The base model is $37K, the top version (TRD Pro) is $50K and this 4Runner Venture Edition comes in at about $45K. I need to drive them back to back, with and without to make that judgment. There is a dynamic suspension option, which I don’t know if I would check (for $1,700). You get the engine-the only engine-and the four-wheel drive. If I lived off the beaten path, this Toyota SUV would be high on my list of maybes.Īs mentioned, our 2020 Toyota 4Runner had the Venture package that includes dark TRD wheels, the roof basket, all-weather floor mats and black accents, but I’d probably skip it for the base 4Runner SR5. I was really looking for a construction site to slide this thing around, but I was on a time crunch. Also, when passing an oncoming vehicle, the 4Runner can just go into the dirt gutter without missing a beat. The 4Runner's brakes were solid and dependable, even on slush, even when I had to slam on them when two turkeys (flew?) flapped across the road. On the third hand, if a rattle rattles and no one can hear it, is it really a rattle? Food for thought. On the other hand, as I mentioned it’s loud in there, so maybe they were covered up. There was a lot of bouncing around, both us and the 4Runner, but I didn’t hear any rattles. The big tires (with 17-inch TRD rims) blew through the ruts with aplomb, sending muddy water into the woods beside the road. This is where the 4Runner shined (figuratively -literally it got dirty as hell). I took the 4Runner to my cottage in Michigan over one weekend and purposely took the muddy back route, all of which is dirt roads. There are also a bunch of hard plastic and rubber mats to keep wet and dirty things from seeping into the fabric. I threw in my double stroller for the zoo with handful of other things, haphazardly, and it all fit in about 25% of the space the 4Runner offers. Speaking of, the rear cargo area in this Toyota is huge. The controls are mostly big, chunky, plastic knobs, which is also fine, and there’s a ton of space for car seats without the kids being able to kick the front seats. The 4Runner's cabin is plain, but that’s OK, even preferred for this type of vehicle. The 4Runner's five-speed automatic transmission is years behind the times and feels it. I’m not saying it needs a 450-hp V8, but 50 more ponies would be a godsend. Still, 270 hp seems a little light for this vehicle. However, if left in S mode, it does have a little oomph on the expressway. To get more speed once you're going you need to either flatten the right pedal or slap the gear selector over into S mode, where the 4Runner downshifts to fourth gear. Off the line it jumps, but then it falls flat. For all its racket, the V6 isn’t exactly punchy, either. Add to that wind noise from the rack and tire noise from the knobbies and I had to turn both the radio and the climate control down just to hear the kids in back. Hit the highway and the Toyota 4Runner is loud, very loud, with the 270-hp, 4.0-liter V6 roaring away underhood. But I’m sure the basket is useful when road-tripping, though on-road the 4Runner isn’t your best option. Graham thinks that the roof basket on our Venture Edition 4Runner looks a little dorky, but I’m not so sure-at least from the front and front three-quarters view. So good, in fact, that the RAV4 and Highlander are starting to edge toward the 4Runner in style. Starting with the good, the 4Runner’s looks are just classic and recognizable. I almost got it before, but now that I’ve spent a week in one, I’m feeling a connection to the loud, crude, semi-slow, old SUV. I finally get the love for the Toyota 4Runner.
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