![]() I was making constant corrections when driving and you feel every single pothole. ![]() Handling is not the 4Runner’s strong suit. On the move, you remember this is a truck with an SUV body. There’s also not a lot of puff under 4,000 RPMs and the old-school transmission can’t do too much other than guess which gear it should be in. Maybe it’s for nostalgia or “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When you combine the engine and transmission, 0-60 MPH comes in under 8 seconds, but it feels much slower. Why Toyota decided to stick with this setup baffles me. I hate to tell you, but it isn’t the early 2000s, so the drivetrain is just odd. If this was the early 2000s, a five-speed automatic would also be passable. If this was a turbocharged inline-four, these figures wouldn’t be bad. The 4Runner uses a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V6 that creates 270-horsepower and 278 lb-ft. We have to go straight into the engine and transmission. Now for the biggest Achilles heel of the 4Runner: driving. You’ll also find an old-style gated shifter for the automatic transmission and a manual transfer case for the four-wheel-drive system. Looking at the roof, there is an optional sunroof along with some off-road buttons that once again, I didn’t use. The climate control is a little infuriating because it’s regular climate control so you don’t know what temperature you set and some of the symbols can be small. ![]() If you want more physical buttons and controls, this interior is great. You won’t see a cabin quite like this, for better and worse. In terms of creature comforts, you do get heated seats, a plethora of safety technology, and a few USB ports throughout the car. Speaking of old, the clock looks straight out of the 1990s! You’ll want to use this because the main screens on the infotainment system look old. Thankfully, Toyota decided to use an 8” infotainment with Apple CarPlay. You can use the gauge cluster to show various functions such as speed but it’s quite small. The steering wheel feels quite cheap and the analog dials don’t exactly help with the feel inside. The dials are so large you can see the knobs from the back of the tailgate. How you can mess up using the climate control is baffling to me because it’s extremely antiquated. I do like how high the window controls are along with the ease of the climate control. For $45,000, you would think you can at least get an optional power tailgate. I’ll say that this wasn’t really a negative for me, but it’s part of how old the 4Runner is. Unfortunately, if you go to the rear, you get a manual tailgate. It may be more about looking tough, but it does stand out. ![]() There’s a bunch of black badges, mirror caps, door handles, and rear spoiler. It looks good with 17” wheels contrasting the paint. The Venture Special Edition is more of an appearance trim level that’s based on the TRD Off-Road Premium model. I have no idea what you would put there but it does accumulate a lot of snow. My Venture Special Edition had Army Green paint also a Yakima MegaWarrior cargo basket on its roof. The taillights and headlights are also distinctive for the 4Runner. Like I was saying before, the looks of the 4Runner are quite unique since more SUVs have transformed to regular grocery getters. Looking at the 4Runner as a “regular consumer” showcases some interesting little tidbits. In fact, the only time I had to use the 4Runner’s four-wheel-drive system was in the snow and I was quite glad I was able to drive it. This may surprise many readers, but I don’t live anywhere near an off-roading course. When you see pics of a 4Runner, they’re usually in the desert or on top of a large off-road trail. Its silhouette is only confused for Jeep Wranglers. No matter which trim level or year you get, the 4Runner is extremely distinctive. First, the 4Runner has always looked rugged. There are good reasons why that I’ll briefly go over before I get into more detail. I remember having friends off-roading and playing around with modified 4Runners. ![]() The Toyota 4Runner definitely has a cult following. I can easily say that the Toyota 4Runner is not one of these. There are some off-roaders that have decent road manners and modern technology. If you want one of those, you have to go a bit old-school. By all means, these are not bad vehicles but you can tell that they’re not made from the ground-up to go off-roading in the desert. A few examples are the Ford Escape, based on the Focus, and the Corolla-based RAV-4. Why do most SUVs look the same? Most are based on sedans or hatchbacks, they keep those looks and proportions but can look bloated. ![]()
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