can you imagine the cash cow Toyota has with the 4r's...limited trims are pushing 50k msrp...any guesses as to what it costs Toyota to produce??20k,25k,30k...I get there are variables at play here...but...
2021 Toyota 4 Runner TRD
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Yeah, it's "could have". Would rather have brand new with the updated equipment for 1k. It's not that much more considering the price tag of this vehicle.it's to bad he wanted the updated info center and push button start, he could of got a used trd for a 1k less than new...
The goal of any business is to turn a profit. Otherwise, the business won't be around for long. An automaker has to build something customers want, at a price the customer is willing/able to pay. Businesses can't just print money, to bolster bad ideas...
Because most of the motoring public can't start a vehicle properly without some electical nanny.
Plus, it's probably less expensive to produce.
Take a nap on auto-pilot and next thing you know you’d be asking “Yo, Pete...where am I my man?”
My wife‘s Civic was recently totaled when someone rear-ended her. And since she was 8 mos pregnant at the time, we decided to fast-forward plans to get an SUV as her DD/our family vehicle.
We went with a 4Runner for a lot of the reasons you mentioned - rugged, squared-off, good looks instead of the modern, egg-shaped crossover, classic RWD handling and steering, tough BOF construction, ease of maintenance compared to FWD V6 crossovers, and, we also really like the interior.
Her SR5 has great fabric seats, attractive, industrial-style interior design, manual air conditioning, which we prefer, no push-button start, which we also like, and plenty of room.
Oh, and, for 2020, they made Apple CarPlay/Android Auto standard, which is really nice, especially if you like to run a phone-based nav app, use Pandora or other audio apps, or even listen to news radio on your news apps. It all connects to the head unit and displays the apps right there on the large screen like a bigger version of your phone. Very, very handy. That is one thing that is not available at all, on the Lexus GX, strangely.
The 2021 also has LED low-beam headlights and LED fog lamps as standard equipment, even on the base SR5.
We went with a model with the 3rd row seating, since we plan on having at least a couple more kiddos. It reduces your cargo room slightly, but that was a compromise we were willing to make.
One of the big things that also sold us on it is the fact that it is a vetted, tested, and proven design, including the powertrain.
My ‘07 Tacoma PreRunner has 235K+, and I’ve never had to do anything to it other than routine maintenance and wear items. And it has the same transmission and the “Gen 1” 1GR-FE engine. It has some parts differences, as has been mentioned already, but it’s the same basic design, with the “Gen 2” having some upgrades.
Which is another reason we decided to go ahead and get a new 2021, instead of waiting for the upcoming redesign - we were afraid Toyota would do away with the remarkably robust and torquey 4.0/A750 powertrain and replace it with something like the 3.5 (2GR-FKS) from the current-gen Tacoma. I’ve driven one and it was OK, but it doesn’t have the low and mid range grunt that the good ole 4.0 does.
Anyway, highly recommend them!
Gotta know, what oil will you use in your new T4R, Buster?
That’s actually not true at all.
I shopped around A LOT, emailing MANY dealerships, and even going as far as making a spreadsheet to compare different units I was shopping, options, MSRP, and how much the dealer was willing to discount the truck.
Every dealer I communicated with was willing to knock something off the price - some more than others.
Local Nashville dealers weren’t willing to discount much - couple thousand at most.
Texas dealerships were the most aggressive on pricing - I was communicating with a couple of different ones down there, but ended up closing a deal with Vandergriff Toyota out of Arlington for about $7200 off total MSRP (over 17% off), including factory incentives.
It helped that I bought during “Toyotathon” sales event, and, at the end of December, I’m sure.
So, you can get significant discounts on Toyotas - You just need to dedicate some time to shop around, and at the right time.
It's one of the few remaining SUV's built for off-road use. People will rip on it due to it's ancient 5spd auto and the dated 4.0, but if you want a bulletproof vehicle this is a definitely a good option. I love the look of the TRD Pro. Pricey though.
Some call the powertrain dated, but, it’s almost certainly more dependable than certain other, newer powertrains.
And this engine and transmission work very well together. Some of the modern, multi-speed transmissions have the tendency to “hunt” between gears (e.g. the current-gen Tacoma 6-speed; maybe @Delta can chime in here).
This A750 transmission doesn’t hunt. I will say that the cruise control is too aggressive in downshifting when you hit a hill, wanting to kick down 1 or 2 gears to maintain speed. But I just cancel cruise at that point and drop my speed a few MPH to prevent a downshift.
The TRD Pro is not worth the asking price, IMO, especially since they don’t really discount that particular model much, if at all.
From what I’ve read, it’s better to buy a lower trim model and modify yourself. You’ll end up getting better components that way, anyway, and get to spec it out yourself, getting all the components you want.
That's why we went with the TRD ORP. It has the option of KDSS, which the TRD PRO simply doesn't offer. KDSS makes a big difference on-road and off-road, IMO. The other things the PRO has is FOX shocks, and JBL Premium system. And a roof rack that isn't usable for lots of aftermarket accessories. It also has automatic climate control, which isn't a big deal to us.
FOX shocks (or any other brand shocks) can be bought from the aftermarket, and fitted to any trim. The JBL system is better that the standard stereo system in other models. But both the JBL and the other systems can be easily improved with aftermarket components. Lots of roof rack options available.
Every time it gets driven. Although it only has 1500 or so miles on it.
KDSS is very large swaybars which limit body roll (and pitch to some extent) on-road. And essentially allows the swaybar mounts to extend and compress at low speed, such as crawling while on a trail, so the axles can follow uneven terrain without lifting a wheel as a easily as a vehicle with traditionally mounted swaybars. The system works automatically with no input from the driver.
Basically the system really improves handling on-road, and improves axle articulation at low speeds off-road.
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OK, that’s interesting. I wasn’t aware that it actually had on-road benefits. I thought it was basically just a system that disconnected the sway bars in gnarly off-road terrain.
Thanks for the education!
I should mention that this is all in stock suspension configuration. Suspensions can be modified for better off-roading and/or on-road driving with or without KDSS.
We weren't looking for an extreme rock crawling off-roader. So for our use with just slightly larger and stronger tires, the KDSS equipped model was ideal.
Hah, hunting for gears is the lesser of the evil for the 6 speed. Low speed shudder/buck is the most common thing as the torque converter has 3 modes. Unlocked, half-locked, and full on lock. It will try and lock at a much lower speed to save a sip of fuel. Doing a 1/2 lock under load up the mountain makes for an interesting driving experience. After 2400 miles it has gotten alot better, just a minor annoyance at this point. This isn't the only manufacture that has this issue at this point, welcome to the modern era it seems...
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