I traded in my F150 for a 4Runner in April, and I have not missed the Ford once. The 4Runner is 'old' tech, but I like that. I can change the HVAC settings by feel, whereas my wife's Venza makes me take my eyes off the road and hunt for options on small buttons or a touch screen.

They have been making the same engine for the 4Runner for over 20 yrs, and that gives them inherent reliability, IMO.

I wanted a Taco, but I just could not fit in them no matter how many times I tried. I'm only 5'11", but the seat was too high and/or the door frame too low. I had to bend my neck way too far to be comfortable just to get in the truck. A coworker had an older model Taco, and I it into that one just fine. Had the new ones fit me, I would have gotten the Taco.

The 4Runner is a great truck. Solid, does great on snow, the off-road package is legendary, even if I will likely never need to use its full capabilities.

The only things I would change is adding a couple more gears for better mileage, a bigger gas tank, going back to a real key for the doors/ignition, and an auto-start option on the key fob.

In some Toyota (and Honda) vehicles the primary difference between the 5 speed and 6 speed tranny is the "eco" gear. The one that makes a goofy sound and lulls your vehicle into a low rpm coma. I would accept the reduced mpg to get rid of that annoying feature.

My vote. Very dated tech, terrible MPGs, not breaking any land speed records, but very analog by todays standards and I like that. Total savage off road. The only times i've ever needed recovery with another vehicle was when I buried her myself, just to see what she was capable of.

we have both. I have a Tacoma and the wife has a 4 Runner. I much prefer the way her’s drives over mine. The throttle response in the 4 Runner is much better then the throttle response in the Tacoma. Sometimes when I hit the gas in the Tacoma, it seems to want to think for a second before it kicks in which is not a good thing when you are trying to pull out into traffic.

Seats are a little better in the 4 Runner as well and there is more room in the back seat for passengers.

I would also compare some of the minor features between the two models you are looking at. Toyota is a little odd when it comes to adding features. For instance, I have the Off Road version of the Tacoma and while it has automatic headlights, it lacks the HomeLink system. My wife’s SR5 4 Runner has the HomeLink system but doesn’t have automatic lights. Having said that, some if this may have been corrected in later model years. We have a 2017 Tacoma and 2018 4 Runner.

If I had to do it over again, I would have probably gone with the 4 Runner TRD Off Road model.

Chris

To answer your original question on durability… the 4Runner wins here in my mind. Taco’s are great trucks, but the 4Runner is built on the Land Cruiser platform which y’all have correctly mentioned is made in Japan. In the U.S. the Land Cruiser is a single vehicle which we all know. In the rest of the world it’s a “platform” for a series of vehicles. 4Runners are one of them. I’ve had 6 of them over the past 30 years. My current one has over 200k miles on it. My dad had a Taco and it was rattling and felt sloppy before it had 100k on it. The SR5 is quite spartan as far as options go. Personally if budget allowed it I’d get a higher trimmed version.

I thought in the Tacoma at least, they switched to a 3.5L engine and a 6 or more speed transmission when they went to the current body style.

quote:

Originally posted by cmparrish:
For instance, I have the Off Road version of the Tacoma and while it has automatic headlights, it lacks the HomeLink system. My wife’s SR5 4 Runner has the HomeLink system but doesn’t have automatic lights. Having said that, some if this may have been corrected in later model years.

Chris

I negotiated a homelink mirror when I bought my 2019 Tacoma OffRoad. Doubt you can do that these days, but for about $150~ it's easy to change out if that's important to you. It is for me, as we have a power drive-way gate as well as garage door opener, and I don't like fumbling with multiple remotes.

I've had both a 4Runner and several Tacomas. Love them both, but it's kind of hard to compare the two. Although the 4Runner is body on frame it's an SUV and the Tacoma is a truck. They are going to drive differently, with comfort being a big advantage to the 4Runner, and doing "truck stuff" goes to the Tacoma. Both have extremely high resale value, and both can deliver 250,000+ miles without major repairs.

To the OP, if you're going to get a 4x4 Sport, take a look at the Off Road model. Prices when comparably equipped and 4x4 is selected are very close and there are things you get on the OR, that you don't get on the Sport. The 4Runner is in line for a complete make-over for the 2023 models (on the streets late this year) which will bring a new engine and better Tech, so personally, I'd not buy one right now.

Can also consider Sequoia if you need larger. Essentially whole family has moved from GM to Toyota, essentially one of almost every truck/suv they make. Solid, dependable, and without the overbuilt techno crap to compensate for fundamental design and build insufficiencies.

Wife has a 2013 4 Runner that has been awesome for an SUV. Had a 2011 before that, traded that for the 13 to go from an SR5 to a Limited version.

Like everyone else says, fuel economy is not great, and the transmission is only so-so, but in every other aspect, it feels like a vehicle you could drive forever.

