Dig this: I was driving a fully setup, beefy, all-new Toyota 4Runner (completely redesigned for 2010) on a back road near Larkspur, Colorado when it happened… I was attacked!
Let’s start from the beginning.
I wanted to see what this Toyota 4Runner I was testing could do. I had driven one off road before, but that was in dry sand and dirt. I wanted to put it through (what I consider to be) the most challenging surfaces of ice, snow, slush-covered-mud with a diarrhea-like consistency and gooey ruts. My purpose was to test the A-TRAC wheel-spin limiting system and how it works in conjunction with the limited-slip center differential w/locking feature four-wheel drive (4WD) setup. Boy did I put it to good use.
I thought the 270 hp 4.0-Liter DOHC 24-Valve V6 that makes 278 lbs-feet of torque was not enough power for this behemoth. I mean, this 4Runner weighs over 4,700 lbs. That’s more than the last two cars I tested – combined. Fortunately, the 278 lb-ft of torque is available at 4,400 rpm and the sweet spot in the rev-range felt to kick in at about 4,000 rpm. Just as importantly, the tow rating for the new 4Runner is 5,000 lbs and I was about to put it to the test.
I occasionally use a back canyon road that’s about 10-miles from Larkspur for winter testing 4WD vehicles. Normally, it’s empty – but not on this day. I came upon an old pickup truck that was stuck in a side ditch, filled with slushy goo, on the side of the road. It was a father and his young daughter and they had trouble with cellphone coverage in the area.
As I hooked up the chain leading from the pickup to the Toyota’s tow inlet, I noticed the little girl was cold. So, I placed her in the back of the 4Runner to stay warm. There, she found my daughter’s ladybug, soft-sided lunch-bag-box thing. She must have placed it on the front passenger seat. My kid left a bottle of water and an apple in the bag from the day before. Keep that part in mind.
There was some wheel slip as I tugged on the truck so I engaged the A-TRAC system which uses traction control to prevent wheel-spin on the slippery stuff. This combined with great torque and all four wheels pulling helped considerably. Let me tell ya’ folks, this is where having a REAL SUV with a REAL frame underneath pays off. All the strain of pulling (and off road twisting) is absorbed by the fully boxed frame. Sadly, the 4Runner is a dying breed as fewer and fewer SUVs have real frames.
In less than ten minutes, we pulled the pickup to safety, cleaned its battery terminals and fired it up. Grateful, they departed and I was feeling pretty good about myself. So, I fired up The Hives and charged into the mire. Fifteen minutes later, I was parked on the side of the road, nursing a mild concussion.
Sigh.
During my rock n’ roll fueled off-road romp – the sinister ladybug bag leaped off the passenger seat and swatted me upside the cranium like an aluminum baseball bat. It was during some rapid side to side movements. Usually, off-road types remove all the crap from the passenger seat. Obviously, I did not. I never saw it coming and I had to slam on the brakes immediately. It hurt BAD. I was unable to open my right eye for five minutes, even though it never touched that eye.
I can hear the spirits of my dead ancestors laughing at me.
I spent a while in the back of the 4Runner, allowing my head throb to dissipate. I opened the hatch, pulled out the optional, sliding cargo floor and chilled out assuming a yoga-like position. The sliding floor can hold about 400 lbs, so, despite my heft, there was no danger of busting it. That’s a good thing considering the mid 40-grand this model fetched (an equivalent 2011 model would be a bit cheaper). Oh, and you can get (small) third row seats as an option.
As I drove home, I marveled at the civil ride this big SUV provides. It still rides like a truck, but it’s a comfy truck now. By the end of my ride, as I parked I realized that a lunch accessory my daughter left behind could have had dangerous consequences. Will I ever mention it to her? Nope.
Bottom line – this new Toyota 4Runner is great in just about every way. Hell, I even managed to average 18 mpg despite my aggressive driving. My only issue would be a lack of a manual transmission which its little brother – the Toyota FJ Cruiser – has as an option. Still, the five-speed automatic transmission is mighty good and extremely smooth.
All in all, I enjoyed my adventure in the Toyota 4Runner and hated my self-inflicted headache.
Stupid ladybug…
Automotive media, racing, vehicle evaluation, wrecking yards, and car sales are just a part of Nathan Adlen’s vehicular past. He writes out of high octane passion! To read more reviews by Nathan Adlen or just to enjoy more of excellent writing please visit him on at his examiner.com page HERE.
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