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The 4Runner is a true 4x4 SUV. It isn't meant to be a car. To be more carlike, it would have to be made with a unibody construction and much lower ground clearance.
Aaron
If you choose to paint it, find a good paint shop. I am sure that shouldn't be much of a problem.
In summary, the new 4Runner is a most remarkable mid-sized SUV-- it combines the legendary quality and on/off-road capabilities of a Toyota 4WD SUV, combined with a high degree of real interior (and exterior pampering and attention to detail. While most other "SUVs" are really little more than suburban soccer-mom shuttles masquerading as the Marlboro Man, this truck is the real deal. While I may never take it up through the off-road trails of the Rocky Mtns., I'm glad to know it's quite capable of handling far more than just loose gravel or light and shallow muck.
Do any options put leather on the door panels? Or are they always cloth?
thanks
I do wish that there was an auto up/down feature for both the passenger and driver side windows. Also, Heated mirrors would be a nice option. I think there is no excuse to not make them standard, at least on the Limited.
As far as tire pressure monitors go, I think that isn't a big feature for the 04. I purchased pressure caps for my 03 v8 4Runner Limited with NAV and it only cost $20. They are an accurate and simple solution.
4RUNNER V-8 SPORT WITH LEATHER. I'M CONSIDERING THE STRATASPHERE MICA, BUT I'M THINKING IT WILL SHOW DIRT EASILY. MY OTHER CHOICE IS TITANIUM METALLIC. ANY INPUT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
The sunroof does reduce head clearance, I don't see anyway around it other than tilt your seat back, you will then have a gangsta look, lol.
<<Do any options put leather on the door panels? Or are they always cloth?>>
The Limited models has standard leather and the side door panels are leather or feel/look like leather?, the Limited has heated front seats and side mirrors.
So, it was narrowed down to the Titanium or the Pacific Blue. Now, a clean, shiny Titanium 4Runner looks great, but there are way too many silver vehicles on the road, and the two interior color choice do not match at all, so the Pacific Blue won by default. I wasn't all that thrilled with it, since I had seen an SR5 in that color (with the grey cladding, ugh) but I really changed my tune once I saw a clean and shiny Limited in that color. Looked awesome.
Should have it by the end of the year and am counting the days.
I guess the reason that I didn't notice was because to turn them on, you need to turn on the rear defogger.
I think you were considering the V6? In the V8, it's always in 4wd, but you can switch to 2wd with the V6 system. I'm not aware of any speed limitations with the part time system, but you'd probably get a better answer from a V6 owner who can look at their owners manual (which is written in clear English....)
Here's what I have so far: auto-headlamps, leather-trimmed interior, power seats, heated seats, silver/granite trim (will this even look good with tan leather?), leather shifting knob, double decker cargo, dual climate control, alarm, silver roof rack and running boards, colored key'd heated mirrors, Homelink, vanity mirror, electrochromatic mirror with compass, rear-seat audio, 115V AC outlet.
I'm trying to decide what the $4000 really gets you here. The dual AC/Heat would be nice. The leather interior might go better with the leather seats versus just adding the seats in the SR5. The capability of adding the X-REAS might be nice in the Limited, but I've never driven one with the shocks, so I don't even know what I'm missing. This will be for 99.99% on-road driving. Mostly for hauling stuff around and transporting a newborn soon.
If anyone has any other options I may have missed above, or any other comments, I'd like to hear them. Oh, forgot 1 thing. I am taller, around 6'1" and don't really want the sunroof option. Is it very dificult to find a Limited without a sunroof? I am checking all of the dealer inventory sites in the area, and all of their Limited seem to have sunroofs.
Thanks everyone,
Aaron
You might consider doing a special order to get just what you want.
I don't think your going to find a Ltd without a sunroof on a dealer lot either.
Do you want side/rear airbag? To me that was an important safety option and well worth the $. I I don't know if you can put after market leather on those. The airbags are in the seats and doors.
Lastly, with the Ltd you get power seats too.
The Mica color is indeed VERY attractive when utterly clean, but it is also very dark, and here in Ohio it is exceedingly common and popular. In fact, I'm seeing more 4Runner's in Mica than any other available color, but so far I haven't seen any others in white. Yes, this white is definitely W-H-I-T-E, but I feel it is not only elegant and striking, but also relatively unique among the new 4Runners on the road at this time. That said, there will always be advantages and disadvantages with any exterior paint scheme, as well as drivers with unique tastes and preferences. Unfortunately, this vehicle is currently being produced with a very limited number of exterior color options, and most of us are surely buying this vehicle based primarily on its engineering and overall "physique", rather than merely on the currently available paint schemes. I'm enjoying and in love with my strikingly white 4Runner, and when I climb out of her, I simply can't resist stopping and turning back to take yet another look, and feeling so proud and grateful that I own such a fine SUV.
Also in the small points department the vanity mirrors are illuminated in the Limited.
Those carpets and mats are going to get mighty dirty in a hurray, if you don't buy other floor mats to protect your optional $100 floor mats.
Around here, there were only a few with NAV's, but the rest had JBL (and boy does it sound good....). Didn't see any without sunroofs.
