4Runner VS Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[vegasjeepguy]

Well....after test driving both and through all of your input, the decision has been made! Me and my wife are signing on our new 2017 Charcoal 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium tonight! We loved the Jeep, but felt the 4Runner just better met out needs. Thanks everyone for your input!

As a Jeep guy I completely understand. Most of us have a love/hate relationship with our Jeeps, especially the 2dr guys. The small size and narrow wheel base are ideal for many off-road applications, but at the expense of both cargo and passenger capacity. That's why you see so many trailers behind Jeeps. My wife currently has a Lexus sedan with 270k miles on it. When it's time to trade that in I will be trying to convince her to get something very much like your 4Runner as her primary and my second vehicle. Looking forward to seeing how this goes for you.

 

[Jeepney]

As long as you can't stop staring back at your own truck on your way to work, grocery store, mall, and jn your garage, then you'll know you picked the right one. Congrats that's a nice rig, coming from a jeep owner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kashoggio]

Looks like you made the choice to go with the 4Runner, good choice for a all around good vehicle.

 

[ivyasaurus]

Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk

 

[Arizona Overland]

Congrats on your new purchase OP. Now the real fun begins.

 

[KevinE]

Hey, looks like you are going through the same decision as I just completed. I ended up going with a 2015 4Runner TRD Pro only because I got a good deal. I had settled on the 4Runner as I think it is easier to do more miles on that a Jeep (just my opinion, don't shoot me!!!) with 35's. Both the 4Runner and Wrangler hold there value well, you are going to find many more options for mods for the jeep than the Yota. I have also found that the mods are generally more expensive for the yota than the jeep. Also, the yota has a much better reputation as for reliability than the Jeep. Lastly, I think there is more interior room in the yota than the jeep. As I have 2 dogs which go with me everywhere that was a very important factor.

In the end for what I wanted (not rock crawling) I think that the 4Runner will do pretty much everything you want to do and is much more comfortable doing it. Reliability of the yota is

 

[w_m_photo]

Well. I've owned my JKU (Wrangler Unlimited) since April of 2009. I've put over 270,000 miles on it. I've got cross country three times towing a M416 trailer with an RTT on it. Taken the Jeep through the Rubicon, Moab a few times, plenty of Colorado, a whole bunch of Midwest trails, all of Drummond Is, MI... And, that's just for the fun stuff. She is also my daily driver. In which I've driven her to most of the states east of the Mississippi.
If you look at my profile, you will see that the jeep is not exactly stock anymore. That being said, mechanically she is mostly stock. Stock engine, trany, axles, drive shafts, gears... ect... I have had a few repairs done. Mostly seals. At 255k I had to have some trany work(warranty replacement for the whole thing). The rear main, lower and upper oil pan seals, front pinion seals, Front drive shaft a couple of times, front axle internals(gears, axles, u-joints), Steering pump, radiator at around 230k... So, I've had a few things that needed repair over the years. But, the last thing I would call this thing is unreliable.
As for a family vehicle... I'm married with two kids (10 and 7) and this has been the best family vehicle we have ever owned. Right now our second vehicle (Wife's) is a Yukon Denali... and yet we always take the Jeep on vacations...
I'm not going to try to convince you that you need a Jeep. But, what I will say is that this is the best vehicle I've ever owned... And I plan on keeping it to at least a million miles are on her!

 

[w_m_photo]

Just saw that you already decided. Congrats on the new vehicle...
May you find the road that gets you where you need.

 

[The Raven]

For your use I would go with the Jeep but for long term ownership go with the Toyota. I have owned a 97 and 06 Jeep Wrangler. the 97 was a TJ the 06 was an LJ Rubicon. The TJ rusted into the ground, and at 160k things were falling apart left and right, burning a quart every 1000mi. The LJ at 100k was running well but was starting to burn oil and things were starting to go south. No rust and only because I was obsessive about prevention. I only got rid of it for size and comfort though. I bought a Toyota Landcruiser because it was built much stronger than the Jeep and because I saw how well the toyota treats thier customers....jeep does not do this (first hand expereince on a recall issue). The LC has 214k and burns a quart every 4500 miles.

 

[ngurney]

Thanks for all the great comments everyone. We have had the T4R for about a month at ~5000 miles and we are very happy with it. That being said, we probably would have been just as happy with a keep but decided the runner better met our needs (mostly due to interior size).


Sent from my iPad using OB Talk

 

[Jeff Graham]

Thanks for all the great comments everyone. We have had the T4R for about a month at ~5000 miles and we are very happy with it. That being said, we probably would have been just as happy with a keep but decided the runner better met our needs (mostly due to interior size).


