Toyota is highly unlikely to bring the diesel state-side, but I hope they at least offer us the twin turbo V6 in the 4Runner and Tacoma. Without it, the 4Runner won't compete with V8 Grand Cherokees and twin turbo Ford Broncos. Toyota hasn't offered an exciting powertrain since the factory SC'd 3.4 V6s. The 381 hp 5.7L V8 is the only exception but it was never available in compacts.
I need either really good fuel economy or really fantastic power. Ideally both.
huh, I thought I replied to this thread earlier. Ken, I would love more excitement to the 4Runner line as well. Manual tranny would be a great start!
Some news on the Land Cruiser side of things.
Overseas spec 300 series land cruiser will have the 3.5TT V6, 3.3 turbo diesel (presumably V6), and the 4.0 1GR V6 will continue to be offered. The 3.5 TTV6 gets better mileage than the 4.0. Some trim levels will be offered with front and rear diff locks. Live rear axle and 6 lug wheels.
Here's the front end. I'm not a fan of the vents below the headlights, but on the plus side, it looks like the lower part of the bumper is one piece all the way across the front, which should make aftermarket bumpers look better. There is also a factory winch option.
Some good LC info here:
https://www.instagram.com/hamad1two3/
Rumors are there is a new Prado on the way within the next year or two, and the 2.7L 4 cylinder gas motor dropped in favor of the 2.5L Hybrid.
A new Lexus flagship CUV is rumored to be on the way, and engine is claimed to be a 4.0 TT V8 making 651hp. This is not a LX, but more of a SUV coupe thingy.
Last edited by DHC6twinotter; 04-03-2021 at 07:35 PM.
-Daniel2000 4Runner Sport | V6 | 5spd | 4x4 | Leather | 265/75-16 BFG AT/KO | OBA | BudBuilt front skid
1990 4Runner SR5 | V6 | Auto | 2wd | 3.90 rear | Cobra CB | 265/65r17 Bridgestone Duelers H/Ts | '08 Tacoma 5 spoke rims | Has an 11:1 crawl ratio! SOLD
I had a chance to check out the new Land Rover Defender. In short, I love it. The basic one starts a little below $50k, with a 2.0L 4 cylinder turbo with 296 hp and will tow over 7,700 lbs. It's amazing how much power they are getting out of 2.0 liters--more than V8 SUVs of yester-year with much better fuel economy and better performance. The 8-9 speed transmissions really help there. They also have a mild hybrid turbo inline-6 with 395 hp, but the price jumps up to $65k.
Add the rear locker ($1550), the panoramic roof with roof rails ($1800) and heated and cooled seats to the base model and it's around $56k. That's about the price of a TRD pro or a Wrangler Rubicon. Much different vehicle though...the LR is super comfy, lots of cool tech, but still has some off-road cred. I love the rubberized interior, the safari windows make it feel bright inside and the monitor-style rearview mirror allows you to see more than just the rear headrests. It's hard to describe, this vehicle is just "neat."
Honestly if I were in the market, this would be my rig. There just hasn't been anything made since the 3rd gen that does anything for me at all. TFL has had some bad luck (first one a CEL, replaced by a second vehicle but LR cut the wiring harness on a winch install) but the new Jaguar/LR powertrains seem to be better than they used to be--time will tell. It seems all modern vehicles are complex and have issues...I think it's just the reality of modern vehicles.
The new Grand Cherokee is coming out soon and I think these two (plus the Bronco) will be the competitors of the next-gen 4Runner.
Last edited by paddlenbike; 04-26-2021 at 12:30 PM.
My problem with the new Defenders is the independent rear suspension. I don't care what else they do for "tech", without at least one live axle this truck just will not be able to go the places I like to go. As it is my IFS is a limit I dislike, and wish a company other than Jeep/FCA offered a solid front axle in something smaller than a fullsize. Also, the argument of the boring drivetrains keeping the 4runner from competing with the GC/Bronco/whatever has been around for years, and it's never stopped the 4runner from outselling all of them; modern 4Runner buyers don't seriously cross shop. I fully expect the 4runner to continue being boring and outselling its competition. The Prado/GX, however, might be more interesting as it has continued coming with the v8 option which may turn into that 3.5TT or similar.
