Subscribed! You make nice videos. So many I watch are loud, in your face, jerky cameras, techno music in the background, 4 minute intros,. Yours are calm, well thought out, easy to watch. I feel like we’re in the same room just having a conversation. Normal communication, not anxiety driven, click bait nonsense. I love hiking, backpacking and 4 runners. Keep up the great work!
I bought a 2015 T4R in black with 115,000kms and people can’t believe it’s 5 years old based on the condition. The softex and paint have held up remarkably well. The guys at the underbody shop even mentioned how good the paint looked. Previous owner swapped the headlights to LED, makes a big difference. Glad they did it because it was the first mod I had lined up.
2019 TRD premium owner and I agree with the thin paint that Toyota sprays on their vehicles. There is no increase in gas mileage as a result. I watched your video when you first purchased the 4Runner and I decided to switch from my Rubicon to the 4Runner. Pros and cons for each vehicle but the road noise is a lot less than the Jeep. The engine is quieter and comfort is much better. More comfortable for rear passengers too. The radio issue I decided was not a factor because the Jeep had the same old system although from 2012 Jeep to 2019 I would think Toyota would have improved by 7 years. Lights too are another issue. Why do I have to upgrade to LED interior and exterior after paying so much for the vehicle just to add value that I thought I paid for? Lastly, I decided on the 2019 because I didn’t need adaptive cruise and lane change monitoring. I like old school and the 4Runner has that. Would I buy again? Yes, but please add more paint. Thanks for the review.
I agree with some of your dislikes !! Mine are YES the window switches need to be relocated and with the lockout from the windows on you can only operate the driver window not all windows.The master window control should allow the driver to access all windows even with the lock on !! Yes I have the same problem with the hoods scoop glare at the correct angle of the sun !! One of my gripes is why didn’t Toyota put the hand parking E brake on the console ? Not a foot operated hand brake,forget about the cup holder and slot there,that’s where the parking E brake needs to be !! Love the 5 speed transmission and the sport mode lets you down shift on steeper hills for engine braking instead of keep braking down hills !! Love my 4 Runner 5th Generation,Hope Toyota keeps the 4.0 V6 in future 4 Runners,I get 20 MPG tooling around highway and in town on regular fuel !! Not bad for an Old School Dinosaur !!
I have a 2020 Venture edition and agree with most of what was mentioned. Yes, I still find myself looking lower for the window switches. Navigation needs some "fine-tuning" for future models and one thing that is annoying on mine is the brake squeal at colder temperatures. That squeal is LOUD and the fact the windows don't roll down until the interior cabin is heated up - annoying on short trips. I have a super white and have yet to experience any sun glare off the hood scoop. All in all, I do like my 4Runner.
I have a 2022 Off Road Premium. I actually like the positioning of the window controls. I’m a bigger guy and it fits me well. Hood scoop can be an annoyance but I’m not to the point I’d do anything. No issue with paint chips. Fit and finish is very good too. I’d like a little more top end acceleration but really like acceleration and “torque” at lower speeds. Going to go get oil changed this M for first time this morning.
Good points. Many of these videos are just silly complaints. The ergonomics of the center stack and window controls are over looked, but have a big impact on usability.
You can make it easily functional with a fresh air connection to the airbox. Also, there is a flat black factory square that looks fairly nice that's stops all that. I have it on my 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro form the factory.
I own a 2020 ORP in white and have seen the reflection on the hood scoop. It happens only at certain times of day and certain angles--only seen it twice in 2500 miles. I wouldn't say it is bad enough that I need to put a hand out to block it, I just don't stare directly at it. Try adjusting your seat to different heights and you may find that will help.
