I had the pleasure of driving a 1998 4Runner SR5 4WD Automatic for about two weeks during the holidays. The truck belongs to my girlfriend's family, but it was our car for the time we were there at her house. Previously, I didn't have that great an opinion of SUVs simply because they guzzle too much gas and most people drive alone in them yakking on cell phones. But there are a few SUV drivers who actually use them as they were designed: to rough it and carry all your stuff, to tow, etc.

Driving:
It's less SUV like for sure. It rides pretty smoothly on most pavement, but it does get unsettled on continued rough/bumpy roads. It leans quite a bit on the turns, and any SUV owner should learn the limits of their SUVs especially in turning maneuvers. It accelerates quite briskly, especially using the "PWR" mode on the transmission. The 3.4 L DOHC V6 has plenty of grunt and moves this rather large vehicle quite well. Braking is pretty good, but could be little stronger. The work without fade though. The 4Runner isn't as big as some of the other SUVs, so parking is very easy especially because the wheels are towards the edges of the truck's body. This truck is very capable off road, and gave a lot of confidence as I put it through its paces in the Mexican desert and the San Bernadino mountains. The car is sufficiently high to provide good off-road viewing and ground clearance (The high clearance also makes it easy to change the oil). I wish you could equip an SUV with a fully adjustable suspension that raises and lowers the body according the road surface you intend on driving - low for on-road, and high for off-road. The live rear axle does tend to bounce around a little bit without any weight on the rear of the vehicle. The steering is pretty responsive, and is weighted nicely.

Comfort/Interior: The interior is very truck-like, ie, it's not very modern looking. It is a far cry from the interiors of such cars like a Lexus LX470 or RX300. It is very businesslike, but gets the job done. The controls are nicely placed, and work with typical Toyota precision. The seats are quite supportive and were very comfortable during our 3-4 hour jaunt into Mexico. The long travel suspension also makes the interior a nice place to spend time. The rear seats fold down easily for good cargo room. We wished for a tad more elbow room in the front. The SR5 came with all the usual power features, ABS, AM/FM Cassette, Cruise control. The radio had pretty poor reception characteristics though. The speakers were also quite lackluster.

Exterior: Toyota has continued to update the exterior of the 4runner through the years, but it doesn't look much different than it did almost 10 years ago. The current 4runner body is still mostly a second generation 4Runner body. The headlights have been mounted flush, and the rear side quarter has been re-designed, but the overall design is still fresh nevertheless. It won't turn any heads though like the Jeep Grand Cherokee might. The car is high, but it isn't all that difficult to get into. The wheels are large and provide a sense of strength, something this car is full of.

Overall: This is one of the top SUVs out there. It is reasonably efficient on gas (16-20mpg)... I only wish it had a larger gas tank. It drives very well, and has good handling dynamics. It is very capable off road, and has a good level of interior room. The interior isn't very modern, but it is after all based on a truck. The truck is very brawny, but retains good ride characteristics on-road. The best thing about this SUV is that it's a Toyota, so it's very dependable, and it has been for my girlfriend's parents. The truck has about 27,000 miles on it, and they haven't been to the shop once (they don't maintain their cars very well either). The truck remains pretty tight and rattle free (with the occasional creaking of a body-on-frame design) and feels very solid. It's definitely a bit pricey, but a dependable, capable, reliable SUV is hard to come by all wrapped in as nice a package as a 4Runner.