Say what anyone will about the scourge of SUVs, I was colossally grateful for having the Toyota 4Runner as my test vehicle the week before last.
Roads in my neighborhood in the Cascade foothills of east Snohomish County had an extra-deep carpet of snow and ice, and two- and three-feet snowdrifts had hunkered down atop my long and partly uphill gravel driveway. Without the 4Runner, I would have been housebound and quickly insane, or overstaying my welcome at a gracious friend’s house in Machias.
The driveway snow would melt a little, then refreeze, repeatedly — as did the road snow. Several times during the week, I faced conditions that transcended what a car-based all-wheel-drive mall-runner could manage.
The midsize 4Runner is a rugged, truck-based sport utility vehicle with body-on-frame construction and driver-selectable 2H, 4H and 4LO settings. It’s a true off-roader, built to handle the most challenging conditions. But that doesn’t mean it’s a monster when it comes to everyday highway driving. 4Runner’s ride is comfortable and civilized, and the passenger cabin is not overly noisy. Handling is precise, body roll is nonexistent, and maneuverability is great.
For the 2009 model year, 4Runner is carried over from 2008. Model choices include the SR5, Sport Edition, and Limited. All are available with a V6 or V8 engine, in two-wheel or four-wheel drive configuration.
My tester was a 4×4 Sport Edition with V6. Like all 4Runners, it came standard with vehicle stability control, traction control, hill start control, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, and brake assist. Downhill assist control is also standard on 4×4 versions.
In the comfort and convenience column, standard features include air conditioning, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, split and fold-flat rear seats, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and a rear hatch that opens high and out of the way.
The snappy 4.0-liter V6 engine generates 236 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. Variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) helps provide substantial low- and mid-range torque. EPA ratings for the 4×4 V6 are 16 mpg city, 20 highway. Too bad this vehicle can’t drink something other than gasoline.
My tester had the optional Urban Runner package ($1,760) that was introduced in February 2008, adding such things as 18-inch six-spoke aluminum alloy wheels, Urban Runner badging, two-tone Alcantara seats, tubular side steps, an integrated portable Tom Tom personal navigation device and more. In other words, things only someone who has a short, flat driveway and never goes off road would want.
The desirability of the Tom Tom thing was completely lost on me. It replaces Toyota’s nice, big, easy-to-use audio and navigation system controls with buttons possibly designed by the Hilliard Society. And, there are too few buttons. That always indicates a too-complicated system. If you don’t want to spend six hours reading an owner’s manual, steer away from any combined audio/navigation system that doesn’t have more buttons than a toaster.
Everybody shouldn’t be driving a vehicle like the Toyota 4Runner, of course. But when you need one, you sure do need one.
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