Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner is an SUV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota and marketed globally since 1984, across six generations. In Japan, it was marketed as the Toyota Hilux Surf and was withdrawn from the market in 2009. The original 4Runner was a compact SUV and little more than a Toyota Hilux pickup truck with a fiberglass shell over the bed, but the model has since undergone significant independent development into a cross between a compact and a mid-size SUV. All 4Runners have been built in Japan at Toyota's plant in Tahara, Aichi, or at the Hino Motors plant in Hamura.
The name "4Runner" was created by copywriter Robert Nathan with the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising company as a play on the term "forerunner". The agency held contests to invent new names for Toyota's forthcoming vehicles. According to Toyota, the "4" described the vehicle's 4-wheel drive system while "Runner" was a reference to its all-terrain capabilities and how it could "run" off-road.
For some markets, the Hilux Surf was replaced in 2005 by the lower cost but similar Fortuner, which is based on the Hilux platform.
, the 4Runner is marketed in the many countries in North and South America. Many markets that did not receive the 4Runner, such as Europe and the Middle East, instead received the similarly designed Land Cruiser Prado, another SUV that shared many of the same components.
The 4Runner came in at number five in a 2019 study by iSeeCars.com ranking the longest-lasting vehicles in the US. The 4Runner had 3.9 percent of vehicles over, according to the study.
Predecessor: Toyota Trekker (N30; 1981–1983)
Toyota had partnered with third-party recreational vehicle manufacturers at least as early as 1973, when a Chinook Mobilodge-built popup truck camper was paired with the longbed Toyota truck chassis and sold as a less expensive, more economical alternative to larger motorhomes. In the Chinook conversion, the bed and rear wall of the cab were removed and a fiberglass popup shell was added, allowing occupants to walk through from the motorhome section to the cab.The Trekker was a similar "walk-through" third-party conversion of the short-bed Toyota Hilux truck, built by Winnebago Industries from 1981 to 1983. Winnebago removed the rear wall and added a bench seat in the bed, protecting these occupants by a permanently fixed fiberglass shell; in concept, it was similar to the Chevrolet K5 Blazer. The Trekker competed with similar third-party limited production Toyota conversions including the Breaker-Breaker and Trailblazer. The Trekker was discontinued in 1984 once Toyota started producing and selling the 4Runner SUV; these third-party conversions had in essence acted as marketing test vehicles for the 4Runner.
Production
After the Land Cruiser FJ40 was discontinued, Jack Safro, who operated a Toyota dealership in Brookfield, Wisconsin, approached Winnebago with the idea to convert the Hilux into a four-passenger vehicle as a potential replacement. The resulting Trekker was produced from early 1981 through 1983. In total, approximately 1200–1500 Trekkers were built and sold in the United States, with many shipped to Colorado. An additional unknown number of Trekker kits, likely less than 200, were shipped to Canada to be installed on Canadian trucks at the dealerships. 20 to 30 of the Trekker kits were sold and shipped to Saudi Arabia for installation.Toyota shipped all trucks from Japan as cab and chassis in order to avoid the 25% assembled truck customs tax. All Trekkers were built on the short wheelbase Hilux chassis. The trucks destined for production as Trekkers were shipped to the dealership handling the national distribution of the Trekker. From there they went to Winnebago to have the Trekker conversion installed, returned after completion to the dealership for national distribution. Most of the Trekker conversions sold went to the west coast of the United States.
Specifications
The Trekker conversion involved removing the bed and rear cab wall from the donor truck, then replacing them with a fiberglass tub, bed sides, a non-removable canopy and rear hatch. The kit included a folding rear seat that could be folded forward to lay flat and add cargo space to the back. There was no tailgate on the Trekkers. The factory Toyota vinyl cab headliner was replaced and matched to the custom rear canopy headliner. Suggested retail price in 1981 was.All Trekkers were given the SR5 trim designation by both Winnebago and Toyota, regardless of the actual VIN denotation. Originally there were to be Deluxe and Deluxe SR5 versions of the Trekker; the SR5 was to be equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission, vented canopy windows, and a more finished rear interior than the Deluxe, which was to be equipped with a 4-speed manual and fixed windows. Regardless of trim level, all 1981 Trekkers had vented canopy windows. Non-vented canopy windows were installed on the Trekker for the 1982 model year because the forward-facing vent windows on the 1981 Trekkers developed leaks.
As tested by Truckin in 1981, the observed fuel consumption was in combined driving, dropping to with off-road use. The enclosed cargo area was with the rear bench folded.
