Review: 2011 Toyota 4Runner

There is a distinct trend happening today when it comes to full-size SUV’s. They’re all turning into CUV’s. The once proud Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango have all joined the Honda Pilot and Chevy Traverse in deleting their frame on body construction in an effort to increase fuel economy and on-road handling. However, there is still one player sticking to its guns, choosing to keep its girder underpinnings – the Toyota 4Runner.

While all the 4Runners competitors, minus the Nissan Pathfinder, have reaped the rewards of an all-new platform underneath them, the 4Runner has failed to compete in terms of on road handling and performance. However, in the fuel efficiency department, the 4Runner is only at a disadvantage on the highway, matching its rivals in town. The bold new look that was ushered in last year along with a lower ride height, has made improvements however the old 4Runner still feels like a truck and not a sedan when running errands around town.

However, one of the very real benefits of keeping with a body on frame construction is its off-road durability and capabilities. The 4Runner has long been regarded as a stout overlander, so the question is, how capable is the current generation in getting itself dirty?

I took the 4Runner Trail Edition to the Whipsaw Trail to find out just how good the 4Runner could handle the great outdoors. It didn’t take long to find just about every condition one could hope to find off-road. Dusty gravel, rutted dirt, rock crawling, deep mud and even snow covered the first 20 km of the trail. For the majority of the trail, 2WD would suffice; however, once the road began to climb into the back country, 4WD-high would need to be called upon. Thankfully the Trail Edition came with a manual transfercase shifter instead of the rather irritating dash mounted electric dial.

When the terrain got steep and muddy, the Trail Edition offered me several different options to tackle the situation. I could just throw it in 4WD-low and control my accent with the throttle and brake. Then there is the Multi-Terrain Select System that allows me to control wheel slip in four different surfaces with settings for “Mud and Sand”, “Loose Rock”, “Mogul”, and “Rock”. On top of that, if things get a little beyond the your skill level, the Trail Edition is even equipped with Crawl Control. This system is like a cruise control for off-road conditions, you just select either low, medium or high, and the traction control will keep the vehicle moving between 1.5 and 5 kmh over the terrain. Both dials are found on the ceiling with sunroof controls, and actually work quite well in their selective operations, although it kind of took all the fun out of controlling the vehicle myself. Off-roading after, is all about testing your driving skill, getting a computer to do all the work just seems like cheating. However, for the beginner, its ideal for perfecting how you approach each obstacle.

Despite all the cool features that make you look like a star negotiating slippery situations, a couple weaknesses showed themselves when the going got rough. To help give the 4Runner competitive fuel efficiency numbers, the ride height is a little low for an off-roader, a situation made even worse by the standard running boards which are nothing more than food to decent sized rock, as I found out. Then when we reached some rutted out mud, the tires showed their worth, and I’m guessing they don’t cost Toyota much. On dry surfaces, the 4WD makes up for the tires weak grip levels, however, in the mud, the treads clogged easily and lateral traction meant I had several close calls when the truck slipped off the high ground into the ruts.

When we made it to camp the 4Runner had a few more surprises in store. For one, the two 110v outlets meant that I could keep cell phones and laptops up and running even deep in the wilds. The rear cargo area had a handy sliding floor that made loading and unloading much easier. If the six best years of your life were spent in grade seven, then you’ll be happy to know that the 4Runners interior is as simplistic and organized as any manufacturer could make. A sharp design that is the envy of most Toyota interiors also has buttons and dials large enough that even an arthritic would love.

Mechanically, the 4Runner proved itself extremely competent off-road. While all the new terrain management gizmos helped make it easier to drive off-road, the drivetrain was more than capable of handling everything I threw at it. It’s only weaknesses turned out to be its ride height and tires, two of the first things that off-roaders will modify after their purchase. However, as a trail edition, you really shouldn’t have to invest large sums of money to bring the 4Runner up to its true potential. Like the Wrangler Rubicon, it would be nice to see Toyota offer the Trail Edition with a little extra clearance and a proper set of All-Terrain tires.

Trail Report: Whipsaw

As much as I love 4x4ing, I just don’t get to go out and enjoy it enough. My biggest hurdle is not having a 4x4 to begin with, my second is finding the time to actually go out and buy something worth modifying for the trail, let alone being able to actually get out to play.

