Loved my ‘13 Tacoma, will I love a new 4Runner?

[mike2100]

Hello all. I owned a 2013 Tacoma for 5 years and a little over 50K miles. i loved that truck. It had Icon stage 2, 285/75-16 Terra Grapplers, Leer canopy and Baja Rack, ARB Bull bar, and 4.56 gears.
I loved driving the truck everywhere... around town, on the highway, on very under-maintained city streets and every fire road and dirt trail I took it on. The rig handled extremely well for how heavy it was, and I used to consider myself a car guy, having owned many different sports cars. Which is ultimately why I traded the truck in. I missed driving a fast sports car with a manual transmission. Well fast forward only a year and I’ve realized I’m not a car guy anymore. Maybe it’s old age or maybe trucks were really my thing all along. In fact, I owned the Tacoma a lot longer than any car I ever owned.
Anyway, for the past few months I’ve been thinking about going back to a Tacoma. But a couple things have me hesitating. First is the new engine and transmission. Second is the fact I never really used my truck bed as a truck bed, and now that I have a baby I’d prefer an SUV for all the normal reasons. Being able to pack baby stuff in the back and keep it all dry. Plus I think the 4Runner has more rear leg room which should help with clearing a rear facing baby seat.
So my question is, for anyone who has owned both. Do you think I will love a 4Runner as much as I loved my Tacoma?
You might recommend I go test drive one but I fear it won’t be a helpful comparison to my old Taco. I had the suspension, tires, and gears upgraded within the first year of ownership so really don’t remember how it drove in stock form. I will likely perform the same upgrades to the 4Runner, except this time go with Icon extended travel adjustable coilovers and upper control arms.
I attached an obligatory picture of my truck. This was taken before I added the ARB bull bar.

 

[mtnjp]

I went form a 2015 Tacoma with ICON stage 3 to a 2019 4Runner TRD Off road premium. Heres a few thoughts
1. Had the ICON stuff on the Taco. Liked it but did Bilstien 6112/5100 on the 4 Runner with 1” Dobson rear spring. Love the set up and cant tell the difference Between the ICON and Bilstien in ride quality. Although the 4runner has rear coils which does help.
2. Yes the rear seat has more legroom, very comfortable
3. I was like you and wanted nothing to do with the new 3.5 taco engine. The 4Runner 4.0 is nice, not fast but comfortable.

Overall very happy, makes more sense for what i do.

 

[Dalko43]

Powertrain-wise, you won't notice much difference between the 13 Tacoma and the 5th gen 4runner. The 4.0l v6 saw a slight bump in terms of horsepower, but same basic engine and transmission (if going with auto). The 5 speed auto is a limiting factor for fuel economy and top end speed; the 4.0l really has decent mid-range torque, but its top-end horsepower is somewhat underwhelming (really only relevant when it comes time to pass other vehicles at highway speeds). Now compared to the "more advanced" 3.5l v6 in the new Tacoma, I still think that the 4.0l is a better engine for truck applications. The former prioritizes top-end horsepower while the latter provides better mid-range torque.

Platform-wise, the 5th gen is much better built: better seats; better heating and cooling; better NVH isolation; better interior components. For as dated as the 5th gen 4runner is, its still a well-built BOF SUV with no real rival (unless you want to cross-shop with the Wrangler).

 

[sn_85]

With a kid in mind, I'd get a 4Runner over a Tacoma all day. The Tacoma's back seat is really cramped compared to the 4Runners. My gf has a 2nd gen Taco and I have a 5th gen 4R. We don't have any kids but even for camping use with our dog or daily runs you run out of space real quick in the Tacoma. You could put a camper top to add a little more room but that doesn't make the rear area any more spacious or useful. I'd think with a 4Runner you could keep all your stuff in the cargo area where it's dry and out of the elements. You can access everything without necessarily having to get out of the 4Runner.

 

[mike2100]

I went form a 2015 Tacoma with ICON stage 3 to a 2019 4Runner TRD Off road premium. Heres a few thoughts
1. Had the ICON stuff on the Taco. Liked it but did Bilstien 6112/5100 on the 4 Runner with 1” Dobson rear spring. Love the set up and cant tell the difference Between the ICON and Bilstien in ride quality. Although the 4runner has rear coils which does help.
2. Yes the rear seat has more legroom, very comfortable
3. I was like you and wanted nothing to do with the new 3.5 taco engine. The 4Runner 4.0 is nice, not fast but comfortable.

Overall very happy, makes more sense for what i do.

