 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Click image to enlarge |
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2010 Toyota 4Runner
Muskoka, Ontario – It’s not difficult to understand why sport utility vehicles grew in popularity over the past twenty years. A high seating position, space for all kinds of cargo and all weather capability appealed to many people, particularly those who live where inclement weather is the norm six months of the year.
Despite their ability to go where few would venture, few did – and over time, manufacturers morphed their SUV designs to meet the real needs of utility vehicle buyers. Truck style body-on-frame construction was dropped in favour of car style unibody construction. Solid rear axles disappeared, replaced with four wheel independent suspension. Part-time four-wheel drive (4WD) became full-time, on-demand, all-wheel drive. Old models switched over or were discontinued. Even the name changed, from sport utility vehicle (SUV) to crossover utility vehicle (CUV).
 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Click image to enlarge |
For most people this was a good thing. Comfort and road manners improved dramatically without compromising all weather capability, safety or cargo room.
But at the same time manufacturers built fewer and fewer vehicles capable of doing what SUVs were originally designed to do – go where ordinary vehicles were never intended to go. With a few exceptions – Jeep and Land Rover to name two – manufacturers have largely abandoned the body-on-frame SUV market (or in Hummer’s case, abandoned the brand).
Toyota has also maintained a presence in this market, building three body-on-frame SUVs, the Sequoia, FJ Cruiser and 4Runner, the latter two particularly suited to off-road travel.
The FJ, with its boxed frame, steep approach and departure angles, a choice of part-time 4WD or full-time 4WD systems, water repellant seat fabrics and rubberized flooring, is particularly suited to off-road adventures.
The FJ is targeted to a younger or more adventurous buyer, but its close cousin, the 4Runner has always appealed to families or buyers looking for a more well-equipped, but robust SUV. It is one of the longest running, most enduring mid-sized SUVs in Canada, being first introduced in 1984 as an enclosed version of the Tacoma mid-sized truck and has maintained its body-on-frame construction throughout its 25-year history.
 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Click image to enlarge |
And while Toyota has continued to improve the 4Runner’s off-road capability and versatility, the company has also moved the SUV up- market to appeal to luxury buyers. With the last generation, some 4Runner loyalists thought it had gone soft, if not in off-road technology, then at least in looks.
To counteract that perception, Toyota has launched the 5th generation of the 4Runner for 2010 and revised the SUV to convey a rugged, tough appearance, a look that Toyota hopes will match its capabilities. Gone are the soft round contours that characterized generation 4, replaced with sharp edges, square fender flares and Toyota’s prominent truck grille.
At the same time, they have built a new SUV that is even more capable off-road than ever before – and the 4Runner has always been one of the best off-roaders – with an assortment of high-tech off-road tools to complement its heavy duty boxed frame and solid rear axle. While the new 4Runner is slightly longer and wider than before, 244 mm (9.6 in.) of ground clearance and steel skid plates to protect the engine, transfer case and fuel tank allow the 4Runner to go just about anywhere, as we found out on a challenging off-road course that never really challenged the 4Runner.
  2010 Toyota 4Runner. Click image to enlarge |
All 4Runners come equipped with part time 4WD, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Active Traction Control (A-TRAC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Downhill Assist Control (DAC) and automatic disconnecting differential. When the wheels slip, A-TRAC applies the brakes to the spinning wheel and allows torque to be routed to the wheels with traction, similar to a limited slip differential. HAC holds the vehicle on a hill and prevents it from slipping back, while DAC applies the brakes and modulates the throttle to allow unaided slow descents. All of these assists can be turned on and off, as can the roll-sensing side curtain airbags (RSCA). When off-road, it is particularly important to turn off the RSCA to prevent the inadvertent discharge of the side airbags in conditions where the vehicle pitch is severe.
We took one pass through the half hour off-road course with our Trail Edition’s part-time 4WD set in 4WD low and A-TRAC turned on. Through deep mud, climbing up a steep rock slope or balanced on a mogul that took both the right front and left rear tires off the ground, the 4Runner kept going without becoming stuck or backing up to retry.
