My honest 2011 Toyota 4runner review

[BIGdaddy]

No not personal and since he put out his honest review I've given my honest review of his total lack of facts. He can take it or leave it too. I don't own a 5th gen and you could just imagine the hand wringing if this was Rover review posted in that area... :bike_rider:

If others take a GOOD hard look at the 4Runner they will be achieving something that the OP didn't. :ylsmoke:

Ok, just makin' sure you're doing ok behind the keyboard there, brohemian. :friday:

As for a rover review...thermo-nucular is more like it.

 

[teotwaki]

You are correct on making a purchase decision.

I just don't see where the OP is anywhere close to overloading it, especially from the picture with the front seats empty, his trailer is maybe 1500-1700 lbs...far from the towing capacity, his tongue weight is a measly 175 lbs.

Again, look at the picture. The rear wheel wells are practically rubbing the tires. There is too much weight in there. The 175 tongue weight was claimed but likely not measured and no accounting for tongue leverage.

Previous posts gave an estimated total of 1042 lbs out of 1625 lbs available.

2 adults - 300lbs
2 kids - age unknown - 100lbs
26 gallons of gas @ 7lbs a gallon - 182lbs yes the fuel in the tank is considered "payload" as are the occupants
2 fuel cells on the roof - 60lbs
big ice chest and clothes - 100lbs
175lbs of tongue weight on an extended hitch so we'll almost double that due to extra leverage - 300lbs (way behind the axle)

I come up with 1042lbs (remember, my #s are guess work but probably pretty close) of payload. I think the rig did pretty good for what it is. "Stuff" adds up in a hurry....
--SNIP---
YMMV RON

Load Capacity = GVWR - Curb Weight
-for an SR5-
Load Capacity = 6300 lb - 4675 lb
Load Capacity = 1625 lb

-so-
if -- People + cooler + clothes + Tongue Weight > 1625 lbs -- you are in trouble.

If the OP wants to claim a foul on the part of any OEM there should be some facts to back it up.

 

[teotwaki]

Ok, just makin' sure you're doing ok behind the keyboard there, brohemian. :friday:

As for a rover review...thermo-nucular is more like it.

Yeah, I am okay. :elkgrin: I'd rather be out wheeling but I have to wait until Saturday! Between now and then I won't be poking into any Rover discussions...eepwall:

 

[RR1]

:Wow1:I do agree those numbers are good guesstimates...but there are no humans that we can see in the vehicle, hence me saying I don't see where the OP is anywhere near overloading the Runner.

Maybe the manufacture's numbers are off, because it shouldn't be sagging in that photo.

I can feel the OP's frustration, I wasn't too impressed with my Tacoma's TRD suspension.

 

[Mechanical]

Maybe the manufacture's numbers are off, because it shouldn't be sagging in that photo.

I don't understand how you can even entertain this idea without any empirical evidence from the OP. I mean, honestly, what is more likely:

1) That the OP, who didn't offer any solid load data from his gear and the trailer, overloaded the truck.

-or-

2) Toyota, who basically pioneered a new era of quality control in modern vehicles (toots horn), miscalculated the Load Capacity on all of their 4Runners.

Every morning my scale tells me I have gained weight. I look in the mirror and don't appear to be any heavier. I shouldn't be gaining any weight. Maybe I'll whine on some forums about the obviously faulty scale design... while eating a cheese burrito.

 

[RR1]

I don't understand how you can even entertain this idea without any empirical evidence from the OP. I mean, honestly, what is more likely:

1) That the OP, who didn't offer any solid load data from his gear and the trailer, overloaded the truck.

-or-

2) Toyota, who basically pioneered a new era of quality control in modern vehicles (toots horn), miscalculated the Load Capacity on all of their 4Runners?

Every morning my scale tells me I have gained weight. I look in the mirror and don't appear to be any heavier. I shouldn't be gaining any weight. Maybe I'll whine on some forums about the obviously faulty scale design... while eating a cheese burrito.

There just isn't enough physical space in the cargo area to overload it as you can see the rear seats are in the up right position....unless he has bags of concrete stacked to the ceiling.

Sure more info would be great, but you can kinda guess of what he has weight wise by his camp setup.

 

[Mechanical]

/Pictures OP standing in his garage weighing every water bottle he had in his cooler.

I know it's coming.

 

[PirateMcGee]

4runners = history of saggy rear ends

honestly though this is an SUV made for comfort not a truck with overload leafs. It will sag with weight, this can be easily remedied with some air bags.

I appreciate the honest review but if you knew that towing was going to be very important to you, wouldn't you have taken the Runner on a test drive home and at least hooked up the trailer............

Personally if I'm going to be dropping 30k on anything I'll be going over it with a fine tooth comb and making absolutely sure it fits my lifestyle. If there are short comings to making it the perfect vehicle for YOU and not the masses take note of them and head to the aftermarket..........or pass and buy something else. In all honesty other than the pulling power all of your issues could be fixed for well under $500.

