Explorer vs 4Runner - Pros & Cons

What are the straight pros & cons of a Toyota 4Runner 4X4 VS a Ford Explorer?? Note I will PULL a 3500 pound recreation camping trailer in the summer with my suv...so it has to do this.

I'm looking for a vehicle that is a proven WORK HORSE that keeps working without expensive life support and thereby keeps the long term cost per mile down. I'm not loyal to a marketing brand but will value a brand IF it keeps earning my respect with super performing products and good follow-up product service.

Simple and good engineering design and manufacturing quality are the keys drivers for me. I don't need fancy and impractical features that make you go broke after the initial warranty is off.

I want to avoid vehicles that have a bad reputation for ongoing
(1.) powertrain problems (engine & transmission) and
(2.) electronic/electrical problem probe vehicles.

Both are unfit for extended heavy towing up to and exceeding 3500 pounds as there are hills involved and that kind of weight should only be pulled for short distances such as to local lakes pulling a boat or a trailer nearing that weight...extended driving wsith kind of weight most certainly will lead to higher cost and upkeep ( have you priced OD A/T transmissions lately?they run between 2500.00 to 3500.00 and that kind of weight on extended trips will greatly shorten it's life)

If you don't mind a Std. transmission and want a choice between those 2 ...I would suggest asking Toyota what max towing rating is on a V6 3.4L in a 2WD model if 4X4 is not required (if you not going to use it then don't buy a 4X4 as wear and tear upkeep will be higher when 4x4 parts wearout)

If you want a vehicle you can take to the mud and rough terrain then by all means get you a SUV in a 4x4 or on streets a 2WD version,you want to pull a heavy load like that a few times a year and don't want an SUV AND a TRUCK to pull a heavy load like that camper of yours also....rent a truck to pull it and let them pay insurance and upkeep...you come off cheaper in the end and get to drive a nearly new ride each time if renting from a place that rotates their stock and keeps 2 years old or newer on the lot....goodluck

P.S. Explorers are what most mechanics refer to as Ford Exploders because theys always blowing up something and leaving you walking and a ticking timebomb with high milage waiting to explode something else like that 3,000.00 AOD lol

Are you thinking new or used? The new 4runner's tow rating is much higher than the previous gen's especially if you have the v8. I feel bad for Toyota, being compared to a ford. LOL

Found On Roadside Daily
Fixed Or Reparied Daily
Fake Off Roading Dump

Anyone got some more?

Ford should never be used in same sentence that includes dependable,good engineering design and manufacturing quality,low maintence with high milage....much less the part where he stated-I want to avoid vehicles that have a bad reputation (Ford Exploders have a very bad reputation-seen anyone driving 2004 Explorers???Now wonder why lol)

Are you thinking new or used? The new 4runner's tow rating is much higher than the previous gen's especially if you have the v8. I feel bad for Toyota, being compared to a ford. LOL

Found On Roadside Daily
Fixed Or Reparied Daily
Fake Off Roading Dump

Anyone got some more?

If he wants one in a Std.Transmission model and 2WD then a V6 4runner with towing package will work and a V8 Toyota even better yes...
Any Toyota which has an owner that mentions it's name in same sentence as Ford should leave them stranded in the worst of places I think.


Forking Old Rebuilt Dodge
First On Race Day (got to get to track first to fix it in time to race)
Found On Road Dead
Floundered Onery Residing Dumpheap

Pick the 4Runner. FORD's are just terrible....plain and simple. But if you really want one, stay away from the explorers and get one of the new F-150's. My friend has had her 04 explorer (she bought it brand new) for one year and has had the transmission already replaced 3 times. All she uses it for is to get herself from A to B. She hasn't towed a thing. NEVER consider picking a FORD over a TOYOTA.

I agree with everyone here :) I would go with a 4Runner. I used to own a '98 which was great (leased)...very fun and reliable, we put 50k miles on it in 2 years and had no probs. Also, we used it to move to Texas from Wisconsin than back. I pulled my RX-7 with it back and worked fine, also used it for our camper. A couple things are that the 4Runner is more expensive but the resale will be higher, and when we had a heavy load, the rear sagged quite a bit...but there are suspension upgrades availible, and make sure you get a tow-pkg. Also, I think '99 is the year they started upgrading the drivetrain.

Also, check out this site:
http://www.theautochannel.com/newcardb/cccars.html?bodystyle=Sport%20Utility&titleid=430400

If you are going to tow often with an automatic, upgrade the transmission cooler and thus extend the life of your tranmission by alot.

Definately the Toyota.

98% of all fords are still on the road; meaning only 2% ever made it home.....

Heh, Toyota all the way!

heard they were recalling the f-150...and say not to park it in a garage bacause it could catch fire just sitting there due to wiring problems involving the cruise control in the column...lol

ROFL

Are you thinking new or used? The new 4runner's tow rating is much higher than the previous gen's especially if you have the v8. I feel bad for Toyota, being compared to a ford. LOL

Found On Roadside Daily
Fixed Or Reparied Daily
Fake Off Roading Dump

Anyone got some more?

If Not
Fixed Or Replaced Daily
It'll be
Found Off Road Dead

And that's from personal experience. LOL

I can even believe someone would even want to compare a 4Runner to a Ford 'Exploder' that makes me laugh. Fords just plain and simple SUCK!! I'm already on my second 4Runner and i would never drive anything else. Once you drive a Toyota you can never drive anything else!!

