At a time when most automakers seem to be dropping their body-on-frame models for new unibody designs, Toyota has invested

Looking right at home in the wilderness, Toyota's totally revised 2010 4Runner is one of few true SUVs left. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

heavily in its classic 25-year-old SUV resulting in an all-new 2010 4Runner.

With the new fifth-generation 4Runner, Toyota answers the one criticism most buyers had about the outgoing model, styling. While the outgoing model joined the Tacoma in introducing the truck division’s upside-down smile, or rather frowning grille, a design element that carries forward in the new model, it was generally thought of as more refined looking than rugged.  Personally, I loved the old truck, but seeing it on the road now that I’ve spent time with the new one leaves me a bit flat. The new 4Runner is simply more masculine, which should help it appeal to the mostly male clientele that true 4x4-capable SUVs attract.

The new

Pulling a few cues from the FJ Cruiser and more from its own history, the new 4Runner is one tough looking customer. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

2010 4Runner is more than just tougher looking. It’s tougher overall. It now rides on an all-new platform, although that doesn’t mean it’s no longer based on the ultra-rugged Land Rover Prado that comes here as the tarted up Lexus GX 460 next year. This new platform architecture results in a stronger body structure made with a high-strength steel cage, plus the best standard ground clearance in the segment at 244 mm (9.6 inches) and an all-new V6 engine that replaces both outgoing engines with more power than the old top-line V8 and better fuel-economy than the previous entry-level V6 at an estimated 12.6L/100km in the city and 9.2L/100km on the highway, best in class by the way, and a 5% improvement over the outgoing V6 plus 17% over the V8, helped out by a 10% decrease in drag for a Cd of 0.36. A bonus is the ability to go farther into the wilderness without the need to refuel as often.

This,

No shortage of power with the new V6, and no need for a V8. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

of course, benefits day-in and day-out livability too, especially at a time when fuel prices seem to be steadily increasing. And that feel-good reality of improved mileage doesn’t get any better than when there’s not only zero penalty to pay in performance, but significant power is added. The new 270hp 4.0-litre V6 is 34hp more potent than the outgoing V6 and 10hp more powerful than last year’s V8, while its 278 lb-ft of torque makes up for some of the extra weight this larger SUV incorporates. The transmission remains a 5-speed automatic, so there are no radical gains in performance made here if any at all, but it’s a smooth operator that doesn’t feel as if it needs an extra cog to get up to highway speeds and maintain a good pace.

Actually,

An excellent perch to make your way through the woods. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

strangely enough for a body-on-frame 4x4, the 4Runner has always been a strong performer at higher than posted speeds, and I’m talking about handling. Certainly Toyota’s Highlander crossover manages corners with greater deftness, but in a back-to-back high-speed test I did with the outgoing 4Runner and other leading off-road capable SUVs including a Chevy TrailBlazer, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Nissan Pathfinder, the 4Runner was the clear winner through a narrow circuitous forested dirt road that ended on a long slippery section of banked tall grass before resulting in a gravel road and winding, descending paved section. And oddly enough, the Pathfinder was a unanimous last place finisher in this group.

The

Comfort and luxury, the top-tier Limited is plenty nice. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

new 4Runner feels even better, partly because it’s stiffer with a heavy-duty full-boxed frame featuring seven crossmembers, and attached to that a double wishbone and coil over shock front suspension and a solid axle in the rear with a Panhard rod and coil springs, plus stabilizer bars front and rear (more on these in a minute). The steering is rack and pinion with variable flow control (VFC), and it is quite direct and rewarding for this class of SUV, while four-piston calipers front disc brakes and discs in the rear help haul the heavy SUV down to a standstill quickly.

We had plenty of time to experience the 4Runner on pavement, but where this Rubicon Trail proven ute truly stands out from the mass of wannabe off-roaders is when that pavement, or better yet, dirt road ends and the hiking path begins. I wasn’t

Plenty of room in back. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

about to doubt whether or not the 4Runner, a vehicle that actually finished the SCORE Baja 1000 in near stock trim, would do well off-road, but sometimes I forget how far automakers have come in electronic and mechanical skill since my father and I explored every road from Vancouver to Bella Coola, BC in his classic Land Cruiser FJ40. Now, instead of having to step out of the truck and oftentimes into the muck to manually lock the hubs, everything happens automatically. But that’s nothing new, and for that matter neither is the part-time four-wheel drive system that’s the basis for the 4Runner’s off-road prowess. Featuring H4F, H4L, L4L modes, the latter that locks the centre differential for maximum traction, torque split is set up 40:60 front to rear, while front wheel slip is 30:70 and rear wheel slip