As for colors, the Titanium does look good. Only reason I didn't consider it was my other car was already silver (Audi A4). I like black, too, but that would give me silver and black, and I hate the Raiders (glad to see 'em thrashed last night by the most excellent Broncos) so I just couldn't have a silver and a black vehicle. I also don't like how darker vehicles heat up in the summer sun. Stratospheric Mica was good, but it was the same color as the vehicle it replaced, and a bit dark. So we searched for and got a Pacific Blue one. Not too dark, not to light, and I think it looks good on the truck....
oscarz2: How long have you had your 4 runner? Also, have you noticed if the Stratasphere Mica shows scratches more than a lighter color?
Nu4runner, since you said you live in Cali., you pretty much have no worries about the sulphur. No one, that I can recall who lives in Cali has reported a sulphur smell problem. Our state has much lower sulphur content than any other state, so we don't experience the same problems as other states.
-Jared
I live in CA, and don't smell sulfur on my 03 v6. If exhaust is truly getting in, as realized by the rest of the states then I really need to rethink my comfort level today. Perhaps i should continue raising the issue with toyota until there is a 'fix' for all states.
We need to look at it as the sulfur smellers/owners are doing us in CA a favor by telling us 'hey, exhaust is getting into the cabin somehow on your new 4runner, you just don't know it...'
Personally, I'm very concerned about the exhaust/sulfur smell. Definately don't want to kill myself and I’m sure everyone else is the same. If you can’t smell any exhaust and there’s still a problem? I think you could worry about this problem with any vehicle being made today. Aren’t people in other states that have the exhaust problem definitely smelling this exhaust in their cabins? That’s definitely a problem. Are you smelling exhaust in yours? I think you mentioned somewhere on the board that you got your’s from Sunnyvale CA. I value your opinion on this since we are virtually neighbors. I haven’t bought a 4Runner yet because these issues are holding me back. The (very) few people I’ve seen with theirs and actually spoke with have been very happy with theirs, they’ve been pretty unaware of any problems for better or worse.
Hopefully any issues that the 4Runners have will finally be brought to light because it is very unfair on so many levels to the people who currently have them.
I have no problems with the 4 runner and I love it to death so far. The V6, btw, is a LEV vehicle.
Maybe northern california has more sulfer content or gets supplies from other areas.
The sulfer problem is being experienced across the board by many companies.
One industry paper I read claimed that the human nose is extremely sensitive to sulfur compounds, and detects them at levels far below what is hazardous. Also, today's engines produce relatively small amounts of carbon monoxide. Assuming this, it would mean that most (but perhaps not all) 4Runner drivers have nothing to worry about. An occasional whiff of sulfur, even if its origin is one's own vehicle and not the one in front of one, does not indicate a hazard.
I'd be most concerned if I had a vehicle that stunk very frequently or for any length of time, especially if I had the ventilation system on fresh air and had the fan on or was moving forward. Perhaps there is a flapper valve in the cabin air outlet that is jammed.
My own experience (see my posts here a couple of months back) seems to match most 4Runner drivers. VERY infrequent experience of the smell, and typically only after a combination of hard acceleration and poor cabin venting (such as having the windows down with a tailwind or having the tailgate window rolled down). I've experienced the smell more frequently when I had the venting on "fresh" and happened to be behind a relatively modern car which had just accelerated very hard.
Sorry to be long-winded, but I wanted to offer a useful opinion to those who are concerned about unpleasant smells or possible toxic exhaust. For those who really have the smell bad, I think that's a separate issue, and worth some investigation to see if a vent or a valve has gone bad.
I have never had any issue with sulfer and don't even know what the smell is like. If it wasn't for this message board, I would not even know people had this problem.
btw, with LEV and ULEV vehicles it is almost impossible to hurt yourself from the exhaust created.
Having said that this is possibly the best engine tranny combo I have ever driven. My only complaint is with the dealer supplied Dunlop tires.
cheers steve d
It is my understanding that side air bags are an available option for sport and SR5 trims. But I suspect you'll have a hard time finding a sport or SR5 on a dealer's lot with air bags. I think you are more likely to find a Limited with air bags. If you are patient, you can special order an SR5 or sport with air bags.
Thanks.
PS Took my 4Runner to the dealer to adjust the locking system. There was only one guy in all of Stevensen Toyota that could do it and he wasn't there. If you ever remember how to adjust it so all the doors unlock when shifted into park I would really appreciate the the info.
Steve, Host
A few of us have complained about this in prior posts. It's a shame you cannot buy an SR5 or Sport off the lot with this desireable and important safety feature.
However it will show dirt more than lighter colors in most circumstances, and will probably show scratches and swirls more if you get them. I find it to be less demanding than the black of my previous car, but if you're used to maintaining a gray car you may be disappointed.
I like the Zaino products. You should use the one for the clear coat finishes (Z2), and I would recommend the Z2-ZFX combination. ZFX may be the only way to get Zaino to cure/dry in a reasonable amount of time in cooler weather. This stuff doesn't seem to be a traditional wax, though. You apply very small amounts and don't have a lot of residue to buff off. The experience of my friends is that it is much more durable than synthetic or natural waxes. For more information, go to the Zaino discussion board here at Edmunds.com. Most of those folks are way more serious about this stuff than I could ever manage to be, but they are a geat source of information.