2003 Toyota 4Runner

Like a first-born child patiently enduring the new baby in the house, the Toyota 4Runner has been overshadowed in recent years by the introduction of the Highlander. Both are mid-sized sport utilities, but aimed at different audiences. The Highlander is car-based and seeks mostly the family/carpool business, while the 4Runner is truck-based and has real off-road capability.

But big brother doesn’t need to stand by quietly any longer and take it. 2003 finds a brand new 4Runner positioned to resume the spotlight with more power and increased comforts. Toyota’s mid-sized mainstay continues its tradition of solid off-road ruggedness, but with more civility than ever before.

The Good News
The 4Runner is based not on the Tacoma pickup, but on the larger Prado, a sport utility not sold in the U.S. This platform is not quite as large as the Land Cruiser/Sequoia, but close.

The 4Runner comes in three trim levels with a choice of two engines and 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive. The one I tested was the 4Runner Sport, the middle of the three trim levels, with a V-8 engine and 2-wheel drive. This means I didn’t get to experience any of the 4Runner’s new electronic systems assisting off-road maneuvers, nor its optimum horsepower. The V-6 actually produces10 more horses than the V-8, but torque is the real mark between these two engines. V-8-equipped 4Runners get full-time four-wheel drive, while the V-6’s setup is part-time.

The 4Runner’s V-8 is akin to the 4.7-liter, twin cam, 32-valve i-Force powerplant found in the Tundra, Sequoia and Land Cruiser. It produces 235 horses at 4800 rpm and an impressive 320 lb-ft torque at 3,400 rpm. This new 4Runner doesn’t lack for acceleration in any situation, thanks to a broad band for that torque. It is a more-than-willing partner.

Mated to the V-8 is a five-speed automatic that delivers the 4Runner’s new power seamlessly. In fact, “seamless” pretty much applies across the board to this revised sport utility. Although Toyota has kept intact the 4Runner’s long-standing mission of being a true off-roader, much has been done to improve its comforts.

Among those improvements are larger dimensions. It is 189 inches in overall length now (an increase of almost 6 inches) with a 109.8-inch wheelbase for smoother ride and 73.8-inch overall width. That means more room in every direction for passengers and cargo, especially notable in the back seat. Cargo capacity now stands at 42.2 cubic feet with rear seats in place, 75.1 with seats folded.

Much has also been done to better ride quality. Especially interesting is the X-Relative Absorber System. It sounds like something from Star Trek, but actually derives its inspiration from race cars. The system minimizes rolls so this 4Runner can tackle corners less like a truck, more like, well, a race car. It’s an excellent system, and it’s standard on the Sport model I tested.

Also standard on the Sport are hood scoop, fog lamps, six-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, special badging, color-keyed heated mirrors and silver-painted grille, door handles and roof rails. New standard safety measures include dual-stage airbags and anti-lock brakes. Side curtain airbags are optional.

The Bad News
I find little to dislike about this new 4Runner. Toyota has solved its biggest drawback, which was interior space constraints, and given it considerable boost in power. Some might grumble that added weight (about 350 pounds total) compromises some of its off-road spirit. But the 9.1 inches of ground clearance and, again, the added torque, go a long way towards silencing those critics.

Gas mileage
EPA rated at 16 mpg city/20 highway 2WD

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $29,800;
Price as tested, $31,716

Is it worth it?
As nice as this new 4Runner is, I’m a little put off by a $31,000 sport utility that doesn’t include four-wheel drive. That price does buy you V-8 power, rugged body-on-frame construction and all the upscale amenities one expects in today’s SUV, however.

The 4Runner has been Toyota’s best-selling sport utility, mostly because it was for a long time its most affordable. Even with the introduction of the thrifty compact RAV4 and the Highlander, the 4Runner still occupies an important niche in Toyota’s lineup because it offers the off-road ruggedness the others don’t.

But these car-based SUVs have raised the bar in terms of what people expect in comfort and responsive performance in a sport utility. Now that the 4Runner has risen to meet those standards, and done so without softening its off-road image, I think its slot in the Toyota family is secure.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville’s daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.