Everybody complains about T4R headlights, me too... Hood scoop? Mask off the edges, spray it with flat Plastidip. Window controls? Get used to it? My 2003 Tundra was similar, I left a window down and it rained. Not fun! I just make sure windows are up and call it a day
I love my '19 4Run and I agree with 4 out of 6 of these complaints. I haven't encountered the hood scoop issue, but I agree, if you are going to put one on the vehicle, it should be functional, not fashionable. They have done this in previous generations so I am not surprised. I was shocked with the paint chipping, I noticed it around the front of my vehicle a few days after I got it washed at a car wash... unbelievable and I bitched to my dealer about that. I am not concerned with the gaps between the plastic and the metal. These are not $300k super cars where they are hand made. I see people lose their mind over this with Teslas, measuring down to the millimeter the gap differences. It is a 4Runner. I am just waiting to get mine paid off so I can work on the upgrades that Toyota should have made standard.
Jim Gleason I noticed while I was configuring one they offer some kind of plastic wrap coat to protect paint on certain areas like the hood and panels, something like $500 for hood and 400 for the other parts, I wonder if they are aware of the chips and offer this to help... Should be standard.
The window control complaint is near universal. #1 and #3 are corrections I'd make myself. I'm looking at either at either waiting on the next gen to come out or getting a 2019-2022. will be my first new vehicle in around 15 years. Driving a 03 Jeep GC Limited V8...back when Jeep was owned by Daimler and still making okay Jeeps. 4Runner was my quick choice since it's body on frame, best smallish off road SUV with cargo space (Wrangler sucks for that), and the V6 is ridiculously reliable. I was originally looking for everything I'd want. Having a Limited on the Jeep meant I had the leather, cd changer, heated seats, etc..the top end features in the early 00s. So I thought I'd want the same, but ended up realizing I'd have to go with Limited again. I want to get off road, camp/hike/bike, get on the family farm, on and on. The only features I'd truly miss out without Limited is dual climate zone control and ventilated seats (I live in the south! ventilated is more valuable than heated in 99 degrees and high humidity). That said at least the seats are replaceable or the possibility of adding them via third party. The pant chipping sounds possible concern. I am surprised on your fit and finish. Was built in the Lexus plant too?
As for the headlights, I will say I was in Moab in my 2020 in the winter and the headlights were the only things not covered in snow/ice. My LED fogs were useless so the heat provided by the halogens were useful. Like my 8" screen in my 2020. I plan on adding a 20" LED lightbar in the upper grill for extra light.
@@soaringeagleoutdoors I know the Rigid light bar can be used if you source the bolts. I bought some brackets from SDHQ made for the 20” Rigid or Baja. I just haven’t pulled the trigger on the lightbar, but I’m leaning towards the midnight Rigid which looks really stealth.
I have a Silver 2020 4runner ORP. Before I got to 1000 miles I had to do something about the hood scoop glare. I installed a vinyl decal from Beyond Wraps to resolve the problem. Glare hasn't been an issue since. I hate the climate controls on the ORP. Toyota should offer a thermostatic climate control in the ORP. Otherwise, after one year of ownership, I have generally been satisfied.
It's funny I literally just bought a 4runner over a highlander because of the window controls. I hated the way my arm rested in the highlander that I bought the 4runner. I didn't realize how awesome the r4unner was till I bought it.
Choosing a three pedal model makes compression breaking work much better. The two pedal ones have a slushbox between the engine and the transfer case. This may also be part of your need for more power problem too. Love that third pedal !
@@JeepCherokeeful Having that third pedal is the entire reason I bought a 2010 Tacoma instead of a 2010 Tundra. The sales man tried to convince me by stating his reasons why a slushbox is better. He got off his high horse in a hurry when I turned around and headed for the door.
I agree with #2, almost all vehicles are made with the controls lower on the door panel, its hard to get used, and #3, this Nav system is sooooo bad, I dont even bother with the voice recognition because its a joke, that being said, is there anyway to disable the Nav system, so you dont have to be parked to enter and find a destination, like pull a fuse or cut a cable?? Great review!
I like the window controls. It gives me more room for water bottles and other small stuffs that i need. I guess thats why it's up there. My 4th gen, i cant even used my refillable water containers.
