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Comments
For the record. The redesigned 2003 4Runner is coming THIS FALL, 2002.
If you see it before then I was lied to by a whole bunch of very high up executives.
My Stellar Blue Pearl Sport should come in by the end of the month! Very excited!
Peter you know what's odd, is that here in the Midwest there wasn't one Blue Sport 4 Runner around, but there was a few in California. I would love to know how car companies decide which color auto sales better in which region of the country.
Any comments on the mileage or comfort issue would be greatly appreciated.
Bob
I take mine offroad any chance I get and boy does it climb like a mountain goat. The rear locking diff has gotten me out of some pretty hairy situations too.
On a nice day, even on cold days, it's a blast driving with the sunroof, windows & the rear-liftgate window open.
You just have to keep in mind that it's a truck, so obviously it won't stick to the road like a car, but I found the handling to be very good.
You have to take it easy on curves & stuff, but it's very steady & you'll feel comfortable crusing on the highways.
I actually rented a 4Runner for about 2 weeks to get a feel for it, and if you can, you should also.
Basically, it is a truck, so cars like highlander or an outback will give you more car-like handling, but from my experience(& friends) so far, you can't go wrong with a 4Runner.
By the way, some of the clicking up front seems to be coming from the plastic wire wrap on the seatbelt sensor under the front seat. Other clicking has started only after I had spent a fair amount of time in 4x4 mode this winter while in the snow.
As for the headliner noise, I ended up pounding a few times on the headliner, just at the back of the sunroof area and this has seems to have jamb the rattling piece back into submission, and I haven't heard much noise since.
If anybody has any other suggestions/comments, please let me know...
Thanks...
<< I think rsholland had a typo on the RX470 comment. >>
Should have been GX470.
Bob
I have a new working theory as to why some dealers think the 2003 will be out in March. It is very possible that production of the 2002's will stop in March. This does not mean that production will begin immediately thereafter. It may be that some dealers are making assumptions based on this.
This is only a theory, because I have not heard that production will stop, but it would make sense.
#1105 of 1118 2002 or 2003 .....Do the Dealers Know Something? by austin18 Jan 26, 2002 (03:17 pm)
I went to a Toyota Dealer today..lured in by the unbelievable price for a 2002 4 Runner in a newspaper ad. Basically, they were all $2000 under invoice.
I was hauling a load of tall bookcases home this afternoon from IKEA that was too long to fit in my '99 with the liftgate shut. I don't know if all 4-Runners are capable of this, but anytime I carry a long load like that I leave the liftgate wide open. Even at highway speeds of 75+ it does not budge. The shocks raise it rather slowly but when fully extended they are very strong. It takes a pretty good push to shut it. However its a good idea to secure your load with the tie-down rings near the back end of the carpet in the cargo area.
mine in for
the headliner rattle.Mine is very intermitten.I won't hear it
for
days,then I'll whip a turn and it'll return.With my luck I'll
bring it
in and it won't make a sound.Sounds like a bunch of lazy people on shift at
the
dealership you took it to.It's funny with a full load I don't
hear a
peep.I usually contain the noise by opening and closing the
moonroof.
That's good to know about the tailgate, I'm planning to do that a lot
Thanks.
They told me it would take 3 hours, I am really slow and sure enough 2 hours for the first side but only 45 minutes for the other, so even if your slow like me, it took about 3 hours. In order to put the running boards on, you will have to drill 2 (1/4") holes in the car. That is something that is hard to do, put holes in your new car.
Their may be better deals out there, but at least this may give you a basis on pricing.
http://www.pageauto.com/startup.htm
Please keep us advised if you are able.
What is the track record for Toyota releasing body redesigns directly to dealers without going through a "car show" debut? Thanks for any input.
The Tundra was shown extensively at auto shows months prior to its release. This truck didn't distract from T100 sales because Toyota had stopped shipments of those months before phase out.
The 2003 Corolla got limited exposure at auto shows in late December because they had stopped production of the 2002 in November and dealers were nearly out of 2002s.
The 2002 Camry saw no auto shows at all. Only a few spy photos on Japanese language site were available until only 2 weeks before its release.
The '96 Runner arrived with virtually no fan fare until a month after release. This gave us time to rid ourselves of previous models.
The point of this is that Toyota doesn't want to hurt our current sales by giving too many details of upcoming models. Toyota has also been good about not flooding us with "old" product prior to release of new models. The only exception I can think of to this was the introduction of the Tacoma. We got a ton of "old style" trucks right before the Tacoma came out. The Tacoma was much more expensive though and the old truck gave us a way to ease through the transition. If the new one was too much for the customer, we could offer the old model.
This last example actually scares me a bit. If Buzz is correct about the March delivery, it means the new one will be much more expensive than the current model. This would not fit with current trends which is why I have serious doubts about his information. I'm still banking on an October release with the 2002's dropping off in deliveries over the next few months.
I will have more pictures up when the weather is better!
It's all in fun anyway.
I've done a little research and wanted to share it. Here are the wheelbase/length numbers for the following vehicles.
2002 4Runner 105.3/183.3
2002 LandCruiser Prado 105.3/187.8
2003 Lexus GX470 109.8/188.2
2003 Sequoia 118.1/203.9
The LandCruiser Prado is 2002 redesign and is sold in far eastern markets. The picture is surprisingly similar to the announced GX470 coming out next January. Here's a link to a picture of one(click on refresh to enlarge the picture):
http://www.autoweb.com.au/id_TOYLANPRKZ30ALZ/newcars.html?src=specials
The glass is nearly identical to the GX470. By the way, the wheelbase/length numbers lay to rest any thoughts that the GX470 is based on the Sequoia platform. The only thing that throws a wrench into the GX470 and LandCruiser Prado sharing the same platform is that wheelbase difference.
As it relates to 2003 4Runner, I'm betting(guessing) that the 4Runner will have the exact same specs as the GX470 and will look more like the Prado.
I haven't been ignoring your questions but I don't have anything on the 2002. All I know is that my District Manager told me it will be restyled and will not be out until February of 2002. That is later than normal for a new model introduction but they did the same thing in '96. If I get further details, I'll post them."
I hope cliffy was right a year ago about an new model in Feb. 2002????????
Bob
Bob