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Toyota 4Runner - 2003
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Comments
I'm not slammin' the MDX (I think those and Pilots are quite nice), however they may be more appropriate for the Highlander forums for comparos.
But that said, the 4Runner and MDX have different purposes. Like I said before - what do you want, a comfy people hauler or a truly capable SUV?
It is interesting that the 4Runner is a V6. Maybe Toyota is listening to all of the complaints.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know how to find the invoice prices of the Port options that seem to be installed on all of the new 4Runners. I am impressed with the new 4Runners. Although, I must say that the Ford and Jeep options and pricing are much more straightforward. Thanks in advance for your help.
It is interesting that the 4Runner is a V6. Maybe Toyota is listening to all of the complaints.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know how to find the invoice prices of the Port options that seem to be installed on all of the new 4Runners. I am impressed with the new 4Runners. Although, I must say that the Ford and Jeep options and pricing are much more straightforward. Thanks in advance for your help.
Since the Hummer is obviously the ultimate off-road SUV why don't we start calling any "SUV" with these two features OSUV?
Off-road Sports Utility Vehicle.
Suggestions?
The good: strong, quiet engine, very untruck like, my 1st drive of the 4.7V8.. very im pressed. It was raining and slick, it handeled very well and the brakes for a 4k pound vehicle were strong.Basic radio was good as well.
The Bad: Cladding need i say more ? quality issue the drivers seat rocked like a ride at the fair. 1
$1699.00 package of pin strip and 100k mile floor mat warranty ???? so does that mean every time my floor mats get muddy i get new ones ? is this typical of Toyota ? cause ill pass....
also , sales manager showed up, one of those what can we do to sell today deals, nevermind the limited model i wanted they did not even have...i asked for a v6 date and he explained the V8 will have better resale and the gas mileage is only 1-2 different... maybe true but not what i asked..
any ways just a few observations from a car guy.
DL
This must have been some dealer installed(read extra profit)extras. Toyota doesn't list any option package on any of the 4Runners at that price. Plus the hard sell manager would be more than enough to get me down the road to another dealer that will treat its customers as adults!!
Good Luck!
DL
I don't know about Dallas.
What I DO NOT like about the new 2003 model(s):
1. The absolute most ugly cladding crap I've ever seen. On the SR5 I drove it was already starting to peel along the rear passenger door. The Toyota salesman was surprised by this discovery. Ugh!
2. The white plastic strips on the door interior of the SR5 and sport model. I much prefer the interior style of my 2000 4Runner SR5.
3. The dash "odometer", it's smaller, ugly, silver and lame orange backlit.
4. The silver logo emblem on the steering wheel, it's too distracting.
5. The "control buttons" on the steering wheel.
6. Being stuck with only the option of a Limited with leather <<--- I prefer cloth. Love the dark charcoal of the Sport edition.
7. The silver/granite toned dash around the stereo, space controls for the heater, etc.
My wish list:
1. A new 4Runner model to augment the current line called the "4Runner Custom", where for a premium of a few thousand dollars I could get the model built exactly as I want, any option and accessory combination.
2. Chrome bumpers... it's a classic 4Runner look.
Overall I like the improvements (X-Reas, downhill assist, etc), but if I could upgrade my 2000 4Runner with the V-8 and all the new performance enhancements I'd do it in a heartbeat because as far as styling goes the 2003 is a disappointing downgrade vs. my 2000 model.
The Toyota 4Runner minisite is awesome!!! Check it out:
http://www.toyota.com/4runner/minisite/index.html
Love Toyota quality... I've owned a 1991, 1995 and now a 2000 4Runner. In some ways, as far as styling goes, Toyota has said to previous, current and very dedicated owners... "the hell with you".
Could anyone tell me where to find accessories for the 4Runner 2003 such as grille, Tire rack with additional space and gaz tanks (sitting high on the bumper).
Also What would be the best off road lights that I can find around $100-$200 for a pair.
I am getting mine this week, Sport V8 and getting ready for some long (easy) off-road treking/camping in Maine/Canada.
Sincerely,
Max
They are still showing the colors on a SR5. For newbies it will give you a good idea of what the fuss is all about.
The USA site now show the colors on a Limited. Also pretty much all of the litterature here in Canada is showing the Limited. Also I would say that both the web site and PDF look like they have been quickly put together. Maybe some last minute changes based upon feedback and board/forum monitoring.