- Kevin
2018 Taco TRD Pro - 2.5" lift, 33" tires, everything else stock.
2012 Triumph Tiger XC - Stock
I had a chance to check out the new RAV4 Prime plug in hybrid. It's a 302 hp RAV4. The gas motor makes 179 hp and 199 ft lbs of torque, plus a front electric motor putting out 118 hp/149 tq and the rear one 53 hp/89 tq. 0-60 is 5.4 seconds. Toyota hasn't made anything this quick in a long time. By comparison the only other Toyota SUV that comes close is a supercharged 3rd gen that MotorTrend tested at 6.4 seconds, so wow.
The coolest thing is it has a battery that is 75% the size of my old Nissan Leaf and thus can drive 42 miles on all-electric. Most of my driving is within that range, so I could benefit highly from a drivetrain like this. The nice thing is the RAV can off-road and drive up to 85 MPH without engaging the gas motor. The old Prius Plug ins were limited to 62 MPH and were the bane of my existence for years when I had to follow Prius' in the carpool lane doing 61 MPH.
Will Toyota slip this powertrain in the 6th gen 4Runner? I am wondering. Land Rover, Ford, Mazda, Hyundai, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Audi, MB and Volvo are all stepping up with plug in hybrid SUVs. Lots of cool 4wd tricks can be done with separate motors, not to mention how cool it would be to go wheeling without running an engine.
Last edited by paddlenbike; 06-09-2021 at 09:01 PM.
Originally Posted by paddlenbike
The RAV4 Prime is really impressive. I'm not a huge fan of the RAV4 design, but the plug-in hybrid is a really nice option. My mom has a Ford C-MAX Energy, and she has about 20 miles of electric only range, which is enough for her to do her daily errands. She loves it.
Lexus just announced the new NX, and it has a four drivetrain options: 2.5, 2.0 hybrid, 2.0 plug-in hybrid, and 2.4 turbo. The plug-in hybrid is the same drivetrain as the RAV4 Prime, and the 2.4 turbo is an all-new motor that puts out 276hp. Maybe the 2.4 turbo and/or a turbo hybrid become options on the next Tacoma and 4Runner? Ford seems to think the 2.3 turbo works well for the Bronco and Ranger, and Toyota seems to have jumped on the forced induction bandwagon.
The 3.5TT V6 makes 409hp and 480 lb-ft torque in the Land Cruiser. The 3.3L turbo diesel makes 300hp and 530 lb-ft of torque. The diesel seems to have the turbo on top, but I'm not sure if it's a true hot-v or just a turbo placed on top like the Duramax. One source claimed it was a hot-v with sequential turbos.
I assume the Tundra power numbers will be the same, or very close. By comparison, the 3.5 EcoBoost in the F150 makes 400hp and 500 lb-ft torque (more in the Raptor).
The Tundra just got revealed today, so I suspect power numbers will come shortly.
-Daniel2000 4Runner Sport | V6 | 5spd | 4x4 | Leather | 265/75-16 BFG AT/KO | OBA | BudBuilt front skid
1990 4Runner SR5 | V6 | Auto | 2wd | 3.90 rear | Cobra CB | 265/65r17 Bridgestone Duelers H/Ts | '08 Tacoma 5 spoke rims | Has an 11:1 crawl ratio! SOLD
With the new Tundra finally unveiled, I'm starting to get excited about Toyota's new powertrain options. Up until now we've had naturally aspirated V6s and V8s with lackluster power and fuel economy. Oh and archaic 5-speed autos.
But now we have the RAV4 Prime powertrain that will be used in many future Toyotas and the new TT 3.5 in the Tundra looks very promising. If they put something like that in a 6th gen and the designers can keep themselves from making it ugly, oh man.
Toyota is releasing a ton of new models in the next three years. Should be exciting.
Last edited by paddlenbike; 09-21-2021 at 06:12 PM.
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