BT17R

Did you happen to notice the change in the Toyota logo from the 1st Gen to 4th Gen? Does that make any 4R without the original Toyota emblem less of a Toyota?

CLin9383

I know this is kinda "peace maker" of me...but i think we should keep the "hate the new 4runners" opinions on a lower level...because even though i dont own a 4th gen, i'm sure the people that do own them dont want to come on to this forum and get blasted for buyin the car...we have to accept that it is a 4runner and be open minded...ok..i'll get off my soapbox now...thanks for reading

BT17R

Nor would I, and I've owned every generation 4Runner and Land Cruiser since 1978. The '03 4Runner finally separates itself from the Tacoma derived chassis, and is now based on the Land Cruiser Prado frame with the 2UZ drivetrain as well. However, the new 4Runner leapfrogs even the legendary US spec FJ100 with it's drivetrain, suspension and brake enhancements. It's a new era for 4Runner, and we in the US are fortunate to be the only country in the world to get the 2UZ in our Prado...er, 4Runner.

BT17R

5% insurance discount on collision coverage in my state.

sleepy1405

okay...but are they supposed to be like the parking lights? what exactly are they called? and why are they not the usual color you see for lights, well at least they look different to me

BT17R

Those are the DRL's. They're an option in the US ($32 IIRC), but expect most to come with them. I ordered them on mine for the insurance discount. If you don't like them, there's an underhood relay that can be removed to disable them.

Mohamed

You guys are trippin'....I just test drove the '03 4Runner and first off, a limited looks very good, but any SR5 looks ugly with the unpainted cladding. The dealer i went to had a silver and a black limited, all very good looking vehicles.

Drivewise, love the interior; alot of cool buttons and gadgets. Love the sound system on the limited! Powerwise, uck!!! I love my Tundra for that, the 4Runner really feels sluggish compared to the Tundra, I mean I really had to step on the gas on the Runner to feel anything, and even then it wasn't like my Tundra. It feels as if the thing is choked and I imagine with a better exhaust and headers it will feel better. But the Limiteds are very good looking not ugly!

________

On another note, the '03 Tundras interiors looks so much more better than previous years, got to check those out too. They also put in a rear defrost which will be very handy in the winter I think. But the relocated the fog light switch to the light lever and I though that was a bad move caz now it's cluttered and it becomes hard to locate it when you need it. The body also look very ugly on the '03, and I love my '02. The bumper on the '03 is also very flimsy as I banged on it to test it out, Toyota can't ever make a descent bumper it seems!

sleepy1405

I have yet to test out the new 4runner...I'm not sure if I will or not, I like the power on my 4runner right now, although i'm sure more is better, if I ever get a truck i'm getting a tundra, of course by the time I get a truck there might be one above that, anyways since I got my kenwood screen in i'm not so jealous of the navigation screen they have with the limited 03 4runners, if you haven't seen the pics go check it out

BT17R

Looks like that's what a 3.91 differential will do for a slightly heavier Tundra compared to an '03 Limited with 3.727's.

Tundra info @Toyota.com

BT17R

Depends. There's a new V-10 Tundra on the way, possible 04 MY.

Mohamed

lmao...where did you hear that? Toyota make a V-10, man that is too funny...! I don't mean to be sinical but Toyota at least to me is very uncapable of making something powerful in the lines of trucks. I mean the Tundra engine is a Lexus derived, not Toyota derived, yes they may operate under the same division, but it was Lexus engineers that made my engine, not Toyota.

Tundra is expected to come with a quad-cab (means 4 real doors) in '04 but it will be same platform.

2006, a new Tundra platform is expected with a possible 5.4L (or was it 5.2L? I don't remember) engine V8, that was the rumor.

Beowulf

It would be nice if they could come out with something that could compete with the SVT F-150 Lightning!

BT17R

It's been announced by Toyota already. From internal PR news wire. It may not actually be called Tundra, but it might. It's the new HD segment Toyota is entering. Fact.

Oh, no worries about the 2UZ. I've owned L/C, LX, Tundra, and Sequoia with derivatives of that engine. I currently own and race a Lexus IS300 with a Toyota 2JZ engine. No shame is admitting that Lexus = Toyota. Like I wrote, 4R and GX are built side-by-side in the same Tahara plant.

Beowulf

Hey BT17R, I am just curious what the standard tire size and axle ratio are for the 03'

Thanks

BT17R

Beowulf-

Standard wheel size is 7.0 x 16 six-spoke steel on SR5. Six-spoke alloy optional on SR5.

Five-spoke 17" alloy optional on SR5, standard on Limited.

Unique six-spoke 17" alloy standard on Sport Edition.

Tire size is either P265/70 R16 or P265/65 R17.

I'm still looking for upgrade rubber for the 17's that'll allow all the ECU sensors (anti-lock brakes, traction control, vehicle skid control, brake assist, downhill assist control, hill start assist control, X-REAS, and Rear Height Control Air Suspension) to function as intended. That's alot of sensors! Of the four tires I've seen on the '03 4R (Goodrich, Dunlop, Bridgestone, and Michelin), I hope to get the LTX Michelin's for their *slightly* more open and aggressive tread pattern, and their reputation for durability off-road.

Hope that helps.

Edit: Forgot the differential ratios, for either 4x2 or 4x4.
1GR V-6 3.909
2UZ V-8 3.727

Note that the first 4 of 5 gears of the V-8 tranny are much shorter resulting in a better crawl ratio for the V-8 (~33) than the 4 speed V-6 tranny (~28).

sleepy1405

oh no I meant like way in the future, after we pay off the 4runner in about 3-4 years my boyfriend gets to pick what the new car will be, it'll probably be a car since i'm planning on having a family, right now he wants an avalon, so unless anything changes that's what i'll have in 3-4 years or sooner depending on the income I guess, then I guess it'll be a truck time so maybe in about 6-8 years for the truck? that's a hell of a long time though, wish I had more money, but doesn't everybody

Mohamed

Hey BT17R,

First off, can I ask what that stands for? Second, I wanted to ask, was it me, or did it seem the brake pedal was a wee-bit too close to the accelerator in the '03 4Runner? I haven't seen anyone mention that, but I kept clangin' on the brake and the accelerator at the same time when test drivin' it.

BT17R

Mohamed, BT17R is the Toyota designator code for the '03 4Runner Limited V-8. It's like calling the current Land Cruiser an FJ100. Except the 4R has eight VDS codes instead of the mono spec L/C.

Didn't notice the brake pedal. I left-foot brake auto tranny cars.

Mohamed

Wow, you must have been a backhoe or heavy machinery operator at one time because everyone that I know that does the left foot brake was once a heavy machine operator. I tried doing that myself, but it doesn't work very well for me.

Anyway, congratulatoins on your purchase, it is still indeed a fine vehicle

BT17R

Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting the car. I really hope all the ECU's don't interfere with the driving experience. That's my main complaint about any 2000+ L/C and Sequoia.

The only heavy equipment I've operated was a Sequoia! I had to learn both left-foot brake and gas while driving with a cast on my right leg. I kept left-foot braking afterwards. It's easier and sometimes better car control in certain situations being able to use trail brake with gas. Like heel-and-toe, it gets smoother with practice.