2006 Toyota 4Runner Review

Specifications

Making a Good Thing Better

I should warn you ahead of time that this review may not be up to my usual standard of wit and repartee. For some reason, Toyotas simply bring out the adult in me, the critic who evaluates a car from all angles, its functionality, its value, its merit and position in the marketplace, as well as the many conveniences and advantages each model may pose. This kind of analysis serves the 4Runner well, I believe, because it withstood such scrutiny and came out shining.

Hopefully, I havent scared you away from my review yet, because the 2006 4Runner is a very impressive vehicle on nearly all fronts. One big advantage of the 4.7L V8 outfitted in my Limited tester is its generous 260 horsepower and its even more generous 330 lb-ft of torque, plenty of stump-pulling twist from a low 3,400 rpm. While I doubt many people will really pull up many stumps with this ute (leave that to the new Tundra), its towing capacity stands at 5000 pounds, so most trailer-able boats are fair game and many motorhomes short of the massive “fifth wheels” (which need a pickup truck or flatbed anyway - Ed) can be dragged up to camping territory without a fuss.

The Super ECT (Super intelligent Electronically Controlled Transmission) is, well… super. Shifts are smooth and without hesitation and it feels ready to dig in to all that torque whenever called upon. Then again, with all that torque, the transmission mostly just has to stay out of the way, which is where its intelligence is much appreciated.

The 4Runner is a thoroughly competent vehicle and it was begging to be taken for stint in the mud and muck, where its power and tenacious traction is best served, but my hectic week didnt see fit to make such an opportunity available. The closest I got was about an inch of snow that fell in my neighborhood, but that didnt even make the differential lock sweat, never mind exercising the grocery list of off-roading-oriented features: Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Downhill Assist Control (DAC), Active Traction Control System (A-TRAC), skid plates for the engine, fuel tank & transfer case and that locking centre diff connected to the 2-speed transfer case. Sad, isnt it, to see all those acronyms not being put to good use? I swear when I get the FJ Cruiser I will make up for lost time and take it out to some abandoned quarries and then deep into the woods.

So that leaves me to evaluate the 4Runner as a grocery runner and occasional shuttle bus. Like I said, its not necessarily the recipe for an exciting review. In fact about the only two things I got really excited about were its styling, which I have enjoyed from the very moment this model hit the scene a couple years back, and its turning radius. Holy smokes does it have a great turning radius! I realized it more-so after swapping into a Volvo S60. It seems like the 4Runner can practically go sideways in comparison, and I managed parking spots that the S60 could only get into with several attempts or excessive back and forth action.

Helping to ease tight maneuvers was Toyotas variable assist power steering and the 4Runners great visibility from an old fashioned greenhouse with big clear windows, not to mention its ride height, which gave it a great vantage point in parking lots, on side streets, as well as in traffic. While these attributes served me faithfully in town, they are also hypothetically a big advantage on trails where agility and clear vision are paramount to getting back home safely.

As nice as the world looks from behind the glass of the 4Runner, it was equally enjoyable stepping outside this medium-sized SUV and appreciating its bold, rugged flavor. The new headlamps, bumpers, tail lamps and grille (updated for 2006) didnt blow me away due to any radical departure from the previous model year, like the all-new Camry did for instance, but they tidy up some loose ends that designers like to pick at during mid-cycle upgrades. Then again, the 4Runners progression  to the top of the midsize off-road capable SUV pack was never achieved by leaps and bounds, but rather by contemporary updates on the classic two-box form (rounded out around the edges) with a host of subtle details that fill out the look; fender flares getting less pronounced and then growing again, and chrome getting added and removed to suit the trends.

The latest edition sees the body cladding become slightly less obtrusive, but the truck on the whole retains a distinct chunky, industrial look, a fine meld of the classic 4Runner design cues and modern styling. My favorite element of the updates is by far the new headlight assembly, which includes projector lamps ringed by detailed bezels instead of the old-fashioned bulbs. Despite the flashy new headlights, nothing drastic is going on here, and you still get one of Toyotas most rugged SUVs with barrels of power to get you over parking lot curbs or, if youre not afraid of the mud, stumps and ruts that would confuse and no doubt hang up lesser, city-bred utes.

No matter how dirty you get the outside, try not to track any mud inside, because the light grey carpeting and leather are at least the equal of many luxury vehicles (as was the drivers 8-way power-adjustable throne - with memory settings no less), which is fair to expect (but not always the case) in this $38,385 (over-$40K as tested) truck.  Also fair for the price was the optional 10-speqaker 340-watt JBL stereo with AM/FM/MP3 and in-dash 6-CD player; way beyond adequate, it had the power to drown out even the most ardent requests to change my Best of Death Row Records CD. Incidentally, a navigation system and DVD entertainment system, among other things, can be had.

While the interior isnt groundbreaking, materials are all comfortable and pleasing, and small details like the HVACs snowflake layout and the 4×4 differentials industrial knob were so appropriate to this classy yet never-far-from-functional vehicle that I became a big fan of the interior. And for those that tend to stash lots of odds and ends around their vehicle, the 4Runner had enough pockets and bins to please a parent of triplets, especially the centre armrest bin that nicely fit a whole pile of CDs.

On the other hand, for $40+ thousand, a vehicle had better serve its purpose well. Toyota doesnt aim to break any sales records with such a model, mind you. Those that buy into it often want unrelenting power for no more than about-town duties. Although I havent encountered many nimbler vehicles at low speeds, getting anywhere near highway speeds rules out any fancy maneuvers because any turn of the wheel is accompanied by a large dose of body roll, to be expected from a vehicle with such a high centre of gravity and long, soft suspension settings despite the best efforts of Toyotas sophisticated X-REAS (diagonal-linked Relative Absorber System), which balances out the diagonally opposed shock absorbers during aggressive cornering. Save the spirited driving for the trails, because in addition to the soft handling, the tires were an all-season compromise and didnt seem so sure of themselves on cold, slick pavement; although thats a choice you can easily correct with a tire swap.

However, if youre just looking for urban winter safety, I personally find something like Volvos Haldex AWD in the S60, or more comparatively the XC90, or Subarus symmetrical AWD in the Impreza, Legacy or B9 Tribeca (or for that matter Toyotas own Highlander or for $40+K the Lexus RX 350 - Ed.) paired to a good set of winter tires much more reassuring and responsive on chilled, snowy streets, especially when combined with the greater stability imparted by a cars low centre of gravity.

Now that Im rolling out the complaints carpet, you can add fuel consumption, and this ute loves to consume. While the EPA promises 16 / 21 mpg city/highway, I was running it at over 14 mpg all week long; and while I pushed it hard, I can only imagine the bill climbing if it was loaded with family plus accessories, never mind towing a 4000-lb gorilla on its back.

But if I really did have 2-3 kids and regularly towed a boat or camper up north, the 4Runner would be at the top of my list, assuming I could spring for the big $40K price tag and future gas bill. Between its industrial machined good looks; its incredible agility (whether in car parks or dry gulches); its off-road credentials (remember, this is the same company thats been building Land Cruisers - in service in some of the most remote, hostile environments on the planet, and that under the sheetmetal the 4Runner starts life as a global-market Land Cruiser Prado), and reliably - since the first Godzilla movies came out); nearly unstoppable Toyota reliability and a luxurious, bright atmosphere, its one of the most complete packages I could conceive of, at least if these were my priorities.