On the hunt for a 4th generation 4Runner

[JacksonRally]

The time has come to part with my beloved SubaWheeler. The wife and I are expecting our first child (my second) and we need a little more space. We also travel with our 2 dogs from time to time. We rented a 2013 SR5 in Idaho and loved it. The 5th gens are out of our price range so we figured 4th gen would work. I would like to find the elusive 09 Trail Edition but its not necessary.

I have a few questions I was hoping the EXPO community could help me out with. We are looking in the price range of 22K.

-Whats the real world economy of the V8?
-Do they have awd or are they all 4 wheel drive? (not interested in 2wd)
-What models offered rear diff lock?
-Whats the difference between sub models? (sport/sr5)


Im coming from Subarus and dont know much about the 4 Runners so any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Kyle

 

[ebg18t]

The 09 Trail Edition (TE) is the sought after model since it comes with the rear locker.

The V8's are fulltime 4WD with option of center lock and 4Low
The V6's are partime 4WD with option of center lock, 4Hi and 4Low

I just have a V6 SR5 and it works just fine for us. If i towed with it i would have opted for the V8. Aftermarket support is pretty good and a car seat fits quite well in the back.

 

[JacksonRally]

Wow thanks for the quick response. I actually never gave the V8 a thought until I heard about the towing capacity. I do not have anything currently that I tow that is more than 2000lbs. Sounds like the V6 SR5 will be the ticket.

 

[JacksonRally]

Aside from the possiblitly of lower mileage what does the 09 have to offer over an early 4th gen?

 

[JacksonRally]

I think I am going to narrow my search to 06-09 models.

 

[4runnerteq]

either engine wld be fine. We have an 04 limited v8. Love it. Full time 4wd. Average about 16.5 mpg all around. Will push 17 to 19 on the hwy if you run close to the speed limit. I dnt thought. I run her just a tick under 80 usually. but again, both engines are dang near bullet proof.If I could choose, and actually I did. Id rather have the Limited. Its just nice. Heated leather and pwr seats are awful nice.

 

[dubbaDYota]

the 09 trail edition would be my ideal 4th gen but good luck finding one. i like the multi-mode in the v6 4wd.....2wd, awd, 4hi/4l, center diff lock etc. and urd racing makes a supercharger kit for them as well!

if you plan on adding bumpers, sliders, skids, larger tires etc then i would opt for the v8 or a supercharged v6. if you plan on keeping it relatively stock then i think a v6 would be plenty.

i was unable to find a 4th gen w the price, options, mileage i wanted, so i ended up w a 5th gen trail edition.

 

[Ryanmb21]

06-09 received some features that look really nice, for example round wheel wells HID headlights and LED tail lights.

 

[JacksonRally]

either engine wld be fine. We have an 04 limited v8. Love it. Full time 4wd. Average about 16.5 mpg all around. Will push 17 to 19 on the hwy if you run close to the speed limit. I dnt thought. I run her just a tick under 80 usually. but again, both engines are dang near bullet proof.If I could choose, and actually I did. Id rather have the Limited. Its just nice. Heated leather and pwr seats are awful nice.

Thats good to know. That will acutally put the milage right at what I was getting in my 87 GL. Heated seats are top on the wifes list

 

[JacksonRally]

the 09 trail edition would be my ideal 4th gen but good luck finding one. i like the multi-mode in the v6 4wd.....2wd, awd, 4hi/4l, center diff lock etc. and urd racing makes a supercharger kit for them as well!

if you plan on adding bumpers, sliders, skids, larger tires etc then i would opt for the v8 or a supercharged v6. if you plan on keeping it relatively stock then i think a v6 would be plenty.

i was unable to find a 4th gen w the price, options, mileage i wanted, so i ended up w a 5th gen trail edition.

Yes the plan is for lift and tires (285/75/16), under body protection and sliders right off the bat. Eventually bumpers but not for awhile. I've modified every ounce of every vehicle I've owned up to this point so I do not want to mess with any of the reliability that comes with a Toyota. So supercharger is out of the question.

 

[wonderfulremark]

my 2003 V8 gets 12-16 MPG.

16" rims may not fit on some models.

 

[ebg18t]

Yes the plan is for lift and tires (285/75/16), under body protection and sliders right off the bat. Eventually bumpers but not for awhile. I've modified every ounce of every vehicle I've owned up to this point so I do not want to mess with any of the reliability that comes with a Toyota. So supercharger is out of the question.

You mat run into brake clearance issues on the limited and v8 models. 17" is the min wheel on the larger brakes.

 

[olsen_karl]

06-09 received some features that look really nice, for example round wheel wells HID headlights and LED tail lights.

Not factory HID lights on any of the 4th generation 4Runner. 06-09 got projector headlights though.

03-04 had 4-speed transmissions, 05-09 all had 5-spd. All 4wd systems are full time, with center different lockable. The V8 4wd cannot be switched to 2wd only, but the V6 can.

Wheel wells are slightly larger on the 03-05 earlier models, which might be attractive to you if you are going to run 285/75 tires.

Lots of info on these at the Toyota 4Runner forum - might want to read over there too.

 

[JacksonRally]

Not factory HID lights on any of the 4th generation 4Runner. 06-09 got projector headlights though.

03-04 had 4-speed transmissions, 05-09 all had 5-spd. All 4wd systems are full time, with center different lockable. The V8 4wd cannot be switched to 2wd only, but the V6 can.

Wheel wells are slightly larger on the 03-05 earlier models, which might be attractive to you if you are going to run 285/75 tires.

Lots of info on these at the Toyota 4Runner forum - might want to read over there too.

Thank you, I did poke around on 4runner.org earlier.

I based tire/wheel size on what was recommened from Icon (16x8 5"backspacing). I would like to run a 16'' wheel due to more sidewall and they are cheaper. Tires will be BFG AT. Front Icon coilovers, rear Icon springs and shocks. 17'' wheels are not out of the question if thats what clears larger brakes.

 

[JacksonRally]

Do all of the V6 4x models have center diff lock?

Wife is leaning towards a V8 for a travel trailer in the future.