With no LandCruiser 70, or Defender 90/110 in America, what

[TomMcC]

I did more camping exploring with our last couple rigs and preferred autos these days

Many reasons but really don’t have a want for a manual rig I would be driving daily etc....
If it’s for only limited use and ya love them makes it more fun go for it but the days of being better all around are gone and is more situational to which one is better

Just like IFS prefer it now as the camping/expedition is driving on a lot of road and washboard and small technical sections to get to locations so much better handling feeling etc....

I would love a fj40 again but preferred my recent 4Runner (2015)

I've been driving autos for some umpteen years now and thought a manual .ight be a cool change of pace.

[ramairthree]

I've been driving autos for some umpteen years now and thought a manual .ight be a cool change of pace.

Manuals are fun as hell when you are out for a drive.
They are a pain in the ass going through traffic when you are slogging it into work.

There was a time, compared to same era autos,
When there were advantages to a skilled guy behind the wheel at the drag strip, on a road course, and off road.

That time is not now.

I’m not saying don’t do it,
But, much like having a Randall on your belt, a metal gun on your hip, and an automatic watch on your wrist...
It’s a stubborn personal preference for enjoyment and an affectation.

[pinzgauer]

When there were advantages to a skilled guy behind the wheel at the drag strip, on a road course, and off road.

Depends on the nature of the offroad. Outside of rock garden steep downhills, nearly every other situation benefits from smooth application of torque and the torque amplification of modern ATs.

[ramairthree]

Depends on the nature of the offroad. Outside of rock garden steep downhills, nearly every other situation benefits from smooth application of torque and the torque amplification of modern ATs.

As I said, that time is not now.

Doesn’t stop me from sneaking looks at manual Jeeps or FJs now and then.

But when a lower mileage FJ about ten years old is still a 25k toy...

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Colorado is a mix of trails and traffic. I don't want to do I-25 in stop and go traffic, let alone I70 in the mountains in stop and go with those grades. 3 hours of clutch pumping and slipping; no thanks.

Actually had a rental . 4Runner last week. Pretty nice. Little odd for smaller people to get in and out of with out a side step. Kind of a low roofline and 'slit' view out the front. Definately a truck. Liked it. Hope the new model comes before I have to decide on what to buy.

[ramairthree]

Colorado is a mix of trails and traffic. I don't want to do I-25 in stop and go traffic, let alone I70 in the mountains in stop and go with those grades. 3 hours of clutch pumping and slipping; no thanks.

Actually had a rental . 4Runner last week. Pretty nice. Little odd for smaller people to get in and out of with out a side step. Kind of a low roofline and 'slit' view out the front. Definately a truck. Liked it. Hope the new model comes before I have to decide on what to buy.

Modern styling places a premium over visibility, interior cargo space, and leans hard into form over function and aerodynamics.

Roof.lines sloped down in the rear, raked windshield angles, slipped of curved rears, sloping inwards and they ascend sides, etc.

It’s almost like everyone is working themselves into a fervor to give us a 40 year old failed concept that was borne out in the failed AMC Eagle Neanderthal/denovian CUV.

If Mercedes could figure out how to give us a 5000 pound, 300 HP G wagon lite for half the price, or Toyota how to five an LC70/5 door Prado looking SUV on the 4 Runner platform, they would be pulling in some very satisfying sales.

In the same way many Gen Xers grew to loathe progressive Boomers and their endless deconstructionism, their music, their anti war sentiments, their magical thinking, and found angsty grunge, angry white man music, etc. and Gen Z cringes at the pussified millennials,
There is a cohort that loathes the SUV mimicking CUVs, with a hate that only pales compared to the Turing of SUVs into CUVs.

[hotrodder636]

The problem is that we don’t get Prados here in the States, so if that GX concept comes out, that should functionally be the same thing.

I love the 4Runner.
It just....
Could be set up a little different to be more appealing to me.
Change a tire once in either slushy, wet snow, rock hard ice, or thick mud,
And you will never want an undermounted spare again. Let alone if you have done all three.

As for interior spares,
Clipped, sloped rears, etc.
pack even once, let alone more than once, when everything is thrown off from the damn room you would have if the damn cargo area had been boxier or you actually had your interior space fully available, and you will hate them.

As for sub 20 gallon gas tanks and under 20 hw mpg,
There are large areas to be traveled without 24/7 gas and long stretches in between. We don’t all live in or spend all of our time in areas with three 24 hour gas stations at every crossroads a mile apart.


As for the GX,
With a little less luxury, a little ruggeder, boxier shape, and the spare on the rear, maximizing interior space, with that drivetrain, likely getting it down about 400 pounds to 4Runner curb weight, actually call it the Toyota LC Prado,
And I think it would have done way better than the FJ or the GXs 25k a year sales.

[pinzgauer]

The problem is that we don’t get Prados here in the States, so if that GX concept comes out, that should functionally be the same thing.

Was checking out 4runners this week. Kills me that they barely beat the 79 FJ-55 Landcruiser wagon I owned in MPG, which was a sturdier, larger, heavier vehicle.

Shoot, they barely beat my 1 ton cummins Ram HO 4x4 quadcab.

I may still head that direction but it just aggravates me.

[hotrodder636]

Yeah, seems to me that the powertrain (engine and transmission) are severely outdated on the 4-Runner

Was checking out 4runners this week. Kills me that they barely beat the 79 FJ-55 Landcruiser wagon I owned in MPG, which was a sturdier, larger, heavier vehicle.

Shoot, they barely beat my 1 ton cummins Ram HO 4x4 quadcab.

I may still head that direction but it just aggravates me.

[THCDDM4]

Yeah, seems to me that the powertrain (engine and transmission) are severely outdated on the 4-Runner

This is one of the single most talked about complaints I hear about Toyotas, here at M4C and elsewhere. Here's the thing...

You don't get rugged reliability by changing shit up every 2-4 years and Beta testing it on the people purchasing your vehicles. You get it by standing by solid designs and slightly improving on them over long periods of time.

Me personally, I don't GAF about gas mileage so much as I want a solid reliable vehicle. I would like a few more MPG's though, for sure. But it isn't too important to me overall.

That being said, I always wanted to supercharge my 1GR-FE and squeeze some more horsepower and torque out of it, although at 275,000 miles I'm not going to do it. If the engine ever gives out or needs to be re-blocked, I will add a blower at that time and rebuild with that intent.

And I would love to see all TRD Pro models come standard with a factory blower as well. For the same price point they are now.

The thing I hear about all other car manufacturers as the biggest complaint is they aren't too reliable, but the thing most people like is that they constantly change shit up and have new "Stuff".

It's a trade off- you have to choose which is more important I guess.

For me, I want a drivetrain that has been around, tested and known issues taken care of before I will buy it. That's one of the biggest things that got me into a 4 runner in the first place. They make solid drivetrains and overall solid vehicles that just keep going.

I'd love to see Toyota drop the 2UZ-FE 4.7 V8 engine back into the 4runner line up. That alone would increase sales by like 10-20%.

If they dropped a 3UR-FE 5.7 V8 in a 4runner...I'd buy one today, this exact minute.