Wrangler vs Toyota 4runner

[hgill]

I've read through many posts on wrangler vs toyota, but it always seems like it just depends on the persons needs. So I'd like some help from you guys on deciding on which overlanding rig to buy.

I'm trying to decide between a new 2020 JLU Rubicon, or a new 2020 4runner (thinking about the off-road premium and do a 2-3 inch lift and 33 inch tires).

I love the off road capability of the JLU Rubicon, but I've never owned a jeep. Love the idea of owning the new ecodiesel version of the JLU Rubicon (480 ftlb of torque!!).. but then I might have def problems.
My dad is a toyota guy, we've owned toyotas all my life, love the dependability. Just do the scheduled maintenance and nothing goes wrong at all.

My needs:
I don't work on cars anymore (don't have the time/knowledge). So I don't want things breaking/messing up and having to go to repair shops. I plan on putting a lot of miles on my vehicle(between 20,000-30,000 per year)

My wife, kid and I would be doing a lot of highway driving to different national parks for overlanding/camping. So on-road comfort would be good. (I've heard the new JLU's are comfortable on-road, but not sure how that compares to 4runners).

Dependability is important (I know all the toyota guys are gonna say "go with a toyota then," but aren't jeeps pretty dependable too now?)

Love the idea of doing difficult trails and rock crawling....but in reality I probably won't be doing much/any rock crawling. I'd like to do some difficult trails, but I think most of the overlanding trails I'll be on will be easy, or medium in difficulty. And it seems like the difficult trails usually just have a short sections with boulders/rocks... Don't plan on doing the Rubicon trail (probably rent a modified jeep for that). I do want to do some moab trails, like fins and things, hells revenge (not the difficult parts), and maybe Top of The World Trail.

Appreciate any feedback!

 

[1Louder]

Well pretty much what you are asking has been discussed in other threads. Personal choice. I would say Toyota is more reliable but then a Jeep person will say the same. I do not find Jeeps to be comfortable. The back is even less comfortable. BUT it depends on what you like and not everyone else. I just ate at a place that got great reviews. It was Meh. Not sure if the owner had a Toyota or Jeep though. :)

 

[Billiebob]

I love Jeeps but I'll never buy a NEW North American vehicle. All my Jeeps have been used to avoid the warranty issues.

Buying new, ANY Asian product blows away the American/German service & warranty debacle.
You cannot go wrong with a Toyota. Your Dad is right.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I've run Mopars for decades. Never had an issue.

You can find many issues with Toyotas at the Toyota sites, I considered a new Tacoma when the latest generation came out and there were all KINDS of issues at Tacoma World back then.

I stuck with Mopar.

 

[Dustinfromohio]

Both vehicles are fantastic choices, you can’t go wrong with either. Saying that, here are a couple things to consider. Since you don’t plan on doing any of your own maintenance I would stick to a stock suspension and run the tallest tires that will function. Generally speaking, lifts increase wear on the drivetrain, require extra maintenance,and make finding parts a little more difficult that just walking into the closest dealership. That puts rubicon a hair ahead Offroad. On the other hand I’ve had 5 different jeeps including a 2012 Sahara unlimited (never a jl though) and I didn’t enjoy daily driving them for long distances so if it’s going to be a multiple use rig the creature comforts of the 4Runner will win out. You could always do what we did, I have a TJ wrangler as my second car and the GF dds a 4runner! If you do go the wrangler route I would be cautious of choosing the diesel, it really isn’t a tried and true option yet. The 3.6l is an excellent power plant, especially coupled with the new 8 speed tranny. I’ve heard multiple people running 37” tires with that tranny and 4.10 gears and felt no need to regear.

 

[hgill]

I love Jeeps but I'll never buy a NEW North American vehicle. All my Jeeps have been used to avoid the warranty issues.

Buying new, ANY Asian product blows away the American/German service & warranty debacle.
You cannot go wrong with a Toyota. Your Dad is right.

Thanks for your input. I have no experiences with jeeps, and a lot of experience with toyotas. I guess its best to stick with what I know

 

[hgill]

I've run Mopars for decades. Never had an issue.

