from 04 Touareg to 4runner or gx470

[smileyboy]

I'm selling my 04 V8 touareg with 64k...

I'm looking at a v8 4 runner or a gx470. What should I know about both, what are some problem areas?

What goodies does the gx470 have the the 4runner doesn't?

Are there lifts available for the GX470 if so what does it ride like with a lift?

Thanks

 

[smileyboy]

Well with a little research over at toyota120.com I was able to get most of the info I needed. THe GX470 ia right where I want to be.. Wow do I regret leaving my 80 for the Touareg... I miss going off road and the Yota quality. I'm looking at a 04-05 and hoping to spend $16k or less. I may have to travel but GX's are out there.

Also it seems like Overland Warehouse 2.0 is the lift I need/want and maybe a bull bumper.

Anyone can chime in

 

[GXO]

If you get a GX Iron Man, ICON, and OME are the best.

 

[LTD FJ]

I am very happy with my Ironman. It is a stiff ride now, but with the front bumper and all the other goodies I plan on adding, I know it will ride alot better. Both my FJCruisers and my 80 had OME and had no problem with them either. I bought OME, but decided to go with Ironman to try something different. If you think you might go with OME, let me know, and I willl give you a good deal on never used stuff. All I did was take them out of the box to compare with the Ironman stuff.

 

[smileyboy]

I am very happy with my Ironman. It is a stiff ride now, but with the front bumper and all the other goodies I plan on adding, I know it will ride alot better. Both my FJCruisers and my 80 had OME and had no problem with them either. I bought OME, but decided to go with Ironman to try something different. If you think you might go with OME, let me know, and I willl give you a good deal on never used stuff. All I did was take them out of the box to compare with the Ironman stuff.

How much for the kit?


Whats the ride like with OME or Iron man... I see a lot of good comments about Overland, thats one of the reasons I was leaning towards them.

I'm looking to keep the smooth ride... I don't want it too harsh. I may get a brush guard and new shoes, but that may be about it.

I had the OME 2.5 kit on my 80 and the ride was great! Is it smoother or rougher than that?

 

[larsdennert]

Wow those are two different vehicles. I'm not familiar with the toureg but I am with the cayenne v8. You'll find the gx to be less sporty and a softer ride. More truck like but more nimble than the 80. I believe the gx actually has more leg room than the 80. Being a 120 platform, many fj cruiser and 4runner parts swap.

 

[smileyboy]

I thought the Touareg would work. But I'm really sick f driving a car like truck and brewing too timid to take it off road.
The GX470 fits me more. More room doesn't hurt either.

Sent from my iP4S using IH8MUD

 

[fj user]

I'm selling my 04 V8 touareg with 64k...

I'm looking at a v8 4 runner or a gx470. What should I know about both, what are some problem areas?

What goodies does the gx470 have the the 4runner doesn't?

Are there lifts available for the GX470 if so what does it ride like with a lift?

Thanks

Well, coming from a Toureg, you'll be disappointed with the lack of problems in either. You'll be able to build up a nice rig with what you would have spent in maintenance Around here GX's and V8 4x4's go for the same amount. There seem to be more GX's on the market. We love our v6 4x4 - economical and reliable, but I've heard nothing but great things about the v8. Make sure the timing belt has been done - I think at 90k miles. Best of luck

 

[smileyboy]

I know. I can't wait!!

Sent from my iP4S using IH8MUD

 

[chachwick]

So you know:

I just picked up a loaded '06 GX470 with 70K in absolutely mint condition for $24K. It's done up with Cypress Green Pearl paint (silly name, pretty color) and tan interior.

I'll start by saying both the missus and I dig it. Rides pretty good for an SUV (if you roll the dial away from "comfort" which should be called "sailboat-in-5ft-swells") and the motor is plenty stout.

Interestingly, we really wanted a 4th Gen 4R, but had trouble finding one with a third row (sure it's a joke, but it's nice for other people's kids) and leather. In fact, the GX was a full $5K cheaper than the last 4R we looked at, which was a year newer, but the same miles, no 3rd row, no lockers, no leather, V6.)

There are a couple of things that miss the mark for me though. Here they are in no particular order.

• Ours rolls with a 4.10 rear (dunno if all of them do) and while I'm sure I'll appreciate it once I can nudge it away from daily driver duties towards a more off-road focus, it currently feels like it needs an overdrive at 80mph on the hwy.

• The rear gate swings out instead of over. I didn't care much about this until I was loading up the back during a rainstorm, and then I noticed that—thanks to the curving roofline—I wasn't the only thing getting wet, so was my camera equipment. Maybe I'll put an awning on the back?

• The swing-open rear door is also a limiting factor for hitch-mounted bike racks (gotta get a swing away version), trailers without folding tongue crank jacks and wicked-awesome bumpers with tire-carriers. Poor me!

• The rear window doesn't roll down as the 4R does. This annoys my 140lb mastiff who then annoys me by trying to move to the middle passenger windows. He hasn't been invited to ride since.

• They don't have an AUX jack for the stereo until 2007. If you want to hook-up your iPod, you'd be better off looking newer. It's a minimum $300 fix, and even that fix looks like a PITA to implement.

• My city mileage is about 15mph. That's driving easy. And Lexus wants you to use premium, a requirement I didn't notice for the V8 4R.

