Gleneden Beach, Oregon—
The third generation of Toyota's 4Runner lasted seven model years, which is a long time in the cutthroat sport-ute arena. Now that its successor has arrived armed with a stouter frame, more interior room, and an optional V-8, the old goat seems all the more decrepit. The 2003 Sport model's phony hood scoop and high-contrast cladding, and the Buick Rendezvous-esque roof pillars used on all models, give us pause, but hidden within the new 4Runner's unflattering wrapper lies the soul of a Lexus.
Oregon coastal-route and logging-trail preview drives proved that chief engineer Junichi Furuyama took his work seriously. Only the sacred body-on-frame blueprints were saved. To accommodate a grander load of play toys and people, all dimensions are greater and the new chassis is substantially stiffer. The supersized 4Runner is longer than a Hummer H1, wider than a Ford Explorer, and heavier than a Cadillac DeVille, but don't hold that against it. Canny engineers have blended a half-track's off-road sure-footedness with a family sedan's pavement poise.
You'd expect the 4.7-liter V-8 borrowed from the Lexus LX470 to be well mannered, but it's upstaged by a fresh 24-valve, 4.0-liter, mostly aluminum V-6 that delivers 245 horsepower (10 more than the V-8).... Read full article