2021 4runner owner. help me decide on a new 4runner

[hhuha]

I like my current 4runner, but I don't love it. Main reason is because it's black and black is a pain in the butt to maintain for me. Also Toyota's paint quality doesn't make it any better when it chips easily. I could just trade it in for a different color, but I'm looking for something different and newer tech.

Before I test drove any of the models, I decided the trd off road premium trim was for me based on just research online. However after some test drives, I'm liking the hybrid model a lot. I test drove a trd off road premium and noticed engine noise was a little louder than I'd like. Comparing it to my v6, the v6 is real smooth and you can barely hear and engine noise and shifts. Unfortunately there weren't any hybrid 4runners in my area to test so the next best one was a trail hunter tacoma. It sounds like engine noise is a little quieter because of the hybrid, but I wasn't able to test it long enough to confirm. There are trade offs between the hybrid and non hybrid.

Hybrid

• power
• mpg
• slightly quieter
• less cargo room
• long term reliability

non hybrid

• cheaper
• more cargo room
• noisier engine

Now that I'm open to hybrid options, I'm considering a pro or trailhunter because it seems to be harder to find a trd off road premium hybrid with the options I want and don't want. This will be a vehicle I'm planning to keep long term and invest in protecting it. What would you go with? Hybrid or non hybrid?

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[Mad Ghost]

You seem to be aware of the main bullet points.... so for me and my family of 4 we love camping and giving up 6 or so cubic feet of storage and less weight in terms of cargo was a no go. We are going to be stuff to the brim on a 16 day road trip in the next week and will need the cargo area and payload capacity. So TRD ORP is the route I went. If you are towing a boat every weekend maybe the hybrid is the way to go but this 8spd transmission and turbo motor is plenty peppy in day to day travels.

 

[hhuha]

You seem to be aware of the main bullet points.... so for me and my family of 4 we love camping and giving up 6 or so cubic feet of storage and less weight in terms of cargo was a no go. We are going to be stuff to the brim on a 16 day road trip in the next week and will need the cargo area and payload capacity. So TRD ORP is the route I went. If you are towing a boat every weekend maybe the hybrid is the way to go but this 8spd transmission and turbo motor is plenty peppy in day to day travels.

No towing for me. How is the engine noise for you?

 

[nubbins_]

It sounds like engine noise is a little quieter because of the hybrid, but I wasn't able to test it long enough to confirm.

Probably less to do with the fact it's a hybrid, and more some combination of underhood sound insulation on higher trims + built-in engine shutoff in the Hybrid. It's otherwise the same engine. There are some 1 piece aftermarket solutions to that popping up on Amazon now that are much cheaper than the OEM hood insulation part

 

[Vincenzo]

I was in a rush to get a new 4 runner because I wasn’t happy with the current vehicle I was driving and wanted to get the most out of my trade in. It was still relatively new. I wouldn’t normally jump into the first of a new iteration. Wait till the next model year.

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

Expensive potential battery replacement and/or maintenance of battery, is that not con with a hybrid?

 

[Nodak]

Expensive potential battery replacement and/or maintenance of battery, is that not con with a hybrid?

Toyota offers a hybrid battery warranty of 10 years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first) for model year 2020 and later hybrid vehicles. This coverage extends to the high-voltage battery, battery control module, hybrid control module, and inverter with converter. For earlier models, the warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles.

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

Toyota offers a hybrid battery warranty of 10 years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first) for model year 2020 and later hybrid vehicles. This coverage extends to the high-voltage battery, battery control module, hybrid control module, and inverter with converter. For earlier models, the warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles.

What is the cost? That was the con that made me not consider a hybrid very much. Just one more thing to maintain IMO.

 

[Nodak]

What is the cost? That was the con that made me not consider a hybrid very much. Just one more thing to maintain IMO.

between 2000-8000 from 3rd party sources (not confirmed)

the best i can find is a rav4 battery but no one has done a tundra one yet, a reconditioned one was around 1500-3500.

best i can find is a rav4 battery but thats like 1/2 the size of the tundra one

 

[Mad Ghost]

Engine noise from inside the cabin is a non issue, I'm a car guy and will admit that to me its not a pretty sounding engine from the outside seems industrial, however inside without the radio on no complaints.. this is my first "truck" I've always driven unibody and was very surprised even in TRD OR trim how smooth the ride is and how planted it feels in curves and on the highway. I had a rental 4runner back in 2015 and remembered how poorly that drove and the front end dive under breaking. This has none of that.

 

[jimster]

I chose the hybrid because I keep cars for a long time, and plan to keep this one a while too. My previous car felt underpowered, and was dated looking because I bought the last model year of that design.

The hybrid has more juice when accelerating. In 10-15 years, the gas model will seem underpowered compared to the rest of the vehicles on the road.

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