A nice looking, nicely laid out centre stack features everything you need. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

is 53:47. What I find amazing now is how all the electronic driving aids designed to keep the SUV upright when traveling at highway speeds, benefit off-road action. The days of sandbags and wooden planks, not to mention pulleys, might not be completely over, but there certainly is less need for these peripherals now that electronic traction control can add power to the wheel with grip and modulate all other wheels so that they don’t spin unnecessarily and make things worse. Toyota’s Active Traction Control works in L4L, and it’s outrageously effective! But that’s just the beginning.

The new 4Runner features two seriously impressive high-tech off-road aids that make 4x4ing a cakewalk, starting with Crawl Control and ending with the new Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS). If you’ve owned an older 4x4, like my Dad’s FJ, you might remember the manual choke-like throttle controller that would keep a slow steady pace without foot on the gas pedal. The 4Runner’s Crawl Control does this same thing, but it’s so much more sophisticated in the way that it goes about its job. Really, when climbing up or down a slippery slope, you’ll probably want to solely rely on Crawl Control as it does the job so effortlessly, maintaining preset speeds from 1.6 to 8.0 km/h (1 to 5 mph), leaving you to the important task of steering in order to avoid potential pitfalls, literally.

KDSS, a fully mechanical system, optimally adjusts front and rear stabilizer bars based on a set of interconnected hydraulic cylinders. It will disengage the stabilizer bars when it senses that a wheel has dropped due to extreme suspension articulation. The stabilizer bars are jointed, allowing movement independent

Stability control, traction control, hill decent control... the 4Runner comes well equipped. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

of one another, and you’ll be happy to know that they engage automatically when off-road conditions become friendlier. The Dodge Ram 2500 Power Wagon uses a manual stabilizer bar disconnect, not as sophisticated as KDSS, but extremely effective if you know when to switch it on (it’ll switch off and reconnect the stabilizer bars over a certain speed automatically, for safety).

Added to the 4Runner’s list of electronic aids are Hill-Start Control and Downhill Assist Control (HAC and DAC), which use four-wheel hydraulic brake pressure to maintain control on steeper grades, while the SUV’s Multi-Terrain Select System can make the most of the 4Runner’s various systems depending on road/trail conditions via pre-settings for Mud, Sand, and Dirt/Mogul/Rock.

And I

The backup camera is integrated into the rearview mirror. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

suppose this is where my first complaint comes in: why can’t KDSS, as well as Crawl Control and other off-road specific upgrades be had with the top-line 4Runner, instead of only the Trail Edition. Oh, I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself. I should probably begin any talk of options by commenting on some of the 4Runner’s standard features, such as air conditioning, a leather-wrapped tilt and telescopic steering wheel, auto up/down windows, keyless entry, heated and powered mirrors, CD/MP3 audio with auxiliary input and a tailgate speaker system referred to as “party mode” that basically is a switch which pushes the sound to the rear speakers, plus cruise control, variable intermittent wipers with a de-icer, intermittent rear wiper, front cloth bucket seats with driver's power adjustment, 40/20/40 split-folding slide and recline rear seats, a trip computer, a powered rear hatch window,

Steering wheel controls help keep your eyes on the road ahead. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

front dual chamber airbags, driver and passenger knee airbags, new TAP (Thorax-Abdomen-Pelvis) front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, and side curtain airbags, of course, for eight in total, a segment first. Also included are active front head restraints, downhill assist control, hill start assist, a front tow hook, rear step bumper, roof rails, front and rear splash guards, towing hitch with four-pin trailer wire harness, fog lights, and 17-inch alloy wheels spinning inside 265/70R17 all-season tires.

An Upgrade Package can be added which gives redundant steering wheel audio controls, XM satellite radio, USB audio input, Bluetooth connectivity, a powered sunroof, anti-theft alarm, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a really handy integrated backup camera, as well as heated leather seats.

