Man vehicles are a big one. All of the infotainment crap, the 200 control computers, electronic wastegate turbos, etc. etc. are going to age so poorly. There is a reason why cars with mininal BS are fetching such a premium on the used market.
We have a 2006 Subaru Outback. I’ve rented newer cars and got late 2010s loaners a couple of times and it was quite jarring to realize that I’d actively avoid the later models due to the touchscreen UI - even if you ignore the safety issues, it was amazing how crappy the implementations were - laggy, low-precision screens; UI lag like an intercontinental Remote Desktop session; my iTunes collection broke three separate systems over USB because apparently nobody has 10k tracks; etc. It’s like being charged a couple grand for an 5 year old Android tablet which was barely mid-range when it was released.
Agreed! Big rubber controls! Designed to last 20-30 years. If you lean towards “buy things that last to reduce your footprint” and don’t commute a massive distance everyday, it’s a good and reliable car to keep in your driveway
The fuel economy is miserable. Especially if you mod it (heavier). Otherwise they have few flaws for what they are. Toyota has other SUVs if you don’t want body on frame and all that implies. Not to mention 4WD is all controlled physically in some models still, which is nice. It still has a tech package for off roading, but they are simple beasts.
I have one of the physical 4WD knobs, it’s wonderfully analog and sort of shakes with the engine in a way nothing else in the cabin does.
Even the base model has A-Trak. I highly recommend trying it off road if you get the chance. It behaves like an ABS powered diff lock and makes your brake pump sound like a machine gun and can make your 4Runner climb interesting bumpy hills.
4WD selector is a physical mechanical control like a gear shift in a manual car. I have off roaded ours a lot. A-trac is almost as good as a locking front diff. It is an incredibly capable vehicle off road for sure, ours is modded extensively as well :)
Yup. I recently bought a 4runner, not top of the line mind you, and it cost the same as my wife's Tesla Model Y. Love that thing though ... specifically bought the non-pro model to get the simple three knob climate controls. Ridiculously overpriced but no direct competition in the current US market.
The climate knobs are so great. Try them when going 60MPH in the sand (out one the desert) and it’s incredible how you can still adjust them accurately!
Relative to the market it is still a good deal, especially if you actually off road and camp with it. There is a reason there are so many here in Colorado.
In my mind that is debatable, unless you sell it after a few years to take advantage of the market price for used ones.
There is no doubt at all that it is a durable and dependable vehicle. But you're discounting how good everything else has become, with lower operating and repair costs. My parents used to be die-hard Camry fans and just wouldn't consider anything else. I totally understand how this fandom comes about :)
The Land Cruiser moved to an 8-speed transmission 6 or 7 years ago. Lexus is chock full of reliable, highly-advanced engines and hybrid drive systems. With your Colorado elevation and joke 85 octane gas, you really need the modern tech in your cars. You'd have much improved performance and dramatically lower running costs.
If you actually use it for its intended purpose and not a grocery getter it will withstand more abuse than virtually anything else on the market. We do have 91 octane... and our 4runner is supercharged to compensate for the only real failing of the vehicle (power plant output). For the $$ into it you still won't find a more capable vehicle for its intended purpose. Every Jeep I know about destroys its axles with even moderate duty off roading (part of this is self inflicted, they almost always oversize the tires because they have the space for it, but don't upgrade other components). I went pretty deep down this rabbit hole and could not find a less costly alternative in the new car market (right before supply crunch became really deep). On the other hand, if you are just fetching groceries and need something with AWD, sure, go find some market alternative. I am not a price sensitive shopper so it is just below my threshold of caring.
See, that's the thing! The Sequoia has the same twin turbo V6 and 10-speed transmission as the J300 Land Cruiser (reliability already established as it's been in the Lexus LS500 for 5 years now) but with the addition of a hybrid system. For $60k, you get a much larger vehicle with more power and better fuel economy!
Take that already-in-mass-production drivetrain (or ideally something a little smaller) and put it into a 4Runner type vehicle and you have something absolutely amazing. For the same cost. That's my beef with Toyota.
Reviews and personal experience with new Bronco (not sport) are overwhelmingly positive, though. No real issues. Let's see how the power plants hold up.
I sorta want to replace it, because I don't really like driving my children around in it, but new cars seem incredibly complex. I'm just trying to drive here, man.
It’s so wild to me. It performs objectively worse when that high, and adds no tangible benefit outside of ego, or literally looking down upon other drivers. Yet they have all gone that way to cater to the preferences of US consumers.
Depends. Some cars have really good pedestrian detection and will stop automatically. But yes, some of those full size pickups and SUVs have a pretty large front blind spot.
According to this article [1] you have 15-60 seconds until the electric windows stop working. Also, on most cars you can detatch the headrests and use the metal at the bottom to break the windows.
I think the most impressive way I've seen are known as "ninja rocks" - broken pieces of spark plug ceramic insulator. But basically anything that can apply a force to a tiny area of the glass can start a fracture that will propagate through the glass. They make little escape hammers and things if it's a concern.
Tesla model 3s (and some other cars) at least have electric door releases, maybe on the same CANbus (or whatever they use in Tesla) loop.
Also highly relevant (hilarious) story on risks of relying on celltower connectivity with Tesla vehicles (Glenn Howerton on the Always Sunny Podcast, starts at 3:45 if link strips time off):
https://youtu.be/jxud-F_kMWM?t=225
If anyone besides me is wondering what happened, it appears that someone posted a ChatGPT response to this question that was could-cause-death-in-an-emergency wrong and has now deleted the comment.
That's a pretty bad answer in general. The laminated glass part could kind of make sense, but suggesting tempered glass for a glass that only breaks from "one way"... yeah...
