The 2010 Toyota 4Runner

The fifth generation Toyota 4Runner was unveiled, for the first time, back at the 2009 State Fair of Texas. What better state to do it? We where there to bring you the details of this unveiling, along with some other great new cars at the State Fair. Now, we have had the chance to drive the new 4Runner and let you know how it stacks up.
Styling of the new 4Runner is borrowed from vehicles like the FJ Cruiser and Highlander, with a mix of traditional 4Runner thrown in the mix. The headlights and taillights are extra large, poking out from the body of the car, similar to the FJ. The front mouth of this SUV is big and aggressive and with this Trail Pack that we were testing, you get the traditional 4Runner hood scoop. The styling is dead on for the young and adventurous audience being targeted.
The new 4Runner dropped the option of a V8, which seemed like a bad idea to us at first, but the new V6 produces 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. This engine never felt let down on power and actually has a 0-60 time faster than some family sedans, even though this car weighs in over 4700 pounds. The V6 also affords you decent fuel economy for an off-road machine. The spec sheet states a 17 mpg city and 22 mpg highway economy rating. In reality, we struggled to stay around 17 mpg average driving. You also now get the option of a four cylinder engine that gets 23 mpg, but I’m not sure if I’d spend my money on a off-roading – mountain climbing – mudding machine and then settle for a 4 cylinder.
So I know what your asking, how did it drive? Did you get it off road? Is it worth the hefty $36k price tag?
When you first climb into the drivers seat, and you do have to climb, you instantly know that your not climbing into just another crossover SUV. This is different. In a time where car companies are manufacturing SUV’s to drive more like cars, you can tell this thing feels more like a truck. It feels big and simplistic, that is until you start looking at all the buttons and levers and toys. We’ll get to those toys in a minute, but just hoisting yourself into the drivers seat and going – this car is simplistic. Big buttons and dials easily laid out throughout the dash make it easy to find what you need when you need it. As soon as you smash your foot down, this 4Runner growls and rears up ready to go. You instantly get the impression that it wants to be scaling something. The steering has a truck feel and the body has lots of roll while taking the corners hard, although you dont get the sensation that your going to roll it. These characteristics are not only expected, but also encouraged. Taking a test car off road is always a sketchy feeling. You dont want to damage anything as it’s not your car. Toyota was adamant though, that we try out the off-roading capabilities of its new 4Runner. Well twist our arms then.

2010 Toyota 4Runner - Ready to Rock! -

We took the 4Runner out to climb some hills and ride some trails on some back country roads here in Texas. Driving on the highway, you get the feeling that this isn’t the way this 4Runner wants to be driven. As soon as you get on the dirt road though, you can almost feel this SUV start to smile and you just can’t stop it from hitting the hills. Climbing hills, finding paths in between the ruts of other 4×4 cars that have been here before, was made easy without even messing with any of the electronic goodies. While creeping down these hills we used the new Crawl Control that keeps the vehicle moving at a consistent speed to you can concentrate on your driving and breaking. I’d say it works good enough as it didn’t kill us. We messed with the 4-Low and 4-High settings driving through some mud left over from a rain storm the day before. We also decided to take the 4Runner through a notorious mud-pit in the area that has conquered many 4×4 vehicles that we know. We were prepared with a big 4×4 F250 ready to pull us out if things got ugly. We reared back and picked our path through the pit, and gunned it! Hurtling toward the mud all I could do is hope that this 4Runner was as good as Toyota had claimed…. Watch the video to see how it did.

So now we are left with the question of price. Is the 4Runner worth the sticker? Let me start out by saying that this trail package is the way to go, if your getting the 4Runner. Or test vehicle topped out just over $36k making this one of the most expensive 4Runners ever. We all sat around debating that fact when it hit me. We drove the Chevrolet Equinox AWD just a few months earlier, which tipped the scales at about the same sticker price. SUV’s and all cars are getting more expensive, and with everything that this 4Runner can do, I think it’s worth the money. If you are looking for a daily commuter vehicle that will get 98% highway driving, don’t bother buying the 4Runner. Your better off with something like the Equinox. If you are looking for a fun vehicle that can take you wherever you need to go that is packed with gadgets like “Party Mode” where the 4Runner sends most of the music toward the rear of the vehicle when the lift-gate is open, then the 4Runner is for you.

Dodge Ram 3500 Heavy Duty w/ Cummins Turbo Diesel

On day two of the press meet for the State Fair of Texas we had the pleasure of witnessing two major reviles for the truck industry and the Texas markets. We started off at the Dodge camp to hear about the all new Ram 3500 Heavy Duty with the Cummins Turbo Diesel. Dodge has done a lot of work on this truck not just to distinguish it from the smaller Ram 1500 but to also make the truck more economical, powerful, attractive, and useful. The Ram has been growing in market share for the last several years and they hope to continue in that growth with this new Ram.

2011 Super Duty w/Turbo Diesel

Next we strolled over to the, more impressive, Ford display. Ford had our first real big reveal for the day with its all new Super Duty truck hiding under black sheets as we passed. We first got some information and background for the new Super Duty from Mark Fields, Fords President of Ford America. Then we heard from Adam with the Ford Diesel Team who gave us more details on the all new turbo-diesel engine to power the all new Super Duty. The new engine is all Ford and all American and is full of the best and newest technology. Ford will be releasing the power numbers and fuel efficiency numbers for the new turbo-diesel soon but Mark reassured us that they would not disappoint. Then came the parade of 2011 Super Duty’s only feet in front of us. The first and most striking feature I noticed was the new two-bar grill as opposed to the standard three-bar grill Ford has been using. Next was the massive Ford emblem in-between those bars, soon after I had noticed it Mark Fields explained to everyone that this is the biggest blue oval Ford has ever put on a vehicle. The looks of the new Super Duty are striking and the interior looks to be in good order, as Ford has been working with the materials they put in their cars and trucks for a few years now that didn’t surprise me much. The thing that did surprise me was the technology put into the center interface of the truck. It’s not just a sales pitch, you really can run your entire business from this truck. I liked the new Super Duty and recommend it to anyone or business looking for a great full-size truck, but personally I’d take the Raptor.

Fifth Gen Toyota 4Runner

After viewing the Ford debut and sneaking off to check out some mustangs while everyone else was interested in the new Super Duty, now we head inside to see the highly anticipated debut of the Toyota 4Runner. Bob Carter the new Vice President and General Manager of Toyota was there to give us the rundown of the new fifth-generation 4Runner and even introduced Jack Nishimura, the Chief Engineer, who drove the new Toyota on the famous Rubicon trail. He also told us about the 4Runners new 2.7 liter four cylinder engine which gets 23mpg and has a hefty horsepower rating for climbing the trails. The other choice of engine is the 4.0 liter V6 pushing 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque while still maintaining a 17 city/ 22 highway fuel economy rating. Bob Carter also told us that the V6 in this 4Runner has 30% more horsepower than the old V6 offered and 10% more than the old V8 offered in the 4Runner while maintaining higher fuel economy as well, now that’s impressive. The 4Runner also has new off-roading features like “Crawl Control” and also has cool features like “Party Mode” which makes the rear of the SUV into party central when the rear-gate is open. I felt like the new 4Runner was a great SUV to own with a huge amount of technology and thought put into the design. If I didn’t have my Suzuki XL7, and needed another SUV this would be up there in my list of must haves.