A good friend of mine, let’s call him Ingo, has been doing absolutely astonishing things with four wheel driven vehicles for the better part of two decades now, and despite maxing out the capabilities of his ridiculously agile Suzuki Samari, he still enjoys introducing new people to the sport. This past August long weekend, he and his girlfriend Cara put together a trip to open up the Whipsaw Trail, located near Princeton, BC.

Opening up a trail in August, you are likely asking yourself? Well yes, the BC interior received a heavy amount of snow this past winter, and up until two weeks before the trip, even the Rover Landers, a club who look after the trail, were unable to cross it. Regardless, it’s a rather easy trail with a few challenging sections that people in stock 4x4’s can tackle with minimal risk of damage. So, I figured it would be a great chance to take out a stock 4x4 and have some fun without the investment of a small fortune.

My choice in rig for this trip would be the 2011 Toyota 4Runner Trail Edition. The 4Runner has been a staple in the 4x4 world during its 27-years of existence. However, later version of the vehicle have looked a little more, “form before function,” so this trip would be a great way to see if the old 4Runner still has what it takes. Joining me in the stock truck camp would be three fellow ex. Military boys in a new Toyota Tacoma and another pair in a stock Jeep Wrangler YJ. Showing us the way would be a trio of highly modified Suzuki Samari’s and a well used Toyota Truck.

Out little expedition took off from the Whipsaw trailhead located on highway #3, just east of the Copper Mountain mine. Here we aired down, got to know each other then pushed up onto the well manicured logging road that makes up the first 18-kilometres. On our first stop, it was obvious that the mosquitoes would become an issue as the melting snow made for lots of stagnant ponds for them to breed, and lots of muddy washouts for us to get stuck in.

For the most part the road to the Wells Lake camp site was quite tame. The mud was kept to the flat area’s traversing the nearly Alpine like meadows that cover the highlands, while the steep narrow grades that climb up into the forests were left dry and rocky. So far no real challenge for any of us stock drivers other than requiring 4WD-low and some careful wheel placement for some slippery and narrow climbs. However I was beginning to notice a couple advantages between the different vehicles. The only modification to the Tacoma was some decent all terrain tires that were making a huge difference in the mud, where I was slipping off high points, bringing the bodywork close to unforgivable trees and rocks. However, the Wrangler and I had shorter wheelbases, which meant that we were not rubbing over obstacles as much. None of us had any kind of lift, but the added length of the Tacoma meant he was dragging his trailer hitch in the ground quite often. As for the Suzuki’s, they were bombing along without a care in the world. Well at least until one decided to break a weak transmission mount, that required a short pit stop in yet another beautiful meadow.

Our biggest challenge came on the dark side of the mountain, where deep snow stopped the Jeep in its tracks, requiring some creative driving by the Toyota Truck to get around and pull him out. Quite tame for the first day, but when you are driving your daily driver, or in my case, someone else’s vehicle, that works just fine.

After five hours on the trail, we came to Wells Lake, yet another spectacular location, and set up camp on the lake. With with some time before dinner we broke out the fishing poles and pulled out a trout for every cast, easily catching enough food to fill the whole group for the night. However, the attack of the mosquitoes was relentless until the night got cold enough to drive them away.

Up decently early, we packed up camp in eagerness for a more challenging day ahead. On this day, we would see rocky washed out terrain, mud soaked fields, deep water crossings and challenging slopes. Not crazy challenges in the 4x4 world but they would test the limits of our stock trucks tolerances.

Our day started with a muddy decent down through a forest with deep ruts. It made for a great testing ground to test the 4Runners Multi Terrain Control system, which eased my down through the obstacles with little to fear. However, I was finding that while the system is impressively competent in navigating adverse terrain, it kind of took the fun out of testing my own skills. I almost felt like I was cheating myself, like a fat man sneaking a chocolate bar, despite being on a diet. However it didn’t take long for things to get technical on the climb on the other side of the valley.

Here the road was washed out in a very narrow part of the terrain and any slip up would have the truck either high centered on jagged rocks, or flipped over on its side on equally unattractive rockery. With Cara calling my tracks, I slowly crawled the big 4Runner up through the kilometers of obstacles with no sickening sounds of metal on rock, however, just behind, the military boys were not as fortunate as the body length of the Tacoma bit back at them again, although only a slight impact on the bumper.

Inching out way to the top of peak after peak, we finally came to a rock face overlooking an alpine lake. Here, the Suzuki’s and Toyota got to finally test their limits. The last hour and a half was deeply challenging and stressful for us in the stock vehicles, but was child’s play for the modified trucks. So here they played testing the geometric limits of their highly tweaked suspension systems on a rock wall too steep to even climb.

