2004 Toyota 4Runner

My wife and I have a 98 4Runner, and I kind of hate it, so when she wanted to trade it in for a new one, I seriously rolled my eyes. There are several elements of the '98 car from a design perspective that drive me kind of crazy. (For instance, the cupholders pull out in a way that blocks usage of the air conditioner controls!) in the 2004 edition, I feel like Toyota corrected several of those issues, and the redesigned model is a great SUV!



Driving
I love the way the 2004 4Runner handles. It's a little bigger than it's predecessor, but it feels more stable and handles much better. The heavier weight seems to keep the car from sliding around too much, but it still retains a fairly good (though somewhat diminished) turning radius. The car has good pickup from the v6 engine, and doesn't fight that much at highway speeds. It accelerate well for the size of vehicle. Even with all that it still gets just over 20 mph which seems pretty decent for a car with this much room.



Interior
I really do love the redesigned interior on this model of 4Runner. Almost everything is in a good, accessible location, so that controls are fairly intuitive and usable. Our version has a lot of room in the front and in the back, but the third row seats feel pretty cramped for adults. Those seats do fold up pretty easily though, so that the vehicle is pretty versatile in what it can transport.



Fantastic SUV
Look, I prefer a smaller car, and given my choice I would get something smaller and perhaps a bit more efficient. That being said, this is the car my wife wanted, so that's what we got for her to drive, and I have to say I've been swayed somewhat by it. I like driving it, and if I had to pick an SUV, this would be what I would buy again. It was a little pricey for a used car, but they're notorious for holding their value. All in all, I think this is a great car.