2010 Toyota 4Runner Review
Longer, taller, wider and a lot more powerful, the 2010 Toyota 4Runner would have been a smashing success in 1999, but now, a decade later, its feels dated and entirely underwhelming.
For 26 years, the 4Runner has run the roads of America carrying families to and fro, hauling boats and all of ındividuals toys people should have.
But nowadays, the redesigned 4Runner comes across as bloated and tired. It’s the hangover of our own excesses and a symbol of times gone by. Crossovers have replaced SUVs as stylish family haulers in almost every imaginable way. And most carmakers intend to reinvent their remaining SUVs as some sort of unibody crossover/SUV hybrid that offers trucky toughness but car-like efficiencies.
While the overall changes have created a really capable car, the 4Runner nevertheless has the hallmarks of an SUV by means of and through. It’s enough for folks to glare at you on the open road as they sit back and smugly accuse you of turning the Earth into Dante’s Inferno. “That way a good soul ın no way passes,” their judging eyes say ınside the parking lot, as they pull their kids tightly against their hips, safely away from evil.
Really, the 4Runner is far from evil. Its new powertrains provide a lot more energy and much better gas mileage. The 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine within the base design cranks out 157 horsepower and 178 meaty pound-feet of torque. For most daily drivers, that should be plenty.
And also the 4-liter V-6 comes with plenty of high-tech bells and whistles, for example dual independent variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) to belt out 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. Individuals numbers top the 4Runner’s previous generation’s V-8 by 10 horses.
But the base 4Runner nevertheless uses a four-speed transmission and hits 18 miles per gallon within the town and 23 mpg on the highway. The V-6, with a five-speed automatic, almost matches the four-banger, reaching 17 mpg in the city, 23 mpg on the highway. (The 4x4 design gets 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway.) With only a minor difference in gas mileage, why would anyone buy the four-cylinder version?
All of ındividuals numbers are on par with other midsize SUVs, but that’s like tying for very first in a race no one wants to watch. When you appear at crossovers, which may lack the off-road abilities of a 4x4 SUV, the mileage numbers are just not very good.
Worse yet, crossovers just ride much better for your same price tag.
4Runner best off street
The 4Runner ride feels like the FJ Cruiser frame it rode in on.
On the highway, the body floats, and around town it leans heavily into corners. Perhaps the finest place for that 4Runner is off street, exactly where the independent suspension will glide over bumps and bruises. But on paved surfaces, the 4Runner can really feel punishing. Also, that’s where the full time 4x4 with locking center differential would come in one of the most handy.
There is also a new crawl feature around the 4Runner that allows the driver to set one of 5 speeds. Then the 4Runner keeps that speed across a terrain by maintaining the engine pace and braking to prevent the driver from overworking any part of it.
The Trail grade 4Runner adds a Multi-Terrain feature, which is similar to Land Rover’s method that adjusts a number of functions on the vehicle to far better handle the surface the car is on. It will allow much more wheel slippage if you’re in snow or mud and less if you are on pavement.
Both of these features are fantastic additions to the 4Runner and like most 4Runner owners, I hardly employed either of them.
The steering, which is power-assisted and variable gear rack and pinion, feels loose at highway speeds and numb around town. You expect heavier feedback but the 4Runner by no means delivers it.
Interior is disappointing
The interior also falls flat.
It has all of the right parts, nice gauges and dual climate controls for high-end Restricted models. But the plastic dash looks less expensive than other SUVs, such as the Ford Explorer, and the seats aren’t almost as comfortable as ındividuals on just about any huge crossover.
There is certainly plenty of space ınside the first row, with 39.3 inches of legroom. But things cramp up from there. The second row only offers 32.9 inches as well as the third row is optional simply because no one in his or her correct mind would opt for it.
For that most part, the interior feels like Toyota was just never that into this automobile. It has all the correct parts but there’s no life to them. There’s no emotion.
The optional JBL audio program, complete with 15 speakers, includes a “Party Mode” that equates to simply turning up the volume. (Technically, Party Mode is for when the automobile is parked and you wish to play music for ındividuals outside of the automobile; it uses the speakers in the back with the 4Runner.)
There’s also the hands-free cell phone operation by means of Bluetooth and USB port to connect to a personal music device. A cargo deck within the back slides out to produce it simpler to load and unload huge heavy objects.
But nevertheless the sum of all these parts do not seem to equal the total.
Exterior more rugged looking
Even the new appear with the 4Runner seems to push itself out from the mainstream and into a niche group served now by the FJ Cruiser. Toyota made the 4Runner much more rugged looking, squaring off its edges and shoring up its bumpers and making it look a lot more aggressive within the front and back.
There are some unique exterior cues for each trim level, for example the hood scoop about the Trail grade model or the turn signal indicators ınside the exterior mirrors about the SR5 and Limited models.
From an aesthetic standpoint, the 4Runner has by no means looked bigger or bolder. It makes a statement like ın no way prior to.
The 4Runner may even now collect its fair share of nostalgic looks at the showroom but few are ever going to produce it to a driveway. You can find just as well numerous other vehicles that provide much better gas mileage, more versatility and don’t have the social stigma SUVs tow behind them.
It’s a good-off street automobile but nothing special on pavement. And nobody wants strangers tsk, tsking them on the highway.
sburgess@detnews.com (313) 223-3217
Type: Five- or eight-passenger SUV
Price tag: $28,300
Engine:
2.7-liter four-cylinder
4-liter V-6
Transmission: Four- or five-speed automatic transmission Energy:
2.7-liter: 157 horsepower;
178 pound-feet torque
4-liter: 270 horsepower;
278 pound-feet torque
EPA gas mileage:
2.7-liter (4x2): 18 mpg town / 23 mpg highway; 4-liter (4x4): 17 mpg metropolis / 22 mpg highway
Report Card
General:
Exterior: Fair. It’s large and rugged-looking and has all from the exterior trappings of an SUV. Hood scoop on Trail grade model is silly.
Interior: Fair. Plenty of space but overall cheap feel to the interior. The third row is an alternative few ought to pick.
Performance: Excellent. Superb off-road abilities but only fair on-road prowess; load ride has plenty of body roll.
Pros: If you live ınside the woods and require a spacious hill climber, the 4Runner would serve you well.
Cons: If you live in a town or suburbs, this SUV is as well huge and feels even bigger around the road.
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