LYCOS RETRIEVER 
4Runner
built 647 days ago
The 4Runner’s seating position might be a bit lower than before, but it’s still a big step up. Unlike with the Highlander, you’ll want the running boards with this one. (They’re $345 on the SR5 and Sport, standard on the posh Limited.) Once in the driver’s seat there’s no mistaking the 4Runner for a conventional SUV. You sit way above the road, yet the instrument panel is still fairly high relative to the driver’s seat. The windshield is not nearly as tall and expansive as the Highlander’s.
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The Toyota 4Runner is a thoroughly modern but traditional sport utility. It excels at off-road capability. If your weekend involves driving over rugged terrain, this is an excellent choice. Yet it's smooth and quiet and highly sophisticated in terms of technology and features.
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The first-generation 4Runner had two doors and a removable hard top in the form of a fiberglass shell over the rear cargo area. It was available in two models. The first was little more than a pickup truck with a covered rear cargo area. Its emphasis was on utility. With seats in the front only, the rear of the vehicle was intended to be used for cargo (or camping equipment, bicycles, etc.) The second was designed to carry up to five passengers. It included a rear seat (with seatbelts for three occupants) which could be folded flat for additional storage space.
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From a handling standpoint, the 4Runner has one of the best chassis and suspension arrangements in its class. While some mid-size sport-utilities have front suspensions of struts or even live axles, the 4Runner has an independent suspension with upper and lower control arms and coil springs. In the rear, the axle is mounted with a multi-link arrangement and coil springs instead of the more common, and less sophisticated, leaf springs. The 4Runner ... has the precise feel of rack-and-pinion steering and a tidy turning circle of 37.4 feet. The result is a combination of ride comfort and handling ease that is exceptionally good for a vehicle of such outstanding off-road and rough-road capabilities.
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Though the basic design may be traditional (relatively), the 4Runner features the latest in off-road electronic technology, including Hill Start Assist and Downhill Assist Control. You can't truly appreciate the 4Runner until you drive over rugged terrain. This is a truly amazing vehicle in the muck. Having the 4Runner walk you down a steep, muddy incline with both feet off the pedals, the system selectively applying the brakes to individual wheels as needed, is an impressive display of technology and engineering. And it's just as impressive going uphill, maximizing the smallest bit of available traction. Both full- and part-time four-wheel drive is available, but even the full-time system comes with a locking function for when the going gets sloppy.
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The fourth-generation 2003 4Runner retains its separate frame/body configuration and is available in three trim levels: SR5, Sport, and top-line Limited. Offered in 2WD and 4WD, it boasts an optional V-8 for the first time. Using the same 4.7L/235-hp DOHC V-8 as in the Sequoia, the 4Runner has no trouble merging into traffic, as well as pulling a fair-size trailer. An all-new 245-hp DOHC aluminum V-6 is standard, and, frankly, it's all the engine most buyers will need.
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4Runner