Showroom to Trail in 1 Hour: Ground Clearance With Air Damn & More

[Trail4R]

I picked up my new 6th Gen 4Runner in South Lake Tahoe and took it off-road an hour after buying it.

On the way home after picking up the 4Runner, I veered off onto a local trail to see how far the stock setup could go. Not surprisingly, I snapped the clips on the front air dam. No big deal—it was coming off anyway—but I was genuinely curious how much clearance it offered with it still mounted. The answer? Pretty much none. You might as well pull the air damn off at the dealership. There is no point in having this plastic piece on the 4Runner if you ever plan on going off-road. It will get hung up on the first ditch you drive through.

All in all though, I am actually pretty surprised at how well the 6th Gen 4Runner drives compared to the 5th Gen 4Runner. The 8-speed transmission is incredibly snappy and combined with the IForce Max powertrain, it's INCREDIBLY FAST in sport mode. The interior is also beautiful on the premium. I am really impressed so far with the 4Runner.

With the 8-speed transmission, I think the 4Runner will handle 37" tires just fine... maybe 38s. lol.

 

[4RunnerStan]

Dude that’s sick, congrats. Mine just landed at the port today. How do you feel about the I force max?

 

[Trail4R]

Thanks man! The iForce MAX is crazy impressive in sport mode. It's a completely different 4Runner than the 5th Gen. It's SOOOOOOO much faster and more aggressive on the road, especially on the factory tires. I've been driving around in sport mode non stop the last couple days. It's so much fun and handles so well around town. Freeway is a blast too. I've caught myself hitting 95 MPH a few times. It's kinda dangerous. lol

 

[4RunnerStan]

Thanks man! The iForce MAX is crazy impressive in sport mode. It's a completely different 4Runner than the 5th Gen. It's SOOOOOOO much faster and more aggressive on the road, especially on the factory tires. I've been driving around in sport mode non stop the last couple days. It's so much fun and handles so well around town. Freeway is a blast too. I've caught myself hitting 95 MPH a few times. It's kinda dangerous. lol

That's nice to hear. I wanted the I force max because I like the power. I want to off road and do all that but ultimately this is going to be a commuter car for me. I'm excited to get behind the wheel and test out the power. I know I'm not breaking any records but being able to get decent power on demand is going to make it way more fun for longer. And I'm sure having that power helps off road also.