I don’t know what to say about the finish of the paint, but mine is flawless even after 40,000 miles and two years. Yours looks like it was built either here or in Mexico lol. I have dogs and we keep them in the trunk and they come in and out and no tripping whatsoever. It looks like new. Also, they did fix the lights and the fitting. It’s not a problem at all. It looks perfect. infotainment which is bigger and has android auto, which is great for Mabs, and the above the infotainment dashboard are used to put my phone and watch either news or movies.
Watched this again - watch our Canvas Back video. The paint quality on the 4 Runner is first rate, sliding boxes 📦 as you claim over any bumper will remove the paint or damage it. That is ALL on you for being careless, not Toyota. The placement of the window controls is ergonomically fine and 100 percent correct especially off roading. How nice can it be to rest your arm up there and not have to move, plus they are all express up and down. Bottom line is You bought it and none of this stopped your purchase. 5th Gen 4Runners are assembled at a Lexus facility in Japan, and you are the only channel whining like this. It looks like you are hard on the vehicle and careless and won’t take any responsibility for your role in the degradation of this 4 Runner.
Two of those issues the paint chips and sun on the hood scoop might have been better with a dark color. Paint chips would be less visible and the sun would not be as bright on grey or black.
@@jayman3573 good to know. What color is underneath the paint where the chips are? I thought it would be black and a black chip would be less visible on black than white vehicle.
Great vid! Wanted to see if there were any major break downs or repairs or problems but it seems to be (A Ok ) because im in the market for a 4 Runner. Keep up the great work bud and thank you for the tips.
Totally AGREE with you on the 5 speed vs 8 speed compression gear braking...I had a 5 speed V6 LE Camry that I would take on my trips to the high sierras, and the shifting into lower gears on downgrades worked extremely well...doing the same on my 8 speed Highlander...not so good...for some odd reason trying to find the right low gears on down grades never seems to work very well.
the more gears the better, the vehicle just isn’t in the correct one. You just need to downshift more gears, for example three instead of two. One must also realize, due to emissions regulations, newer vehicles mechanically can’t have as much engine braking. So yes, what you’re experiencing is reality;(
Silver 2020 ORP here. Yes, hood scoop reflection is an issue for me. I'm going to wrap it black. Having driven a 19 for a week and now owning a 20 i do think Toyota retuned the engine response based on throttle position. The 20 takes far less pedal input to get it to repsond. They also seem to have remmaped the transmission as well. The 20 upshists and downshift more smoothly and predictably then the 2019 i spent time in.
I own a forerunner for about two weeks one thing I don’t like about it. On the left-hand side you know those dimming light switch one other switch it does not light up very hard to see at night so if you want to dim your lights and the circle switch doesn’t like up with no light in it it’s very hard to see at night while you drive. Plus in the back of the photo roll down the window there is a switch for up in the switch for the towel that has no light as well when it’s at night it would be nice and light up and down switch to roll down the window, I own two weeks and this is my dislike for now otherwise I’m very happy with the truck it runs great and it’s good and you’re right the amount of money to pay you should get a little bit more features
It really depends on where you live. I am stationed there in Hawaii. Roads suck and a lot of hills. Going up hills is hard a times if you don’t time the climb right. But going down hill it is fantastic.
Cmon dude! Wear sun glasses or adjust the seat, that rear bumper mis alignment with quarter panel most likely happened at dealer and you did not catch, or someone bumped the rear of the truck.
One thing that bugs me which doesn't get mentioned in a lot of reviews, is the positioning of the rear wiper. It's off center, and even worse, it's positioned for right-hand drive vehicles, not for N American vehicles.
Not 1 of those items would I dislike. There are a slew of things that could be added to the vehicle for safety, performance, mpg reduction, etc, etc. I would never suggest 1 of these for an every day road driver. (Even though it is obviously well rounded for everything.) But it is hard to deny the balance of how good it is in every category. I dig mine a lot. No complaints, just wishes there was more to it in some aspects. Such as gearing for the long downhill slopes. Cannot find that happy spot that adaptive cruise control gives you. Would be nice if it was a hybrid! Imagine the range you could get. And the torque you could have for off the line launches. As well as off pavement prowess that EV torque provides. I have never had 1 situation that vehicle could not handle off pavement. But a hybrid version would be SO much cooler.
