Everything We Love and Hate, Driving a vehicle for a few hours or a day gives us an impression, but living with one for a week provides us the time and experience to get to know the car thoroughly.
In some circumstances, that week can overrule that first impression. The modern Toyota 4Runner is the best illustration this reviewer can provide. 바카라사이트
Every year, it arrives in one trim or another, and on the first day, I’m unimpressed. By the end of the week, I’ll be debating with my wife whether we should get one.
There’s a reason Toyota continues to sell units despite the fact that current iteration has been in production since 2009
making it a 13-year-old vehicle – an eternity in modern automotive terms. On paper, it is much out of date
but despite the launch of the new Ford Bronco, it sold 144,696 copies in 2021 and is still selling strongly in 2022.
We’ve compiled a list of what we like and dislike about the current 4Runner
as well as what we’d like to see rectified when the next generation arrives. If Toyota gets it right
the following model should sell well for another ten years or so.
Putting the Utility in an SUV
We don’t want to return a 4Runner at the conclusion of a week’s borrowing because it is truly a utilitarian vehicle. However
it is not unpleasant. Inside, there are sturdy plastics almost everywhere, which means it can withstand
a beating and then be easily cleaned later. The TRD Sport, on the other hand, boasts wide, comfy seats that can withstand a day of banging
about off-road or hours behind the wheel on a road trip. The cargo area behind the second row is also useful
measuring up to 47.2 cubic feet. We also appreciate the available speakers in the tailgate.
The inside styling is something we’d like to improve. Because the control knobs are large, they may be found quickly and turned with a gloved hand.
The painted silver, on the other hand, gives them a “My First Real SUV” vibe. We don’t
anticipate or demand elaborately knurled knobs made of billet aluminum or anything remotely complicated.
Toyota, just tone down the color and enhance the quality, and we’ll be satisfied.
Dislike: The Steering
A few manufacturers have shown that a body-on-frame vehicle does not have to drive like a boat. Given what the suspension on the 4Runner is capable of
we don’t anticipate crossover-like performance on the road, but the 4Runner might still be better in this area.
It takes a lot of correcting to stay in a straight line, especially on the freeway.
It’s not easy to be relaxed amid fast traffic. It is communicative, however, and its directness when turning is not an embarrassment about town. 카지노사이트
Again, we don’t expect it to become opulent; after all, it’s a truck that has to perform truck stuff.
It simply needs to be more upbeat, responsive, and easier to maintain on track.
Even with a body-on-frame chassis, 13 years later, the technology is there to make a difference.
Off-Road Capability
A Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco may be better suited to agility-based off-road exploits like rock crawling
but the 4Runner makes up for it with larger interior space. It’s more practical than either and will go off-roading for work or pleasure.
The all-wheel-drive system isn’t flashy, but it’s rugged and capable, and it’ll take you places other crossovers wouldn’t dare to go without the TRD Off-Road Package.
The 4Runner in the photos is the eye-catching TRD Sport, which has 20-inch wheels with street tires and a sport-tuned X-REAS (Cross-Linked Relative Absorber System)
suspension but is still capable of conquering a trail. We didn’t hesitate to go out and have some fun, as evidenced by the images.
Even with road tires, shaking the 4Runner loose on flat dirt was difficult, and medium trails in the dry were tackled in two-wheel-drive High with just
the odd usage of four-wheel drive for sandy tracks and inclines. In any case, the 4Runner assaults with complete confidence.
Without a doubt, the next-generation 4Runner will include a more sophisticated AWD system, and why not?
Dislike: Technology
The 4Runner’s infotainment system demonstrates how out of date the vehicle is. Toyota has updated it over the years
and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard features, but the screen is far from perfect in terms of size (the touchscreen measures eight inches)
clarity, and user experience. Surprisingly, the eight-speaker sound system in our TRD Sport is quite nice without being spectacular.
Through the Toyota Safety Sense system, our vehicle also had advanced driver aid technology such as blind spot monitoring and radar cruise control.
When a new 4Runner arrives, we won’t be concerned about the infotainment system because Toyota has been improving it.
We’d like to see adjustable headlights for those early nightfalls when you’re making your way down a trail in the dark.
We would love to see it as standard, but we believe it is necessary for the more off-road oriented trims.
I dislike the transmission and the MPG.
We admit that a slow-shifting transmission on a body-on-frame car weighing well over 4,500 pounds in 4×4 mode is charming.
However, in Normal mode, it insists on staying in the lowest gear possible all of the time, ostensibly to save gasoline.
That means that if you need to accelerate quickly or start heading up a hill that your ordinary car can handle
you’ll have to give the 4Runner a lot of gas to get it to change gears and get moving.
That gets old fast in the hills or mountains.
In 2022, the 4Runner’s city/highway/combined fuel economy is 16/19/17. Of course
it stands to reason that Toyota will confront this head-on with a new generation. 카지노 블로그
What we’d want to see is enough weight reduction in the chassis to support a hybrid drivetrain.
That increased low-end thrust would be important not only for fuel economy, but also for off-roading.