Reliability
Drive ability in snow is great
Styling

too expensive
squeaky brakes
Not enough power

This is my first SUV, but I have driven others owned by my relatives. the 4Runner is definately one of the more reliable SUVs out there. My wife and I have put over 110K miles on this truck since we bought it in 1997 and so far we have had no problems with it. We are about to trade it in for the most recent model. I am sure that the next owner will get many more trouble-free miles out of it. An overall great truck.

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Nissan pathfinder

The 4 wheel drive is pretty good, good dashboard, good engine power, good acceleration, good multimedia system, good value, good comfortable seats, good power steering, good handling, good headlight design (VERY IMPRESSIVE INFACT), good space, and good use of materials.

The body design is crappy looking. the ride is not smooth at all, eats fuel like goddzla in NY, more the money we paid I think we should've gotten a bigger shade.

34,000. The 4Runner is a exellent vehicle and recommend it to everyone.

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None

This truck never breaks. I have put over 100k miles on the truck and have never had a failure. The vehicle is used 80% off road (an I mean OFF road) and, after replacing the stupid OE Goodyear tires, I have never had any problems. The power is perfect for off round in that you can actually control the throttle input and control the vehicle. I would prefer manual hubs but the ADD works fine. The AC is strong even in a southern Utah summer. Maintain it properly and the vehicle will run forever.

RUST. The tailgate has rusted out which is suprising considering the vehicle is waxed and washed often. Also the on-road power is a little weak but since I don't use it there often it's not really an issue. The fuel tank is much too small making the range very short. The stock tires are a joke unless you like to drive sideways in mud, snow, or sand. A set of BFG A/Ts fixes that.

Paid 29K in 1994. I would highly recommend the vehicle to anyone who needs a tough truck that will last forever. I plan to fix the rusthy tailgate and drive it forever.

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1987 Toyota FJ60 Landcruiser, 1992 FJ82 Land Cruiser. I love Land Cruisers but they are just too fancy now. Wish they sold the models they sell in Australia. The 4Runner does 90% of what the Land Cruisers will do. The 10% involves towing off road which I wouldn't recommend with a 4Runner. I have friends with Explorers and Blazers and they aren't nearly the vehicle strength wise although they are much better on road. Guess it comes down to priorities.

A good, reliable SUV, all the knobs and buttons are in the right places so as not to have your eyes off the road when driving. The body style looks good. The 4WD works really well too.

The four cylinder model does not enough power when loaded up with camping gear and going up hills and mountains. Tall passengers have a bit of a difficulty getting in and out of the vehicle. The rear heater will burn your rearend if you let it run long enough!!

I bought this vehicle used with very low miles as a lease trade-in. I think I know why the person didn't keep it because it does not have enough power when loaded up with gear or people. Compared to my previous vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder, it is much better in quality, gas mileage and repair costs. On the average I got 20mpg with the Pathfinder in combined city/hiway mileage, I now get about 25mpg with the 4Runner. Another thing to consider: The parts are cheaper than Nissan and are more readily available. I recommend if you buy a 4Runner to buy it with the V6 not the four cylinder. I heard somewhere you can put a V8 engine in it. Maybe the engine used for their larger SUV the Land Cruiser??

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1987 Pathfinder - The 4Runner is a better vehicle. The inside gadgets are sturdier. Nissan uses too much plastic.

Rock-solid build, great resale value, no mechanical problems

Design is getting old, Could use a bigger gas-tank.

Fit/Finish:
After three years, it would appear moisture is seeping into the wood trim, causing discoloration. Rear hatch sometimes won't open on the first try. Otherwise completely solid, with no misc. rattles, wind noise etc., even after all this time on and off road.

Powertrain:
Change the oil once in a while and go. No problems whatsoever. V6 Power is fine for everyday/Off Road driving. Anybody complaining about not enough passing power should probably be driving a porsche instead of an SUV (though I sometimes wish for a V8 when pulling my 2,000 lb boat with the O/D off). I have noted magazine reviews complaining about the lack of full-time FWD. They evidently don't have to pay for the gas during the 90% of the time it's not needed.

