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2010 Toyota 4Runner:Bianco On Cars

Cars By Todd Bianco, West Hollywood, California (November 30, 2009) - I think Toyota has finally made a car I don’t hate and it’s a truck.
The new 4Runner has undergone major surgery and come out looking something like a downsized Sequoia with a slick, Lexized interior.

The humble Tacoma pickup truck platform donates the basic DNA for the new new 4Runner; but this is no four door Tacoma with a covered bed. Although it’s still a traditional SUV (body-on-frame architecture), Toyota bestows the Limited version with something they call X-REAS “sports enhancement suspension.”

Each shock absorber is linked on the diagonal to its counterpart in an “X” arrangement via a gas/hydraulic chamber that distributes fluid from the cross-linked shock bearing the least amount of force to the shock bearing the greatest amount of force. It all sounds very complex, but it works.

During my extended test drive in a Blizzard Pearl new 2010 4Runner Limited 2WD, the bumps and uneven surfaces of both surface streets and freeways were absorbed with barely a hint of the bucking bronco live rear axle. It’s not the numb silence a Lexus; but it’s a quantum leap over the previous new 4Runner and easily a comfortable daily driver. Hallelujah!

Of course, if you want an off-road new 4Runner, Toyota stuffs the stocking full: Hill Start Assist Control, Downhill Assist Control, Active Traction Control, Electronic Locking Rear Differential, a Multi-terrain Select 4-wheel drive system with “mud and sand,” “loose rock,” “mogul” or “rock” modes. It even has a “crawl control.”

On the Trail model, a new technology Toyota calls “Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System” (KDDS) is available. The KDSS helps increase the articulation of the suspension when approaching a hill and boosts the new 4Runner towing creds to 5,000 lbs.

But who cares? Only a small percentage of new 4Runner buyers will opt for the full Trail package, probably because most people will never take their 4Runner off-road.

The worst it might see around LA is sand in a parking lot or mud on the road during rainy season. The exterior isn’t what I’d call handsome; but its chunky shoulders and chiseled mug wrap around a very comfortable interior. You fall in love with the overall package.

The Limited, at ,000 (,000 for the 4WD) isn’t cheap; but you do get a lot for your money. Goodies include: voice activated touch-screen navigation with real-time traffic and iPod/iPhone integration, automatic headlights, dual zone automatic climate control, 8-way power driver’s seat, leather surfaces, back up camera, HomeLink, Bluetooth, XM Satellite radio, Smart Key entry/ignition system, Party Mode sound system, one-touch up/down window controls, Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-lock Brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist and a compete airbag array including Roll-Sensing side curtain airbags.

The 2010 4Runner is one of the first Toyotas to get the new corporate 4.0 liter V6 engine with a souped-up version of Toyota’s variable valve timing system.

The new mill churns out 270 hp with 278 lb-ft torque. The only transmission is a 5-speed automatic with sports shift mode. The 4×2 version is EPA rated at 17 city/23 highway; average 19 mpg.

That’s only 1 mpg less than the crappy 4 cylinder engine offered on the base SR5 4Runner, so the V6 option is a no-brainer. And there is almost no penalty for the 4×4 version: 17/22; 19 average.

The turning circle of the 189.9 inch-long new 2010 4Runner Limited 2WD is a very respectable 36.1 feet – identical to Toyota’s Camry. Nissan’s Pathfinder needs a whopping 39.5 feet to whip around while a slightly shorter (3.2 in) Jeep Grand Cherokee needs another half foot. A tight turning circle can make a big difference in a narrow intersection.

But the new 2010 4Runner has a couple of “stealth” features that I just love. First, the 4Runner is one of only two vehicles in the US that has an electric roll-down rear window.

You can’t get it on a BMW, Mercedes or Audi wagon. You can’t get it on a Cadillac Escalade or Ford Flex. Jeep? No. Even the 2010 Lexus GX460, a rebadged 4Runner, doesn’t have it! You can get it on an ,000 Range Rover; but that’s it. And for 2010, Toyota put rubberized up/down window controls on the outside of the rear tailgate. LOVE it.

The other stealth item is the new 2010 4Runner’s class-leading 24 gallon gas tank. You have to step up to a monster like a Chevy Tahoe with a 26 gallon gas tank to beat that. It may cost to fill it up; but on the highway, you have a range of 500+ miles – an easy non-stop ride to Las Vegas or San Francisco. That’s hidden luxury!

My nit-picks are few. With all the electronic gadgets, why not rain-sensing wipers? I felt that the seats could have a bit more thigh support (I have long legs) and I don’t know why Toyota couldn’t have put a couple memory buttons with the 8-way power seat.

The power window/door lock controls are located too high for lazy fingers. The Limited model comes standard with the third row seats (good for very small children) and you can’t opt out of them. I’d rather have the hidden cargo space under the rear floor and the slide-out rear cargo deck you can get on the “lesser” versions.

What I like best about the new 2010 4Runneris that you can get it in rear-drive which is a rarity in the mid-size SUV/CUV market. The only other competitors are the Nissan’s Pathfinder and Xterra and Jeep’s Grand Cherokee and Liberty.

The inherent balance and neutrality of rear-drive is a pleasure. Of the bunch, the new 4Runner is the hands-down pick. The 2011 Grand Cherokee (based on the current Mercedes-Benz ML) may change that game.