Think that they now realize the mess they have done.
I just hope they'll put together an incentive program to buy back leases of people like me who had to buy something else because of their misfire ;-)
World
Jokes aside the Limited as somewhat grown on me a bit, but just a bit. I like the black because it hides many of the oddities.
The SR5 and Sport have not grown on me at all, its even worst now that I've seen them in person.
Let's wait for 2004 to see what they will have done to address these cosmetic issues. But they cannot change things too much as it will leave 2003 buyers stranded.
: )
Mackabee
Now it all depends how Toyota will react to this mess. If they make drastic changes in 2004 to address the issues the 2003 buyers that didn't really like the truck but bought it for its quality are likely to be stranded. Who will want of the 2003 4Runner Aztec edition? So people will have paid big $$$ to drive the worst edition of the 4Runner and resale value is likely to be down.
Mackabee, Toyota could easily make a couple of changes that could make this truck beautiful. Remove the cladding, work the flares a bit and fix a line here and there, offer a color-key option and this truck will be a killer.
But of course there are people who will buy this version and not care about what's next. There are some Aztec buyers out there, maybe some of them are ready to upgrade or their lease is due !!!!!
I have a few minor complaints. One article I read talked about how well it tracks. I find the opposite--doesn't wander as bad as the Explorer I drive occasionally, but it seems a little worse than the Highlander, which seemed a little worse than the Subaru Forester I had prior to the Highlander. Not really bad, but could be better.
I don't care for the steering wheel audio controls. The controls on my wife's Sienna are better. For one thing the Sienna has a mute button, which I find very useful--left off on the Runner. OTOH, the dash stereo controls are great. The Runner also lacks a "one wipe" feature on the wiper control (which the Highlander had, and which I used all the time). You lose the large storage bin in the right rear panel if you have the good stereo (subwoofer is there), so there is no space large enough for something like an air compressor. OTOH, the small storage bins/cupholders and center console are great. Finally, I don't like the rear shelf system. I'll probably take it off if I can. These are all relatively minor gripes.
There is a long list of things I like about this truck! I even found I like the weird AC controls, which I thought I might dislike. They work great.
I've only had it a few days, but I love this truck. I have never had a vehicle that had everything right, but the 4Runner comes as close as any I have had.
DL
: )
Mackabee
I am a female driver and was looking for a solid, reliable vehicle, with the same accessories my loaded Suburban had, that can get me across unplowed backroads in the winter and pull our boat in the summer. I have no intention of climbing Mount Everest.
We also considered:
Pilot - lots of nice room inside, but no sunroof or heated seats, not as much power as 4-Runner, long waits to get one and no deal on the price.
MDX - good power and all of the accessories, long wait, no deal on the price, nearest dealer is 90 miles away
Pathfinder - small inside, cargo and passenger space is cramped, outdated body style, you drag your backside across the back wheel well getting in the backseat
Envoy - lots of room, same back wheel well problem, questionable reliability, potential low resale because GM is flooding the market.
What do I like after 1000 miles? Good solid acceleration, no rattles or squeaks. Contrary to many personal opinions I like the way the exterior looks; spoiler included. The multi-setting seat heaters are great and the vehicle is up to temp in the morning quickly. The large mirrors offer good visibility and the large sunroof lets in lots of light. The leather is soft and the cupholders are large enough and in the right places. The lit holders in the front are great at night. The dash is easy to read with the needles being lit even during the day which makes visibility easy when it is overcast outside. The much debated climate control knobs are easy to use and quite intuitive; dual climate control ends the debates about what is too cold or too hot. The power is great and the transmission smoother than any other vehicle I have driven. Cornering is solid, with little to no body roll - the best of all we tested. The ride is firm and quiet.
As to the running boards, I thought that I would take them off of my 4Runner, but after I looked carefully at them, I found that they don't stick out very far(it is easy to step over them if you don't need the step), plus they are going to be a lot of protection from debris thrown up from front tires. Now I actually like the looks of them - the silver boards add a nice contrast to the Gray color, plus I love the lights in the running boards at night.
One last thing - the 'Spoiler'. Call it what you want, but it is a wind deflector to help keep the rear glass clear & it works. I seldom use the rear wiper.
