer sound system in it, but WAF overrides...most things. She was interested in a luxury machine, not my thing, so I was more than happy to settle for an overpriced Toyota. Having checked the resale values i felt a bit better about the cost, plus I hope to have this for a loooong time. I'll clean 'er up and head on over to Show 'n Shine soon...and update my profile, good riddance VW...

[nlm]

Problem with the 4Runner is value. The Upgrade retails at $42k and the Trail at $45k. For the off-road market a Wrangler and X-Terra offer better capabilities not only for less but at a price point that is more conducive to such a market. For the do-everything/image market the GC gives more for the money. The 4Runner regardless of trim is kind of in Maxima/Avalon purgatory: there are better/cheaper tools that do the same job, if not better.

Of all the listed competitors I'd only consider the GC as the true do-everything competitor; the rest are more on-road biased/oriented and lack the same degree of off-road capability.

[tortoise]

So it's a Grand Cherokee for those who value slow depreciation and reliability.

[OliverD]

Problem with the 4Runner is value. The Upgrade retails at $42k and the Trail at $45k. For the off-road market a Wrangler and X-Terra offer better capabilities not only for less but at a price point that is more conducive to such a market. For the do-everything/image market the GC gives more for the money. The 4Runner regardless of trim is kind of in Maxima/Avalon purgatory: there are better/cheaper tools that do the same job, if not better.

Of all the listed competitors I'd only consider the GC as the true do-everything competitor; the rest are more on-road biased/oriented and lack the same degree of off-road capability.

Price out a Wrangler with the features that the Upgrade has and it isn't really any cheaper.

[nlm]

So it's a Grand Cherokee for those who value slow depreciation and reliability.

For the off-road market there is no such thing as reliability. Its more along the lines of cheap part replacement. Plus with the price difference that's about $7-10k you could put into a TFSA/invest in for the potential of future repairs. And if you don't need to repairs, that $7k-10k grows rather than depreciating, regardless of the rate.

For the image market, catering to those that value slow depreciation and reliability on a $50k+ machine is a hell of small market.

[ArticSteve]

PPL who buy a 4Runner are so past the Wrangler stage of life.

[evil_twin]

So it's a Grand Cherokee for those who value slow depreciation and reliability.

For the off-road market there is no such thing as reliability. Its more along the lines of cheap part replacement. Plus with the price difference that's about $7-10k you could put into a TFSA/invest in for the potential of future repairs. And if you don't need to repairs, that $7k-10k grows rather than depreciating, regardless of the rate.

For the image market, catering to those that value slow depreciation and reliability on a $50k+ machine is a hell of small market.

But clearly the 4Runner and GC are sold in (vastly) greater numbers to what you call "the image market".  The off-road market is barely a blip.

And there are tons of people who would value slow depreciation and reliability on a $50k family transport.   Look out on the roads, they are flooded with CUVs/SUVs/trucks near that price point.   We're not talking about a $150k Cayenne here.

[nlm]

Problem with the 4Runner is value. The Upgrade retails at $42k and the Trail at $45k. For the off-road market a Wrangler and X-Terra offer better capabilities not only for less but at a price point that is more conducive to such a market. For the do-everything/image market the GC gives more for the money. The 4Runner regardless of trim is kind of in Maxima/Avalon purgatory: there are better/cheaper tools that do the same job, if not better.

Of all the listed competitors I'd only consider the GC as the true do-everything competitor; the rest are more on-road biased/oriented and lack the same degree of off-road capability.

Price out a Wrangler with the features that the Upgrade has and it isn't really any cheaper.

The big differentiators are:
- advanced voice recognition
- leather seats
- heated seats (I think these are optional on the Rubicon)
- 3rd row seats

I guess that last one is a deal breaker. If you need a 3rd row and want some off-road chops I guess the 4Runner is for you at this price point.

But try to load up a 4Runner with the capabilities of a Wrangler and you're also north of $42k and into the aftermarket.

[nlm]

And there are tons of people who would value slow depreciation and reliability on a $50k family transport.   Look out on the roads, they are flooded with CUVs/SUVs/trucks near that price point.   We're not talking about a $150k Cayenne here.

Sure, but my point is not typically over other attributes like driveability, oomph, fuel economy, etc. If you value those those things more than slow depreciation and reliability then the GC is a better value for similar money.

[Hannibalsmith]

Problem with the 4Runner is value. The Upgrade retails at $42k and the Trail at $45k. For the off-road market a Wrangler and X-Terra offer better capabilities not only for less but at a price point that is more conducive to such a market. For the do-everything/image market the GC gives more for the money. The 4Runner regardless of trim is kind of in Maxima/Avalon purgatory: there are better/cheaper tools that do the same job, if not better.

Of all the listed competitors I'd only consider the GC as the true do-everything competitor; the rest are more on-road biased/oriented and lack the same degree of off-road capability.

Price out a Wrangler with the features that the Upgrade has and it isn't really any cheaper.

The big differentiators are:
- advanced voice recognition
- leather seats
- heated seats (I think these are optional on the Rubicon)
- 3rd row seats

I guess that last one is a deal breaker. If you need a 3rd row and want some off-road chops I guess the 4Runner is for you at this price point.

