Melody Toyota

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Walk Around

The Toyota 4Runner is big and burly. Launched for the 2003 model year and last freshened for 2006, the current 4Runner looks small only in relation to the even bigger Toyota Sequoia. With its massive front bumper, prominent overfenders, and body cladding, the 4Runner looks off-road rugged and ready to hit the dusty trail.

Backing up that contention are skid plates for the engine, transfer case and fuel tank, which come standard on 4WD models. (Even 2WD models get the engine and fuel tank skid plates.) A molded-in step adds a functional look to the broad rear bumper.

Visual cues distinguish the three trim levels. Bumpers are body-color on all three models. On the SR5, however, the grille, door handles, and license-plate trim are chrome, and running boards are painted black. The Sport is distinguished by its hood scoop and a smoked-chrome effect for the grille and headlamp trim, and by a graphite-and-black roof rack. Tubular side steps replace the SR5's running boards. The Limited has a body-color grille, black roof rack and black running boards, which are illuminated. The standard aluminum-alloy wheels have six spokes on all models, but they grow from 16 inches to 17 to 18 as you move up the line.

4Runner's windshield, side windows, and side mirrors are made of hydrophilic glass and repel water like a waxed car or a window that has been treated with Rain-X. The glass causes water to form large drops, which are quickly shed by gravity or wind. The side mirrors are angled out to increase the driver's field of view. The available moonroof includes a two-stage wind deflector designed to reduce wind noise when traveling above 55 mph.

The high floor and low roof are side effects of a practical SUV design to pull the ground clearance up as high as possible while keeping the overall profile low for stability and clearance.

Interior

2008 Toyota 4Runner

The Toyota 4Runner cabin is a good place to be in rugged terrain or nasty weather. For starters, it's roomy and comfortable, and it's highly functional. The quality of materials and they way they fit together is good, and loaded models are quite luxurious. Overall, the cabin looks traditional SUV.

The cloth upholstery that comes standard is nice. And the cloth seats in the SR5 and Sport Edition are comfortable, with side bolsters to keep the driver in place when cornering or driving off road. All seats offer adjustable headrests and the driver's seat adjusts eight ways, manually on the SR5 V6 and powered on all others. The driver and front passenger sit up high, as one expects in an SUV, yet flatter to the floor, as in some low cars like a Ford Mustang. The driver's legs stretch out, rather than down, toward the pedals. It's a feeling we've noticed in some Jeeps, going back quite some years, and is a result of the high floor, low roofline design for off-road use.

A two-tone dashboard houses the instruments. Gauges illuminate in orange, set in three deep binnacles that prevent the front-seat passenger from reading them, and aiding legibility for the driver in bright sunlight. The fuel gauge uses an inclinometer for accurate readouts when the 4Runner is tilted in the rough.

Automatic climate control is standard on all models, while the Limited comes with his-and-hers dual-zone temperature controls. The fan, airflow and temperature controls, are big and easy to locate; they are long on style and a little awkward at first, but become easy to use with familiarity.

The stereo buttons are easy operate. The auto-down button for the power windows is illuminated, but the central lock button is not and can be difficult and awkward to find in the dark, leaving impatient, would-be passengers tapping on your window as you fumble around for the switch, an annoyance. A display located just above the climate controls reveals time, ambient temperature, and trip data. A 115-volt AC power outlet is available, a real bonus in the backcountry.

An unusual feature is a pair of small convex mirrors at the rear corners of the interior, designed to help the driver see approaching vehicles when backing out of a parking space. The mirrors work on the same principal as those big convex mirrors mounted at the corners of large parking garages. In the 4Runner, they help the driver detect motion in a busy parking lot. Using them effectively, however, takes some practice, as it's hard to distinguish details. We're guessing most owners don't use them and may not even know they're there.

The rearview video camera works incredibly well and we highly recommend this option. Hidden in the rear bumper, it projects its image onto the seven-inch navigation screen on the center dash whenever the 4Runner is in reverse. The pictures are sharp, even in complete darkness (with the backup lights on), and cover the area directly behind and a couple of feet on either side of the vehicle. The extreme fish-eye view of the lens makes distances difficult to judge, but skilled drivers quickly learn how to use it to their advantage. When parallel parking the camera allows the driver to back up to within an inch of the car behind. The camera adds safety by giving the driver an opportunity to see what's immediately behind the 4Runner, whether it's a short metal pole or a child on a tricycle or someone pushing a grocery cart.

The navigation system is among the best, intuitive and relatively easy to use. It features a touch-screen monitor, voice guidance and Bluetooth capability. Map data for the contiguous United States and major cities in Canada is stored on one DVD. The integrated Bluetooth feature provides a hands-free communication system using a cellular phone. The system is integrated into an eight-speaker JBL AM/FM/CD stereo, which is automatically muted when a call is received. The stereo speakers then act as t

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