Sent from my iPad using OB Talk

I'm glad you are happy with your choice. Thats all that really matters. Have you started a build thread? If you have, add a link, so I can follow it.

 

[olectric]

I deliberated for a long time over the same decision and ended up with a 4Runner as well. The criteria that were most important to my decision were reliability and resale value, and the Toyotas (the Taco and the 4Runner) were tops in both.

I can't post links since this is my first post (hi, everyone)

Look up KBB top resale 2017 (Taco #1, T4R #2).
And check out the top rankings on the Long Term Quality Index...you'd think Toyota and Lexus paid them off.

 

[Cold6983]

I looked into both for a long time, ended up with a JKU Willys package for specific reasons (yes, I know some believe it to be a sticker package). I have to fit my wife, a teenager, a Jack Russell Terrier, and all our camping gear for our trips and it can get challenging fitting it all when I am running my slant back soft top in the summer months. When it comes to space, comfort, and mpg, tow capability...the T4R is the clear winner. I love the new T4R so much that it will probably be my next vehicle once the Jeep is paid off.
So why did I pick the Jeep? It was a better match for my lifestyle and goals for the price. Pure and simple. Many of the pitfalls of the Wrangler are the things I like about it: twitchy steering on the highway feels right to me in a trucklike vehicle and I enjoy the challenge of seeing just how much stuff I can cram into it. We chose the trim level to get the Rubi tires/suspension, a limited slip rear diff, liked the looks (yes, the stickers), and it didn't have anything I didn't want. I overlooked the Dana 30 up front vice the 44 in the Rubi, because I was already planning an axle swap/regear to go with a lift; the lift would cancel out the Elecronic Disco Swaybar, lockers are great, but not $5k-10k great when they leave you with an open diff on an icy/snowy highway unlocked...We added the hardtop (which I recommend to anyone buying a new Jeep, because soft tops are cheaper to buy afterward), slushbox for the wife and an engine block heater...thats it. From the beginning, we wanted something that we could turn into a rig that we could pile our small family into on Friday, go wheeling, get muddy, go camping, fishing, exploring, etc...garden hose it out on Sunday and go to work in it on Monday. Leather, carpet, and drain plugs be damned, lol. But that is us.

The T4R is what I would recommend to most people because it is the perfect vehicle for Monday-Friday with plenty of capacity/capability to play all weekend and you can tow a boat as a bonus. But, IF you end up going with the Jeep, take a look at what your "endgame" is and consider some of the lower trims if you want to save money for mods. Buy what you need so you can build what you want, or spend the extra to buy a finished product and just enjoy it. Let's face it, most Rubi's and TRD's will spend 90% (made up percentage) of their life on the pavement. We ended up at 35 and some change out the door and have 37 total into it now (Rigid/Trucklites headlight upgrade because stock halogen is garbage, CB, Bartact seatcovers for H20 and dog resistance, Rampage frameless softop, overhead storage rack inside, etc). It took us comfortably from Texas to Washington state in the dead of winter during it's first 3-4k miles, and by driving conservative, I wasn't worried when there was noone left but us and the snow plows on the road in Dead Man's Pass through Oregon.

Feel free to hit me up if you have any specific questions and good luck on the purchase, it's always an exciting and exhausting process picking a new toy for your stable.

 

[Cold6983]

I looked into both for a long time, ended up with a JKU Willys package for specific reasons (yes, I know some believe it to be a sticker package). I have to fit my wife, a teenager, a Jack Russell Terrier, and all our camping gear for our trips and it can get challenging fitting it all when I am running my slant back soft top in the summer months. When it comes to space, comfort, and mpg, tow capability...the T4R is the clear winner. I love the new T4R so much that it will probably be my next vehicle once the Jeep is paid off.
So why did I pick the Jeep? It was a better match for my lifestyle and goals for the price. Pure and simple. Many of the pitfalls of the Wrangler are the things I like about it: twitchy steering on the highway feels right to me in a trucklike vehicle and I enjoy the challenge of seeing just how much stuff I can cram into it. We chose the trim level to get the Rubi tires/suspension, a limited slip rear diff, liked the looks (yes, the stickers), and it didn't have anything I didn't want. I overlooked the Dana 30 up front vice the 44 in the Rubi, because I was already planning an axle swap/regear to go with a lift; the lift would cancel out the Elecronic Disco Swaybar, lockers are great, but not $5k-10k great when they leave you with an open diff on an icy/snowy highway unlocked...We added the hardtop (which I recommend to anyone buying a new Jeep, because soft tops are cheaper to buy afterward), slushbox for the wife and an engine block heater...thats it. From the beginning, we wanted something that we could turn into a rig that we could pile our small family into on Friday, go wheeling, get muddy, go camping, fishing, exploring, etc...garden hose it out on Sunday and go to work in it on Monday. Leather, carpet, and drain plugs be damned, lol. But that is us.