You can find many issues with Toyotas at the Toyota sites, I considered a new Tacoma when the latest generation came out and there were all KINDS of issues at Tacoma World back then.

I stuck with Mopar.

Thanks for your input. I have heard really good things about Dodge Ram trucks, and them being very reliable.

 

[Dilldog]

I am against light duty diesel for many reasons, if you want to know them send me an IM and Ill tell you, but I wont clog up this thread with it out of courtesy.

Now to the point at hand...
Having been around both the 4 runner will ride better and handle better on pavement, and also run quieter. But the Jeep I think still has the edge off road. But the 4 Runner will have more cargo space and payload. As far as reliability both brands have their issues, it really comes down to what you are willing and able to repair and maintain. When I had my Jeep it was simply put one of the easiest to work on rigs I have ever owned, the Toyota will be less so as access will be a little less than the Jeep. Also Chrysler has been coming a long way, as has GM and Ford. The Big three are once again building world class worth while products as a result of ditching poor management and ideas that were formed in the 70s that didnt work then and sure dont work now.
If it were me I would probably go Jeep. I will admit to having a loyalty to my fellow American worker, so I try to buy stuff built by American companies in America (I also extend this to Canadians as my family is from Canada, so its like a second home to me, lol). But the Jeep is still a very simple vehicle built more like a utility rig, and I like that, a lot. I will honestly say I personally see nothing wrong with the Toyota, my preference would just be to the Jeep for the reasons expressed above.
Bottom line, both will be great rigs, both will have their issues, it really does come down to preference. I would say get to know a few people who personally own them and pick their brains. See if you can go on a few runs in their rigs. Internet malarkey is no match for first hand observation.

 

[1Louder]

Internet malarkey is no match for first hand observation.

Hey what I wrote was gibberish not malarkey!

 

[hgill]

I am against light duty diesel for many reasons, if you want to know them send me an IM and Ill tell you, but I wont clog up this thread with it out of courtesy.

Now to the point at hand...
Having been around both the 4 runner will ride better and handle better on pavement, and also run quieter. But the Jeep I think still has the edge off road. But the 4 Runner will have more cargo space and payload. As far as reliability both brands have their issues, it really comes down to what you are willing and able to repair and maintain. When I had my Jeep it was simply put one of the easiest to work on rigs I have ever owned, the Toyota will be less so as access will be a little less than the Jeep. Also Chrysler has been coming a long way, as has GM and Ford. The Big three are once again building world class worth while products as a result of ditching poor management and ideas that were formed in the 70s that didnt work then and sure dont work now.
If it were me I would probably go Jeep. I will admit to having a loyalty to my fellow American worker, so I try to buy stuff built by American companies in America (I also extend this to Canadians as my family is from Canada, so its like a second home to me, lol). But the Jeep is still a very simple vehicle built more like a utility rig, and I like that, a lot. I will honestly say I personally see nothing wrong with the Toyota, my preference would just be to the Jeep for the reasons expressed above.
Bottom line, both will be great rigs, both will have their issues, it really does come down to preference. I would say get to know a few people who personally own them and pick their brains. See if you can go on a few runs in their rigs. Internet malarkey is no match for first hand observation.

Great points, thanks for your input. Jeep being built in Michigan is one of the reasons I want to buy it. But they're also owned by FCA and they're a european company.

 

[AnywhereInTX]

I have the first generation EcoDiesel and haven't had any issues with mine. Others not so much as reports state about a 6% failure on engines which is higher than normal for any auto manufacturer. That being said, the Jeep Gladiator coming out with the diesel is the 3rd Generation of that engine and should be a solid performer. I have a Ram 1500 and I can easily get 700-800 miles per tank of diesel driving on highways out of a 26 gallon tank. Overlanding-wise, I have no issues with range anxiety or feel the need to carry fuel cans with me due to the range (this includes towing our RTT trailer). I like the idea of the Gladiator with the EcoDiesel coming out here soon. I think the smaller trucks like the ZR2's are great overlanding rigs if you can swing a truck.