As we moved on, we now were encountering heavy, deep mud and water crossings. The modified trucks were tossing themselves in like dogs at the lake, but it took those of us with stock tires a little more momentum and precisions to make it across some of the deep thick barriers. Fording some water crossings took a little bit of luck, as I needed to keep my momentum up to ride the wave across, hoping that there wasn’t a big bad rock lurking underneath ready to rip up a driveshaft or suspension arm.

It was one muddy obstacle after another rocky climb, which seemed to follow each other for hour on end. Medium challenges that made the day hugely rewarding for those of us playing in standard trucks. All three vehicles cleared the trail with no real issues, all proving their worth. With zero investment, we were having the time of our lives, however, with rather new vehicles; the costs were high if we screwed up. My tires let me down at the end of the day, dropping the 4Runner on a large rock, ripping off one of the rather irritating running boards. Likewise the skid plates were also starting to get a workout as well.

However, our biggest challenge would come at the end of the second day. The road leading down the last peak was ridiculously muddy and had pot holes larger than the little Suzuki’s. As Ingo proved, sometimes the more modifications you have to your truck only help you to get stuck deeper in the scenery. Somehow he managed to slip sideways into the hole, ending up on his tailgate trying to get out. After careful navigation through the worst of challenges we made our way to the Lodestone lake campsite, where a massive fire was built to ward off the mossies, followed by the  celebration of success and the telling of war stories from our epic trip across the fantastic Whipsaw Tral.

History: Jet Powered Cars

Last years Paris Motorshow saw the introduction of several high profile, ultra cool concept cars. However, among all the glitz and glamour there was one car that stood alone as the coolest car of the show, that of the Jaguar C-X75. This low-slung supercar from the British luxury brand was not only a design and engineering showcase of Jaguars future, but it is a car built to celebrate the companies 75^th year of existence.

However, the C-X75 is more than just another pretty face. Like many new concepts this supercar is a range extending hybrid making use of four 145kW (195bhp) electric motors mounted at each corner. Nothing really special there, except when you realize what is providing the battery power generation. That would be two gas micro-turbines rated at 188 bhp total, mounted just behind the seats. Many had said that micro-turbines would never work, but despite the negative comments, Jaguar along with Baldon Jets, who designed the micro-turbines, are amidst a game changing revolution in the way cars are powered. However, turbine powered cars is nothing new, so with the re-evolution of the jet powered car, lets pay homage to the jet cars of past.

Rover JET1

The car that sparked the whole turbine-powered fad was British carmaker Rover. During World War II, Rover were heavily involved in the development of gas turbine engines, as the Allies raced to have the first jet powered fighters in the sky to take on the Luftwaffe. It was however, the Germans who won the race, fielding the Messerschmitt ME 262 Schwalbe ("Swallow"), the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. The ME 262 would come too late for the Germans, however, the superiority of the aircraft was pronounce.

With the war over and Rover putting the final touches on their own turbine technology, the British had lost the race for jet powered flight, however they could use the same technology to take a similar revolutionary jump in the automotive industry. In 1950, they did just that, shoehorning a jet turbine into a concept roadster behind the passenger seats. Instead of providing acceleration through thrust like the aircraft of the time, the turbines rotation was directed to the wheels much like a standard internal combustion car.

During tests, the car reached top speeds of 140 kmh, at a turbine speed of 50,000 rpm. Unfortunately, the size of the engine and the fuel efficiency meant the project was scrapped soon after the concepts unveiling.

GM Firebird

Next to bat was the General, who started their turbine-powered dreams two years later with the Firebird I concept car. By this time the whole “Jet Age” mentality of futuristic thinking was taking America by storm. The air force was in a highly popular race to break the sound barrier with experimental aircraft, meanwhile the common citizen wanted in on the act yearned for nuclear powered toasters and cars that looked and were powered by jets. GM answered everyone’s dreams with the first iteration of the Firebird. Half fighter plane and half car, the Firebird took the JET 1’s ideals and added them to a sci-fi body.

Designed by famed penman, Harley Earl, the series of three turbine-powered cars had a very obvious aircraft inspiration. GM would use a Whirlfire Turbo Power gas turbine engine that produced 370 hp (280 kW), with a two-speed gearbox. They then fitted the mechanicals into Earl’s body that comprised of a fiberglass fuselage, open wheels, and single seat cockpit with bubble canopy and winglets at the rear with actual flaps used as airbrakes. A feature now found on some of the world’s most expensive cars such as the McLaren SLR and Bugatti Veron.

