Not a fan
Purchase a 2021 4Runner Off-Road brand new in November of 2020 and drove it for 2 years. I tried very hard to like it, put a lots of miles into it, but ended up selling it after 2 long years. Good things first: it is a good looking vehicle, roomy, seats are comfortable, it had heated seats. Bad things: drives like a 1990's one ton pickup truck, the engine is gutless, the transmission hunts for gears especially when going uphill, or when passing a vehicle on a highway, it is noisy, and the gas consumption is abysmal. I was averaging 20 % more gas consumption than my previous vehicle, which was a 2015 Ford F-150 with a 5.0 L V8 engine and 6 speed tranny. The biggest adventure was shifting from 2 high to 4 high, it could take 2 or 3 tries before the transfer case engages, then another hurdle was switching back to 2 high, which could work on the first try, or not. I thought that there is a problem with the vehicle, but it turns out that this is how the vehicle operates. The vehicle operates quite decent in perfect weather conditions and with no traffic. However, in winter, snowy, icy, totally different story. A casket on wheels, in my opinion, extremely unsafe. Acceleration is inexistent, so I used a Pedal Commander, which helped a bit, but not much. After about 2 years I decided that I have had enough, so I sold it in a good price. I only kept it for so long because you couldn't find new vehicles for sale due to this chip shortage. For whatever reason, people seem to like this vehicle. Due to the nature of my work I drive a lot of off-road vehicles, either pick-ups or SUVs. I am not a fan of any specific brand, but I drove them all, from Jeeps to half tons, to 3/4 tons. I cannot name any other vehicle where I felt so unsafe, as I felt in the 4Runner. And I own a Rav4 and a Tacoma, love them both. This is it folks, that was my experience.
Verified Owner