should have waited for the 2020. The new 8 inch touch screen is great and infotainment system I like a lot with android auto and apply carplay. Never had the hood scoop reflection problem. I have silver and lots of wax on the car, the sun is super bright in the Southeast where I live by the beach and no issues. the tint that came with the vehicle helps a lot as well. Think about tinting you windshield to help with the glare. Also my fit and finish on my 2020 TRD off road is good. no gaps or misalignment. I agree on the headlights, and the interior lights are too dim as well. I did an H11 to H9 low beam conversion and that helps a lot. Replaced all the interior, door, and hatch lights with soft white LED kit. Now a lot brighter but not blinding
I replaced my 91 Montero with a 4Runner. Way more vehicle with bells and whistles than I need but still a nice rig. And the only decent rig build on a frame. On thing I noticed and I think it’s a problem on many modern rigs is the mood is very high making it hard to see close in. The sides bulge again causing no visibility. When I parallel park I can’t see the hash marks and have to use the backup camera to center the vehicle. I’m 5’10” so sitting height is not the issue. It looks mean but it’s not functional.
I have 2017 tundra. I swapped out the lights to an led set up. Looks nicer with a little better light. I wish I had thought about ice. I live in Iowa and made a trip in a storm to Missouri. I had to stop frequently to chip ice from the lens. I see you are in Colorado. Something to consider.
Soaring Eagle Outdoors ok thanks for that. As good as these vehicles are I just can’t live with that. That is a shame. Many are more severe than yours. But that will just really bother me to pay all that money and have that issue. Going to have to get something else unfortunately.
I do, 34,000 miles and new tires two thousand miles ago. It's had three balance's and a road force balance since getting new tires and it still shakes.
If you want compression braking, try a V8 4Runner. I know, they haven’t made them in 11 years. Lots of long descents here in Colorado. Start in 5th going 65, end in 5th going 65. No braking necessary.
Some of these points remind me of my Jaguar F-pace, position of window controls, fit & finish, paint on plastic bumper coming off too easily. But still good overall.
I was going to get a 4runner in 2018 but I couldn't stand that head unit. Was looking for a aftermarket but then read that they changed it for 2020. Was going to get a 2020 but decided to wait with everything that's going on now. Luckily the 2021 will have led headlights added, so I guess waiting has payed off because many of the things I didn't like and was going to change myself are now standard. I'm looking at the TRD Off Road base model. Don't really want any of the extras on the Premium, but if I see one for a good deal of course I'd take it. And I'm use to the window switches being high up from driving a Grand Caravan and driving different vehicles at work with similar switches. I'm looking at one in Classic Silver so may have to darken that hood scoop if the reflection becomes a problem for me. Thanks for the video.
Seems to me that everyone in the comment section and this guy should have just bought a jeep or bronco. Complaining about these minor things like you didn't know what you were getting when you test drove the vehicle. 🤦♂️
The new Bronco looks awesome, and has got to have FCA shaking in their sneakers!! I would have to give it a year or so. I have purchased 2 first year production vehicles in my life and will NEVER do it again. The motors are also a concern, seem kinda small to me. The 4 runner 4.0L is legendary in its indestructibility. The bronco, like the jeep will only tow 3500# but the 4Runner will tow 5000#. I will stick to the 4runner for now and keep my eye on the Bronco.
Soaring Eagle Outdoors thank you for that honest assessment and testimony. May wait a bit and see if the market will ease up before I purchase a 4Runner.
Over 2 years with my 2017 ORP, the ones you have are somewhat somewhat minor nits for me (other than the yellow headlights, which I replaced within 3 months with much brighter and 6500K LEDs (high/lo beams and fogs). The major issues IMO are not even HP/Torque, but how the throttle is mapped. Its mapped so you have to make an effort to accelerate, thus saving gas, whereas its ideal for OR where the throttle has to be gently applied in lo range) I wish they simply changed the mapping in Hi versus Lo range, but you can get a pedal commander as a workaround, and just tap the gas instead of flooring it. The other real problem is not having a front camera for off-road. You have to get out and look in front if you go up a steep slope as what your'e going to run into, all the time! Both are inexpensive items, Toyota just not paying attention to these gripes. For Navi, you need a different method like an Ipad for and you don't expect Toyota to give you 4WD maps, do you really? You'll never find a vehicle with ideal off road pages, just IMO.
