cargo room in 3rd gen vs 4th gen?

[rc51kid]

I know the 4th gen is bigger on the outside. But what about on the inside? Can anyone give me some dimensions on the cargo space of a 3rd gen and a 4th gen? What i am thinking about is a length and width of the rear cargo with the seats removed or folded flat. I figure whatever i get i will ditch the rear seats and do a sleeping platform of some type. I am just trying to see if the 4th gen is bigger on the inside as they are bigger on the outside.

I like the looks of the 3rd gen better, they are cheaper and simpler. But if i can haul more gear inside or sleep better in the 4th gen it might push me that way even more.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I don't have measurements but the 4th gen is definitely wider. I believe it's a bit longer, too, although I don't know by how much.

Also, with regard to seats, you DON'T want a 4th gen with the 3rd row. The reason is that those 4runners have 'fold and flip' seats that take up way too much room and are heavy and (I imagine) difficult to remove (IOW, the seat back and bottom are a single unit and fold together.) OTOH, 3rd gens and 4th gens w/o the 3rd row seat have the simpler "lift and drop" back seat (that is, the seat bottom cushion flips up and the seat back drops down forming a flat surface.) The nice thing about this arrangement is that you can remove the seat bottoms with a 12mm socket in about 3 minutes (4 bolts total) and have the full length of the back compartment for sleeping. Best of all, you can restore it to full passenger seating in about 5 minutes by just bolting the seat bottoms back on, so no permanent changes are neccessary.

 

[4x4mike]

4th gens are bigger all around. My wife and I have 2 kids (6 months old and 3 years old) and our 3rd gen is packed to the gills for a weekend camping trip. We all fit and yes we have a lot of stuff but it's packed. Any longer than a weekend requires stuff to go in the cargo basket on the rear bumper or on the roof (or both).

I'm 5'10" and my drivers seat is pretty much all the way back. I've got a 5 speed so I like the extension in my leg for the clutch but still I 'm glad I'm not taller. Leg room is ok but not roomy. When I get in a 4th gen I'm amazed at how much bigger it is. If and when it's time to replace my 3rd gen I will get a 4th gen.

 

[p nut]

For two or more, 4th Gen makes sense. But if you're usually by yourself, 3rd gen would be better, as it has plenty of room for one, or even two. 3rd gens also come with manual transmissions, and with the money saved (from price difference between 4th Gen), you can buy a nice roof top tent and other stuff.

I've got a family of 4, so if I were to buy a 4Runner, it would be a 4th Gen. In my single days, I had a 3rd Gen and had zero regrets.

 

[Ryanmb21]

69" deep (seat bottoms in I'm pretty sure)

41.5" between the wheel wells (could maybe squeeze 42")

34" Tall (it's rounded a bit, so approximately where the wheel ends it's 34")

My wife and I sleep in the back with the seats bottoms out in total comfort. I have also fit a full size washer and dryer laid on their backs at the same time with the seat bottoms in, barely.

 

[Mrknowitall]

According to PUTc, the Gen3 has 44.6 cuft with the seat up and 79.8 cuft with the rear seat down. The Gen4 w/o a 3rd row has 42.1cuft seat up and 75.1 seat down. This goes against the outside dims, but passenger volume is rated 16 cuft bigger in the Gen4. If this is all correct, the advantage would go to the older vehicle, strictly on cargo room. Then again, what really fits may be a different story. Might just be time to take a tape measure to a used car lot.