Hi All:
I wanted to share some thoughts on my new 2003 4Runner Sport 4WD V8, now that I've had it for a few weeks. Plus at the bottom I have some questions for you other '03 4Runner 4x4 owners out there.
I LOVE THIS TRUCK. It's a delight to drive on the pavement, and even better off road. I live near all kinds of great little dirt trails and steep slippery hills, so I've had some early opportunities to put it through its paces. Here are my initial impressions.
DOWNHILL ASSIST CONTROL (DAC)
The downhill assist is pretty fabulous. Point the thing down a steep (and/or slippery) hill, press the button, let go of the pedals, and steer. I have noticed that the vehicle targets a specific speed and sticks with it: I'd guess somewhere around 3 MPH or so. It will target this speed regardless of what gear you're in, so help it out and put it in first. DAC does not function at all unless you're in low range. Touch the accelerator and DAC will disengage. Touch the brake and you'll stop instantly. DAC also works quite nicely in reverse.
HILL START ASSIST CONTROL (HAC)
This feature was a little weirder. My understanding is that it's designed to help you out when starting from a dead stop on a very steep hill. During the moments when your foot moves from the brake to the accelerator, HAC is meant to keep you from slipping backwards. It does indeed seem to do this, but I'm still a little uneasy about it. I'll certainly be playing with this some more, but the two weirdnesses that have made me uneasy are: 1) it does indeed let you slip backwards--slowly at first, then faster and faster until it gives up on you and lets you freefall downhill; 2) it seems to kick in sometimes when I lose traction climbing over slippery and/or steep terrain (I guess this is a good thing, but there's no button to turn it off). In contrast with DAC, HAC only seems useful in high range. I couldn't find a hill steep enough that idling in 4-Low couldn't stand still against the slope. As with DAC, accelerate to disengage HAC, and touch the brake to lurch to an instant stop.
Overall, DAC and HAC are pretty neat. I was surprised by how loud they are. Lots of violent-sounding pulsing and throbbing going on while the vehicle adjusts everything. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't use it too much for fear it'll need frequent maintenance.
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS
- Engage and disengage the center differential lock at any speed. - Be stopped and in neutral to switch from High to Low range and back again. Wait for the indicator to stop flashing before you put 'er in gear again, or you'll hear a Bad Sound(tm). If it beeps, stop and try again. - The sunroof motor burps now and then to adjust position depending on speed. Cool. - The stock tires haven't gotten me into trouble yet, but I'm worried I'll pop one or more the first time I'm out cruising across the sharp nasty stuff that makes up a lot of the trails in my area. - The interior of this truck has the nicest ergonomics of any car I've ever been in, let alone owned. - The spare is not only full size, but the wheel itself matches the other attractive alloy wheels. It's not a cheapie steel one. Cool. - The X-REAS cross-linked suspension is way cool. I've driven the
4Runner with and without, and with makes a big difference. Body roll is nowhere near what I expect of a truck this size. Wonder if I'll pay extra to maintain the suspension down the road? - Vehicle skid control (VSC) was fun to activate on a dirt field. As soon as I started slipping sideways, the truck beeped three times and I was back on track.MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU - Have you replaced your tires yet? Factory tires are Dunlop AT P265/65R17. I was thinking of Goodrich AT T/A KO LT265/70R17/C (as seen in
Thanks for reading (and thanks in advance for your responses!),