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Cars > Reviews
Rugged, reliable hauler gets class upgrade By Royal Ford, 12/8/2002 In the photograph, I am standing on the running board of a Toyota 4Runner, right arm resting on the open driver's door. Behind me, the earth drops away sharply down a rocky scar carved from the top of a Maine mountain to its base. The scar is a ski slope at Sunday River in Newry -- a slope that had not yet been opened -- and the 4Runner is up there because, well, because I wanted to see if it could climb a ski slope. It did. And this was my own commuter car! I owned two 4Runners in the 1980s and '90s and drove them nearly half a million combined miles as I roamed New England for the Globe, writing feature stories. I don't recall spending a dime for repairs on either one. Changed the oil, the tires, the brakes, maybe an exhaust system or two. They were among the finest cars I ever owned. Three kids later we've moved on to the bigger Sequoia in the Ford household (needed that third row of seats). So it was with some anticipation that I climbed into the 2003 4Runner, the fourth generation in 17 years of a car that has sold more than 1.2 million units since 1985. Many of those originals are still on the road, and used 4Runners, even with high mileage, still fetch big bucks at used car lots. The new 4Runner has a new frame, but has stayed true to its truck roots -- even as it has gotten far more stable, smoother, quieter, bigger, and more powerful. It is the middle child in Toyota's family of five SUVs (RAV 4, Highlander, 4Runner, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser) and this upgrade gives it some of the oomph and class of its pricier stablemates. The new 4Runner comes in two- or four-wheel-drive (and two versions of this) and with two engine choices. The smaller engine is a new 4.0-liter V-6, Toyota's first all-aluminum engine in a light truck, and it produces a respectable 245 horsepower and 283 lb.-ft. of torque. That's a substantial boost form the comparable 183/217 production of the previous V-6. And for the first time, Toyota is offering a V-8 option for the 4Runner, a 4.7-liter plant that delivers 235 horsepower (less than the V-6, but hold your horses) and a remarkable 320 lb.-ft. of torque. This is the rig (as tested) with which you'll want to tow. The fourth generation 4Runner is 5.7 inches longer than earlier models, its wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer, and the interior is nearly four inches wider. Outside, it presents a tougher face with flared fenders, a slit of a horizontal grille, bigger headlights and taillights, and (why, oh why?) off-color lower body cladding. Fog lamps and a hood scoop (standard on the as-tested Sport edition) added to this muscular look. The interior, noticeably more spacious in both legroom and side to side, is wonderfully functional Toyota. Well thought out, nothing too fancy, nearly ergonomically perfect. There are even trash bag holders built into the center console. If I have one serious complaint it's that the front seats (cloth in this version) are not bolstered enough on the sides (seat bottom and back) to hold you the way you need to be gripped off-roading or even in long distance highway hauling. The body-on-frame setup features a new frame with rugged boxed rails from stem to stern, and nine welded crossmembers for rigidity. The front cross member is mounted low to lessen damage to smaller vehicles in frontal collisions. On the road, the V-8's torque band was impressively broad, with boosts to pass on the highway coming from a deep well of power. Offroad, its ability to crawl with slow power up a steep, slippery grade, was confidence inspiring. Because the Sport edition comes with a system Toyota calls its X-Relative Shock Absorber System (optional on the upscale Limited edition), I found it to be a remarkable improvement in handling over previous generation 4Runners, which let you know with subtle hints of tippiness in hard cornering that you were driving a truck. The XRSAS system uses a nitrogen-charged center damper to adjust diagonally opposed sets of shocks (front right, left rear) and keep a tight control over pitch and roll. The result is an SUV that sits safely flat in sudden lane changes or hard offroad cornering. Add optional load-leveling rear air bladders to the V-8 Limited and you've got one serious towing machine. The 5-speed automatic transmission was transparent in its moves up and down the gears, smooth, efficient, and not the least bit jerky. Steering was tight and precise (I can't help but think that's a side benefit of XRSAS). 4Runner V-8 models come in two- or full-time all-wheel drive. The V-6 models have either two- or part-time all-wheel-drive. In the full-time version, torque is split 40/60 front to rear in normal conditions and adjusts to 30/70 or 53/47 depending on conditions. The new 4Runner also comes with a couple of new ascent/descent features: Hill-start Assist Control and Downhill Assist Control. The HAC system is automatically activated when the car is in gear on an incline and controls the brakes to stop the wheels, or individual wheels, from rolling and spinning. Thus, it prevents not only backward rolls, but also side-slipping. The DAC system, for low-range travel, uses brakes and throttle to hold the vehicle back in steep descents. Touch the brake or gas and it turns itself off and gives you control. Toyota also includes its Vehicle Skid Control program as standard. It monitors wheel spin and applies brakes (too eagerly in my book and to an annoying chirping sound) when it detects slippage. Sometimes a bit of wheel spin can be a good thing and it would be nice if Toyota included a turn-off option for VSC. So with nearly half a million miles in 4Runners under my belt -- and several hundred in this one -- the verdict? A rugged, reliable, comfortable, quiet, efficient hauler of people and their outdoor gear. This is an SUV you could buy at your dealer and drive away waving as you safely holler through an open window: "See you in a quarter million miles. Or so." Now if they would just add a third row seat to this more spacious cabin. Annoyance: The climate control knobs on the center stack are out of place amidst all the great simplicity of the interior. Who needs gnarly, geared knobs? Nice Touch: Mirrors mounted on the interior rear pillars give not only good perpendicular views, but also show objects that may be 10 feet directly behind the car but are not visible in a rearview mirror. This could save bicycles -- or lives. Royal Ford can be reached at ford@globe.com. |