I too do not have a problem with the running boards. They seem easy to step over and I too appreciate the lights especially in a dark parking lot.
The Galactic Gray looks good with the gray accents. In certain light it looks gray and in bright sun it looks more blue. Not many other cars on the road with the same color which appeals to me.
I don't know how others can get out of the Runner without rubbing legs against the running boards and getting their clothes dirty. My wife and I can't, unless we jump. This is the first vehicle with running boards we have owned, so maybe we'll figure it out with practice! I do agree that the running boards may keep some dirt off the sides of the truck.
No one has mentioned the hydrophilic glass. Does this really work? I drove about 60 miles in the rain Saturday but couldn't really tell. I thought maybe the water was shedding more than regular glass.
However, on Sunday I took my first real drive and wanted to test the X-REAS so I headed over to Highway 1 (I live in the Bay Area so it's easy to get to nice, curvy roads!). Wow, does that suspension shine. The lack of body roll as I went around the curves on Hwy 1 was very, very impressive. In fact, you have to be careful; you are almost lulled into taking the curves too fast because the 4Runner handles so well. Yes, you can still tell you are driving a truck and not a sedan but the impressive cornering and smooth V8 make it a *very nice* ride.
I've only had the car two and a half days and I'm still in the break-in period so I haven't done any high speed freeway driving (just short stretches at 60 mph) but I thought the handling was fine.
Anyone?
At Boulder Toyota they had a "Galactic Grey" 2003 Sport Edition. This is the color that I thought would potentially look the best with the grey cladding, but it too is unacceptable. The door interior also had this white plastic strip "styling" which was very cheap looking. I still can't stand the dash (odemeter, Tac, etc.) with the cheap and crappy looking silver. On my 2000 SR5 I can easily fine tune my speed to 48 MPH if I wish, but with the smaller face of the new one that it not possible.
In Longmont the exact same dark blue SR5 that they took delivery of back on Oct 13th is still sitting there. It looks good with the cladding from about 300 yards because from that distance you really don't notice it as much. Along the passenger side door the cladding is already starting to peel.
In Ft. Collins they had a Mica Green version with the grey cladding. It looks even more hideous in person that the one from the original spy photos. I'm sure the Red Mica must be equally pathetic.
The only way I'll buy this model is a Limited with the Dark grey cloth interior of the Sport edition, Black roof rack and retro fit a 2000 4Runner dash (Speedometer, Tac, etc.) into the new model.
As a former '91, '95 and current 2000 4Runner owner I realize that because of so many styling flaws of the new model that I may have to wait until 2006 or 2007 to get my own V-8 version.
I sent this question to Toyota Cares a week ago and I still have no response. Thanks in advance for the help.
deloid
I tried it today on my '03 Limited V8. Here's what I did:
- Drove onto a steep hill in 4H, shift lever set to "D"
- Stopped the car completely
- Let go of the brake pedal
Reading the manual, that looks like the Uphill assist is supposed to hold the car for 5 seconds at that point. Here's what happened to me:
- The car started slowly rolling backwards immediately
- The "slip indicator light" started flashing
- A beeper started going off repeatedly
- A loud chatter started under the dash for 1/2 of a second and stopped. (I assume this is the 'brake actuator' in action)
- The car continued rolling backwards the entire time (maybe slowed a little during the 'chatter') until I stopped it again with the brake.
I tried this 4 times with the same 4 results. It doesn't seem to be that great of a 'feature', if that's the 'normal' way for it to work - but maybe my system isn't working right.
Has anyone else tried this out, and had better results than me? BTW, I first tried it on a less steep hill, and because of the torque of the V8, I actually started slowly rolling forward... I had to go find a steeper hill to really test it. Thanks for any info...
Thanks for responding with the Load Floor Height of your 2003 4RUnner. I am assuming you have a 4WD model. If not, please let me know.
Handling is considerably better than the MDX but still not up to par with the X5. However, I have never driven any truck or SUV that matches the X5 in pure handling performance.
Headroom (with sunroof) is noticeably less than the MDX or X5. It's not bad, but if you are used to either of these vehicles you will definitely notice the difference.
Acceleration is better than either the X5 3.0 or the MDX.
Cargo space: much better than the X5 but not even close to the MDX.
All in all, I am still leaning toward purchasing one to replace the X5 when my lease ends. It is a much better overall value and a fun to drive vehicle.