Over the course of its 40 years on sale, the Toyota 4Runner has earned the popularity of being just about bulletproof in relation to reliability and just about unstoppable in tough off-road conditions, and for essentially the most half these are correct statements. The most important drawback with shopping for one among these rugged vehicles is the ridiculous costs they promote for — even examples with over 100,000 miles on their odometers promote for giant bucks.
The purpose of this weblog is to not rip on the 4Runner. Truthfully they’re robust autos to fault and I’m a 4Runner fan, I am simply not a fan of their outrageous costs. Toyota’s different legendary off-roaders just like the Land Cruiser and FJ Cruiser each promote with huge worth tags regardless of their mileage or age, too, however you understand what rugged, succesful, and dependable off-roader would not promote for as ridiculous costs? The great ol’ second-generation Nissan Xterra, and its huge brother the third-gen Pathfinder. Each provide comparable off-road chops to the Toyota vehicles for round $10,000 much less, and each have correct roofs and extra on-road refinement than one thing like a Jeep Wrangler. Hear me out.
Naturally aspirated V6, obtainable low-range 4WD, and truck-based toughness
The Xterra could technically be a compact SUV, nevertheless it seats 5 just like the 4Runner, and its 4.0-liter V6 produces 265 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque, six extra torques than the fifth-gen Toyota 4Runner’s 4.0-liter V6 however 5 fewer horsepower. The Xterra is a couple of foot shorter general than the fifth-gen 4Runner, so it does endure from a smaller cargo bay, however meaning it has a two-inch-shorter wheelbase so it is able to a greater breakover angle. When outfitted, the Xterra has a part-time four-wheel-drive system with an digital switch case with each excessive and low ranges, in addition to a locking rear differential.
The Xterra’s 4.0-liter V6 is a variation of the model’s VQ engine which was utilized in a lot of Nissan’s fashions so there are many outlets which might be accustomed to them and loads of elements obtainable to restore or modify them. One more reason that hardcore off-roaders flock to 4Runners is their obtainable guide transmission, which is a characteristic that the Xterra affords, too.
Not essentially low cost, however cheaper than Toyotas
Should you’ve ever searched the web for used Toyota 4Runners, Land Cruisers, or FJ Cruisers, you understand what I am speaking about. They’re nearly at all times considerably dearer than different SUVs of comparable age and particularly at comparable mileage. I’ve even been responsible of claiming that their engines are barely simply getting broken-in at 100,000 miles, however spending almost $30,000 on a 10-year-old truck with 100,000 miles is hard to suggest, even for a Toyota off-roader. Nissan Xterras could also be a bit tougher to search out, however low-mileage Xterra 4X4s typically price about $10,000 lower than comparable 4Runners, going for way more cheap sums between $10,000 and about $20,000.
Should you want extra room than the Xterra affords, Nissan constructed its Pathfinder SUV on the identical truck platform because the Xterra from 2005 to 2012, and it was even provided with a 3rd row. Each the Pathfinder and Xterra fashions from this technology are less expensive than their Toyota rivals, and characterize a greater worth proposition with out sacrificing the rough-and-tumbled off-road functionality. Plus, you may stand out from all of the Toyota vehicles in your off-road excursions, and in case you ask me, it is at all times higher to face out than to mix in.
