All-New 4Runner Debuts
With five distinct SUV models in its lineup (seven if you count those wearing Lexus badges), Toyota offers an SUV for just about every taste, from the cute/ute RAV4 to the mammoth Sequoia.
Smack in the middle is the all-new, fourth-generation 4Runner. It is still Toyota's rugged, sporty, go-anywhere vehicle-Land Cruiser Lite, if you will. This newest version, though, is bigger, more powerful, and laden with more technological features than any 4Runner that came before it.
Much of this is good news. Anyone who felt cramped in the old 4Runner will appreciate the new cabin layout, which is 411/42 inches longer overall and offers 4 more inches of interior width (though the truck's overall width grows by only 3 inches, thanks to thinner interior door panels). The 4Runner's floor is also lower in relation to the seat cushions, giving occupants more of an upright seating position. Despite the lower load floor, ground clearance is still a healthy 9.1 inches, thanks to standard 30.5-inch-tall tires (265/70R16s or 265/65R17s).
Two engine options are available for the '03 4Runner. The 4.7L i-Force V-8 comes over from Toyota's fullsize trucks, producing 235 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. Before you automatically choose the V-8, though, be sure to check out the 4Runner's new 4.0L V-6. This brand-new engine from Toyota, code named 1GR-FE, is the maker's first all-aluminum truck engine and the first truck engine with variable valvetrain technology. It's rated at 245 hp-higher than the V-8-and 283 lb-ft of torque, and it will make the 4Runner get up and scoot. Plus it gets better fuel economy than the V-8. About the only reason to choose the bigger motor is if you plan to tow. Both engines are mated to automatic transmissions only (boooo!), though the V-8 is backed by an all-new five-speed slush box.
Another reason to pick the V-6: more choices of drive modes. New transfer cases in both V-6 and V-8 models feature center differentials with Torsen limited-slip units, but only the V-6 can be operated in 2-Hi as well as full-time and part-time 4-Hi. The center diff is designed to bias front-and-rear power distribution depending on road conditions and wheel slippage, though it can be locked via a dash-mounted switch for a true 50-50 torque split.
Now, this is where our enthusiasm for the new 4Runner starts to dim. Had Toyota combined the new transfer cases with electric front and rear diff locks (as we used to find aboard the Land Cruiser), we'd be happy campers. Instead, the 4Runner goes high-tech, with electronic traction control and vehicle stability control, plus two new computerized traction aids. One is Downhill Assist Control, which uses wheel speed sensors and electronic brake and throttle controls to slow the truck when going downhill in low range. The other is Hill-start Assist Control, which, again using electronic brake controls, holds the 4Runner from sliding backwards between the time you step off the brake and step on the gas. Don't know about you, but we'd rather do our own downhill speed control using First gear, low range, and a judiciously light foot on the brake. (Luckily this system can be shut off.) Likewise, a two-foot driving style would seem to render the Hill Control needless.
Not only do the new computer systems take too much control away from the driver, they also add to the 4Runner's price. Though official MSRPs haven't been announced yet, expect the truck to have a broad price range, from the mid $20,000s (for a low-content 2WD SR5) to the low $40,000s (for a fully loaded 4x4 Limited). We would gladly trade some of the whiz-bang for a simpler driveline and a lower price of admission.
New Engines For '04 GM Midsize PickupsWhen GM unveiled the powerful 4.2L I-6 engine that's now used in its midsize SUVs (Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, and Olds Bravada), the maker dropped a lot of hints about how the motor's basic architecture could provide the basis for a number of inline variants. Now the General is hinting no more.