Kicking around the idea of replacing my Durango with one of these..

Would like to hear from owners of these SUV's the good and the bad.. Looking at the 6 cylinder models with the towing package..

4runner , I am on my 2nd 4runner and planning to buy a new one once I hit 250K.

buy it and forget it. despite high clearance than other SUV in same class has the lowest roll-over incidents.

on a dirt road in Nevada both tires blowout , the car spun around 360 and came to a dead stop , it was amazing.

P.

I have three 3rd gen 4-runners in the family. 298,000, 234,000 and 230,00 miles. Everyday drivers and none burn oil.

We were shopping in '14 and considered the 4runner, the explorer and the highlander. This was for my wife.

The Explorer, we couldn't see out of. The 4runner was too much like a truck for her. She is very happy with the highlander. If it was for me, I would hav bought the 4runner.

My 2015 pulls a 4000 lb boat with no problems. My only complaint is it nosedives during hard stops (not towing). It's a bit unsettling the first time or two but inconsequential as it still stops quickly and under control.

Wow! that's what I'd call reliable! Thanks for the information!

It is between a Highlander and 4 runner for the next one for me. A Ford would not be on the list period.

I'm @ 322k on my 4runner. Uber reliable.

There's a reason used Toyotas are expensive and used explorers are not.

Toyota is a huge step up in quality from Durango.

Yota

Bad thing about a 4 Runner..........thieve's like 'em.
Stepson's got swiped (found when ran out of gas- he parked it with it on fumes LOL).

Coworker had a super clean 4 Runner. It got a major engine repair at just over 100k. Shocker, but it happened. Was fine after the $$$.

IMHO they need to bring back the little pickups again. quad cab version like seen on safari type shows.

We looked at 4Runner, Highlander, and Explorer for the wife. The Highlander easily won out. She didn't like the Explorer and the 4Runner didn't ride as well. I believe the salesman said the 4Runner was based of the Tacoma chasis and the Highlander off the Camry. If true, it would give you idea of what to expect ride wise.

My 4th 4Runner is a 2015 Trail Ltd 4wd. They have all been the perfect fit for us and just keep getting better. On the road they ride well are very quiet and have more than adequate power. The 4wd system is exceptional and offers a high and low range w/ locking differential. They have excellent poise and balance in the snow and are incredibly reliable. Neither the explorer or highlander are in the same class.


mike r

I'd absolutely get the 4Runner. As already mentioned resale value between a 4Runner and an Explorer isn't even close.
I drive a Tacoma (pickup version of the 4Runner) 230,000 miles and drives great Its needed zero repairs in the three years that I've owned it.

My employment pretty much mandates another brand.
I get about 275K out of my rigs, bought used.
Maybe not as good as a 4 Runner, but acceptable IMHO.

I went from Durango to Highlander. If I towed anything, it would have been the 4Runner.

One thing to check before you decide: some insurance companies charge a hefty premium for 4Runners because they are classed as "off road vehicles." If your company does, it might make the difference.

4Runner is built body on frame like a true truck.

Explorers are unibody, no full frame. Ford builds them for the 95% or so of drivers that want a tall station wagon and rarely leave the pavement.

That was the impression that I got from them when I looked at a few on the local dealers lot.. That's why I checked here on the fire for some real world information.

I'm driving a 1998 4Runner as my only car. 159,000 miles and going strong. Has been very reliable with few repairs. I've never owned another vehicle that lasted this long. If you're planning on taking your vehicle off road forget about the Explorer. It's not built for such activities as previously mentioned. Not much ground clearance with an Explorer as well.

We got Exploders at work, and they suck as far as 4x4s go. I was driving through a grass field with 3-4 inches of snow on it and got stuck. Tried every mode and none would let me get unstuck. Couldn't rev it up and go as the traction control killed all power almost immediately.

4Runner

not even the big union detroit guy is showing up here to say buy the Explorer

'Y O T A ..............

just a side note , the 2018 4runner is supposed to be a complete redesign , you might save a bit on earlier model because of it.

also , lots of ads on loan or lease transfer ads everywhere.
looks like a lot of people are at default point or close to it.

P.

Toyota-- never look back

Toyota will run twice as far if taken care of.

'Yota guy here.......found an ole pic of my '89 Runner

bought it new..last of the 2 doors...drove it 12 yrs...gave it

to my youngest daughter when I bought a new '02 Chev HD crew P/U

she moved to GA with it....drove it 2 yrs..out grew it with kids..

My SIL in AZ bought it...had it shipped back to AZ....drove it 2-3

yrs...sold it to his buddy...who crashed it...he then sold it...

last I heard it was still in Snowflake AZ...someones daily beater..

Was a 3.0L w/5 speed....underpowered..but good ole 'Yota...