The car was a hit at the 1953 Motorama Autoshow, and as such, an evolution to the car was put into motion. The Firebird II, was a more practical car, even if it didn’t look it, as it was designed as a four-seat family car. The car utilized a 200 hp (150 kW) engine and used an air fed regenerative system to solve the exhaust heat problem, allowing the entire engine to operate nearly 538 °C cooler, and also powered the accessories. A larger bubble canopy returned, however, the fiberglass used to build the body was binned for much more expensive titanium. Now how cool is that – in 1956!

Again, the Firebird was the darling of that years Motorama show, ushering yet another evolution, the Firebird III in 1959. This full on Jetson mobile kept with the uber expensive titanium body and extravagant tail fins, now numbering seven. The two-seat, double bubble cockpit coupe now boasted a 225 hp (168 kW) Whirlfire GT-305 gas turbine engine, and a two cylinder, 10 hp (7.5 kW) gasoline engine to run accessories. Unfortunately, despite all the crazy designs and massive technological advancements, the Firebirds would never see production, likely due to the sheer cost that the cars would undoubtedly carry.

Chrysler Turboflite and Turbine

While everyone else were playing around with concept cars in the 50’s, Chrysler took the idea of turbine powered production vehicles much more seriously. Since 1954, Chrysler had been experimenting with in-house built turbine engines in their production vehicles, and was even building rockets for the air force. In 1956, they drove an experimental gas turbine powered Plymouth from New York City to Los Angeles. They would continue to test further evolutions of their turbines placed into production cars such as Dodge Darts, Plymouth Fury’s, Belvedere’s, Coronets and Miranda’s all the way into the 1980’s until financial difficulties canceled the turbine development program for good. However, during this time, Chrysler dumped the fourth generation of their turbine, the CR2A that produced 140 hp (104 kW) into the Turboflite concept car. This car mated the realistic visions of the JET 1 with the outrageous stylings of the Firebird. It was a 4-passenger vehicle that featured a glass canopy that rose automatically when either door was opened and also a large rear spoiler that was later incorporated in the muscle cars of the sixties.

Then in 1963, Chrysler began the Turbine Car project building 50 production vehicles between October 1963 and October 1964, plus five prototypes. The bodies and interiors were crafted by Ghia in Italy, and then were shipped to Michigan to have the engines installed. The fourth-generation Chrysler turbine engine ran at up to 44,500 revolutions per minute and could use diesel fuel, unleaded gasoline, kerosene, JP-4 jet fuel, and even vegetable oil. The engine would run on virtually anything and the President of Mexico tested this theory by running one of the first cars successfully on tequila. Once the public trials were finished, Chrysler canceled the program, destroying all but a few cars. However, this did not stop Chrysler’s turbine production as several cars were offered with turbine power up until 1980 when financial woes forced the company to sease all turbine production.

Toyota Sport 800 Turbine Hybrid

The yanks weren’t the only one playing with turbines, as Toyota built a one-off turbine version of their popular micro sports car, the 800 in 1979. However, Toyota changed the dynamics of the system, ushering in the technology that would lead to the Jaguar C-X75. A much simpler version, the Toyota used a 30 bhp (22 kW) gas turbine engine, connected to a generator, which fed an electric motor that in turn provided power to a 2-speed gearbox. The efficiency of turbine power had now finally been realized, even though Toyota never continued to expand the project.

Jay Leno’s EcoJet

The last turbine-powered car built was the EcoJet by Jay Leno and GM. Built on the aluminum frame of a Corvette Z-06; the EcoJet sports a Cadillac themed body and is powered by a 650 horsepower mid-mounted Honeywell LT-101 turbine powered by bio-diesel.

Review: 2011 Toyota Highlander

Toyota are calling the 2011 Highlander changes a mid-cycle refresh, something every manufacturer does to vehicles that have been on the market for a while, to spark some life and interest into them to once again. However, the sheer amount of work that has gone into the 2011 Highlander could easily qualify as an all-new model redesign, with heavy cosmetic and aerodynamic changes to the body, increased capacity and winter heating has been built into the hybrid system while an entirely new engine now powers the V-6 powered Highlanders. While most mid-cycle changes usually consist of new trim levels, or minor fascia work, Toyota’s all out assault on the Highlander has changed the entire character of this mid-sized crossover.

