Gave up on R1S and ordered a 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium today.

[moosetags]

We are in a similar boat. We pre-ordered our R1T a little over four years ago. Rivian tells us that since we live over 300 miles from their nearest Service Center, they will not deliver a Rivian to us until they have a SC nearby. The estimated delivery date on our configuration page is just the year 2024. We feel that the Florida Panhandle will not see a Rivian SC for quite some time.

This being the case, we will probably replace our 2020 Silverado Duramax with a 2024 at the end of next year. We will keep our Rivian reservation until we get a truck, whenever that may be. We are hopeful that we will get our R1T before it is time to replace our 2024 Silverado.

Brian

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[tmmcgee]

[/QUOTE]

Clearly a 4Runner is not going to perform on the road like an R1. But since Rivian won't sell us an R1 anytime soon, and for us functionality, space, and practicality for camping/road trips/ski trips etc is much more important than sports car-like performance, it will do just fine. I'm getting the KDSS system which should help a bit, and I'm pretty sure it will outperform my 10 year old subaru at least!

Also, as I'm sure you're aware, adding all that stuff (heavy bumper, sliders, skid plates, beefy tires) to an already underpowered vehicle is only going to hurt the on-road performance. It's a compromise for sure. I may add some of that as well but will try to keep the added weight to a minimum as I'm not planning any extreme off-roading.

Nice pic by the way, is that what you used to sell the 4Runner?

When I went looking for my 4Runner, I intentionally went with a 4th Gen with the 4.7 V8, not available after 2010. I then added new Doug Thorley headers and a Borla exhaust. It's no rocket, but really makes a difference, especially here at elevation in Utah. The 2UZ-FE engine is damn near bullet proof and was the engine offered at the time on the Land Cruiser. I would really encourage anyone looking for a 4Runner to look at well maintained 2007-09 with the V8. It's not only cheaper, but I think a much more capable vehicle.

 

[zefram47]

Also, as I'm sure you're aware, adding all that stuff (heavy bumper, sliders, skid plates, beefy tires) to an already underpowered vehicle is only going to hurt the on-road performance. It's a compromise for sure. I may add some of that as well but will try to keep the added weight to a minimum as I'm not planning any extreme off-roading.

Nice pic by the way, is that what you used to sell the 4Runner?

Believe it or not, the suspension lift actually improved handling a bit (obviously higher center of gravity limits the benefit) due to much stiffer springs, likewise wider tires helped.

When it comes time to sell, probably...but my R1 got pushed back to 2024, so it'll be awhile. I daily drive a MINI Cooper SE (EV), so the 4Runner only gets used for hauling people and gear as well as trips into the mountains.

 

[DaveA]

I sold my 2021 SR5 premium for the R1T...I had the soft-tex seats....never sweated so much in my life. That, and the 14 mpg highway on Nitto Grapplers made the vehicle unbearable. Bulletproof reliability though, for sure.

 

[zefram47]

I would really encourage anyone looking for a 4Runner to look at well maintained 2007-09 with the V8. It's not only cheaper, but I think a much more capable vehicle.

The 2010+ models got a power bump on the 4L V6 and nearly matches your V8 at 270 hp / 278 ft-lbs. IIRC, you couldn't get the V8 with a rear locker either. Does look like you have a 7k tow rating, which would be nice given mine only has a 5k rating and can't tow my race car.

 

[zefram47]

I sold my 2021 SR5 premium for the R1T...I had the soft-tex seats....never sweated so much in my life. That, and the 14 mpg highway on Nitto Grapplers made the vehicle unbearable. Bulletproof reliability though, for sure.

The swamp-ass is so, so bad on the trails too. I can't wait for the ventilated seats on the R1! But dang, 14 mpg!? I've been getting 16-18 mpg on the highway with 33" Falken AT3W and all the extra steel bolted onto mine. At 60 mph I'll easily get 20 mpg. City mileage is probably in the 14-15 mpg, but that's usually snowy season for me and running lower gears and 4WD.

 

[DaveA]

The swamp-ass is so, so bad on the trails too. I can't wait for the ventilated seats on the R1! But dang, 14 mpg!? I've been getting 16-18 mpg on the highway with 33" Falken AT3W and all the extra steel bolted onto mine. At 60 mph I'll easily get 20 mpg. City mileage is probably in the 14-15 mpg, but that's usually snowy season for me and running lower gears and 4WD.

