My honest 2011 Toyota 4runner review

[CA-RJ]

In a nutshell, the 2011 4Runner is built to suit the masses and needs to be tailored to the owners needs...sorta like every other vehicle out there.

 

[teotwaki]

2. TEOTWAKI doesn't like why JJMAC doesn't like his truck

Always nice to have a laugh :elkgrin:

 

[teotwaki]

In a nutshell, the 2011 4Runner is built to suit the masses and needs to be tailored to the owners needs...sorta like every other vehicle out there.

double-X2 for any brand of vehicle in this price range. Not the fault of the OEMs

 

[BIGdaddy]

Always nice to have a laugh :elkgrin:

I thought you'd like that.

 

[teotwaki]

2. TEO did not sleep well last night.

I think it was that "Jimmy-boy" stuff bringing out the fightin' Irish that I didn't know I had... :sombrero:

 

[JJMAC]

Good thing you don't have a diesel or a high powered V8...... then you would be complaining that it started shaking when you were doing 100+mph towing a trailer on a mountain pass.

So really an honest review of the 4runner is:
Poor interior lighting in the back
Bad stock head unit (every vehicle pretty much ever made)
Sags when you load it with camping gear, people, and trailer
Will only do 80mph while towing, with family, up steep mountain passes, with stuff on roof rack

Exactly what I have said all along.

 

[RR1]

Macky-Boy,

driving with your family in the car and towing a trailer at 80 MPH is insane.

I am at a lose for words.....

read this- http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/56847-Almost-Didn’t-Make-It-Back….

Oh come on fellas, it is only 5 miles over the speed limit. Anything can happen at any speed.

You are acting like over protective mothers, now you going to tell him how to raise his children!?

You never made a mistake or regretted making a purchase?

 

[RR1]

Not sure. THe Sequoia is too expensive. So its either the Tundra or F150 or Raptor.

The Raptor has lackluster rear suspension as well, talk about the engineers dropping the ball on that one, especially for how much that truck cost.

Already have "repair kits" for it on the market.

http://www.superduty-hq.com/RaptorRearSuspension.aspx

 

[JJMAC]

Macky-Boy,

I'll repeat what you have ignored from previous posts. I understand that you are upset that I don't buy your emotional but fact devoid reasoning that leads you to shoot the messenger:

I drive a 4th Gen 4Runner, 6 years old and previously had Fords for 33 years. That makes me biased towards Fords, not Toyotas.

I don't have 3rd row seating because I don't have any cute rug rats to haul around.

My 4th gen has two dome lights, operated by the door or an individual switch. Why didn't you buy a slightly used V8 4th Gen? No research??

When I bought the 4Runner I understood its limitations before I bought it and planned appropriately. I replaced the standard Toyota 2DIN radio with a Scion radio off of EBay for $50. I bought stiffer rear springs

I already posted a picture of my trailer hitched up and the sag is minimal because I understand what overloading means.

My hitch harness outlet is on the left side of the cross member near the tow hook, exactly where yours probably is. Not having abused my truck I've never torn one off. Please post a picture of yours

You claim that you need "thousands of dollars of mods" but again your research is lacking. Appropriate rear springs for all of the junk that you haul are under $300 and even you could install them alone.

If you truly had a 175 lb tongue weight your rear springs are defective. Take your whole rig to the dealer and file a warranty claim.

Yes, you accuse Toyota but I'll help you recall what you wrote before you go back and edit them:

#1 "...and for a 5th generation vehicle you would think that most of the little things like lighting, sag and towing would have been taken care of by the engineers"

#34 "... I blame toyota only on the fact that this is a 5th generation vehicle ...."

Translation: It's not my fault I bought the wrong car!!!!

Big Jim,

For an Irish lad I am a little disappointed in you.

Here is the translation in English because my Gaelic was lost about 80 years ago in my bloodline.

I made the mistake and bought the wrong car. Can we agree on that? Or do you have another argument now.

I made the mistake of buying a car that has:

1) horrible rear sag when towing and packing gear for a family of four.
2) No 3rd row lighting whatsoever
3) No driver controlled dome light to control interior lighting.
4) Horrible location of hitch harness wiring plugin. Go find a picture yourself.

If abusing a vehicle consists of towing 2500 lbs of total trailer weight to include gear (half of max capacity) as well as 2 kids under the age of 8, a cooler. 4 gallons of fuel, 4 gallons of water, a 12 pack of beer and a box of dried food. And driving it 5 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Then I am guilty.

