Just Another Car Review

The mighty Toyota 4 Runner… Or at least that’s what I’m going to call it.

First introduced in 1984 as a rugged, truck-based off-roading SUV, the Toyota 4 Runner has quickly become one of the world’s most popular and sought after SUVs. From Overlanding the most remote parts of the globe to hauling your family around town, this vehicle is everywhere!

My family and I recently took a trip to Hawaii and with our then, one and a half year old son, we wanted something that would accommodate all of us easily as well as able to tackle the trips we wanted to take with it. So, as you could have guessed from the beginning of this article, we rented a 4 Runner for the week.

Ours was a highly spec’d 2018 Limited model. We ended up splurging because…. Well, it was Hawaii… This particular one had a black exterior and a beautiful brown leather interior. The sunroof was absolutely perfect to enjoy the scenery and our favorite feature of all, the rear window! For those who don’t know, the entire rear window rolls down creating a very open air feeling without having to deal with the hassle of a removable top.

We rented through a car share app to ensure the one we picked was the one we got. It was a super easy process and it works flawlessly. It was at the airport when we hopped off the plane, we enjoyed the heck out of it for the week and then when we were finished, we parked it in the same spot and flew home.

Things we liked about it… Number one. It is beautifully basic. Even the higher trim levels. Everything has a purpose, there are no frills, and very little that can go wrong with different electronic components. Toyota has always been a highly functional, basic vehicle with a pretty great reliability rate. Needless to say, if there were one in our driveway, I believe it would become our number one road trip vehicle.

Number two. Its highly capable. This SUV has some of the best off-road tech that’s out there on the market. If you opt for the TRD Pro model you get a better suspension, more ground clearance, beefier tires, more options on your drivetrain and we can’t forget the little ladder… These things come built from the factory ready to explore all of earths crevices. I’d be lying if I said that the thought of overlanding Africa in one didn’t get me excited. If I owned one, I think I’d suddenly believe that I could be this great explorer and to me that seems like the trip of a life time.

Number three. This thing had all the space we needed with room to spare. If you could have seen us at the airport traveling from Ohio to Hawaii you would have laughed. or at least I would have if it weren’t me… we had with us, two large suitcases, one medium suitcase, three backpacks, a stroller, a car seat, and our toddler. I have never in my life traveled with more than I did that week. But it all fit in this 4 Runner perfectly. Every bit of it. I was amazed! It seemed like it had as much room as a Tahoe or Suburban.

Okay, for some things we didn’t like about it. For starters, you don’t pass many fuel stations. We did mostly trips around town where fuel economy wasn’t exactly the best. While the fuel tank is on the larger side coming in at 23 gallons, it didn’t seem to last long. It got us around the island for most of the week but compared to our Tiguan with a 15.9 gallon tank, I feel that we could have done the same trips with better fuel economy.

Another downfall would be the lack of aerodynamics that the 4 Runner has. I understand that it was not designed to be the most streamlined vehicle on the road, however, with a slight head wind, you hardly need to use the brakes! Of course, this also contributes to the poor fuel economy.

Overall, this is a fantastic SUV with a long history for adventure and reliability. It makes a great family car and is well equipped for road trips. My family and I loved getting to experience it in a fun environment.