I went with a 2020 Tacoma just cause I wanted a truck. And a manual transmission.



Best truck I’ve owned to date, and the six speed transmission seems to be pretty good so far in daily driving. Only thing I could wish for would be the option for a long bed in the four door version….

Bill R

I had a 2017 Taco TRD Off-road. I liked the truck over all. The low car like seat was a minor dislike that I could get used to. The terrible shift program for the automatic was something I absolutely couldn’t tolerate. Annoyed me with every drive.
I traded that for a 2018 4Runner. I prefer the 4Runner. My only beefs are that the gas mileage is a couple mpg less at 16-19 with AT tires, the throttle response is a little lacking, and interior temperature control seems erratic.

I traded a 17 Tacoma Pro MT in on a 20 4Runner Pro

each have its own use. My only complaint on the 4runner is towing capacity is 3500#s less than the Taccoma pro 5000/8500

gas mileage is basically the same between them (15-18 realistically)

The 4runner is just a more practical vehicle for me. I like the proven mechanicals through out

quote:

Originally posted by Syngin1066:

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
They are still made in Japan too right? (The 4Runner)

Yes, 4 Runners are made in Japan, the Tacoma is made in the states.

Tacoma Plant in Mexico also. Only certain trim
packages are made in the US

if VIN starts with a 3 is Mexico plant. 1,4,5 is US plant

quote:

Originally posted by jed7s9b:
I had a 2017 Taco TRD Off-road. I liked the truck over all. The low car like seat was a minor dislike that I could get used to. The terrible shift program for the automatic was something I absolutely couldn’t tolerate. Annoyed me with every drive.
I traded that for a 2018 4Runner. I prefer the 4Runner. My only beefs are that the gas mileage is a couple mpg less at 16-19 with AT tires, the throttle response is a little lacking, and interior temperature control seems erratic.

Just a side note, the current Tacomas have a much improved transmission tune which solved a lot of the issues with older models. And then there's a KDMax tune for the wow factor. Gives you great shifting and better MPG.

My other complaint from my brother-in-law's Taco, was the really slow steering rack.

Compared to my F150, it seemed like the Taco needed a lot more steering input to make the same turn.

My company 4Runner just crossed the 222,000 mile mark. It is a 2011 model. I spend 2-4 hours in it every day.
I get 18 mpg in the winter and 19-20mpg in the other three seasons. 90% of that is interstate driving at 70-75mph.
No major problems thus far. Our company will retire it at 250k miles, probably by this fall. I believe somebody will pay good money for it even with the miles, due to the earned reputation that 4Runners have.
It’s a big heavy tank that will go just about anywhere. I have never been a SUV guy, but this 4Runner has impressed me.

So my wife and I are considering a 4Runner as well. Do they recommend 87 octane or 93 octane fuel on those? She averages 20-25k miles per year so fuel cost is a definite consecration.

My daughter had a 2017 4 Runner. She liked it and would have liked another, but…two things. As others have already stated, Toyota has not updated engines and transmissions in a lo-ong time. Secondly, it’s very hard to find a new one, even if the old drivetrain technology doesn’t bother you. It’s been reliably reported that a new suite of engines and transmissions are coming in MY 2023. My daughter felt like she didn’t want to wait that long, that her 4 Runner was headed for major service issues. On the bright side, the trade-in value of Tacoma/4 Runner remains high, so she did well in the purchase of her new car; this was just last week.

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:
So my wife and I are considering a 4Runner as well. Do they recommend 87 octane or 93 octane fuel on those? She averages 20-25k miles per year so fuel cost is a definite consecration.

Current and recent 4Runners have the 1GR-FE 4.0 engine and run perfectly on 87. If you can find E0 is the best. Suggest only top tier gas which is the same on all Toyotas. You might get by with lower grad gas by using additives.. but why bother. Pay the extra few cents per gal and get top tier.

Thank you everyone for your input, I’m going to go with the 4 Runner. Now the question is SR5 or TRD Off road. I want cloth interior and those are the 2 models that it is available in. It looks like there is a about $2k in difference in them when you spec a 4wd SR5.Is the more expensive model worth it? Looks like a locking diff, hood scoop, and wheels are the main differences. These don’t really justify the price in my mind, am I missing anything?

quote:

Originally posted by Syngin1066:
Thank you everyone for your input, I’m going to go with the 4 Runner. Now the question is SR5 or TRD Off road. I want cloth interior and those are the 2 models that it is available in. It looks like there is a about $2k in difference in them when you spec a 4wd SR5.Is the more expensive model worth it? Looks like a locking diff, hood scoop, and wheels are the main differences. These don’t really justify the price in my mind, am I missing anything?

The TRD Offroad model has crawl-control tech for offroad use like the TRP Pro has, and it also has a manual level for transfer case control as opposed to electronic.
It's worth the price difference to me.