That being said, with your concerns of reliability and highway comfort, I would suggest the 4Runner. The TRD Pro gets a lot of publicity, but I think the TRD Off-Road model gets all the same tech outside of better shocks, wheels/tires, and some special exterior mods.

 

[WokkerK]

I’m a loan officer and do quite a few loans on both wranglers and 4Runners. We sell in house warranty’s on both new and used. The warranty claims in the first few years of Wrangles vs 4Runners is crazy. Tons of warranty repairs on Jeep and not a lot on the Toyota’s. If you are willing to take the risk and also willing to potentially have the Jeep in the shop often....go Jeep. Nothing a warranty won’t fix but just know that they aren’t built like they used to be. Full disclosure I recently bought a 2016 4Runner and the reliability weighed heavily on it.

 

[Semonster]

Everyone has different opinions and experiences. Either one could be a good choice but in the end go drive them and figure out which one you actually like better with regard to driving, highway, interior, cargo, etc.

 

[hgill]

I have the first generation EcoDiesel and haven't had any issues with mine. Others not so much as reports state about a 6% failure on engines which is higher than normal for any auto manufacturer. That being said, the Jeep Gladiator coming out with the diesel is the 3rd Generation of that engine and should be a solid performer. I have a Ram 1500 and I can easily get 700-800 miles per tank of diesel driving on highways out of a 26 gallon tank. Overlanding-wise, I have no issues with range anxiety or feel the need to carry fuel cans with me due to the range (this includes towing our RTT trailer). I like the idea of the Gladiator with the EcoDiesel coming out here soon. I think the smaller trucks like the ZR2's are great overlanding rigs if you can swing a truck.

That being said, with your concerns of reliability and highway comfort, I would suggest the 4Runner. The TRD Pro gets a lot of publicity, but I think the TRD Off-Road model gets all the same tech outside of better shocks, wheels/tires, and some special exterior mods.

good points, yea I love the mpg on diesels, and the torque.. I wish toyota would have a diesel options... diesel with the reliability of a toyota would be awesome!...

I agree, I would go with a TRD Off-road, or off-road premium, bc down the line I would put a lift on anyways and replace the shocks that I'm paying extra for.

 

[Mtntrekker]

I nad a 2010 JKU for 8 yrs before I sold it and bought a 2018 4runner TRD Off-Road Premium. The comfort, cargo space and useability of the 4runner is much better than the JK. If you are going to install your selected lift and tires it will be cheaper that going with a TRD Pro. My T4RORP had an ICON 2.5 lift with CDC adjustable reservoirs, Delta Joint tubular Upper Control Arms and 285/17R/17 KO2s. It is will hand the MOAB trails you mentioned. The limited does not have a rear locker like the off-raod premium. The wheel base on the 4runner is shorter than the JK or JL.

 

[Wanderlost]

Something to keep in mind: You'll find a great number of Jeep owners eventually switching to Toyota. Hardly ever will a Toyota owner switch to Jeep.
We owned Jeeps for years before converting over. We also went years assuming it was normal to continuously change out drivetrain parts on our Jeeps. For 200K miles on our first Toyota we thought, this isn't normal, nothing is breaking!
Just sayin'.

 

[MidOH]

Jeep guys nearly all eventually switch. Once the Jeep trails are complete, why settle for a bouncy, unreliable money pit, with leaky tops. In my case, moved on to full size and wide open spaces for a while. My Jeep was merely a dirtbike for two.

I give the Jeep the edge this time. Solid axles, that won't require the work that the 4runner axles might. And Jeeps are ugly enough to pin stripe.

 

[MazeVX]

Sounds like a Toyota for me.
If you need to ask, better don't get the jeep.

 

[Borderline Homeless]

Seems like no one is giving the up side of jeeps. All the above definitely apply with ride and comfort. Why I've had 3 jeeps and will continue to have another is the ability of driving with the top and doors off. Almost as additive as pain pills! You ether can deal with it for the rush or you go to something nicer.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I voted Jeep.

Jeep is Mopar to me since 1987...