I've got a 2015 highlander.....love it. Real ez for this 60 yr old carcass to get in and out of....super roomy 2ND row seat...great visibility....quiet....great mileage...plenty of power.... I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Just got a 2017 4 Runner Trd pro, before that Tacoma. wife drives a 2015 4 Runner limited . Before that a 2002 sequoia that we bought from my sister. Sold that to our friends who still have it three years later. Before the sequoia, my wife had a highlander. Can't stand toyota --can you tell ?😆

Best vehicles around!! Just wish they made a diesel for carrying weight. John

Three Yoyas in the yard....new 17 Taco....03 Taco that I'll never part with and an 05 4runner that is a dream to drive.

Put 250K on T100 and sold to neighbor and he now has 360K on it with no major repairs.

My FJC did the "nose dive" with the stock suspension.
I installed a small lift from Toytech with adjustable struts and Eibach springs.
Much better ride and no more 'dipping at stops and take offs.

My wife has an Explorer.

It is a glorified 4 wheel drive car that will go down the highway 100mph all the while heating or cooling your ass.
(I like the fancy seats...)

Driven it several times on snow and ice(highway and in town) and it's pretty handy.


But certainly not anything I would take off road.

Haven't read the thread but the correct answer to your question rhymes with "floyota". Always.

Ford Exploder..... not even in the same conversation.

4Runner. I have a 2015 Trail Premium and I really love it. I bought it after my trusty old two-wheel drive 2001 F-150 couldn't get me home after a snow and ice storm a couple of years ago. I do wish it had a little more guts under the hood. And it has dust problems, something about the design I guess. It somehow vacuums dust into the cab if you drive a lot with the windows open, And pulls it under the tailgate. Beats anything I ever saw. I haye to admit it, but for a trip it's more comfortable than my dear old '97 Land Cruiser.

Don't mean much but my wife 2014 ford explorer made the ALCAN trip twice all the way from Anchorage to Colorado Springs (Dec 2013) and 10 months later Colorado Springs back to Anchorage (October 2014) this time pulling a 10 foot or was it a 12 foot uhual trailer. Ended up trading it in for a truck wife needed more room to haul stuff. It was great vehicle, it also got great fuel mileage..

Might as well pile on...

We have the current generation of Explorers at work. You couldn't give me one of those piles of crap - even to just drive on the highway. Even (or especially?) compared to 2nd generation Explorers, they are a pathetic abomination.

Get the Toyota and be happy.

I've only ever had one 4 Runner....so my point of reference is limited...

I bought it new in Sept 1987...its an 88 model...with 2 miles on the odometer...

So its 29 years old...me being its only owner...

all I can vouch for is they will last...a long time...

mine's got over a 100,000 miles on it...

Let's see a pic of that odometer, you know, just to be sure it has over 100k on it??

are there any americans left?

What's more "American" than having the freedom to buy what ever you want with the money the government allows you to keep?

Our 2004 4Runner has 359,680 miles on it. It has a K&N air filter on it and has always been run with synthetic oil. A couple of batteries and the heater/AC fan has been replaced...as well as the rear speakers. Thats it for repairs. Best vehicle investment I have ever made.

Toyota anything over Ford anything.

I had an explorer. Gave up on it when I found the nylon bearing seals were designed to last just past the warranty mileage limit and that they were a might pricey to replace. Maybe they're better built now.

Well this was 40,000 miles ago, but here ya go...



just as it rolled over 100,000 K... ( for the 5th time )


and here's an interesting one, just before it rolled over that 100K...




and just to show the versatility of a 4 Runner, here's something they don't tell you in the sales brochure....can double as a portable shooting bench when going sage rat shooting....



Jethro Bodine has nothin on Seafire!

Is being stupid enough to continue buying an inferior product now requisite to being an American?

BTW - I'm not accusing anyone in particular or in general of being stupid. Ignorance is one thing - but knowing full well that something is inferior for no good reason, and buying it anyway, is stupid.

Also, BTW - my Toyota was built in Texas.

Ditch the K&N(dirt attractor) and just put a OEM air filter on it

One would have to look long and hard to find a more sleazy car company then FMC. THey are happy to sell you something but will back it up with the worst service someone can expect.

I have owned both. The Explorer was the best vehicle in 4wd on snow packed roads I ever used. I was also the worst in every other category including reliability. Lost 4th gear in the trans at 30,0000 miles. Downhill from there.

The Toyota was a good vehicle. Unlike all the folks who get 200,000 plus with no problems mine fouled the bed at a little over 120,000.

The only other problem the 4Runner ever caused was when a rancher down in SW Kansas looked out the door when we asked to hunt quail on his place and politely told me that his birds were American birds and he expected anyone whom he let hunt there to drive American cars. (True story)

and you payed the japs. japanese never had balls enough to come over here and sell there own products .they found greedy americans to push that junk.you ever see a tv ad done by a japanese selling a toyota or nissan. they knew years ago that our parents and grandparents hated them.

More than half of Ford vehicles are built in Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Portugal, Brazil, etc. Buying American is a myth.

Growing up I new better than to drive any Japanese branded vehicle. My father a WWII Pacific Vet absolutely hated them. I remember the first Atlanta Olympics and coming home to my father ranting about the very first TV Commercial in the Olympics being a "GD Japanese Car"! I thought it was humorous, but do appreciate why he felt that way.