Ok, yeah...i was pulling 21 at 60...17 at 70. My bad....I was thinking of my old F150. lol

 

[tmmcgee]

The 2010+ models got a power bump on the 4L V6 and nearly matches your V8 at 270 hp / 278 ft-lbs. IIRC, you couldn't get the V8 with a rear locker either. Does look like you have a 7k tow rating, which would be nice given mine only has a 5k rating and can't tow my race car.

Look at the torque figures. With the headers and exhaust, I am probably at 300 hp/330 lb/ft. The difference is pretty obvious when I am passing all of the 5th Gens on the mountain passes here in Utah. The 5th Gens also packed on more weight and there are aftermarket real lockers for the 4th Gen that can be installed. You can easily build out a 4th Gen to be more capable and much cheaper than a 5th Gen. Unless you add a Magnuson supercharger to the v6, is is going to be severely underpowered. Even then, the reliability comes into question. Then again, everything feels underpowered after driving my R1T.

 

[zefram47]

Look at the torque figures. With the headers and exhaust, I am probably at 300 hp/330 lb/ft. The difference is pretty obvious when I am passing all of the 5th Gens on the mountain passes here in Utah.

Missed that part...but to be fair, you can't do headers here in CO due to emissions. Briefly looked into the supercharger kit and decided if I really cared I'd just get a used LX570 instead. But now I'm hoping for the Rivian instead of another ICE.

 

[tmmcgee]

Missed that part...but to be fair, you can't do headers here in CO due to emissions. Briefly looked into the supercharger kit and decided if I really cared I'd just get a used LX570 instead. But now I'm hoping for the Rivian instead of another ICE.

Yea. I could not get away with the long tube headers here, but I could do the shortys hooked up the the cats. I was still a bit nervous when I had to do the emissions check for the first time with them, but I passed.

 

[RoadRunner]

Believe it or not, the suspension lift actually improved handling a bit (obviously higher center of gravity limits the benefit) due to much stiffer springs, likewise wider tires helped.

When it comes time to sell, probably...but my R1 got pushed back to 2024, so it'll be awhile. I daily drive a MINI Cooper SE (EV), so the 4Runner only gets used for hauling people and gear as well as trips into the mountains.

Glad to hear the lift improved handling. I'm thinking about doing about a 2.5" lift and 33" tires but will probably drive it for a while first. I'm pretty much retired so no commute, this will be my do everything vehicle. Would rather have an R1S but for now this will have to do...and I even found it in LA Silver, with Android Auto and a sliding cover over the moonroof. I also like that it does not come with a mandatory 3rd row as I have no need for that.

 

[MXA121]

Talk about polar opposites R1S to 4R! I was just joking with a friend the other day how comically outdated the 4-Runner is both in Powertrain and Design (seriously, less than 20mpg in a mid sized SUV with no power is super bad). New one coming in '24 I heard...

 

[mikehmb]

The 4.7 is a delightful motor. I had a gen 1 Tundra with it and loved it.

The KDSS on the newer 4Runners is actually quite good in improving on-road behavior. My friend has one, and despite it being archaic (not unlike my ‘19 Tundra), it’s very civilized with the potential to be a beast off-road. Just don’t plan on winning any drag racing competitions.

 

[RoadRunner]

Talk about polar opposites R1S to 4R! I was just joking with a friend the other day how comically outdated the 4-Runner is both in Powertrain and Design (seriously, less than 20mpg in a mid sized SUV with no power is super bad). New one coming in '24 I heard...

Polar opposites in some ways, but similar in others - off-road capability and camping/road trip practicality for starters. Yes the 4Runner is outdated, underpowered, fuel economy sucks but I was at a loss to find something actually available that is better for my use case. The new version will improve on a bunch of things but will likely have its own issues in the first year or two after a total redesign. May be 2024 or could be delayed till 2025, no one knows at this point...and even then it may be basically obsolete between the R1S and other electric SUV's with true off-road capabilities and similar size.

 

[mkg3]

One thing 4Runner has that Rivian doesn't and many wished it had is the rear hatch window to roll down. Fisker Ocean has it too.

Its a very useful feature and Rivian could have implemented it but did not....

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