The Toyota 4Runner is a darling of the overland community, at least judging from what people are posting on social media, but is it really that good of a vehicle? Well, we found an owner who bought a second-hand 4Runner about five years ago and has put over 70,000 miles on it since, and now he wants everybody to know what they can expect from the Japanese SUV.
In the video embedded above, YouTuber Oxfoot says that he’s owned the vehicle since its odometer was at around 60,000 miles and – as you can clearly see – it’s not exactly stock anymore.
Over the years, the four-wheeler got a 3-inch suspension lift, a pair of rock sliders, and a set of 34-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler all-terrain tires, which have had the biggest impact on the gas mileage of all the mods on the vehicle, lowering it to about 15-16 miles per gallon, whereas the official EPA-rated fuel economy sits between 16 and 19 miles per gallon.
Gallery: 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road: Review
However, being a TRD Off-Road variant, it came with some nice extras from the factory, too, including the Craw Control and Hill Ascent knobs, plus a locking rear differential, which can prove to be a lifesaver in very sticky situations.
The amount of available interior space is one of the biggest advantages of the Japanese-branded SUV, with a lot of storage room and plenty of nooks and crannies where camping knives and accessories can be kept out of sight.
Another plus point is the well-regarded reliability of the Toyota brand. In fact, the presenter says this is one of the reasons why he got a 4Runner in the first place, adding that he knows of several other 4Runners that have over 300,000 miles on the clock and they’re still running great.
However, it’s not perfect, with the owner saying he has two complaints. The first one has to do with the towing capacity of only 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms), which is probably because the 4Runner only comes with a 4.0-liter V6 engine that makes 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet (377 Newton-meters) of torque.
At one point in the video, he says that a V8 engine would probably suit the vehicle very well, at least for his needs, but this isn’t on the options list.
The second complaint isn’t exactly a deal-breaker, as it has to do with the silver paint that this particular 4Runner has, which is sometimes hard to get right on camera, as Oxfoot says. If the SUV would have been bought brand new, this wouldn’t be an issue, as a new customer can choose any color in the paints list, but when buying on the used market you can’t always get what you want.
Moreover, two things went wrong in the last five years, both of which are related to the mods and aftermarket upgrades. First, a power steering hose blew out after the wheels were upgraded to 34-inch rubber.
Second, a mod caused the battery to die, which led him to believe that there was something wrong with the alternator, so the car got a new one of those, plus a new battery, but in the end, it was something completely different causing the issue, although the video doesn’t mention what it was.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about the video embedded above, so after watching it, scroll down to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
