jrmckinley

I post these knowing that plenty of folks on here likely own the vehicles I get as rentals, but figure it may be of interest to those considering shopping and unable to spend this amount of time or put this many miles during a "test drive" period. I drove just over 500 miles with about 90% being highway driving at 75-85mph. I take this exact same route almost every week so I know how my car and every rental car rides/performs on these roads. Here we go:

Likes:

• Having owned two 4Runner's in my life (2000 and 2004 models), this felt like business as usual. A highly consistent and predictable vehicle just like its predecessors. Toyota has done a nice job of updating the looks of the 4Runner while maintaining a certain "feel" that will make previous owners feel right at home.
• Visibility - really nice visibility in every angle. Really didn't feel like I needed the back-up cam because visibility was so great out the rear windows. I think part of this is the new 4Runner seems to sit higher than what I remember (though this will show up as a "dislike" as well).
• Rear window rolling down - my absolute favorite feature of any 4Runner. Man I love that when the weather is great like it has been here in FL recently.
• Slightly wider than both of my prior 4Runners. That was always my complaint - I always felt like I was sitting right on top of my passenger. Not anymore- the new generation seems adequate in the width department. Not as wide as our LX, but wide enough for our needs.
• Turning radius - this thing is incredibly nimble with its turning radius. It would make a Jeep Wrangler proud.
• Super smooth at low speeds over bumps - a tremendous improvement over prior 4Runner's that I've owned.

Neutral:

• Placement of the power window buttons - not sure how I feel about these being located on the very top of the door (where the window meets the door panel).
• Ride quality - Went 220 miles straight and got out feeling a bit stiff/tired both times. Cruising at 80mph was very steady with moderate/low overall road noise. This SR5 had some pretty beefy tires on it (Cooper I think) - I wonder if the Limited would ride better?
• Interior design - the big dials to change the channel on radio, adjust climate, etc. look a bit too large for the 4Runner IMO. That may work in the Tundra & Sequoia but felt a bit big and industrial in the 4Runner.
• Climate control- Not a huge deal, but I wish the actual temp and fan speed would show up on the screen when you change those using the huge dials so you know exactly what setting you're on that feels comfortable. This may be an option on the higher trim models.
• Gas mileage - I got 17.3 mpg overall. That's really not much better than I get in our LX on a trip with this much highway driving. This really surprised me.
• Engine - felt a bit sluggish with my driving style (pretty easy accelerating from a stop). Pushing the pedal a bit more than I'm accustomed to resulted in a bit of engine noise but I kinda like that in the 4Runner.

Dislike:

• Nav screen is very small. I knocked Ford for this in their Expedition (2016 I had as a rental about 18 months ago) so I have to knock Toyota for this. Wonder why they don't standardize the screens across vehicles? Their other cars have larger and better screens so I feel the 4Runner deserves at least something the size of what they're putting in the Camry, Avalon, etc.
• Height - felt awkward and at times difficult to get my suitcase into the back of the truck due to the added height of the 4Runner. It was especially noticeable when parked in my slightly sloped driveway. I'm 6'1" so can imagine this would be relatively difficult for shorter folks to get heavy items into the back. I'd imagine it may be difficult for short passengers to get in as well without running boards (mine didn't have running boards)
• Lack of features I feel should be included (covered in a different thread). I just think when you're looking at a $35k base price there should be certain things included that aren't available here.

Overall:
Enjoyed driving it around town, especially with all 5 windows down. Mediocre overall experience on the highway (about 450 of the miles I put on it) but that may vary across trim levels. A very solid SUV option - those who have owned 4Runners in the past likely will feel instantly comfortable and will notice some nice improvements. My wife drove it a few times and commented on how she kinda missed my old 4Runners- there's something nostalgic about these vehicles to me and many others I know that have owned them. I racked up hundreds of thousands of miles on my 4Runners in the past and left feeling like this would be another solid ownership experience- you just don't feel like this will ever leave you stranded. Probably not a contender for our family at the moment, but it sure brought back some great memories.