That said, I have driven various 4wd's: Chevy, Fords, CJ's, Scout's, and now an Xterra. A lot of my friends drive 4wd's, AWD's and I have to say the two best brands seem to be Toyota and Subaru (sorry Dad). Since I tow a boat, and don't need a truck but want a full frame, I will be looking at 4Runners even though they are ridiculously expensive. I am done with Nissan's as I got burned with the tranny issue.

A few comments on the 4Runner...

I have owned 4 Toyotas, including my wife's current 2011 4Runner. I rank it at the bottom of the 4 I've owned - brakes suck, nose dives as someone else mentioned, and lots of smaller issues - not the same quality as previous 4runners in my experience. Also, they don't hold value as well now. Looked at current value of hers recently and was shocked, definitely has not held value as well as previous versions or like my 2008 Tundra did, so guessing I'm not the only one seeing the lower quality. I have had many more issues with it than my F350 (bought 6 months after her 4Runner).

Don't take any of that as an endorsement for the Explorer, just some comments about my 4Runner experience.

...Of course there are; including the ones who sent my job to China and got big performance bonuses for doing so. That's just one of many reasons I've been happily driving Toyotas since 1996.

One of the dumbest and oldest arguments there is.

Saw a new 4 Runner in the TRD Pro version for the first time just a couple of days ago. Sharp vehicle!

If they perform as well as they look like they are set up to, I'm pretty certain I'd pick the 4 Runner TRD Pro over an Explorer, were I in the market for a new SUV.

i don't think all our parents hated them, overgeneralization. My deceased brother in law was in the pacific, driving a higgins landing boat, thus in on quite a few invasions. His description of okinawa was beyond words. His comment to me was most of them were just kids doing what they were told to do just like we were kids doing what we were told to do. He drove a toyota by the way.
And he did kill quite a few of them. But he let it be.

i have a 04 xterra, i have beat that thing to death and it keeps on ticking. And my second accord, two cars in 30 years. And for that matter five flatfender jeeps, military. my fj40 yota is the equal of all of them.

My choice:

Good thing the blacks don't hold a grudge against our generation the way you hold one against the Japanese. Oh, wait......

Bought my first truck in 1979 and i've only owned 4 trucks and i'm still driving 2 of those, all GM . The japanese will never sell me a car or truck.

The nearest Toyota dealer is 200 miles away not to mention I am good friends with the local Ford dealer so it wasn't very hard deciding to buy an Explorer.

And they've sold a bunch of them and I rarely see one in their shop...


We don't have a lot of miles on ours but is is a nice vehicle, no complaints, I actually really like it(for a highway/town outfit).


I wish Toyota would get into the heavy duty pickup market if only to make Ford up their game....

Wife and I purchased a new 4Runner and tundra last year. The 4 runner is awesome the tundra has all the power I will ever need but that runner is driving bliss I would recommend one to anyone who ask.

No chit why you can't get a 3/4 tundra with a full bed is beyond me

I've always figured if you can't put an 8 ft sheet of plywood in the bed and close the tailgate you were driving a trick truck

Though parking at the grocers I can see where the shorter beds are nice

Looks like Nissan is headed in that direction with their "5/8ths ton" Titan XD, 5.0 Cummins diesel powered, offering bed options of 8, 6.5 and 5 feet. http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2016-nissan-titan-xd-first-drive-true-5-8-ton-pickup

when I see a new 4Runner I can't help from seeing this

Never thought of it much... but you are Spot On!

Carcomplaints.com has some formula where they compare the number of complaints versus the mileage, cost of repair, etc

They rate the 2002 Ford Explorer as the worst car

They must not be bias because they rate the 2003 Honda Accord as the second worst

http://www.carcomplaints.com/worst_vehicles/

4Runner is not in the top 20

The Explorer is on it ....4 times

Then they rank the best vehicles. The 2010 and 2009 Ford Explorer makes the list.

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 4Runners make the list

http://www.carcomplaints.com/best_vehicles/

I was lucky enough to own a 2002 Ford Explorer. Transmission died at 109K miles.

I loved my '94 Explorer 4x4. The only problem I had, in 3 years ownership, was a battery post came loose--not the fault of the vehicle.

But Toyota quality is simply vastly higher. Have owned Land Cruiser and now Tundra 4x4's.

Just curious here, but when I sat in a 4Runner maybe 15+ years ago there wasn't enough headroom for me.

Have they improved that over the years?

I have a Highlander now and really like it. One of the best vehicles I've ever owned.

Yep - my 98 EB 5.0 Explorer was/is a swell vehicle and I had no problems with it. Sold it to my sis at 107k miles when I got the Tundra, and she's loving it.

If we refused to buy products from countries we've fought against in wars we'd eliminate just about everyone. That is a silly argument.

I would say Toyota. The only issue I have with them is gas mileage isn't what it should be imho.

Next door neighbors have that exact same 4Runner, bought a few months ago. They love it.

I don't care fore that look either. The white is especially bad. Actually though the op didn't mention it I would look to an explorer.theres quite a bit of Range Rover influence to me if you like that look but at a better price and with less headache than a Rover.