Toyota has made some serious money over the past couple of decades by making safe, reliable vehicles. There have been a few models, like the Supra and Celica, that have appealed to the enthusiast, but the rest of America hasn't really seemed to care. New Toyota chief Akio Toyoda has promised to change that paradigm, however, pledging to inject new vehicles with much-needed soul. But do we have to wait a few years for Toyota's designers and engineers to come up with something new and exciting? Maybe not.
While the enthusiast-inspired products like the FT-86 coupe are still a ways off, off-roading types have a new Toyota to test drive: the 2010 4Runner. We've long known that the 4Runner has been perfectly capable of wrestling with a bit of mud, as it helped define America's sport-utility genre along with the original Jeep Cherokee way back in 1984. But this new model is at once bigger, more capable and more luxurious – and its styling has been designed to stand out in an admittedly thinning crowd of proper SUVs. We spent a week with a Magnetic Grey Metallic 4WD SR5 to see if Toyota has been right to stand by its mid-size mainstay while the rest of the automaking world has been busy turning its body-on-frame gas-guzzlers into pump-friendly softroaders.
Rediscovering 4Runner’s muscular off-pavement personality doesn’t mean forgetting about comfort. Every 2011 4Runner comes with remote keyless entry, air conditioning, power locks, and power windows – including a power tailgate window. Tilt/telescope steering wheel, cruise control, 10 cup and bottle holders also are standard. So is a satellite-radio audio system with a “Party Mode” setting that directs extra power to tailgate-mounted speakers for outdoor listening. Trail and Limited models add steering-wheel audio controls, a USB interface for iPods, and Bluetooth phone and music-streaming connectivity. The second-row folding bench seat is split 40/20/40 and has a reclining backrest. Seven-passenger seating is available on SR5 and Limited models via an optional 50-50 folding third-row bench. Also available is pop-up cargo organizer as well as a slide-out cargo platform that eases loading and serves as a table your tailgate party; it supports 440 pounds. The 4Runner Limited also has keyless entry and pushbutton start. Leather upholstery with heated power front seats is standard on Limited and optional on SR5; the Trail gets water-resistant fabric upholstery. Other equipment standard or optional depending on model includes rear obstacle detection or a rear-view monitor that displays on the inside mirror. A power tilt/slide moonroof is optional on SR5 and standard on Limited models. And optional only on Trail and Limited models is a voice-activated touch-screen DVD navigation system with a 7-inch dashboard monitor. All 4Runners come with antilock four-wheel disc brakes for better control in stops, traction control for better grip in take-offs, and antiskid control to mitigate sideways slides. A system of eight standard airbags includes knee airbags for driver and front passenger and head-protecting side curtain airbags for all three seating rows. Available by subscription is Toyota’s Safety Connect with automatic collision notification and stolen-vehicle locator services.
The 2011 Toyota 4Runner carries over styling that morphed from soft-shouldered to square-jawed for 2010. The look emphasizes 4Runner’s throw-back nature, to a time when SUVs had truck-type body-on-frame construction. That was before the civilizing influence of the “crossover” craze. Now, most SUVs – from the compact Honda CR-V to the roomy Toyota Highlander – use car-type unibody construction. In truth, a design in which body and frame essentially are one unit is beneficial to most SUV owners. People who use SUVs as family station wagons are better served by the refinement and weight-saving fuel efficiency of unibody construction. For severe off-road driving and heavy-duty towing, however, the separate body-on-frame design carries advantages of strength and durability. With DNA traced back to 1980s Toyota pickup trucks, the 4Runner has always been body-on-frame. The 2011 model rides the same 109.8-inch wheelbase (distance between front and rear axles) as the 2003-2009 fourth-generation 4Runner. Body dimensions are little changed from that model. And it continues to offer seating for five or seven. But the current bluff-sided, blister-fendered styling is inspired by the Toyota Land Cruiser, internationally respected for its all-terrain tenacity. The tough-guy theme continues inside, with blocky shapes and big knobs instead of the gentle contours and delicate switchgear of the previous 4Runner. The 2011 4Runner lineup returns three models. The SR5 is the base version. Next is the Trail model and true to its name, its front and rear bumpers are shaped to more easily clear off-road obstacles. The top-of-the-line Limited goes all town on you with chrome-plated front-grille inserts and fancy alloy wheels.
The 2011 Toyota 4Runner comes standard with a 4.0-liter V6 engine that produces 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed automatic is the only available transmission. The SR5 and Limited can be had in either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive (part-time dual-range system on SR5; full-time system on the Limited), while the Trail comes only with part-time dual-range 4WD. When properly equipped, the 4Runner's towing capacity tops out at 5,000 pounds.
, a rear-wheel-drive 4Runner SR5 accelerated from a standstill to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, which is about average among competing SUVs. The EPA estimates 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined for a rear-wheel-drive 4Runner, which is also average in this segment. A four-wheel-drive 4Runner gets 1 mpg less on the highway.
Standard 4Runner safety features include antilock disc brakes (with brake assist), stability and traction control, active front head restraints, front knee airbags, front-seat side airbags and full-length, roll-sensing side curtain airbags.
In government crash tests, the 4Runner scores a perfect five out of five stars for driver protection in frontal collisions and four stars for the front passenger. Five stars have been awarded in side impact tests for both front and rear passengers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awards its top rating of "Good" for both frontal offset and side-impact protection. In a recent test, a rear-wheel-drive 4Runner SR5 came to a stop from 60 mph in 122 feet, which is average among other SUVs in its class. reference:autos.aol.com,www.edmunds.com,iguida.com