The T4R is what I would recommend to most people because it is the perfect vehicle for Monday-Friday with plenty of capacity/capability to play all weekend and you can tow a boat as a bonus. But, IF you end up going with the Jeep, take a look at what your "endgame" is and consider some of the lower trims if you want to save money for mods. Buy what you need so you can build what you want, or spend the extra to buy a finished product and just enjoy it. Let's face it, most Rubi's and TRD's will spend 90% (made up percentage) of their life on the pavement. We ended up at 35 and some change out the door and have 37 total into it now (Rigid/Trucklites headlight upgrade because stock halogen is garbage, CB, Bartact seatcovers for H20 and dog resistance, Rampage frameless softop, overhead storage rack inside, etc). It took us comfortably from Texas to Washington state in the dead of winter during it's first 3-4k miles, and by driving conservative, I wasn't worried when there was noone left but us and the snow plows on the road in Dead Man's Pass through Oregon.

Feel free to hit me up if you have any specific questions and good luck on the purchase, it's always an exciting and exhausting process picking a new toy for your stable.

And I just saw that you went with the T4R...lol. a little late on my part, sry.

 

[Cold6983]

I looked into both for a long time, ended up with a JKU Willys package for specific reasons (yes, I know some believe it to be a sticker package). I have to fit my wife, a teenager, a Jack Russell Terrier, and all our camping gear for our trips and it can get challenging fitting it all when I am running my slant back soft top in the summer months. When it comes to space, comfort, and mpg, tow capability...the T4R is the clear winner. I love the new T4R so much that it will probably be my next vehicle once the Jeep is paid off.
So why did I pick the Jeep? It was a better match for my lifestyle and goals for the price. Pure and simple. Many of the pitfalls of the Wrangler are the things I like about it: twitchy steering on the highway feels right to me in a trucklike vehicle and I enjoy the challenge of seeing just how much stuff I can cram into it. We chose the trim level to get the Rubi tires/suspension, a limited slip rear diff, liked the looks (yes, the stickers), and it didn't have anything I didn't want. I overlooked the Dana 30 up front vice the 44 in the Rubi, because I was already planning an axle swap/regear to go with a lift; the lift would cancel out the Elecronic Disco Swaybar, lockers are great, but not $5k-10k great when they leave you with an open diff on an icy/snowy highway unlocked...We added the hardtop (which I recommend to anyone buying a new Jeep, because soft tops are cheaper to buy afterward), slushbox for the wife and an engine block heater...thats it. From the beginning, we wanted something that we could turn into a rig that we could pile our small family into on Friday, go wheeling, get muddy, go camping, fishing, exploring, etc...garden hose it out on Sunday and go to work in it on Monday. Leather, carpet, and drain plugs be damned, lol. But that is us.

The T4R is what I would recommend to most people because it is the perfect vehicle for Monday-Friday with plenty of capacity/capability to play all weekend and you can tow a boat as a bonus. But, IF you end up going with the Jeep, take a look at what your "endgame" is and consider some of the lower trims if you want to save money for mods. Buy what you need so you can build what you want, or spend the extra to buy a finished product and just enjoy it. Let's face it, most Rubi's and TRD's will spend 90% (made up percentage) of their life on the pavement. We ended up at 35 and some change out the door and have 37 total into it now (Rigid/Trucklites headlight upgrade because stock halogen is garbage, CB, Bartact seatcovers for H20 and dog resistance, Rampage frameless softop, overhead storage rack inside, etc). It took us comfortably from Texas to Washington state in the dead of winter during it's first 3-4k miles, and by driving conservative, I wasn't worried when there was noone left but us and the snow plows on the road in Dead Man's Pass through Oregon.

Feel free to hit me up if you have any specific questions and good luck on the purchase, it's always an exciting and exhausting process picking a new toy for your stable.

And I just saw that you went with the T4R...lol. a little late on my part, sry.

Waaay late for me, but I ended up with a Wrangler JKU, later a Wrangler LJ, and latest is a Gladiator JT. Still have all of them. Hope the years have been good to you.