Lets start with the most obvious changes, the new look. is refreshing, and has now confirmed the Highlander is the younger brother of the 4Runner gaining a similar family appearance. The new menacingly styled headlights and grille is refreshing bit of spice to Toyota’s usual mass appeal design recipe. Matched with slightly massaged front and rear bumpers, the new Highlander barely resembles the timid creature that we’ve become used to. Along with these changes, the rocker panels and front sheet metal have also been redesigned to channel air more efficiently around the vehicle in a never ending battle to lower the aerodynamic co-efficient.

There are also big changes under the skin. Gone is the 3.3L V-6 that was normally found in the Highlander, replaced by a quite useful 270-horsepower 3.5L V-6. The Hybrid features upgraded Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive technology built around a Atkinson cycle version of the 3.5L V-6 and an enhanced electrical motor/generator system, both of which deliver 10% better fuel efficiency. With this addition of three electric motors (one for charging, one powering front wheels, one powering rear wheels) the Highlander Hybrid now boasts a combined horsepower rating of 280, with push button electric-only drive capability, providing the batteries are well charged.

New this year, Toyota has added an Exhaust Gas Re-circulation and Exhaust Heat Recovery systems to the hybrid. The first re-circulates spent exhaust gasses to lower exhaust gas temperatures, which in turn minimizes the need for fuel enrichment. The benefit is a significant reduction of fuel consumption, especially during high-load driving and improved fuel efficiency. The Heat Recovery System recovers exhaust heat to quickly raise coolant temperature during warm-up. This allows the engine to warm up faster thereby, allowing it to shut off for EV driving a full 15-minutes sooner; a handy feature for short winter commutes.

Inside, the dash and door panels are still a sea of hard plastic and don’t possess the most inspiring of designs, however a strip of felt on the door panel did add a small touch of luxury. While the materials may seem cheap, the controls are very simple and easy to use as well as the dash layout. Knobs and buttons have a good solid feel and are extra large just incase you forget where they are. Both the steering and seats have a good range of adjustability to find the optimal position for just about any size.

Toyota have done a masterful packaging job with the back of this SUV, as personal space should be taken up by fold flat seating, fuel tanks, full size spare, and those extra batteries that need to go somewhere. This year every Highlander comes standard with 7-passenger seating thanks to a 50/50 split pop-up third row, so space should be hard to find. Now with many mid-sized utes, these seats are all but useless to anyone north of a toddlers size anyways, and while at first I thought the same of the Highlanders third row, I quickly changed my tune after crawling back there. There is ample headspace for average sized adults and with the second row pushed forwards slightly, legroom is also kind for short trips. However, if there is only five coming along, the rear passengers are treated to a massive amount of space with the 3^rd row folded flat.

On the road, the Hybrid drove straight and true, however steering is very light and void of any real feel for the road. Like most Toyota’s, the Highlander is engineered for a soft smooth ride, however, despite the AWD system, it’s not likely many of these will ever see off-road duty, so I’d personally like to see the suspension firmed up a bit to give a better feel of the road and help the noticeable body roll. What did get me excited was the vehicles fuel efficiency. The Hybrid Synergy Drive worked wonders on the highway, scoring an incredible 7.1L/100km fuel efficiency rating on a 165-km drive, a number besting several compact cars, not to mention Toyota’s own numbers as its rated at 7.3L/100km. However I was not able to get much urban driving in, but Toyota rates the Hybrid at 6.6/100km, an easy figure to match with the help of the EV mode. For the non-hybrid Highlander, expect to see a highway rating of 7.3L/100km, and 10.4L/100km in the city.

All in all, the 2011 Highlander was a pleasant surprise as both the use of interior space and incredible fuel efficiency topped any expectations I previously held for the vehicle. While I’m not a supporter of SUV or CUV vehicles, the new Highlander will surely make prospective station wagon buyers think twice. As of time of writing, Toyota has not yet revealed pricing on the Highlanders, so check out Toyota.ca to get the latest.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Base Price (MSRP): TBA

Price as Tested: TBA

Type: 7-passenger Crossover

Layout: Front engine, AWD, Hybrid assist

Engine: 3.5L V-6 with Electric assist

Horsepower: 280 combined

Torque: 215 combined

Transmission: Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT)

Brakes: Four-wheel discs with regenerative braking

Cargo Capacity: 2,660L seats folded, 290L all seats up

Fuel Economy (L/100km): 6.6L city, 7.3L highway