The pedal is mapped that way to give you max throttle control off road... That said I do agree. Check out pedal commander I've been running it for about 20k miles now and love it. Plugs into your throttle since everything now is fly by wire and gives you different throttle sensitivity options.
I agree with some of the things you cite in the 4 Runner, but there are some bigger issues in my opinion. First, is the confusing models, packages, etc. Trying to get the options you like without something you hate is a nightmare research project. Second, why totally different body styles worth the hood scoop, skid plate and grills. I thought they were different model years. A big interior issue is the radio controls. The volume buttons are left and right, not up and down and they are on the left of the wheel, not the right like most vehicles. How about sensors in the front bumper but not front parking assist? No center console tray, just a huge cavern to lose things in. And finally, a huge issue, remote start shuts off when you get in the car! How silly is that? These are some of my thoughts in my first week after coming from a Chevrolet that was a year older and had solved all of these problems, included LED lights inside and out, 9 speed transmission for torque and mileage, and paint chipping.
@@Slavic_Eagle Really? Hmmm. Mine is a 2020 Nightshade. Maybe they installed mine in the dark? 😂 But the volume is definitely left and right in the left side of the steering wheel. Odd.
And I huge one I forgot is the 3rd seat. Wanted the slide out tray but hit the seat. And with that, I lost the ability to fold the back flat for sleeping which was important to me. I love my truck, but the buying experience was convoluted at best.
I’ve own my 2019 Off Road Premium for a year(@14k mi). I upgraded all front end light bulbs to led, stock ones are HORRIBLE! Also, changed out every interior bulb, stock ones AWEFUL as well. The reflection on the hood scoop must have something to do with your paint color, as I’ve not experienced any “reflecting” issues at all. Lastly, ToyotaEntune is a joke... Wish an Apple CarPlay option was available.
Didn’t do that. However, I did apply a “darkening” film to my mirror blinkers, and sides of my headlight blinkers. Also, my lift was done by RSG too. It’s set at 2”, but can be adjusted to 3”. Just complete a 1K in state road trip(on & off). It performed like a “Champ”.... Divide Rd(Uncompahgre), Last Dollar NF(Telliride), San Juan NF(Durango), Sand Dunes( the Preserves). Also, have RSG engine, tranny, and KDSS armor. Waiting for RSG sliders to replace step rails. I installed RAGO panels & shelf in cargo area. Love it!
I have a 2018 and the thing that I dislike the most is the brakes. If you hit them fast but not hard they lock up. If you hit them slowly you have to press hard. They are very non-linear and nothing like anything else that I have ever driven.
I have also noticed this but when I was in Moab last week doing the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands, the way the brakes worked off road was very. useful in how I was able to control coming down off rocks without "dropping" onto rock with the bumper, so now I more understand why Toyota designed them that way. Also, a lot of people don't like the throttle response and do aftermarket mods (like pedal commander) to "pep" up the responsiveness, but as I had to do some serious climbs (at times up to 45 deg), I appreciated the throttle being less peppy as it was steep and sandy and I didn't want to spin tires and the throttle allowed me to ease into the sand and not spin the tires as I climbed some very steep terrain.
Install HID kits from Xenon Depot - I'm running them on my 99 Lexus LX470 - very good kits. If you want LEDs, LASFIT has some really good sets and I think they offer larger dust covers to compensate for the LED bulb heat sinks. Also, Baja Designs fog light kits....select the SAE versions if you want to be street legal :D
I have the TRD Off Road and I specifically chose the KDSS - while not designed for reducing nose dive, I noticed the difference when I test drove one with and one without. Then with my suspension upgrade, the ride in phenomenal and no real nose dive present