• I wasn't counting on the "ooh look who has a Lexus" factor in a used car. In truth, I feel more than just a little bit the ass while driving it, but I'm getting over it. (Really though, more trees died for these interiors than from the Mt St Helens' eruption, and there are whole Little Leagues who have to play bare-handed due to the great swaths of leather gobbled up for the model year) Then again, my clients no longer insist on driving to lunch as they did when I rolled up in a lifted and brutal-looking XJ. (They were smart too )

• You'll want to change the Timing Belt at 90K, and it'll cost you $800 if you do it at Mostly Automotive in Asheville, NC. (Then again, why would you do that unless you live there. Your costs may vary)

All that said, I still love the truck. It feels tighter, rides quieter, and tows in a more stable manner than any 4R I've been in. Very nice and I'm just hoping the famous Toyota reliability comes through.

 

[GXO]

Put a lift and some 33-34" tires on it and you won't need that OD at 80 mph

 

[larsdennert]

Yea the rear door is a blessing or a curse. I had a 3rd Gen 4Runner. The door is nicer when we are towing. The hatchback was not usable and the door at least swings part way. Of course the 4runner had a rolldown window which was nice for long stuff. I live in LA so rain is less of an issue. The third row does come in handy. It probably works better on the new model where it folds into the floor. For camping trips I sometimes fully take the seats out for more space. Mileage is the same as my 4R but more power. Really nice having the V8 for towing. It does ride nice and is pretty capable offroad (like a stock 4th Gen anyway)

Here is a shot with my old truck in front of the new one.

 

[chachwick]

I probably should include a couple of pluses after whinging away above.
1) Headroom! Seems like much more than the 4R. Especially the doorways. I knocked myself silly a few times hurrying into a friends 4R and I'm only 6'1" (albeit a clumsy 6'1") but I can fit smoothly into the 470.
2) I really like to look. Sure it looks a little tall and narrow in the back, but I like it. I also dig the grill (though the Prado grill is better) and the green-tinted glass for the lamps and backup lights.
3) the inside door handles on the 4th gen 4R are too thick, cheap-feeling (rough plastic seams) and annoying. The GX are nicely rounded and though still plastic, offer a much better feel.
4) the 5th gen 4r have gone to an actual lever for the 4WD. Good move. The 4th gen had a cheap looking dial that looks like it belongs to the A/C. The GX had the lever all along.
5) the GX seats are much, much better.
6) pretty good Bluetooth connectivity for 6 year old tech.
7) the nav is a problem for upgrade ability, but the voice control works pretty well.
8) mark levinson totally ruined our ability to upgrade the head unit without replacing the whole car, but the system sounds great. Maybe it's because I can hear it better since there's nowhere near the same level of noise that 4Rs produce.

And that's only the stuff I can think of while waiting for my coffee.

One other annoyance, the baby carseat anchors for the 60 side of the 60/40 seat have the most boneheaded layout imaginable. They actually place the seat in the middle of the. 60 side, instead of the middle of the car. Like the seat doesn't take up enough real estate as it is? Argh!!

 

[chachwick]

Here are some lousy phone pics

 

[THEROK]

I went from this Limited with OEM sport hood:

to this:

-GX rides much smoother and quieter and this is likely a testament to all the work Lexus put in to shield you from road noise (thicker windows, covers, insulation) which adds up to lbs

-GX has many more auto features that I enjoy like instant ride control (which I use more often than I thought), auto height, auto lights, auto wipers, rear climate, auto windows all four, etc. It even has lumbar for the passenger.

-The 4R holds its value better because I think people are scared of the more complex air bits and the lack of aftermarket support. I'm sure the brand marketing has something to do with it. We know better, but the GX in and of itself is a young buck in the line-up compared to the multi-gen 4R.

-Seating comfort is identical (short on thigh support), but I love the reclining rear seats on the GX. The third row is also more useable due to the greater interior height. The 4R has a sportier look on the outside with its chopped off roofline, but I've always admired the GX's perfect greenhouse proportions - it pulls it off much better than the Merc GL and LRover Disco (which both are tough to grow old with due to high labor/parts costs and substandard engineering relative to Made in Japan). My fav angle is doggy.

-I love that I can easily get a genuine Philips 4300K bulb matched to the existing headlight unit at a low cost. I don't like to retrofit and do all that backyard garage stuff.

My wife drives a 2011 Range Rover Supercharged and I simply don't trust it like I do the GX which is essentially a Land Cruiser. The Rover is the super model, but its beauty fizzles out right quick to the GX's slow burn. 2UZ-FE is a gem along with that transmission - built to last.

 

[larsdennert]

Lots of good points. I might point out that the gx is not the new guy on the block. The gx is just a renamed prado 120 with more options. The prado being sold elsewhere in the world. The 4th gen 4runner borrows parts from it. The 3rd gen 4runner mirrored prado 90. The 2nd gen mirrored the surf and the 1st gen mirrored the bundera 70.

It's awesome for us because it's a proven platform with lots of parts that overlap.

 

[THEROK]

My point was more along the lines of brand awareness in the NAmerica market. 4R's been in the minds of Americans a lot longer than the GX. Toyota has spent millions of dollars in this effort - mission accomplished. I do feel the GX would have better resale if more people knew about its heritage.

I think we're both essentially trying to share the same thing: the GX is top shelf goods.

 

[larsdennert]

Yes you are absolutely right.

 

[GXO]

I can say without a doubt that the build quality of my GX trumps the past land cruisers I have had. There is a lot of attention to detail. Even the wiring harnesses are hand taped and tied to the body to prevent a rattle. I saw a connector not in use and it was taped to the harness and not left to wander around.

 

[chachwick]

One other thing to consider (and this apparently applies to all of the 4.7 V8s) is the brittle exhaust manifold. It's not a big deal except that it generates an annoying clatter (when the engine is cold), is about 1K to fix and tend to crack around 70K miles.

Just found this out. Guess how?

Still love the truck.