Interior/Ergonomics:
I notice the interiors of many American-made SUVs have alot of wasted space (check out the bulge in the center cabin of the Durango for example) people mistake for 'roominess'. I am 6', 200 lbs and find there is plenty of room for all appendages in the 4Runner. I especially like the fact the seats offer plenty of back/side support rather than letting you mush around on the seat like most American models do. When first shopping for SUVs I thought this one might be a little short on room, however I was pleasantly surprised. We often travel 6 hours to northern WI, packing belongings, boat, fishing gear, children, and dog (with crate). I have never felt cramped or uncomfortable on the ride.

Overall:
Minor annoyances mentioned before keep this from being a 5 (nothing's perfect). However, check out the resale value when calculating cost to drive. Turns out this one isn't as 'expensive' as it initially appears.

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Ford Explorer

1. Toyota fit and finish 2.Toyota reliability 3. Styling

Interior is too small. If you are 5'9" and taller and weigh over 185 lbs, I would not recommend this vehicle.

I have driven Toyotas for 15 years and have owned 4 of them, the most recent one being the 4Runner. I owned a Ford F150 4X4 for two years prior to my 4Runner and will never go back to driving a Ford. Even though I liked my F150, The Toyota quality and reliability far exceeds Fords quality and reliability. The 4Runner does have some draw backs being its limited interior room, high price tag, poor gas milage and thin door skins. Overall I did not like any other SUV on the market so I went with the 4Runner. Toyota will probaly retire the 4Runner within the next few years and replace it with a larger unit.

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I drove a rental GMC Jimmy for a week and liked its interior room, but was unimpressed with its quality!

- The build quality is perfect
- No problems whatsoever with the truck
- Handsome styling
- Exceptionally smooth automatic transmission
- Plenty of passenger/cargo room

- Slightly underpowered
- It wasn't cheap

Upgrade package #4, C7, C9, in dash CD changer (P6), paid a hair under $30k through M$ carpoint.com.

I like to keep my cars for about 8 to 10 years. This truck, like my 91 Accord, is a keeper. Boredom is usually what propels me into the dealer for a new car, and it takes me a while to get bored. Some of the other trucks might be flashier or quicker, but I think the Toyota is engineered for the long haul.

CRAP

CRAP

CRAP, you can't do anything with it because it doesn't have enough power. I had to upgrade to a V6, from a 4cyl! NO SUV this large should contain a 4 cylinder engine standard. And the people who kept the 4 banger should be ashamed, because they mine as well have bought a car. This thing won't do anything in snow mud or rain, so just keep it on the highway even though it sucks there too.

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CRAP

Looks, Seats, cargo space, highest ground clearance in its class

stiff suspension

It's an awesome cars, i have absolutly no problems passing other cars, people and their v8 durangos are so easy to pass, if 183 hp wasn't good enough, and if you have money to spare get a TRD supercharger which boosts up to 265 hp and adds 50 lb-ft of torgue. I admit it isn't the most comfortable cars out there, but it is a TRUCK, get a Lexus if comefort is the most important things. Overall, Awesome CAR.

Good Looks
Toyota's Reputation (did not work for us)

1. Inadequate head room
2. Inadequate elbow room
3. Engine has too little power & gas tank is too small
4. Most annoying odometer design

$36,000, New.
Now that we've driven our new 1999 Toyota 4Runner for 4 months, I feel better qualified to judge the car's pro's and cons. The car has a number of annoying irritations which, although not amounting to much separately, do take the fun out of driving it.

My number one complaint is the non-illuminated LCD display window of the odometer. There is no way to turn up the brightness for better visibility. Unless the sun shines directly onto the panel, one cannot read it. What good is having 3 separate displays built into it (odometer, trip meter I and trip meter II) when you cannot read a single one of them? Toyota has been building cars for a long time. Can't they do better? What were they thinking?

Secondly, this car is designed for small people. There is not enough headroom and not enough elbow room which makes it awkward for long distance driving. 3) The gas tank is too small and necessitates frequent refueling stops. 4) The gas door release lever should be identified better, prferably by an easily visible yellow color and "touchy-feely" design; one always opens up the hood by mistake.

Our previous car was a Mitsubishi Montero which did not have these shortcomings. It was an excellent car over the 10 years we had it and never gave us any trouble (except for a fuel pump which had to be replaced). It is obvious now that we should have bought another Montero instead (we didn't because there is no Mitsubish dealer in our area).

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Our previous 10-year Mitsubishi Montero was a better vehicle in every way.