But you deflect the facts like a poor defense attorney and say that I shouldn’t have bought the car. Well.....your right. I shouldn’t have. because of (see 1-4) above. Your response is that I should go by aftermarket upgrades for my vehicle. Well no Ship Sherlock. Off course throwing more money at at $35,000K vehicle would make it better.

So in summary .....once again just so you dont continue to get confused. (It seems like maybe if I repeat the same thing over and over again maybe you will understand. )
I made the mistake of buying this vehicle. I made the mistake of buying this vehicle. Jimmy boy does better research then me when buying cars and stands by them. He never has anything negative to say because he is so much more thorough than me when purchasing a vehicle. Jimmy doesnt have any kids and doesnt tow a camper and doesnt have a clue about what JJMAC is talking about. Toyota is the best.

 

[teotwaki]

I made the mistake and bought the wrong car.

Would look better in your sig line

If abusing a vehicle consists of towing 2500 lbs of total trailer weight

Your total weight is getting closer to reality which is double the base weight of the trailer

Then I am guilty.

You are the one taking this personally because I ask for facts.

I made the mistake of buying this vehicle. I made the mistake of buying this vehicle.

Is Macky-Boy really Oxi?

 

[bigwapitijohnny]

Would love to able to go 80mph in the mountains...I was lucky to go 20mph in the Arkansas 'foothills' towing my Sherpa II...:Wow1:

Goin' to get a Tundra Crewmax (5.7l) soon. Waiting for the $4 / gallon to 'persuade' '08 or newer Tundra owners to sell theirs and get a prius, leaf or a volt...

Thanks to JJMAC and TEO for the banter today! Made the day go by quickly! :sombrero:

No flame intended...just sayin'...

Regards,

BWJ

 

[PirateMcGee]

Would love to able to go 80mph in the mountains...I was lucky to go 20mph in the Arkansas 'foothills' towing my Sherpa II...:Wow1:

Goin' to get a Tundra Crewmax (5.7l) soon. Waiting for the $4 / gallon to 'persuade' '08 or newer Tundra owners to sell theirs and get a prius, leaf or a volt...

Thanks to JJMAC and TEO for the banter today! Made the day go by quickly! :sombrero:

No flame intended...just sayin'...

Regards,

BWJ

I would love to be able to do 80.......empty, downhill, with a tail wind lol

 

[maxama10]

Honestly I wasn't really interested in the rest of your post...

so the thing that caught me was the power and towing.



If you can maintain 80 up mountain passes, hauling kids, gear, and a trailer it seems like it's not short of power, even if it's revving.

Even if you had a V8 I think you'd come back complaining that it was revving too high, my dad has the 5.3 GMC 1500 and even on slight grades when it downshifts he gets mad and takes it off CC and slows down, he's just weird like that. Maybe you need diesel power or slow down.

It all seems pretty minor and stuff that around here is typically common knowledge (IMO). Easily fixable: air bags, add some leds in the rear, new head unit, re locate your trailer hitch. cheap $

Good luck

 

[NorCalBorn]

BigDaddy,

thanks for the review. I did not have the time to read the whole thread so my own conclusion was perhaps oversimplified.

1. JJMAC goes camping with his family and bring a lot of stuff.
2. TEO did not sleep well last night.
3. Toyota are great cars but could use more lighting inside.
4. Shane said whatever, ease it up while we go out in my Runner this weekend to sit in fromt of a nice fire and drink some beer.
~If any of you happen to be in or around the Sierra foothills this weekend you're welcome to join us and we can debate this over a case of Pliney.
:coffeedrink:

Fixed.

 

[NorCalBorn]

O/T: Tundy still feels too big for me, but for test driving the thing Toyota's giving me two tickets to the Toyota/Savemart 350. :wings:

Tried out the DC-Taco Rock Raider yet? Aside from the "final upgrade" for me being a 3.4 I honestly was impressed and it would serve multiple duty better and have more cargo room (minus the moderate security and sealed coverage) the 4Runner offers with a better power to weight.

JJMAc, I just drove two upspec'd 2011 Runner's, one w/ KDSS and one without, both sporting Toytec's finest selection. It isn't unheard of for recent buyers being able to negotiate the install of this upspec with a reasonable cost incurred and have it done under the DSI program so they can keep their warranty. I think a small change might suit you well. Not that I am taking any specific sides here, but let me know if I can offer some direction and help here since I know a little bit about the vehicle and it's posssibilities and downfalls. I know I am happier with the performance of ours post lift, excluding the slightly harsher ride while unloaded due to the stiffer coils. :costumed-smiley-007