Toyota vehicles are world-renowned for their durability and reliability. Both of these are functions of proven, simple, logical, un-$(#*RCked around with design/technology. Example: the "gutless" engines that Toyota is criticized for are some of the most reliable on the planet, e.g. 22RE, 1HZ, 1HD-FE, 2F, 5VZ-FE, 1UZ, etc.
By not changing the touch screen 17 times in 5 years or hell, not even offering a touch screen, Toyota has maintained high reliability and longevity. Talk to anyone who owns a shiny/flashy new car and ask what breaks. The answer is gadgets, "new" stuff and hardware that is pushed, e.g. 320 HP from a 2.0L turbo motor, vs 200 HP from a 3.5L NA V6. The latter will run for 300k miles, the former will be dead, or require serious repair in under 100k.
Mountains of evidence exist to prove these points, as a good friend of mine works for an extended warranty company. They cover new (add to your 3/36k warranty) or used (2018 car with 50k on it, extended to 100k). I cannot count the number of completely absurd case files he has shared with me over the last few months. Here are a few off the top of my head.
A brand spanking new Ram TRX that won't shift out of 4WD. It is two months old and only has a few thousand miles on it. The dealer could not find the problem, so the transfer case was replaced. Three weeks later, the truck is back at the dealer with the same problem. The techs and FCA corporate are baffled.
Edit: Turbos for a 2017 Audi RS6 are $16,000/pair installed. Failure occurred with less than 40k miles on them.
A headlight assembly for a 2015 Audi A7 costs $3255.71 EACH.
An Audi A5 with 50k on the clock needed a new motor (blow by and turbo failure) at a cost of more than 25 grand installed. Show me a 2021 Toyota LandCruiser or LX570 that won't shift out of 4WD or one with 50k on it that needs a new engine. I bet you there isn't one on the whole planet.
TFLTruck bought a new 2021 Defender and for MOST of the first three months they owned the vehicle, it was broken or at the dealer being repaired. This is supposed to be a brand-new, cutting edge, state of the art, ground up, best of everything, do it all truck. We aren't talking econo-boxes here. These things are 50k - 80k.
A good friend's father replaced an automatic transmission in a 2012 Ram 2500 with less than 100k miles on it. The cost installed was more than 6 grand. Show me a LandCruiser with a 100k on it that has puked its transmission out. How can Dodge not figure out how to build a slush-box? This has been an issue for decades now.
I will take 170 HP four-cylinder engines (3RZ-FE), manual transmissions (R-151) and transfer cases (RF1A), and simple HVAC and radios, and you can have your lane departure warnings, 360* cameras, air conditioning controlled by your phone and 47 way adjustable power seats. I will also take a $100 bet that when I get ready to sell my Toyota, it will be worth a lot more than your Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Kia, Chevy or whatever other pile of crap you bought instead of a Toyota, with a fraction of the repair bills accumulated. I am not a "fan boy" - I understand quality and time value of money. If Kia built the most reliable trucks and cars on the planet, I would buy them instead. They don't. I am brand agnostic. Buy shiny/flashy/new or buy logical, proven design, e.g. fifth gen 4Runners have not changed much over their life span. Built in Japan using proven tech, they are as reliable as rain in Florida in the summer.
So, circling back around, you may now see why everyone from Colorado Overlander (camper rentals), to NGO, humanitarian and peacekeeping organisations (Red-Cross / United Nations), as well as their war-mongering counterparts choose to travel in 70 Series and 200 Series Land Cruisers, not Ford Explorers, Chevy Equinox or Hyundai Santa Fe. Even the jihadis understand reliability. Have you ever seen a picture of a militia group in the bed of a Mercedes X-Class or a VW Amarok? Possible, but not likely, they too are fond of 70 Series pickups, as they are disinclined to dump their hard earned dollars into $16k turbos or $3200 headlights.
You can have proven, reliable and durable vehicles to truly go over-land, or you can have three sunroofs, 172 apps on your 12" touch screen and nine air-conditioned seats to take all of your friends to the mall with you. The two are mutually exclusive in my book. For these reasons and others, the designer(s) of the TruckHouse chose a Tacoma, not a Canyon/Colorado or a Ram, which are some of the most unreliable trucks you can buy according to J.D. Power, Consumer Reports and friends who have owned all three.
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