 

[JJMAC]

In the picture you'll not see anybody in the front seats and the back seats look empty but maybe the kids are small. The rear wheel well (small) opening shows that the truck is practically riding on the bump stops.

There are lots of "SUV" models out there and putting "anything" in them is limited by the payload abilities. We are free to ignore the payload limits all we want but shouldn't bash the OEM based on our obvious ignorance.



I don't think that anyone should blindly buy any vehicle and then be unhappy when they have no rational decision process to point to. So far only a bunch of assumptions and a short test drive have been used to bash the OEM. No personal accountability at all.

I will give you the radio and the lights. That is my personal accountability. Unfortunately for me I thought a mid 30k car would come with dome lights and never thought about during the test drive. The radio...big deal. But it is horrible. Especially on a mid 30k car. But I will give you those. You CAN NOT test towing and the whine of the motor going up 3-5 thousand feet inclines in the mountains on a test drive.

The camper is the smallest popup on the market. Gear is minimal as the camper holds all of it. We had 2 kids under 7 in the back seat. A cooler filled with ice and food and clothes in the storage area. If that is too much for this car to handle than the 7.5 rating I gave was way to high. The $6k camper held more weight than the $30 something thousand SUV.

Blame me all day long for buying it. I dont care. But the car is a 7.5 at best in my book and I am sure that their are alot of folks out there that needed to hear a review like this.

The link you posted from 4runner forum show nothing but positive reviews on the vehicle and its towing. There was noone on there that had anything negative to say. It is a 4runner forum so I wouldnt expect otherwise.

 

[RR1]

/Pictures OP standing in his garage weighing every water bottle he had in his cooler.

I know it's coming.

You would have to work pretty hard to overload such a tiny cargo space (at what Toyota is saying what their payload is), maybe 4 coolers full of water...

So maybe their springs are a wee bit under rated, which is pretty much the consensus. We have an Isuzu Trooper in the family, bone stock, never had a problem hauling 5 adults plus gear.

I dunno for that kinda of cash, I would of went with a 1/2-3/4 ton crew cab truck with a topper.

 

[JJMAC]

Again, look at the picture. The rear wheel wells are practically rubbing the tires. There is too much weight in there. The 175 tongue weight was claimed but likely not measured and no accounting for tongue leverage.

Previous posts gave an estimated total of 1042 lbs out of 1625 lbs available.






If the OP wants to claim a foul on the part of any OEM there should be some facts to back it up.

Jimmy boy,

It appears that you are taking this a little too personally. I get it. I have owned toyos in the past. I see that you have a love for them. I am not showing any lack of facts in anything that I have posted. THe fact is that this is my review of my vehicle. My review. My facts. Toyota didnt promise me anything.

The fact is that this vehicle is not the best choice for those that want to have offroad fun with the family while towing an offroad trailer. It is more suited for grocery shopping and moderate off-road use where towing and gear is not a priority. Furthurmore I have learned through my use of this vehicle that the lighting and radio are horrible. Those are the facts.

Hopefully the review helps others that were thinking of buying this vehicle and look hard at the things that I pointed out. Harder than I did.

 

[RR1]

So JJMAC,

Other than Jim being a bit of a horse's behind....what are the plans for the fix?

Drive to the nearest Dodge dealership and trade it for a nice Crew Cab Cummins or the gasser Power Wagon, or are you going to throw on new springs and see how it goes?

 

[NorCalBorn]

Jim..you are being harsh.

Same for anyone else on that bandwagon of attack. Expo-Overlords Above* Forbid that someone says something we all don't agree with or even want to hear.

Let the topic roll from here on out and stop the inferences and out right name calling. It looks bad and is uncalled for.







*Didn't want to bring the term of the Big Guy upstairs into the statement.

 

[Qrex]

Thanks to the OP for his efforts to get his thoughts on his purchase for the rest of the world to take in.... It was a similar to post like this (as well as a LOT of research) which actualy kept me from getting the 2011 4R.....
I was very excited about the new 4R a few months back, but I just felt like the little shortcomings here & there added up to enough reasons to not pull the trigger. It was a good rig, but it just didn't quite have everything i was looking for, though I was really wishing it did...
Turns out the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee had everything we were looking for. Comfy & capable on rocky, pitted trails and unstoppable in the snow. Great V6 power and fuel efficiency and a massive sunroof to go with it. That said, I say, love the 4R for what it is... I still think it's a great rig but in it's current form, it just wasn't for me....

 

[maxama10]

I mean honestly, how bad was the towing? I certainly found myself in 6th gear 80 going up steep mountain passes on I-80 without much trouble with my Tacoma, when it was stock. Now with 35s and armor it's a bit sluggish and I can only go about 55 in 5th gear, but...

Were you able to maintain the speed limit? What kind of RPMs?