First generation (N60; 1983)
For the first generation N60 series Hilux Surf and export specification 4Runner introduced in 1983, Toyota, instead of developing an entirely new model, modified the existing Hilux with short-bed pickup body. The Hilux had undergone a major redesign in 1983 for the 1984 model year. Compared to the pickup, the Surf/4Runner changes included the removal of the panel with integrated rear window from behind the front seats, and adding rear seats, a roll bar, and a removable fiberglass canopy.The concept was borrowed from both the second generation Ford Bronco, and the Chevrolet K5 Blazer, which were both based on existing short-bed pickup trucks with the addition of removable fiberglass shells over the rear sections and bench seats installed in the back. Like the Bronco and the Blazer, the Hilux Surf/4Runner also removed the rear wall behind the front seats in the corresponding pickup trucks. In that sense, all three vehicles were more modified than simply adding a fiberglass shell to conventional pickup trucks.
Thus, the first generation is nearly mechanically identical to the Toyota Hilux 4×4. All first generation 4Runners had two doors and were indistinguishable from the pickups from the dashboard forward. Nearly all changes were to the body behind the B-pillar; in fact, because the rear springs were not upgraded to bear the additional weight from the rear seats and fiberglass top, early models tended to suffer from a sagging rear suspension.
History
In North America, they were sold for the 1984½ model year starting from May 1984. For this first year, all models were equipped with black or white fiberglass tops. The base model omitted the rear seat. An SR5 trim package was offered that upgraded the interior: additional gauges, better fabrics, and a rear seat were standard with the package. All 1984½ models were equipped with the carbureted 2.4 L 22R I4 engine, paired with a 5-speed manual transmission; all were available with a four-wheel-drive system that drove the front wheels through a solid front axle with manual locking hubs.The Hilux Surf was offered in two trim lines, with either a 2.0 L 3Y gasoline or 2.4 L 2L diesel engine.
The 1985 model year saw the arrival of the electronically fuel-injected 2.4 L 22R-E. This increased the power output from for the 22R to for the 22R-E, though the carbureted engine remained available until 1988. Additionally, rear seats were available in all 1985 4Runner trim levels, not just the more upscale SR5.
For the 1986 model year, the Surf/4Runner underwent a major front suspension design change as it was changed from a solid front axle to the Hi-Trac independent front suspension. Track width was also increased by three inches. These changes made the trucks more comfortable on-road, and improved stability and handling. The new suspension also increased the space in the engine compartment but arguably decreased the truck's off-road capabilities. The North American specification Toyota Pickup also adopted this new suspension, but the regular Hilux for other markets at this point retained the more rugged and capable, if less refined, solid axle configuration. With the 1986 update, the Surf/4Runner grille changed from the three segment type to the two segment grille. Tops were color-matched on blue, red and some gold models, while other body colors were still sold with black or white tops.
A turbocharged version of the 22R-E engine was also introduced in the 1986 model year, increasing output to, although this engine is significantly rarer than the base 22R-E. With the 22R-TE, the 4Runner was rated at on the city driving cycle; testing showed real-world economy was. It appears that all turbocharged 4Runner models sold in the US were equipped with an automatic transmission, though a five-speed manual could still be ordered in the turbocharged pickups. Most turbocharged 4Runners were equipped with the SR5 package, and all turbo trucks had as standard a heavier rear differential later used in the V6 model. Low-option models had a small light in the gauge cluster to indicate turbo boost, while more plush vehicles were equipped with an all-digital gauge cluster that included a boost gauge. Turbocharged and naturally aspirated 2.4 L 2L-T and 2L diesel engines were also available in the pickups at this time as well, but it appears that no diesel-powered 4Runners were imported to the United States.
During 1984 to 1986 many 4Runners were imported to the US without rear seats. With only two seats the vehicle could be classified as a truck and could skirt the higher customs duties placed upon sport and pleasure vehicles. Most had aftermarket seats and seat belts added by North American dealers after they were imported.
No changes were made for the 1987 model year. In 1988, the 22R-TE engine was replaced by an optional 3.0 L V6 engine, the 3VZ-E, available with the SR5 trim package; the standard engine remained the 22R-E. By this time, the SR5 package added automatic locking front hubs for both the I4 and V6 engines. The V6 engine was significantly larger and more powerful although not as reliable as the original 4-cylinder offering. Trucks sold with the V6 engine were equipped with the same heavy duty rear differential that was used in the turbocharged trucks, as well as a completely new transmission and transfer case; the transfer case was chain driven, although considered less rugged, created less cab noise than the old gear-driven unit used behind the four-cylinder engine.
In New Zealand, the 4Runner was equipped with the 3Y 2.0 L I4 engine instead, followed more rarely by the 4Y 2.2 L gasoline engine in later versions. This was a decision by Toyota New Zealand to reduce parts required to be stocked by dealers as no other Toyotas sold in New Zealand at the time utilised the R series engines. The 3Y/''4Y'' also were equipped, albeit rarely, in the Japanese domestic market pickups and never were used in the US market.
Small cosmetic and option changes were made in 1988 for the 1989 model year, but the model was left largely untouched in anticipation of the replacement model then undergoing final development.