Perfect thank you for that. I’m pleasantly surprised that your new suspension setup is comparable to the Icon stage 3 you had. Maybe I will go Bilstein this time. Or even OME BP-51. Do you think you’re missing out without the aftermarket upper control arm?
I’m not looking for a super crazy lift. I’m way more interested in premium level damping and the ability of the truck to float over harsh road and off-road surfaces.

Powertrain-wise, you won't notice much difference between the 13 Tacoma and the 5th gen 4runner. The 4.0l v6 saw a slight bump in terms of horsepower, but same basic engine and transmission (if going with auto). The 5 speed auto is a limiting factor for fuel economy and top end speed; the 4.0l really has decent mid-range torque, but its top-end horsepower is somewhat underwhelming (really only relevant when it comes time to pass other vehicles at highway speeds). Now compared to the "more advanced" 3.5l v6 in the new Tacoma, I still think that the 4.0l is a better engine for truck applications. The former prioritizes top-end horsepower while the latter provides better mid-range torque.

Platform-wise, the 5th gen is much better built: better seats; better heating and cooling; better NVH isolation; better interior components. For as dated as the 5th gen 4runner is, its still a well-built BOF SUV with no real rival (unless you want to cross-shop with the Wrangler).

Great info thank you. I’m glad to hear the 4Runner interior is nicer. I enjoyed the Tacoma interior with the exception of the hard gray plastic that seemed to get dirty very easily and not clean up very well. The TRD seats are still among the most comfortable I’ve ever used, even on super long road trips. But I had a stain on one of them that I couldn’t get out with my detailing knowledge. Now I’m trying to decide between cloth and softex in the 4Runner. Worried the softex won’t breathe well. I’m kinda used to perforated leather now. I’m also used to heated seats on cold winter mornings.

With a kid in mind, I'd get a 4Runner over a Tacoma all day. The Tacoma's back seat is really cramped compared to the 4Runners. My gf has a 2nd gen Taco and I have a 5th gen 4R. We don't have any kids but even for camping use with our dog or daily runs you run out of space real quick in the Tacoma. You could put a camper top to add a little more room but that doesn't make the rear area any more spacious or useful. I'd think with a 4Runner you could keep all your stuff in the cargo area where it's dry and out of the elements. You can access everything without necessarily having to get out of the 4Runner.

Thank you for the direct comparison. The 4Runner sounds like a no-brainer for me. Especially if we have a second kid.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Powertrain-wise, you won't notice much difference between the 13 Tacoma and the 5th gen 4runner. The 4.0l v6 saw a slight bump in terms of horsepower, but same basic engine and transmission (if going with auto). The 5 speed auto is a limiting factor for fuel economy and top end speed; the 4.0l really has decent mid-range torque, but its top-end horsepower is somewhat underwhelming (really only relevant when it comes time to pass other vehicles at highway speeds). Now compared to the "more advanced" 3.5l v6 in the new Tacoma, I still think that the 4.0l is a better engine for truck applications. The former prioritizes top-end horsepower while the latter provides better mid-range torque.

Platform-wise, the 5th gen is much better built: better seats; better heating and cooling; better NVH isolation; better interior components. For as dated as the 5th gen 4runner is, its still a well-built BOF SUV with no real rival (unless you want to cross-shop with the Wrangler).

I’m curious how the 5 speed will limit top speed?

 

[mtnjp]

Upper A arms might be in the future. I was still able to get it back into factory specs but it feels a little more squirrelly up front, not bad but slightly noticeable. The ICON was good stuff but at 2.5 times the cost not worth it compared to the way the Bilstiens ride. I certainly don’t bomb through the desert but it does well on some of the areas we frequent with some pretty bad washboard (Panamint and Death Valley)

 

[Dalko43]

I’m curious how the 5 speed will limit top speed?

It doesn't necessarily limit top end speed, but the engine itself provides better torque delivery at the low-mid RPM range...when you're cruising at 75 mph in 5th gear, you don't have as much grunt for passing. Whereas, the 4runner might have a bit more pull at that speed if it were given a 6th or 7th gear to upshift into.

 

[jonathon]

I had a 14 Tacoma and a 17 T4R. The quality of the T4R is leaps and bounds above the Tacoma. Interior of the Tacoma was pretty early 2000’s Corolla compared to the T4R. The T4R also towed surprisingly good the few times I towed a 3k cargo trailer.

The only reason we don’t have the T4R is the gas mileage sucks. We have to cross several canyons between here and town and it got 13-14 MPG with stock size K02’s on it. Freeway cruising it got 20 at least, but that was rare. The Taco was just as bad. At 20,000 miles per year it didn’t make sense. Sold the T4R for $33k (paid 35 for it, drove it for a year, and put 20k on it) and bought a 2018 Outback for a daily beater. Reliably gets 26 MPG and it is a great family car.