New owner, several questions
 

Hello all and thank you in advance for sharing knowledge.

I'm a long-time 4Runner owner, going back to 1998. I just purchased a 2016 GX Premium with 23,000 miles. We initiated ownership by towing a trailer 2300 miles across the country to our home in the Pacific Northwest. It was a great way to get to know the car, to appreciate the creature comforts, and come up with some questions.

I strongly considered a 2016 4Runner Limited, but after towing the 5000 pound enclosed trailer all that way, I'm very glad for the extra torque; the 4Runner would have needed the Magnuson SC for sure.

Questions:

1. The trailer was about 5000 pounds total, enclosed, and has a V nose. It is about a foot taller than the vehicle. We drove in S5 and found that it could maintain speed on flats and downhills in 5th, but on any sort of uphill grade it had to downshift to 4th to maintain speed above about 55 MPH. We averaged about 9MPG for the trip. Does this seem about right/typical given the load? It was all highway driving.
2. My 2005 4Runner has a button on the dash to sync the auto temp setting so that changes made to the driver's side are made on the passenger side. I couldn't find a way to do this, and the Lexus "technology specialist" who reviewed features couldn't either. Is there a way to enable this?
3. I was really hoping to have Apple Carplay on the new rig. The 2016 doesn't have it, and is also the only vehicle that Crutchfield has told me "We do not recommending upgrading the head unit on this car". Does the community know if the 2020 Lexus head unit with Carplay can be swapped into a 2016?
4. I need to add roof rack cross bars, as we use a ski rack and Yakima box from time to time. I also need rear cargo cover and all weather mat. Any advice on where to get these items?
5. What is the collective opinion about getting the base maps upgraded on the factory nav? Worth it, or better to just use Apple Maps et al. This is moot if I can upgrade to a head unit with Carplay.

Thanks in advance!
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...3a2c01e920.jpg

1. Actually 4th is your friend to keep AT temps down. Not sure if you know but stock 460 in US doesn't have an air cooled AT cooler. It utilizes a liquid cooler embedded in the radiator.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...r-install.html

2. HVAC interface is somewhat different on 10-13 models but if you deactivate 3-Zone setting it keeps everything at the same temp as driver control

3. I think they are coming out with a unit for '14+ - https://gromaudio.com/

4. Lots of options and recommendations throughout forum. I have stock bars and Weathertech.

5. IMO: I only updated my maps to get them somewhat updated but there were a ton of firmware fixes to the head unit.

you can get the cross bars off eBay, I also got the Weathertech mats front and rear

There is no "updated" radio with CarPlay for 2020 for the GX. The 4R got the updated radio but not the GX. There are some aftermarket solutions in the works.

Map updates? Depends. Maps are generally updated for each area every 5 years or so. POI crap is updated more frequently. The map companies used to tell you what areas they updated every year, but they don't anymore. The only real way to tell is to find a new road in your area that isn't on your map. Then, go to a Lexus dealer dealer and see if that road is on the map for their 2019 GX.