Take out the leather seats and you’ve pretty well got the Trail Edition, which over and above what has already been mentioned includes water-repellant seat fabric, KDSS, crawl control, multi-terrain select, multi-terrain ABS, skid plates, a hood scoop, a roof rack, unique grille and wheels, matte black bumpers and handles, a sliding cargo deck that extends 18 inches out the back when loading and unloading and can hold up to 200 kilos (440 lbs), 120-volt outlets, 400-watt A/C power outlets up front and in the cargo area, a cargo net, and lots of compartments for storage.

That cargo compartment can hold a maximum of 2,540 litres (89.7 cubic feet) with the

4x4 controls at your fingertips. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

second row folded, compared to 2,126 litres (75.1 cubic feet) in the outgoing 2009 4Runner, 1,336 litres (47.2 cubic feet) with the second row in place versus 1,195 litres (42.2 cubic feet) in the old SUV, and 255 litres (9.0 cubic feet) behind the optional third row, while that third row offers 13.2 cm (5.2 inches) of additional legroom while now folding flat into the floor instead of robbing cargo room by flipping up against the side windows. All of this extra cargo space, 2.5 cubic metres (88.3 cubic feet) to be exact, is the result of an SUV that is 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) longer, 4.5 cm (1.8 inches) taller, and 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) wider than the outgoing 2009 model, not to mention significantly heavier with a base weight of 2,160 kilograms (4,762 lbs) and heft of 2,179 kilos (4,805 lbs) in top-line Limited trim. Incidentally, the 2010 4Runner

Load 'er up! The 4Runner has room to spare. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

can haul up to 678 kilograms (1,495 lbs) in its cargo bay and can now tow up to 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs).

My beef, however, is why Toyota couldn’t have packaged in KDSS, Crawl Control and every other upgrade offered in Trail Edition with the Limited, or on the other hand why such items can’t be had with the base model? Instead the Limited builds on the Upgrade Package with dual-zone automatic climate control, the proximity sensing Smart Key system with pushbutton start, a sport suspension setup, a 660-watt 6-CD JBL audio system, a powered passenger seat, mirrors with integrated turn signals and puddle lamps, bright and colourful Optitron gauges, automatic headlamps, additional chrome accents,

Some soft-touch surfaces separate the 4Runner out from most other new Toyota models. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

120-volt power outlets, underbody spoilers, 20-inch alloy rims, and an extra third row of seats.

Hold on? You need to spend for a limited just to get three-row seating? Yep! We know that this doesn’t make a lot of sense from the outside, especially amid a recession, but Toyota obviously has a reason why its entry-level buyers can’t have more seats, or while the Trail Edition can’t be had without the expensive Upgrade Package, or why Limited customers are penalized by not getting the best off-roader simply because they also want to ride in the lap of luxury. If Land Rover had this attitude, no doubt the Range Rover would not exist. This said, Toyota’s reasoning could possibly be that the 4Runner’s price would be pushed up into the premium stratosphere and few would be sold, and while they’re probably right, it’s a shame. This argument doesn’t hold water when it comes to the ability to get seven

It's an SUV that certainly stands out in a crowd, but fits best in the middle of nowhere. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

occupant functionality in a less expensive variant however, so it must come down to expected take-rates.

To make things clear, base 4Runners, at $36,800, are given the name SR5 and incidentally are priced identically to 2009 4Runners while offering more standard features (you’ve gotta like that), while four option packages include Upgrade, Trail Edition, Limited, and Limited with Navigation, the latter package also featuring voice-activation, the navigation system of course, with a seven-inch touchscreen, plus a backup camera, XM Real Time Traffic (Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal), and a four-disc CD changer.  The features are fabulous, although some 4Runner owners used to the old interior might be a bit turned off with the use of harder plastics where the old truck used soft-touch surfaces. Still, the dash is covered in a nice “dimpled” texture that should be appealing enough, and the door panels remain soft-touch. 

With intermediate SUV sales that are slowly increasing, and fewer true SUV models now available due to automaker’s chasing an expanding intermediate crossover market, the 4Runner is in a unique position that should result in increased sales. Those who opt in will certainly enjoy a much better SUV, whether they spend most of their time tooling around town or off the beaten path.

Interior

Exterior

Mechanical

Safety

Dimensions

Misc

(J003) Standard Metallic Paint

(J004) Standard Black Paint

(B) Upgrade Package

(C) Trail Edition

(D) Limited Package

(E) Limited Package with Navigation

(0070.) Blizzard Pearl Paint