Fix Or Repair Daily
F'ed On Race Day

Toyota's all the way

Well, this IS a Toyota forum, so you'd be able to guess where the brand loyalty comes from. Having said that, my dad has had 4 Explorers, and they were all pretty darned good. Having said THAT, I've owned 4 Toyotas of various types, and they've been excellent (the first was a '71 Hilux, no less). Take your choice, I guess, but I like Toyotas.

Well, this IS a Toyota forum, so you'd be able to guess where the brand loyalty comes from. Well said. Still, I'd bet most of the driving population would prefer a 4runner over an exploder.

Two summers ago my 4Runner was rear-ended by a tiny man in a big exploder. To repair the 4Runner all I had to do was replace the taillight and smooth out some "wrinkles" at the tail light cavity. The piece of crap explorer had to be towed even a cop at the scene that owns an explorer was shocked at the extensive damage to the exploder the whole grill, bumper, left front fender, drivers door, and engine bonnet were trashed not to mention the environment, the radiator dumped also. The exploder's fender and bumper were crumpled into the tire.

I was so embarrassed for all Ford Exploder owners.
On the other hand, the 4Runner is nothing more than a "Fat Car" don't make it into a monster truck it is not. But I like the my 4Runner and borrow a real truck when I need one.

Well, this IS a Toyota forum, so you'd be able to guess where the brand loyalty comes from. Having said that, my dad has had 4 Explorers, and they were all pretty darned good. Having said THAT, I've owned 4 Toyotas of various types, and they've been excellent (the first was a '71 Hilux, no less). Take your choice, I guess, but I like Toyotas.

Just go over to the Explorer forum and read about all the problems that they are having with their Explorers. Not even a comparison between the two.

I can't comment about the newest models but we own a 2000 4Runner 4x4, a 1999 Ford F-150 4x4 and a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer 2WD. The first 2 were bought new. The Mountaineer was bought used when it came off a 3-year lease, and is almost exactly like the Explorer except for trim.

The Mountaineer was a replacement in 2002 for a 1985 4Runner that we also bought new and that was the most reliable vehicle we had ever owned. The 2000 4Runner has also had zero problems, and its quality is defnitely higher than that of the 2 Ford products. We bought the moutnaineer because our budget for a 3rd vehicle didn't allow for a 3-year-old 4Runner, and I couldn't find a 4 or 5 year old one in good shape at that time. Overall, the Mountaineer has had some minor nuisance problems, but has been very reliable. The biggest disappointment with the Mountaineer was the absolutely terrible ride over bumps and rough roads. Unfortunately, I only tested it on good roads.

I got the 4Runner with the rare locking differential option, which has pulled me out of mud twice when the 4x4 alone didn't do it.

Our favorite trip vehicle is the F-150 because it has more room and is simply more comfortable than the others. It also has more power to tow our 5,000 pound boat, which really only goes a couple of miles once or twice a year to and from its slip.

While the 4Runner is the highest quality vehicle we have, there are a few dislikes:

1. The cruise control is archaic compared to the Fords. You have to look at a light to see if it is on or off, and you can't make 1-2 mph changes easily like you can in the Fords because of the delay in the switch.
2. The gas tank is too small. We do a 700 mile (one way) round trip about 8-10 times a year, and a 125 mile (one way) round trip weekly. The 4Runner is our only vehicle that can't do the 250 mile trip on a single tank.
3. You can't lock the vehicle from outside with the engine running. This is actually our biggest complaint, because we do a lot of long summer trips on hot days, always with 2 big dogs. On restaurant stops on hot days, we like to leave the engine running and the A/C on, and lock the car from the outside. You can't do that with the 4Runner.

I guess Toyota doesn't fully understand American driving habits yet. For that reason alone, we couldn't use a 4Runner as our primary vehicle.

Resale values alone prevent most from buying Ford and GM! 360 right? MPG = big tank. American driving habits?? Sounds like you need a touring "car" not trucks.

Did you ask this question in the Ford forum too?

Don't get me wrong. I love my 2000 4Runner, and when it's time for another new SUV I intend to get another 4Runner. It's the best vehicle in its class, as my 1985 4Runner was at the time. And that's even though neither of my 2 fairly remote homes is within 90 minutes of a Toyota dealer, while one of them is within ten minutes of a Ford dealer.

Yet both of them have/had quirks that made long trips on hot days unpleasant. With the 1985, the A/C froze up after 2-3 hours, and wouldn't work again until it had stopped for an hour or so. The dealer never figured out how to fix the problem. With the 2000, the problem is that I can't leave the dogs locked in the car with the engine and A/C running while on a restaurant break. So I'm just trying to let Toyota know what to fix in the next model, if it's not fixed already. And the cruise control in the 2000 is a real pain. But those are very minor quibbles.

My life requires a full-size truck, because we both tow and haul a lot. The F-150 will soon be traded in on F-250. On 7 out of 10 road trips I have to use the truck for reasons other than the dog problem. It does have more leg room and shoulder room than the 4Runner, but that's an unfair comparison and not why we bought it. And FWIW, the F-150 had two major problems under warranty, one of which required an engine swap, while the 2000 4Runner has had no problems, under warranty or otherwise. If Toyota made something in the F-250 class, I would probably buy it.