But try to load up a 4Runner with the capabilities of a Wrangler and you're also north of $42k and into the aftermarket.

You may be overanalysing the comparison. When I was looking at the Trail Edition, the Wrangler was never in the picture. I liked the 4 Runner because it looked cool, had offroad capability and was roomy. 3rd row seat was not a consideration.

[tooscoops]

the 4runner is kind of in an odd position... i don't think it is cross-shopped with the wrangler much... unless someone went to look at an fj and was told you can't get one so switched to the 4r.

price wise, similar... and though each offers something the other doesn't, they would be roughly comparable.

but then again, considering smith's short list... wrangler has all three of those checked off as well and wasn't even considered... i think these types of cars are decided and found, not shopped around.

i actually like these.. and i am one of the odd ones who prefers the front end of the trail edition. too much body colour cladding makes me not think of off road capability and toughness...

[johngenx]

I know quite a few Wrangler owners and I can't imagine any of them cross shopped the 4-Runner.  Might seem like they have similar missions and not-that-completely-dissimilar pricing, but the character of each is 180 degrees apart.

Depreciation is an issue for ANY of these vehicles at first.  The Toyota takes a smaller hit, true, but ugh, it's still a large amount of money.  But then it levels off.  Cripes, around here, a 10yr old model with 250K is still a $15K vehicle.  That's nuts.  But, I know someone that recently sold his 1998 with 400K on it for nearly five grand.  Whaaa?  A 1998 anything with 400K should be <$1K.

[OliverD]

Problem with the 4Runner is value. The Upgrade retails at $42k and the Trail at $45k. For the off-road market a Wrangler and X-Terra offer better capabilities not only for less but at a price point that is more conducive to such a market. For the do-everything/image market the GC gives more for the money. The 4Runner regardless of trim is kind of in Maxima/Avalon purgatory: there are better/cheaper tools that do the same job, if not better.

Of all the listed competitors I'd only consider the GC as the true do-everything competitor; the rest are more on-road biased/oriented and lack the same degree of off-road capability.

Price out a Wrangler with the features that the Upgrade has and it isn't really any cheaper.

The big differentiators are:
- advanced voice recognition
- leather seats
- heated seats (I think these are optional on the Rubicon)
- 3rd row seats

I guess that last one is a deal breaker. If you need a 3rd row and want some off-road chops I guess the 4Runner is for you at this price point.

But try to load up a 4Runner with the capabilities of a Wrangler and you're also north of $42k and into the aftermarket.

Heated seats and leather seats are options on both the Sahara and Rubicon.

[tooscoops]

and how advanced is the voice recognition? just curious... i change radio stations, send/read texts and such through my voice recognition system in the Jeep.

[EV-Light]

and how advanced is the voice recognition? just curious... i change radio stations, send/read texts and such through my voice recognition system in the Jeep.

that's basic stuff...

Voice recognition commands power the following multimedia functions:

•Bing™ POI Search
•Navigation
•Phone
•Fuel Prices
•Traffic
•Weather
•Sports
•Stocks

+ these apps:

iHeartRadio
MovieTickets.com
OpenTable®
Pandora®
Yelp®




http://www.toyota.com/entune/support/entune-premium-audio-jbl/data-services/advanced-voice-recognition.html#!camry/2015

[monkeymenno]

Hey, I'm new to the forums but seeing the review on the 4Runner I just can't help but get in on the action. To be upfront I just ordered a 4Runner Trail Edition (in Winnipeg) for a March delivery. First is that I love the looks, especially of the front end of the Trail and SR5. It is aggressive and modern but still feels like an off-road vehicle, I'm sure my grandfather would prefer the look of the limited or previous generations of 4Runners. Also note the Trail and SR5 front bumper allows much more ground clearance, especially in front of the wheels, adding to it's off-road prowess. It's running boards are also much better. So often I feel that journalists make way too many comments about the looks of a vehicle, that is the photographers job. It's the one thing the readers can do from home so why waste our time and yours by telling us this or that is ugly? We can see from here, I promise.

The other issue I have is about the turning radius / dimensions. The turning radius (5.7m) is better than the Highlander(5.9m) and within 10cm of the 25cm shorter CR-V(5.6m), so why pick on it? Other than that, I just have to say this vehicle suits my needs perfectly. There are plenty of vehicles that do some things better, but precious few that can do all that this one can.

Oh, and why I picked this over the Wranger Unlimited - TOWING! 5000lb destroys 3500lb.

[redman]

  ^^
^^^

I'd expect the 4runner to have a larger towing rate than the Wrangler.
But I don't think most Wrangler buyers buy it for it's towing capacity they buy it for it Jeep heritage and off road prowess, even if most never see more than a gravel road.
The Wrangler is more of an emotional buy as evident by the varying demographics and sexes who buy these vs the 4runner.

[tooscoops]

maybe someone can correct me here, but i thought entune doesn't work in canada... and if it doesn't work, i can't imagine it does a whole lot of real fancy stuff through voice recognition....

[Northernridge]

I've been lusting after this 4Runner for awhile. The owner did an excellent job documenting his build...killer photos too.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/168993-desert-dawg-build-what-switch.html

[KD]

^ Now that's what a 4-Runner should look like!