Let it be said that I am not one to "hold a grudge" against a company because their products did not please me the first time around.

The mid-to-late 1990's 4Runners did not impress me in the least, due to serious engineering defects (engine, suspension, brakes, etc). I felt it was not buying at the time untill those defects were taken care of.

It is now 2001, and I figured it was time to take another look at the 4Runner.

I first started digging around the new specifications - the same 3.4 Liter engine which replaced the 3.0 V6, Pretty much the same front suspension, a new setup for the rear end, and a new transfer case option. But what was missing was the locking differential option that previous years had enjoyed.

First let's look at the engine: the 3.4 Liter v6 was designed to replace the 3.0 v6, which was notoriously underpowered, and suffered from severe head-gasket woes. Having a head gasket fail means engine oil mixes with engine coolant, and vice versa. BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE. Enough said.

The 3.4 appeared to have one of those problems as well to begin with: though the 3.4 liter put out MUCH more power than the 3.0 liter, it still was reported to blow head gaskets. A few years into the running, Toyota changed Gasket manufacturers, and altered the engine design somewhat.

This appears to have fixed the problem. Though there are still reports of head gaskets failing, it is well within the norm for comparative engines. *AND* due to the history of the 3.0 and early 3.4 liter's problems, Toyota has essentially placed an UNLIMITED warrenty on gasket-related problems.

Summery of the engine: Much more powerfull than previous design, and gasket problem appears to have been eliminated, making the engine as reliable as toyota's other vehicles. This is a good thing. Powerband is also at a much lower RPM, making it easier to drive.

Transmission: The transmission used in the 4Runner is an Aisen-Seiki AW-4 automatic or AX-15 (I beleive) standard. Both transmissions are legendary for their reliability and durability. (the AW-4 my Jeep used lasted past 300,000 miles). Shifting is smooth, and the truck lets you KNOW when it's shifted. I like that. I like it alot.

Transfer Cases: Toyota finally woke up and smelled the coffee, and decided to add a FULL-TIME 4WD transfer case into the 4Runner - something it lacked previously. What does this mean? it means you now have the option of operating the 4Runner in 4wd mode on any surface - Part Time 4wd (which was the only option before) has a serious drawback- it makes no allowances for slippage between the wheels. So if you are on good traction (say, dry concrete, or a dry road), and decide to turn, if 4wd was engaged, the drivetrain would "Bind up" like a rubber band (though steel isn't generally as flexible as rubber) and something would have to give - usually your tires. Sometimes an axle shaft. This is bad.

With full-time-four, it allows for slippage between the tires, enabling you to drive effortlessly on dry pavement, and still retain 4wd for poor traction (very usefull in colorado, where roads are dry for 30 feet, snow and ice for 10 feet, dry for 20 feet, snow and ice for 50 feet, rinse, lather, repeat). Unforuntily, Toyota's model does not appear to have a method of slowly transferring power "from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip", so if one wheel starts spinning, it will KEEP spinning. Other 4wd manufacturers offer systems that will slowly transfer torque (power) to other wheels to keep you on your merry way. The 4Runner does not APPEAR to have this - though the sales drone I spoke to about it wasn't very knowladgable on the vehicle, so it may have a system like that. I honestly can't say for certain.

In any case, even if it does not, it is EASY to lock the two axles together for "very poor" traction situations - just a click of a button. When in full-time-4, the system does not need the vehicle to roll forewards slightly to engage the 4wd hubs - they're allready engaged - so it can simply lock the axles together, and provide you with nearly unstoppable traction. (with Toyota's part time system, to go from 2wd to 4wd needed all four wheels to roll forewards slightly for the front hubs to "lock". Obviously, if you're allready stuck, there's not much chance of you rolling, to get you 'unstuck'. this alleviates that problem.)

Conclusion (after short mechanic lesson): Adequate system. Not as advanced as Jeep's "Selec-Trac" or phenomenal "Quadra-drive", but it still does the job nicely.

Suspension: previous models had a poorly engineered rear suspension pack. The problem, to put it simply, is that the rear end would "Sag" over time. After about a year, all 4runners would drive nose-up reguardless of what load (or lack thereof) there was in the rear end.
They changed it, now it maintains a good posture, and is slightly smoother than before.
This is good.

Interior: after the fiasco with the Rav4 my parents owned (toyota forgot to install any interior screws or glue, a problem several rav4 owners reported) I was very wary of the interior design. Seems to be back up to par - they must only have trouble with the Rav4's interior for some reason.

(IE, the interior is very nice and put together well).

Performance: It's still slightly underpowered, IMHO.
Of course, I live in colorado, 5,000 feet above sea level, (where the lack of oxygen makes cars go a bit slower), and I'm used to driving something with slightly more power and alot less weight than the 4Runner has. So I'm biased/spoiled. But it does keep up with itself quite well, and still has more than adiquate power for passing other vehicles on the interstate. Only us V8 and Straight-six guys will notice any power missing. ;)

(conclusion: it holds it's own on the roads).

Cornering: it's still a truck. :) It's not going to corner like a car. Please learn to drive a truck before buying a truck. Do not drive trucks like cars.

As a truck, it's quite stable. it leans a little more than I'm used to, but that's due to the IFS, all IFS vehicles lean a bit more in the turns than my old live-axle stuff. ;)

Still quite acceptable.

Off-road: It's one of the few SUV's alive that can competantly handle a moderate 4x4 trail. It's not quite as capable as the Jeeps or Land-Rovers, but this is like saying a corvette isn't as capable as a viper - it will still kick butt. :)

Overall:

Toyota has appeared to honestly cleaned up their act reguarding the 4Runner. While I think it's drastically overpriced for what you get (I'd rather have the more powerfull, more stable, better off-roading Cherokee than the 4Runner), I wouldn't mind owning one anymore, and there's no need to be terrified of gaskets going out on long road trips.

Well done Toyota, now please give it a real axle up front, please? :)

Amount Paid (US$): ~$35,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Dealer's Demo.