Vehicle type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive or 4-wheel drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
Price: 4WD base price, $35,555
Engine type: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 241 cu in, 3956 cc
Power: 270 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 278 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 109.8 in
Length: 190.7 in
Width: 75.8 in Height: 72.0 in
Curb weight (Trail/Limited): 4757/4822 lb
Fuel economy: EPA city/highway driving: 17/21 mpg
It is the house as vehicle, or the vehicle as house. Put it this way: When you are going on a long, sometimes rough road trip in a fully equipped 2016 Toyota 4Runner Limited sport-utility vehicle, you aren’t leaving home without any of the things that make a home a home.
Everything is there, or certainly there with the aid of easily portable electronic equipment.
For 2016, that includes fully integrated cellphone navigation, which is sort of redundant inasmuch as the 4Runner Limited is fitted with an excellent navigation system that gives turn-by-turn directions while traffic and weather reports are delivered from a 6.1-inch high-resolution touch screen.
Let’s say you want to stop and watch a little CNN to see whether businessman Donald Trump is still Trumping. You can do that with a small portable TV, which can be plugged into the 4Runner Limited’s rear 120-volt AC power outlet. You can use that same service to charge your cellphone or anything else.
Many car manufacturers have outfitted their vehicles with mobile WiFi systems. I was surprised to learn that Toyota’s otherwise excellent and helpful Etune App Suite did not include this service in the 4Runner Limited I drove for this column. No matter. There are portable WiFi systems you can bring with you. I brought one, plugged it in. It worked perfectly.
Ah, yes, driving impressions: Let’s be real. The 4Runner Limited is a body-on-frame, truck-based sport-utility vehicle. It is reasonably smooth on well-maintained roads. Equipped with skid plates and other off-road items, it will get you through the rough. But, although classified as a midsize SUV, it is too big for easy maneuvering through tight city traffic, and urban potholes can be more brutal and shocking to its ride than off-road obstacles.
This is a long-distance highway and off-road vehicle. It is built for that kind of use. It is not an urban-suburban commuter.
For one thing, gasoline prices will not stay low forever. The four-wheel-drive 4Runner Limited, also available with rear-wheel drive, uses lots of gasoline. The model driven for this column supposedly averages 17 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the highway. The actual mileage was 15 mpg in the city and an average of 19 on the highway.
Thank God for low prices for regular unleaded fuel!
But there is so much to like about this thing. It reminds me of an old, comfortable house filled with modern appliances. The third-row seats easily and completely fold flat for perfect loading. There is lots of space for people and a big chocolate Labrador dog who will let you know in a second that she wants her own territory.
Peace is what you want on a long journey. You want a vehicle that provides convenience and big demilitarized zones. The Toyota 4Runner Limited gives those things to you.
The 4Runner has been around since 1984, through gasoline prices high and low. I expect it to be around much longer. It is hard to put a price on peace.
