2nd Gen Taco DC vs 4th Gen 4Runner - rear seat room?

[deadbeat son]

Hey all,

I have a 2009 Taco DC, and my wife drives a BMW 328xi wagon. I haven't posted around here much recently because I've been a little busy. We had our first kind a little over a year ago, and she gets most of my time.

Anyway, enough of the background - here's the reason for the post. We're considering expanding the family with a second child, and feel the BMW wagon is just going to be too small for us. Plus, we want something with a bit more clearance, etc, as we plan to move out to the sticks soon as well. We're looking at some various Toyota SUVs, in particular, we have found a 4th Gen T4R we really like.

Toyota's specifications give a nod to the 4Runner in rear seat leg room by 2". Does this sound accurate to someone who owns or has owned both? I'm 5'10" and my wife is 5'8", we're hoping to fit a convertible rear-facing seat and an infant seat in the rear of the 4R without driving around with our knees in the dash. It's a bit tight in my Tacoma, and I hope the 2" is enough to make the difference in the 4R. We will drive it first, but I'm looking for some background info before we go to the trouble of driving across the city and trying things out. Plus, we don't currently have an infant carrier to stuff into the rear seat to test.

Thanks!

 

[Martinjmpr]

It's a bit tight in my Tacoma, and I hope the 2" is enough to make the difference in the 4R. We will drive it first, but I'm looking for some background info before we go to the trouble of driving across the city and trying things out. Plus, we don't currently have an infant carrier to stuff into the rear seat to test.

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone here can give you an answer that will help you. You really need to check them out in person. 2" could be a lot, or it could be a little because "leg room" by itself doesn't mean anything. It doesn't factor in things like how high the seat is off the floor, the angle of the seat bottom cushion, the angle of the seat back,etc, and all of those things will affect how comfortable/practical the back seat is.

From what I've seen the main issue with DC pickups is that the back seat is jammed against the rear bulkhead and sits up at a really vertical angle, with no provision to recline, and this reduces perceived leg room, even though the actual measurement might be the same. In addition, some SUVs have a reclining 2nd row seat - my wife's '06 Grand Vitara did, although my 4th gen 4runner does not.

 

[Bushmaster6]

a thought from a guy with two kids (currently 4 and 2 years, respectively).. as one of my friends once described to me, once they hit school age they "tend to travel in packs".. we've found this to be true, even with only one in pre-k. My wife used to DD an Audi Avant (same approximate size as your BMW), and it was good for MOST purposes but anytime we had a third adult, or someone else's kid (ie: another kid's Mom can't make the pick up at school and asks for your help), we had to use my Landcruiser (94 FZJ-80), which we always keep at least one of the third row seats in..

I've since wrecked the Audi (highway collision that totaled the car), and we've been shopping for a replacement car/truck for wife (80 was a third vehicle for us but has become a default DD for wife), and after a long search have settled on a GX470 w/3rd row seats.. don't need them all the time, but the capability is there. We also considered similar sized crossovers: MDX, XC90, X5, etc. Wife just preferred the GX. They are rare, but you can find T4R with a third row option, which works the same as in the FZJ-80/GX470. Not great seats, but available when you need them, and removable when you don't.

 

[Bushmaster6]

And finally, for any kind of family travel, having reach-over access to the cargo area in the back of an SUV is important, as the steady stream of supplies and entertainment that you want access to during a road trip wont be isolated in the bed of a truck..

 

[Ryanmb21]

I am 6ft and my wife is 5' 9", I can confirm that that a full size britax convertable fits behind the seat without problems. It is also comfortable for me to seat in the back.

 

[deadbeat son]

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone here can give you an answer that will help you.

You don't think someone with direct experience with car seats in both vehicles can provide feedback whether or not Toyota's 2" specification difference translates to additional room for the child seats in the 4Runner?

a thought from a guy with two kids (currently 4 and 2 years, respectively).. as one of my friends once described to me, once they hit school age they "tend to travel in packs".. we've found this to be true, even with only one in pre-k.

Ugh, I thought we could hold off bus driver duties until they were 6-8 years old… Thanks for the feedback. The family and I are going out of town next weekend and a GX will be our loaner while we're gone. I'll see how well it does for us.

And finally, for any kind of family travel, having reach-over access to the cargo area in the back of an SUV is important, as the steady stream of supplies and entertainment that you want access to during a road trip wont be isolated in the bed of a truck..

I already have the truck, it's not going anywhere. I'm just using it as a baseline to compare the 4Runner against. I do have a shell with sliding front window to facilitate retrieval from the bed, but an SUV will definitely be better in this department.

I am 6ft and my wife is 5' 9", I can confirm that that a full size britax convertable fits behind the seat without problems. It is also comfortable for me to seat in the back.

That's great info. Thanks, I really appreciate it!

 

[deadbeat son]

Update for anyone interested in this information in the future.

We have Recaro Performance Ride convertible car seats in both my wife's car (BMW wagon) and my '09 Tacoma DC. These seats are big, they won't fit comfortably behind the driver's seat in either car without my knees in the wheel (I'm 5'10"). My wife, at 5'8", can drive the Tacoma somewhat comfortably in front of the seat, but not in the BMW.

We traded the Bimmer in on a clean low-mileage 4th Gen 4Runner last week. I can drive the 4 Runner with the Recaro properly installed behind me with room to spare. In short, the 2" of additional legroom specification results in significantly more room for child carriers.

 

[Mrknowitall]

The back seat room in the 4R is worlds better than the DC Taco. That said, depending on how far into the boonies you're planning to go, I would still keep cross-overs (Gen2 Highlander, Pilot) on your radar- they'll handle bumpy roads and 8" of un-tracked snow just as well as a (stock) 4R, and will offer more space and fuel econ. Sounds like you'd still have the DC Taco (and 80) for serious off-road work.

 

[deadbeat son]

The back seat room in the 4R is worlds better than the DC Taco. That said, depending on how far into the boonies you're planning to go, I would still keep cross-overs (Gen2 Highlander, Pilot) on your radar- they'll handle bumpy roads and 8" of un-tracked snow just as well as a (stock) 4R, and will offer more space and fuel econ. Sounds like you'd still have the DC Taco (and 80) for serious off-road work.

We went with the 4R. Although the Highlander had more room with the sliding rear seat, we just didn't like it.

As for the Pilot, our daughter's nanny used to have one. She had to slide her seat up a few inches anytime she had the child carrier behind it, and she's only 5'6".

I don't have an 80 series, but I do still have the TRD OR DC.

 

[Mrknowitall]

I don't have an 80 series, but I do still have the TRD OR DC.

I appear to have mixed people up in my head- 2 families, each with a DC Tacoma, one with an A4 Avant, the other with an AWD 3 Series wagon.
Momma says the twins ate her brain. Sometimes I feel like mine isn't much better.

 

[deadbeat son]

I appear to have mixed people up in my head- 2 families, each with a DC Tacoma, one with an A4 Avant, the other with an AWD 3 Series wagon.
Momma says the twins ate her brain. Sometimes I feel like mine isn't much better.